Support Able Australia this Christmas

Christmas is a time of happiness, connecting with friends and spending time with family. But for many Australians living with a disability...

...Christmas will be filled with sadness and isolation. Thankfully, with your support, Able Australia is
changing this.

This year Colleen will decide how she will celebrate Christmas and she will finally be heard! Decisions including what clothes she wears, who she will see and where she will spend Christmas day will all be made by Colleen. But it wasn’t always this way.

Since birth, Colleen has had an intellectual disability and is non-verbal. As a result, most of her early years were spent away from her family, living in an institution where other people made every decision for her. But now with the assistance of Able Australia Services Colleen is going to enjoy Christmas her way.

Being unable to communicate verbally Colleen could not easily express her desires and needs to others, leading her to feel imprisoned by loneliness and isolation. Choices were rarely hers to make. As resources were scarce no time was available to find out how she was feeling or what she wanted to do on any
particular day.

On a daily basis, Colleen felt helpless. But at Christmas time, the loneliness was almost unbearable. We can transform the lives of people just like Colleen with your help!

At Able Australia we have a mission this Christmas! We are tackling the isolation and loneliness that so many people feel at Christmas time as a result of their disabilities. This is never an easy, straight forward or simple task. It requires patience, highly skilled and trained staff and the professional planning that accompanies service provision
of this kind. This Able Australia turns to you to stand beside us with your financial support. Your Christmas gift can help us give back dignity and improve the quality of life for people who need it most!

Through your financial gift Able Australia can create services that will help people just like Colleen to connect with their community, family and friends throughout the year!

Many people in our local community live with a range of disabilities that directly impact their quality of life and independence. Being disconnected creates feelings of isolation and loneliness which can lead to depression and, in some cases, mental illness. Without breaking this cycle and helping people to connect to others, people often spiral into deeper levels of isolation.

One of the most significant changes in Colleen’s life was moving into an Able Australia residential unit. Able Australia staff took the time to learn how to communicate with Colleen. She is currently working with Able Australia’s specially trained staff to learn how to manage the effects of her intellectual disability, to grow her independence and begin making decisions for herself.

Our committed staff empowers people just like Colleen to make decisions about their own life. But we need to offer more services to connect more people to their community this Christmas. We rely heavily on the donations our supporters! Your generosity will help us transform lives through the services we provide! I truly hope that we can count on you to support us this Christmas.

Your Christmas extra special contribution to our Christmas Connections Appeal will help more people access Able’s critical services – because no one should feel alone at Christmas.

This Christmas, Colleen has been heard by Able Australia!

Over time, the staff at Able Australia have developed a number of specialised communication techniques at Colleen’s house to enable her to communicate. Because of these methods, Colleen has been able to express that this Christmas all she wants to do is spend the morning with her close long-time friend, Colin, at a local cafe. Without Able Australia’s services and our staff’s personal care, Colleen would have had yet another Christmas of being ignored and overlooked.

On Christmas morning, Colleen will be assisted by Able Australia staff to head down to her favourite café where she will celebrate Christmas with Colin, and enjoy a simple pleasure that she has chosen. Dignity, self confidence and quality of life are life-changing gifts Colleen will now enjoy this Christmas and in
years to come.

Taking the time and care to provide the right services for the right people is Able’s approach to helping everyone we work with. Often it’s the little things in life that are the most important. Simple requests, small pleasures and human dignities are rights that underpin quality of life. With your support Able Australia will continue to help people, like Colleen, to achieve a life where they are not overlooked or pushed aside. A life where they can feel valued and respected in our community.

With you standing beside us this Christmas we can provide more services to more people in similar positions to Colleen. Your Christmas Gift to our Christmas Connections Appeal will help us reach more people in our community.