Dare to Ask | Discovering my own potential

Complete video transcripts:

Tyler Ashard: My name is Tyler Ashard and I am 19 and I enjoy making new friendships and just enjoying life I guess.

Interviewer: Can you tell us about your condition?

Tyler Ashard: Yeah, I have ADHD, hyperactive stuff I have a couple others which I can't, I always forget to name. My social skills have not always been the best when it comes to talking to people and just general conversations not my front suit.

Interviewer: What do you find hard about social interactions?

Tyler Ashard: At times I'll  just get very nervous cause I've always sense... being a kid felt like a bit of an outcast kind of. At times struggled to talk with people with that feeling in the back of my mind.

Interviewer: Can you tell us more about feeling like an outcast?

Tyler Ashard: It's something I've always felt as I still somewhat feel now, felt in the back of my mind it's always something that's just been there. I have friends that have been through as much as I do and we all kind of feel it. We all kind of feel like outcasters and we tend to keep to ourselves.

Interviewer: Have you experienced bullying?

Tyler Ashard: Yeah, back in primary and high school was some bullying or just treated differently by mainstream kids, so I had to keep away from mainstream and more to my friends that were in the support unit with me.

My goal is to just try to get out in the world, out in the community and make more friendships, just to live my life to the fullest.

Interviewer: What were your goals when you first came to Castle?

Tyler Ashard: To start off with a lot of on the like kind of social side, try to get out in the community more. Slowly I started to work on like employment side too.  Work-related stuff.

Interviewer: Why do you want to work? 

Tyler Ashard: Just cause I know I can't just sit and not be employed and in a pension. I know that I need that income, it'd just be nice to have more money to save and spend.

Interviewer: How does your NDIS support worker help you find a job?

Tyler Ashard: I like working with them to build up on skills that can help me in the workplace. Along with doing work experience with me to help me out while I'm doing work experience.

Interviewer: Do you think you could have worked before you came to Castle?

Tyler Ashard: I wasn't too sure I guess that I would be able to find work or keep it, it wasn't something that I was confident at the start when I started working with Castle. Back then, I wasn't a really sociable person, didn't think I would find work or more friendships or getting on with people well.

Interviewer: What would you say to young people looking for support?

Tyler Ashard: To just go out and try finding support. There's people out there that are very nice and willing to help you and can understand what you go through, that life can be harder for you at times. And just go out there, and just try to find any support you can.

Interviewer: What are your next goals?

Tyler Ashard: Try and like sort out where I want to go on life. Having goals to work towards such as work, and my license, and just try to get out in the world, out in the community and just make more friendships and just live my life to the fullest.