Carers lend a helping hand to others
Learning about disability support services has been made easier thanks to the efforts of some forward-thinking carers.
Expo founders Denis and Helen Alvers with daughter, Danielle.
Like many parents of a child with a disability, Mackay couple Denis and Helen Alvers invested much time and effort in learning about available support services for their now 21-year-old daughter Danielle.
Their experience has inspired them to share their knowledge with others by instigating the Mackay Disability Expo in 2002. This annual, one-day event presents people with a disability and their carers with all of their support options in a one-stop shop.
"We made a few false starts accessing various programs and thought that our experiences could help others so we started the expo four years ago," Denis, who is also a Mackay/Whitsunday Disability Advisory Council member, says.
Last year's expo, held in October at the Andergrove Community Centre, attracted a record 33 exhibitors and more than 350 visitors.
Exhibitors included government agencies such as Disability Services Queensland and TAFE Queensland, as well as non-government organisations including Life Without Barriers.
"Last year, for the first time, we had organisations providing aged care services attend, as well as groups catering for 0-6 year-old-age groups," Denis says.
Mackay Autism Support Group Coordinator Debbie Brooker has hosted displays at every Mackay Disability Expo.
"The expo provides a good opportunity to meet with parents seeking support groups and enables me to network with other groups that provide services to people with autism," she says.
"We . thought that our experiences could help others so we started the annual expos four years ago"
As well as staging the expo, the Alvers also run a local support group called Where to Go for Help. It has seven active members - all volunteers with non-government organisations - and started at the same time as the expos. The group has recently published a useful booklet listing contact details and descriptions of every disability service in the Mackay/Whitsunday region.
The booklet, Where to go for help, includes personal stories, many humorous, by carers and people with a disability. It is distributed free to more than 2000 readers.
For copies of the book, phone Denis Alvers on 4955 7789.
Last updated November 2007