Roslyn - Tell me I can’t do it, I’ll do it anyway!

You can do anything you put your mind to when you just do your best and ask for help when you need it, so if someone says I can’t do something, I tell myself I’m going to show them what I’m made of!

I was a ‘Blue Baby’, born with an oxygen deficiency, which left me with a learning disability. Though I’ve never accepted that as a limitation, I experienced depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts in my younger years, which led me to connect with Flourish Australia’s Buckingham House in Surry Hills.

In the six years that I’ve been with them, I’ve been supported to stay active with pilates, tennis and swimming at nearby Prince Alfred Park Pool, a healthy contrast to the pressure I was under to keep my weight down as an elite gymnast in my teenage years. Getting involved group activities at Flourish Australia actually enriches my life by learning new things like French, which helps to keep my mind agile, while making new social connections.

I’ve also consulted with Flourish Australia’s Disability Employment Service about job opportunities because I find meaningful work so rewarding, despite being eligible for disability support. I’ve worked in an IGA supermarket as a kitchen hand, and as a dog walker and groomer, applying qualifications I attained at an Animal Tending course.

I also enjoy doing volunteer work through my church, with a soup kitchen at Redlink, and for charities like The Gift of Bread where we collect bread donated by bakeries for people who need it.

My hope is to become a social worker where I can help others overcome disadvantage by drawing on my own lived experience, and that of family and friends who’ve dealt with childhood trauma, domestic violence, unemployment, generational mental health issues, and other challenges. Some people doubt my ability to achieve this due to my mild intellectual disability but I’m pursuing University preparation through TAFE regardless.