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Lived experience blog


Meet Tammy and read about the impact good supports have on her life

My name is Tammy Milne and I live in Tasmania. I was born with Arthrogrophosis multiplex congenita, which basically means the muscles and bones in my legs, shoulders and throat are weak and malformed. I am 60 years old and wear it as a badge of honour to have survived this long.
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Meet Tania

My name is Tania Lewis, I am 52, I’ve been married to my hubby Lenny for 35 years. He is my best friend in life, we have known each other since we were little. Together we managed to create our daughter, she is beautiful, she is 25 now and is doing her own life. Life hasn’t always been great for us.
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Meet Katy

Meet Katy who is sharing her lived experience as part of our Co-design team.
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From aged care to home

After more than 4 years living in aged care William was finally able to move into a specialist disability accommodation apartment with the help of the Aged Care to Home service. The move came 4 days before his 52nd birthday.
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Bruce Camplin’s story

Hi, I’m Bruce, 52 years young, living in an SDA apartment on the Gold Coast. I have a disability called arthrogryposis, which affects both joints and muscles of my major joints.
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Meet Julia

Julia recently joined the Co-design team at the Summer Foundation. She shares her story and tells us about her work.
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Happy New Year from Lisa Davis

We first met Lisa 2 years ago when she was living in aged care. Louise, from the Summer Foundation, chatted with Lisa about how she is going with living in her own home.
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Profile – Bridget Doyle

My name is Bridget Doyle. I’m 28 years old. I love going out for coffee, listening to music, walking my dog Lily, playing board games with friends and pottering around in my garden growing my own fruits and veggies.
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Q & A with Andrew

We met Andrew last year and since then have been working with him on a number of projects. Sharing his voice, experience and insight he is helping to educate and improve outcomes for people with disability.
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Empowering perspectives: Insights from the National Disability Summit

Hi my name is Frances. I’m a mature woman with a disability who is trying to live my best possible life, which has included working and travelling around the world. This has enabled me to work and be involved in some amazing projects. I’m also a carer for someone with a psychosocial disability.
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Profile – Brendon’s story

Brendon waited for 918 days to get the correct level of funding to continue living in his 1-bedroom specialist disability accommodation in Queensland.
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At home with Xavier

Earlier this year the Summer Foundation supported Xavier and his family to find and move to a suitable house in Echuca. We caught up with Xavier’s grandmother Roz to see how things are going.
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Profile – Meet Kelly Maskell

Kelly was interviewed for this month’s Summer Foundation Focus newsletter about her experience of moving out of aged care and into SDA.
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Connor is now living in SDA

We first met Connor during the more than 2 years he waited to get the right SDA approval in his NDIS plan. Late last year Connor finally moved in to his own apartment.
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Meet Daniel

We first met Daniel almost a decade ago, when he lived in a nursing home. Last year, Daniel moved into his own SDA apartment.
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Meet Samar

Last year we began working with Samar. Samar shares her experience of moving into SDA and explains why she wanted to share her story.
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Meet Tobias

Earlier this year, we met Tobias. He has recently become an NDIS participant and has been working with us to highlight the strengths and challenges of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
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Meet Anna

Anna recently met Bill Shorten in her new SDA apartment. She writes about her housing journey and why she shares her experience.
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Q+A with Ned

In late 2021 Lu and Gina met Ned, his housemates and his family to capture their experience living in an ‘individualised living option’ (ILO) homeshare arrangement. Lu caught up with Ned recently to chat with him about some recent changes.
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James in a cafe

Life is bigger than a brain injury

It’s Brain Injury Awareness Week!
Meet James – he has been living with a brain injury for 18 years. He writes about his experience and explains why Brain Injury Awareness Week is important to him.
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Meet Connor

Connor worked with the Summer Foundation team on the Down to 10 Days Campaign.

Read about Connor here.

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Rachel’s Story

“I couldn’t access a shower, my front door or kitchen for 14 months and 16 days. ”

Rachel speaks about her experience of waiting for SDA and the impact that it had on her life.

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Jamie-Lee’s Story

Jamie-Lee writes about her experience of waiting 12 months for SDA and the impact that had on her life.
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Managing ourselves in a COVID world

The Summer Foundation’s Information Service and Lived Experience Advisor, Emma Gee, chats with one of the organisation’s Lived Experience Facilitators, Shanais Nielsen, about the best ways to plan, navigate, stay positive and up to date in this COVID world. 
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Jono’s journey to SDA

Meet Jono. Jono’s journey to SDA has taught him you have to fight not only for what you require but also for what you deserve. He shares his housing journey in the Summer Foundation Annual Report.
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Moving Forward with COVID

Emma chats to Shanais again about her experience of adjusting to the new world where we are learning to live with COVID in Victoria.
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Meet Ned and his housemates

Earlier this year, Lu and Gina met Ned, his housemates and his family to capture their experience living in an ‘individualised living option’ (ILO) homeshare arrangement. Lu caught up with the housemates recently to see how it is all going.
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New tools to help people move out of aged care

New podcasts, videos and support tools are now available on the Housing Hub website to help people moving out of aged care. Emma Gee, Summer Foundation staff member, speaks about creating these tools with a group of people with experience of the moving process.
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Every brain injury is different

Meet Greg, he has been living with a brain injury for 33 years. He writes about his experience and explains why Brain Injury Awareness Week is important to him.
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Living life in lockdown

Emma chats to Shanais about her experience of the Covid19 lockdowns. Their conversation includes a few learnings and tips for us all to consider in living life in lockdown.
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‘Call-to-Test’ COVID-19

Gina, a Summer Foundation Program Officer in our Lived Experience Team interviewed some people with disability in our network about their experience of this new ‘Call-to-Test’ Procedure.
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Personal Protective Equipment Q&A with V

Staying COVID-free mainly… Especially in a household where we have support workers coming and going. Luckily I have a great team of women supporting me who understand…
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