Teressa & Tonya Visit EACH & Knoxbrooke, Inc.

Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 11:50 a.m. Geelong time (on the road to Mt. Waverly)

By Teressa Jackson

Tonya and I spent a vocational day together on Friday. We began our day at Eastern Access Community Health (EACH), a not-for-profit providing care to a variety of constituents including early intervention and kindergarten (preschool) for children; drug and alcohol, financial, gambling, and bush fire recovery counseling; employment placement for people with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, and much more.

Through mergers, EACH has grown substantially over the past several years, to a budget size of around $45 million today. Like most of the disability services we’ve visited, they are transitioning to Individual Support Packages (ISPs) focused on providing more choice for participants in directing their care.

After EACH, Russell, our morning driver, took us to Knoxbrooke, Inc., where Margi, our afternoon host, was waiting. Knoxbrooke has a variety of services, and the site we visited provides employment for 85 individuals with disabilities and 36 non-disabled staff in the setting of a nursery and gardening center. They have a large commercial operation with 200 customers and a sales team that works to connect the program with national buyers.

Individuals with disabilities who work at Knoxbrooke are paid a productivity-based wage based on an assessment done by the Commonwealth (federal government). The average productivity rate of an employee is 25%, and individuals can earn around $180 per week before they begin to put their other disability benefits in jeopardy. Most individuals with disabilities work around 18 hours per week. In addition to employment, participants receive training on horticulture. 

The weather has had a drastic impact on Knoxbrooke’s horticulture operation, but thankfully they have been able to increase sales by 32% over last year. Overall, their budget is around 30% government and 70% commercial.

Like Rauch and New Hope Services, Knoxbrooke was begun by parents of children with disabilities, and has grown from there. As a smaller size organization, operations have become increasingly difficult in recent years, and they have persevered as many agencies have merged and consolidated.

I especially enjoyed a bit of teasing I witnessed between the horticulture program director and a participant. The participant was looking forward to the impending start of the Australian Rules Football season, and the two were obviously cheering for opposing teams. It was an interaction I have witnessed at my place of employment so many times, the only difference being the sport. We truly are more similar than we are different.

Bush Fire Recovery, a Rainforest, and Healesville Sanctuary

Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 11 a.m. Geelong time (on the road to Mt. Waverly)

By Teressa Jackson

Wednesday was a whirlwind of activities in the Toolangi and Healesville areas. We began our day at Toolangi Primary School, which educates around 35 children from Prep (our Kindergrten) to grade 6. The children are split out into two classes – one for the upper and one for the lower grades. They were obviously a tight-knit group and the school had a warm, family feel. The lower grades’ teacher even brought her dog Eric to school with her each day.

As we toured, we learned about the influence the bush fires had on the area five years ago. Many of the residents were affected and it was incredibly traumatic, with nearly 200 deaths from the disaster. Although the children were young, they also felt the impact. The school has placed a great emphasis on providing therapeutic activities for the children. As the principal said, two activities that are good for the soul are gardening and music, and we toured a beautiful kitchen garden they have created on site, and the students serenaded us with a sweet song that they wrote. Afterward, while the children played outside, we joined the staff for coffee and fresh-baked scones and blackberry jam made by the kids.

We then made our way through the beautiful mountains to take a stroll through the rainforest on the Toolangi Boardwalk. We were told to watch ourselves for leeches (eek!), but thankfully, we left the forest unscathed. There were tree ferns galore, towering gum trees, babbling creeks, and piles of fluffy moss. Other than the threat of leeches, it was quite peaceful and we enjoyed taking in its beauty. Having worked up a bit of an appetite, we were ready for our picnic lunch at Maoondah Dam. The dam is located in an a park with large beautiful trees, and there is a waterfall where the dam releases some of its contents.

Our next stop was Healesville Sanctuary, where we watched a native bird show and then visited exhibits with a variety of native animals. Unfortunately, many of Australia’s special critters are nocturnal, and therefore napping. The wombat was especially endearing, completely unconscious on his back with his teeth hanging out. We were all taken with the way that the wallaby and kangaroo exhibits were structured, as we were able to enter a secure area and view the animals up close, with only a rope separating us. It was amazing how calm they were, taking food from the hands of sanctuary personnel. Their hopping is so surreal and fun to watch.

After a quick shower and freshening up, the team ascended Mount Dandenong for our third group presentation. The view from the Sky High Restaurant was spectacular.

View more photos from the day and stay up-to-date with all our latest at our Facebook page:www.facebook.com/gse2014.