Dare to Ask | Reaching goals and breaking barriers

Complete video transcripts below: 

Sean: My name is Sean. I started working at Powerdown probably about seven months ago.

Interviewer: Can you tell us about your disability?

Sean: Basically, my disability would probably be more on the morbid obesity side.Yeah, I had two accidents. One, I had a car accident where I fractured my talis bone. I fractured my quadricep tendon in my right leg coming downstairs.

The physical barrier is those two issues, but the mental side is probably more anxiety and depression.

Interviewer: What does disability mean to you?

Sean: I see disability as a bit of a roadblock, and roadblock as in a barrier. We all have different barriers, and it's how we overcome those barriers.

Interviewer: Do you feel you are treated differently because of your disability?

Sean: I feel like I am treated differently because of my obesity, because of course, when people look at you when you're walking down the street, you automatically assume that they think, "Oh, you know you're a big fat slob and you're not doing anything." But that's probably more on me.

That's me sort of perceiving what they're thinking when they could just look at you and think,
"oh, there's a guy", you know.

Interviewer: What made you decide to seek support? 

Sean: The accidents happened around 2014 and then 2017. But before then I was
a carer for my mother who had chronic emphysema. So I looked after her for about 14, 15 years. When she passed away, I thought that you know I would get a job like that,
but it was it's pretty hard out there.

When she passed away, I thought that you know I would get a job like that,
but it was it's pretty hard out there. And I had to do a certificate III in business and admin and I thought I would get a job from that, but because I didn't have any experience in the workforce it was like, no one would touch me.

And it was about that time after then that I joined Castle and yeah, they helped me a lot. They put me into this retail course which then gave me the opportunity to work with Powerdown.

Interviewer: What impact has 'having a job' had in your life?

Sean: So when you get work everything changes, it's like, you're a new person and you start to build up this confidence in yourself.

And it's a great thing.

Interviewer: What would you say to the people who are reluctant to seek support?

Sean: Basically, that there is support out there. It's not like a normal sort of job networks
where they just throw you into the first job that comes along.

They really work with you, with your barriers and really delve into what you need and what you can and what you can't do.

And then they find suitable employment that way. 

If you're obese and you're sitting at home and you're unemployed, really do something about it because there is help out there with the Disability Employment Services and you can really reach your goals.

You can do it.