As a last resort, a Toowoomba mum sets up a GoFundMe to get an accessible car for her son

There are no ‘quick trips’ for the Stevens family, and Taegan Stevens is trying to raise money for a wheelchair accessible car to help her son Oscar.

Oscar Rochford loves rock ‘n’ roll music, laughing at jokes, thick Scottish accents, and being sped around in his wheelchair.

His mum Taegan Stevens says Oscar is a “typical teenage boy” who just happens to have hydrocephalus, Corpus Callosum Atrophy, Cortical Vision Impairment, Cerebral Palsy, and epilepsy which causes frequent seizures.

Although he is unable to feed himself, speak, or lift his head, his loving mum and three younger siblings just see him as the funny kid that he is.

Taegan Stevens and Amy Gray dropping Oscar off at school.

But as a single mum of four, transporting her family places is a massive challenge and is about to get even harder as Oscar has grown out of his current wheelchair.

For every car trip Ms Stevens needs to carry Oscar from his wheelchair into his car seat and then back again, making a quick trip to the shops nearly impossible.

“His dystonia makes his arms and legs move constantly so it takes you back to the days of fighting a toddler into a car seat. but he isn’t fighting it’s just how he moves,” she said.

Taegan Stevens and Amy Gray dropping Oscar off at school.

Oscar’s wheelchair already barely fits into Taegan’s car.

Oscar, who now weighs more than 33kg, is overdue to size up his car seat and wheelchair, and the next wheelchair model physically won’t fit into Ms Stevens’ car.

After spending seven months putting together reports for NDIS funding for a vehicle that would fit Oscar’s chair, Ms Stevens submitted a request in mid-October.

The NDIS denied the request, stating funding was not for vehicles.

Ms Stevens said as a parent she deserved to be able to drop her kids off at school, something she soon won’t be able to do without a new car.

“Why am I being robbed of a parental right that everybody gets just because the wheelchair doesn’t fit,” she said.

“I take great pride in being able to be there for my kids.”

Ms Stevens takes a trip to Brisbane every month to take Oscar to specialist appointments, which she arranges to fit into one day so she can be home in time to pick up the rest of her kids from school.

“How would I get him to those things if I didn’t have a car that could fit him?” she said.

Taegan Stevens and Amy Gray with Oscar.

As a final resort, Ms Stevens started a GoFundMe on February 28 aiming to raise $85,000 to go towards a wheelchair accessible car to support the additional modifications for Oscar, but she has faced criticism online with some people saying she should work harder, find a higher paying job, or get a loan.

“Being a single mum with four kids and working part time, no bank is going to give me a loan,” she said.

“Even if I could, I would just be putting myself into lifelong debt.

“It would be impossible to live, and I am already living week to week as it is.”

Ms Stevens works part-time as a medical receptionist, but to get her full carers payment she can only work 25 hours a week.

Ms Stevens has exhausted all possible funding options and her Centrelink Carers Support barely covers her current costs.

After spending seven months putting together reports for NDIS funding for the vehicle, Ms Stevens submitted a request in mid-October, in the hopes the NDIS would be able to help her buy a new car considering she had exhausted her options.

An NDIA spokesperson said the NDIS was not designed to provide funding for vehicles.

“Last year the Australian Government introduced new legislation to further clarify how NDIS funding can and can’t be used,” the NDIA spokesperson said.

“These lists clearly state the NDIS cannot fund the purchasing of a vehicle, registration, insurance and/or the general maintenance of a vehicle.”

The NDIS can support modifications to vehicles, but until Ms Stevens can afford a new car that will fit Oscar’s modifications, she is unable to get help from the organisation.

Taegan Stevens and Amy Gray with Oscar.

Support worker Amy Gray, from A-List Support Services, has been caring for Oscar for the past six months and said Ms Stevens went “above and beyond” in supporting Oscar and not many families she had worked for had such complex needs.

Working with the family every weekday, Ms Gray said she had built a great relationship with Oscar.

“It didn’t take me very long to warm up to Oscar, he is just so cool,” she said.

Find Ms Stevens’ GoFundMe at www.gofund.me/0e267806