by  George Peterson ~ contracted polio at age 2 months

At 51 I feel fairly satisfied with my life with polio. My carer and I are ‘on the ball’ and I am a good advocate for myself. Despite this, it has taken 38 months to get new KAFO’s from the laughingly titled, ENABLE Program, here in NSW.

I am a ‘young’ polio so I will benefit from the NDIS but if the same systems that support me now are involved, it will be a waste of time and money. My Rehabilitation Specialist tagged the application for new KAFO’s as urgent. My old callipers were way too heavy and I just couldn’t use them. I met the criteria and had located the Victorian expert who was ready to help. As my first ever electric wheelchair was also provided in that year (April 2010) I felt grateful and didn’t push the KAFO issue, after all, I am not greedy, funds are limited and other citizens have equipment needs. When 24 months had passed I got angry, only to discover that the “system” had no record of the application for new KAFO’s.

The Specialist and I had electronic copies of the application but the ENABLE system did not!! That was April 2012.

As I type (June 2013) the new KAFO’s are being made BUT not by the expert provider. He has ceased to service NSW clients because ENABLE was “hopeless”. I have put on weight and developed health problems related to not walking for three years. I just hope that I can get back to walking and that I won’t need to beg ENABLE for further help before the NDIS is implemented.

Good luck to the team heading for Canberra.

by  George Peterson ~ contracted polio at age 2 months