Hireup connects people with disability and support workers

This pair met through disability support service Hireup and it has enriched both their lives

Alistair Lee (left) who is blind and his support worker Andrew Thomas at North Sydney today. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Andrew Thomas

Hireup disability support worker, 45, Sydney

Why did you decide to become a support worker with Hireup?

After being a journalist and television producer for many years, I wanted a change. I got a job at Hireup as head of communications and like most people, I assumed that to be a disability support worker you needed certain qualifications.

I didn’t understand that anyone who has got something to offer can do it if you can help make their life easier. Your skills, in my case as a journalist, are as valuable as someone else’s skills in nursing, for the right person. We believe in giving anyone the opportunity to be a disability support worker.

What does your role as a support worker for Alistair involve?

Alistair has a great career as a voice-over artist and needed help with promoting his services on social media. Being blind, he’s at a disadvantage because a lot of social media relies on being able to see computer screens and real-time reactions. He needed someone to help him, so I visit him a couple of hours every week at his home studio.

What was your first meeting with Alistair like?

We met at a coffee shop not far from his house. I was a bit nervous. Even though I’d done lots of things including being an international correspondent, I hadn’t been as nervous as I was meeting Alistair for a long time. There is nothing more personal than sitting and being someone’s eyes for a period of time. It’s turned into a friendship as much as a professional relationship.

How would you describe Alistair?

He’s a clever bugger. He is full of ideas and energy and his mind goes about one-and-a-half times the speed of everyone else’s. Occasionally his lack of sight can be frustrating for him because he’s not able to action his ideas as quickly as he’d like. But his attitude to life is extremely positive.

What have you learnt from him?

I’ve learnt an awful lot about what it means to be blind, and I’ve learnt what it doesn’t limit, and that’s ideas and creativity.

Alistair Lee

Voice-over artist, 41, Sydney

What do you love about being a voice-over artist?

As a blind person, it allows me to act and have unlimited scope for playing multiple voices and characters. When I was young I listened to audio books and travelled to England a lot because my mother is English, so I’d mimic the different regional accents. It’s a specialist field and an art form in itself and being able to get it 100 per cent accurate is critical.

Why did you choose Andrew as your support worker?

Once I got my NDIS self-managed plan,
I found Hireup and started looking up profiles when I came across Andrew. He’d had a professional career in broadcasting and media and I needed help using social media, so I wrote to him. I’d started setting it up and he helped me finish it, and from there we did posts and videos. It’s been fabulous. You meet a wonderful cross- section of people using Hireup’s platform, all with different skills and abilities. One of the great things about Hireup is you’re in control and you retain dignity.

How would you describe Andrew?

He’s a very energetic individual and he thrives on lots happening at once. He’s very articulate and I enjoy his intellect.

What are some of your biggest achievements?

Getting a music degree, representing Australia at the Pan Pacific Games and being the first Australian blind person to go to NASA. I also love restoring old cars. The two best days of my life are when I got married to my wife Sarah, 35, and when we had our daughter, Harriet, 1. Being a parent is one of the best things in the world and having a job and career I’m passionate about is fantastic.

What motivates you to achieve your goals?

I like to inspire people to have a crack at something when they don’t think they can do it or they think their life is difficult. I also have cerebral palsy and attention deficit disorder and I believe positivity plays an important role in what you’re able to do. Managing a couple of disabilities that are not always seen visibly sometimes takes an enormous toll on you emotionally and physically. Knowing I’ve got a supportive and loving family makes a huge difference as you want to do your best for them and yourself. The NDIS is so important for so many people with disabilities. It gives us options to improve our quality of life and live our lives independently.

hireup.com.au