History of Disability in South Australia

I was born at Port Pirie in 1955, and I was 11 months old before a specialist diagnosed my condition as Cerebral palsy. Before that I was called a ‘lazy baby’. My parents had no knowledge of cerebral palsy, and found it hard to accept that there was no cure. At different times they took me to a chiropractor, a hypnotherapist and a faith healer, but sadly there were no miracles.

When I was almost three, my mother had a younger child to care for and was also expecting another, so it was suggested for her sake that I have a six-week trial at Woodville Spastic Centre, during which time they were not to visit me. This was very upsetting for everyone. After a couple of months, although I was given treatment every day, I became very stiff and jerking in my movements and was again unable to sit up alone. My parents decided that it was best for me and everyone if I lived at home. They moved house from port Pirie to Campbelltown, and I went to Woodville daily.

I led a full and happy life there. I was given physiotherapy every day, and there were various pieces of equipment that allowed me to exercise and expand my physical abilities. When I was old enough to go to school, I was picked up by the bus each day from home and enjoyed the program at Woodville which entailed school lessons, physiotherapy, speech therapy and play with other children. We were all handicapped in various ways, but still played as any other little boys. We played cops and robbers using whatever we needed to get around, wheelchairs, go-carts or bicycles. We had numerous crashes, but escaped with our lives, while keeping the gardener busy replanting shrubs and replacing turf. One of the most important things I learned at school was how to type using a pointer.

With the arrival of Miss Harris as acting Head at the school, we formed a junior branch of the RSPCA, of which I was made President. With my mother’s help I prepared and gave talks on the animal world and care of domestic animals. Miss Harris introduced the idea of prefects and I was made one. We organised ways of teaching road safety and we even had a pedestrian crossing. Miss Harris took me to the University to see the equipment used by Sir Douglas Mawson on his polar expeditions, and hearing of this, Lady Mawson invited me and my parents to her home at Mt Lofty. This was a great thrill.

My parents were ingenious in finding ways to help me enjoy various activities. My father used to let me feel I was mowing the lawn. The mower was placed in front of my chair with my hands on the mower handles, and my father would push from behind- very heavy work for him, but I was made to feel involved. At one time for some childish reason, I decided to run away from home, and before long the wheelchair got stuck. Suddenly to my surprise I was moving forward. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Dad, driving on his way home from work was pushing my chair in front of the car. Dad also used to take me out fishing in the boat. The nose of the boat would be right out of the water, we were ploughing through the water, spray would be flying, and the boat banging against the waves. There was a sense of freedom and adventure that nothing else could give me. Later I realised how brave and understanding my father had been to take someone like me out in a boat.

One particularly crazy escapade of my youth was when my brother-in-law Mackey gave me a ride as a pillion passenger on his motor bike. We were staying in the family shack on Yorke Peninsula and away from usual traffic. I was thoroughly secured on the back of the bike with some ropes, leaning up against the rider, and Mackey and I went on a scrub trek for a few miles. I think Mackey may have been glad to get back in one piece as I kept leaning to one side, and he had to lean the other way as a counterbalance.

When I was 10, Hills Hoists sponsored two children from Woodville to go on a three-week trip to Fiji. The whole of Woodville School came to see us off at the airport. During the flight to Sydney the pilot took both Caroline and me up it the cockpit, and we were treated like VIPs. We were given a tour of Sydney by members of the Manly Apex Club, and when we boarded the boat, our cabin was filled with flowers, fruit and sweets. One night we dined with the Captain, and for two 10 year-olds it was almost unimaginable that we should be dining with the man in charge of the whole ship. At New Caledonia we were met by two Frenchmen who motored us around the island. We were to prove what quick learners we were when we were able to farewell our friends with “au revoir” and “merci”. They weren’t to know how long we’d been practicing!

In Fiji we had a wonderful time and met many people including a group of Fijian scouts who took us out every afternoon, and gave us some hair-raising rides around town. We visited many places. Each day brought fresh experiences, and through all was the feeling of great friendliness of everyone we met, and we seemed to meet everyone! I have never seen so much natural beauty as in Fiji.

Back home it took a while to settle down to schoolwork again, but the usual routine soon took over. I had a further 6 years at Woodville, and during that time had three operations which gave me more freedom of leg movement and greater comfort.

At age 16 a decision was made for me to transfer to Ashford Special School. I was very unhappy about this at the time, but later realised I had been thinking of what was then and not, as my parents and teachers were, looking to the future. I began correspondence lessons and over the next two years they were to play a large role in my formal education. I took my science lessons at Adelaide Boys High where the other boys had to carry me up stairs. The person who drove me there was also my note taker. I was the president of the Ashford Social Club and played cricket against the international team at the time. Overall my studies broadened my outlook, taught me how to concentrate on an issue, and to develop a facility in self-expression. The greatest benefit I gained from my time at Ashford was from the various school activities which helped me develop self-confidence and personal initiative. These qualities have stood me in good stead in my adult years.

After I left school I felt I faced an uncertain future, but managed to gain employment with the Regency Park Centre. I was appointed the Contract Room Manager. In assessing and training young people with disabilities, seeking contracts for them, having to adapt contract work conditions and setting of targets for work, I learned a great deal, both about people and about the workplace.

At Regency Park, outside my work role, I was also the instigator of the Link Disco which was held every other month. I started the disco for people living at Regency Park, but after the first year I was able to open it to other young people in the community. It was the first integrated social event in South Australia. The disco continued to be successful for four years. I also wrote and assisted with the production of a video to show visitors to the Centre about what people were doing in the senior section. I felt strongly that visitors should not be shown through residents’ living areas, so the main purpose of the video was to protect residents’ privacy and avoid putting them on show. The video was also able to be used for PR and fundraising purposes.

While I was at the Centre I set up a Work Assessment and Skills Program. The program was designed to provide people with severe disabilities the chance to expand their range of skills. I was also involved in the devolution of the Rua Rua Nursing Home. This meant I had to go out and assess houses for practicality and suitability for prospective clients. This was a very interesting experience which subsequently suggested a direction for my future employment.

Because I knew my parents were unsure of how I would cope with independent living, and would be unhappy about it, I managed to be spirited away without them knowing, and while reassuring them of my safety, I did not let them know of my whereabouts for some time. My first taste of independent living at was at the Focus Housing Units at Mile End.

Some time later I was living in a group of units in the City with other people with disabilities and we discussed the need for client-managed personal care services. Maurice Corcoran and I wrote up the constitution and obtained funding from the Commonwealth for the first such service in the State. I managed the DIPSA and SAIL services through their formative years 1988 -1992. This entailed screening and managing a pool of attendants, recording performance between both parties, and reporting regularly to the funding bodies in order to obtain ongoing resources.

I was asked to design the first training course for Dom-Care support workers, and presented this at the Workers’ Educational Association. For fifteen years I continued tutoring in this course with the WEA on a contract basis, and got to know practically every support worker in Adelaide at that time. The workshops were my own conception and varied over the years to meet changing needs of individuals and organisations. Workshops were open to the general public, and also to organisations needing to meet training requirements for their employees.

Realising that my best chances of employment lay with myself, in 1988 I set up my own business, HC Harrison Consultants, Disability Consultancy in Access and Training, and have subsequently successfully tendered for many jobs with State government departments, and local government agencies. Private architecture firms have also contracted my services from time to time for access advice, as have individuals seeking reports to be presented to local government for home adaptations. The business seems to be constantly expanding as there is a dearth of consultants working in the area in South Australia. We are always busy and have had to employ an assistant.

I feel privileged to have been invited to join numerous Boards and Committees over the years, as well as attaining seven or more positions stemming from Ministerial appointments.

I now have a family of my own; something which I had hardly hoped was possible, although I am a naturally optimistic person. Jill and I were married in 1999. We bought our own home and had adaptations carried out to make it habitable for both of us, Reba our dog, and our visitors. Through Jill’s daughter we now have two beautiful grandchildren whom we love to have visit. Zaine was born in 2000 and as yet an un-named one in 2007. I consider I have had much happiness in my life.