It has been one year exactly since Lachlan Reardon got his first NDIS plan. Soon to turn 11-years-old, this local Mudgee boy has come a long way in a single year.

Lachlan lives with mild muscular dystrophy. He has hyper flexibility and low muscle mass. He’s always struggled with lack of balance, which has impacted on his ability to play sport.

“Due to his condition, Lachie has never been able to ride a scooter or bike like other kids his age,” explains his mum Deborah.

“With his plan in place, Lachie has been seeing an occupational therapist (OT) and a personal trainer for a year now and he’s definitely improved,” she said.

“They are working on his core strength and he’s really been enjoying the personal training sessions.”

Lachlan’s main goals in his first plan were to tie his shoelaces, ride a bicycle and a scooter. One year down, and he has smashed all three! Tying his shoelaces – tick! Riding a scooter – tick! And now, just recently, Lachlan’s perseverance paid off when he learned the art of two-wheeled balance and started to ride a bike. Tick! Tick! Tick!

“It’s given him such confidence,” Deborah said. “He’s just so proud of himself, and of his achievements. As his parent, I thought he’d never ride a bike. I was nearly ready to give up.

“In our family we never say we can’t do something. We say, it’s something we’re trying to do. We might not be able to do it now, but one day we might be able to do it, and this experience has shown Lachie that this is very true.”

Lachlan goes to a mainstream school and earlier this year they had their first school camp.

“It was the first time Lachie has ever been away from home,” Deborah said. “He went for four nights and they camped by the water. At that point, Lachie was the only one out of the 100-plus kids attending who couldn’t ride a bike. Next year will be a different experience for him.

“I think he’ll really take off this year, just because his balance is better and his confidence has grown.”

“At the beginning I felt guilty about being on the NDIS because Lachie just looks like a normal little boy.

“Now I realise there’s kids on the NDIS with behavioural problems and other things you can’t see, and as he gets older I can see the huge difference having the NDIS plan will make.

Access to these treatments is going to make a huge impact to his quality of life. It will make all the difference,” Deborah said.

Using his NDIS plan

Lachlan’s NDIS supports have helped him:

• Learn how to ride a bicycle and a scooter
• Learn how to tie his shoelaces
• Improve his balance
• Feel more confident

It has been just over a year since Ability Dreaming opened its doors and like any new business, there have been highs and lows according to Managing Director, Joel Everett.

The first 12 months of any business is a notoriously difficult time for anyone, but adding a disability into the mix brings additional challenges. A participant in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Joel is vision impaired and has a mild learning difficulty but that hasn’t stopped him from realising his dream of helping others to achieve theirs.

“Do you want to know how this all started? I’ll tell you,” Joel said. “I lost my eyesight five years ago. And instead of sitting and watching a wall, doing nothing, I wanted to help others do something.

“It’s called Ability Dreaming, because everyone has ability. And everyone has a dream.”

Ability Dreaming specialises in providing people with a disability in Orange and NSW’s central west with access to one-of-a-kind events, adventures and experiences. However, family, friends, and indeed anyone of any ability is welcome. And so far, Joel, along with his Ability Dreaming General Manager, Drew Kirby, are kicking serious goals.

Ability Dreaming was a finalist in the 2019 Outstanding Business Awards in Orange, having been nominated in five categories including Excellence in Microbusiness; Excellence in Health, Fitness and Wellbeing; An Experienced Leader (35 years +); and Excellence in Tourism and Accommodation.

When asked how it feels to be recognised for his work on Ability Dreaming after only a year in business, Joel beams: “It feels like we are on the right track. We want to be consistent, to constantly deliver that quality of service each year, that is our goal.”

And that’s not the only goal that’s being kicked. One of the many dream trips organised this year included a mystery visit to a rugby league match in Manly, Sydney where clients were able to meet with Manly legend Steven Menzies.

“They were so excited. Our clients got to experience seeing the Manly team warm up right down there with them on the field, and they met with the cheerleaders and mascots and had their photos taken. We even had tickets to the members’ lounge at the Parramatta Eels club for one match.

“We also went to the Lindt Chocolate Factory and to Palm Beach where they film Home and Away. We all got to go into Alf’s Bait Shop – everyone was rapt. It was such a highlight.”

Other dreams have included close encounters with animals at Dubbo Zoo where clients patted reptiles and got close and cuddly with koalas. There have been trips organised to the Disney on Ice Show, to Disability Expos, to the go-karts, to Parramatta Bank West Stadium for the very first match there against the West Tigers, and to the Bathurst 1000, which was a particular highlight.

“Our clients were allowed into the pit area so they were close up to the action. One client got to meet a couple of the drivers. It was amazing! They were speechless. They couldn’t stop talking about it.”

That is exactly the response that Joel and Drew are looking for.

“This is what we’re about!” said Joel. “Giving people opportunities to live life to the best of their ability and live outside their comfort zone. Not many people have these opportunities. But we can provide them. Both for clients and their families.

“We are able to cater for plan-managed and self-managed NDIS participants. In fact, many of our clients are participants in the NDIS. We really appreciate the support the NDIS has been able to give us.”

Joel is also supported by the NDIS, which he says has been invaluable for him to operate his business. An NDIS-funded support worker assists him with everyday living, and also supports him to research business opportunities, attract sponsorship, build a website and get the word out – all difficult things for Joel to do unassisted given his vision impairment.

NDIS funding has also provided Joel with assistive technology which allows him to read and type out letters and emails.

As with any regional small business, Joel and Drew face many challenges. Currently they are surviving on the time and skills of six volunteer staff, and they hope to register for charity status soon. Transport and accessibility in regional Australia has also been a difficult hurdle to overcome.

“One of our biggest issues is finding the right transportation. We’ve had to hire buses, but they’re not even wheelchair accessible, which is embarrassing. We want to be able to offer everyone a unique experience, not just a select few. I know what we’re looking for. We just need a few investors to back our dream. We’re working really hard on that.”

The future is looking bright for Ability Dreaming as it plans an exciting year ahead, including taking a tour over to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics for which they are currently seeking sponsorship.

“You don’t want to be 90 years old with regrets. Live right now. That’s what I am doing. And that’s what we are helping others to do also.”

Ability Dreaming has already attracted strong local community and business support for their venture and are keen for more. To help Ability Dreaming make dreams come true, contact Joel at [email protected] – it will make his dream come true too.

Using his NDIS plan

Joel’s NDIS supports have helped him:

• begin his business
• improve communication
• spend time in the community
• realise his dream of granting dreams to others