A new day service dawns in the Torres Strait
Sapeta Gagai and her father Den look forward to the opening of the new day service on Thursday Island.A new chapter begins in the lives of people with a disability in the remote area of the Torres Strait, with a new day service offering a long- awaited opportunity for community involvement and skills development.
The service, which is currently securing a Torres Strait language name, targets adults with an intellectual or physical disability from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or non-English speaking backgrounds, or with ageing parents or carers.
Sapeta Gagai is one such client. At 23 years old she has not experienced organised day activities for almost six years.
Samantha Devine, Service Coordinator of the disability arm of the Port Kennedy Association which manages the service, says apart from recreational sports and the craft, Sapeta loves being with other people.
"A key moment was when some of the others in the group remembered her from school," she says.
Sapeta's sister Muara accompanies her to the sessions and has noticed a significant change.
"I can see just how her confidence has grown in the way she plays games. When it came to playing with a beach ball, Sapeta used to just pick it up. Now she's kicking it, running with it and catching it when someone throws to her. She is really enjoying interacting," Muara says.
The service, which opened in June, aims to develop the capabilities of people with a disability in a range of areas including lifestyle skills and recreational, educational and cultural activities.
"For people who leave school, community access and involvement stops because there is nowhere for them to go, so they stay home.
This will make a huge difference to adults with a disability as it will encourage them to keep growing and learning," Samantha says.
The service providers plan to undertake transition work with high school children with a disability who won't be continuing school or starting work.
This involves working with the children six months before school ends to help avert the emotional let down of being outside a routine.
Through this service, the Port Kennedy Association is also creating networks for people with a disability in the wider community.
"We've signed up for the Torres Shire Council's Adopt-a-Beach program where the group will be maintaining See Hops Beach to keep it clean. The flow on from this is that our group gets to interact with others through council activities such as barbecues," Samantha says.
Based at the Port Kennedy Hall on Thursday Island, the service provides assistance to the inner islands of Horn Island, Thursday Island, Hammond Island and Prince of Wales Island, as well as being open to individuals visiting from the outer islands and the Northern Peninsula Area.
Activities will initially run for four hours, twice a week, for 48 weeks of the year.
Last updated November 2007