When Shane belts out the lyrics to his favourite song, his voice soars through the room. But that wasn’t always the case.
When Shane first came to the ‘Green Room’ at Wesley Mission Clarence Valley, which supports people with disability to build life skills and become more independent, he was quiet and withdrawn. He struggled to join words together to make sentences and refused to join group activities or conversations.
“When you asked him if he wanted to join a group activity, he would stay seated firmly or he’d just walk away,” explains Donna, Green Room Service Team Leader. “When he did speak, he wasn’t speaking in sentences, just disconnected words and phrases. It was really hard to understand what he was trying to say.”
Shane also struggled with fine motor skills and couldn’t hold a paintbrush or use utensils while he ate.
“He was having to eat with his hands. We gave him something to eat that had paper wrapped around it, and he ate the paper instead of removing it,” Donna says.
The impact of time and care
Now, after a year at Wesley Mission, Shane is thriving. He’s able to eat with a fork, knife and spoon – and he cooks his own meals. Every week, Shane makes a shopping list, buys groceries with Donna and prepares nutritional lunches. He’s also become an avid painter.
Most importantly, he is now joining in conversations. To encourage Shane to develop his speaking skills, Donna and her team discussed his favourite NRL team with him – the Roosters.
“He’s come a long way. He can say everyone’s name now. He knows who I am and says ‘hello’. He’s learning more words and he’s starting to use sentences,” Donna says.
Shane has grown from strength to strength thanks to our dedicated Green Room staff.
“We kept including him and consistently tried to get him to join the activities. We just made him feel welcome, encouraged him and praised him for every new skill he developed,” explains Donna.
A consistent approach
The consistency has paid off. Seeing Shane thrive is a joy for Donna and her team. Shane has increased his attendance at the Green Room from one to four days a week and the smile on his face every day shows how much he enjoys being there.
“He seems quite happy. He chats away to the other participants, and he’s got some mates now,” Donna says.
For Donna and the team, the most memorable part of Shane’s journey was fulfilling his dream of visiting a fire truck.
“He loves fire engines. So, we made a trip, especially for Shane, to a fire station where he got to sit in the truck. He had a really good day.”
And that’s the team’s mission – to ensure every day is a good day for Shane and others who attend the Green Room.
