[ uncredited ]
"Nothing, nothing,
nothing can prepare you for what has happened to our life with that child,
that special child. Nothing prepares us for this child."
"There is no knowledge of what disability [was] in my family or in
his family."
"When her daughter was first born 20 years ago, the community was
not so accepting or aware of disability."
"I was alone, and no support groups or all this, and no LAC (Local
Area Co-ordinator), no LAC 20 years ago. When my child was a baby, there
was no such thing as LAC."
"There was no such thing as LAC!"
"LAC had been going not two years, and I felt so much better. Coming
to a support group, I felt it really helped me a lot, but it also is my
dedication, it really, sort of, affect my familys' life, for me, I am
so dedicated to her, I spend 4 hours each day..."
"Do you have any
other children?"
"I have another son."
"You have another son."
"Yeah a normal one."
"Like us."
"How old is he?"
"Is he resentful or is he alright? Is he accepting?"
"Oh yeah, he is 22, but then, nah, I mean he has been quite supportive
in a sense in that, ah, on the weekend, he take her for rowing, he gives
me a bit of break and now.."
"He is not ashamed of her?"
"Um, he just keep quiet."
"Did he go through a period where he was ashamed of her?"
"I think he has a feeling, that, you know, that we always focus on
her, and not him, we always praise her, we always praise our daughter,
because she, she didn't even talk a word, say a word at the age of 5..."
"The minute she say one word you're so happy isn't it!!"
"Yes, oh, sooo happy, five and a half years old and no word."
" Imagine when that word come from my daughter!!"
"My son, when he was younger he felt really left out, you know, because
we were always concentrating on his sister, and he kept telling us ' I
want to be disable too,' so he wasn't ashamed of her, you know, but was
little and he used to play with her and accept her. But now, at almost
13 years old, I can feel that the last 2 years, he is feeling very conscious
that she is disabled."
5.