Mike was previously employed in Human Services for fifteen years. He held positions in Disability and Aged Care, with the majority of his time spent as a Mental Health Support Worker/Case Manager. Mike was forced to resign from this position in 2016 after a long illness that resulted in a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease/Supra-Nuclear Palsy. It soon became apparent to Mike that the significant balance/mobility difficulties he was experiencing meant that it was his time to be the client and not the support worker.
Mike’s association with Parent to Parent commenced in March this year when he gained NDIS access and requested the assistance of P2P as his Plan Manager. Mike is also working closely with Matt Armstrong, from P2P, who has been his Support Coordinator since that time. It has been this involvement that Mike says has made him aware of the invaluable services P2P provide.
Mike’s goal is to use not only his ‘lived experience’ with the NDIS, but also his perspectives of both receiving and delivering support, his formal training and his understanding of the needs and rights of those with disabilities to make a positive contribution as a Board member.