Kia ora tātou my name is Marg Slater and I have a son Jack who is 18.
I'm Mandy and I'm mother to six year old Maia.
I'm Kat and I'm mum to four year old Ella.
Hey I'm Sonia and I am mum to eight year old twin girls Thandie and Inez.
A year ago I, honestly I would have said there isn't one, that's how I felt,
that's how low we were and how impossible it all felt.
Now I'm really optimistic.
I have high hopes for her, I think she's going to fly.
It's what so many of our kids struggle with, is they don't know what hat to put on
in what situation, they don't know where they fit,
so I hope and I want and I will strive
for her to find her tribe and to find what makes her happy.
For much of my last 18 years, I have lived day to day.
One of the definite things is when school finishes
transition times to me have been very challenging
and I would hazard a guess that it's quite challenging for most
parents with children with disabilities or extra needs, it's a whole unknown
world there's a settling in a period but at the moment and I've noticed myself
last year and this year being very challenged and frightened and nervous
about the future and I have to back Jack.
I have to know that I've done okay,
I have to know that I've put him in the best position I think I have,
I have to have faith in him because I don't have faith in the system a lot at times.
He wants to be a teacher aide and that is sensational. I'm supportive of that
because he's empathetic.
For us at the end of school, you're kind of on your own.
The future for her, I want for her to be as independent as she can whatever that
looks like and for me I want to try and get her involved in as much as
possible where she could move and use her body so when she gets old enough and
I'm hoping up she'll be older than probably what she will be when she
decides for herself this is what I want my life to be, she might be okay with a
wheelchair, she might be okay with a standing frame, she might be okay with
less than what I'm envisioning for her but I want her to be able to have more choice.
I think people are frightened, they don't know what to say and if right they're
gonna hurt someone's feelings.
Jack and kids like him can only succeed in this
world if able-bodied people support them, and help them through and that's all
they need to do is support them, you know just be open to the fact that someone
might do something a little different a little slower.
There is so much hope.
Got to have a sense of humour, it gets you through but it takes some time for
that humor to come out sometimes.
When you live in the disability world there's
always stories that are more challenging than your own and you start to realise
that there's no point comparing, you just have to get on with what your journey is
and this is our journey Jack, picked me, he picked me because I was the right
person for him so I have to believe that and that's how I got through very early
days you know there's a crack in the door and he slipped in.
One of the things that's really important is that it isn't just hard and challenging, it's fun!
It's amazing seeing her so determined and excited and being silly and doing
these things that people take for granted, I just feel so honored to be a
part of doing that with her and it is just magic, you just...
I have a completely different perspective in the world because I get
to do that next to her and
yeah Ella's choice (laughs).
Is that all right? (laughs)