William Grier is living evidence of aspirations and dreams come to life under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

With perseverance and persistence and through constant advocacy, his mother, Sue Grier, has ensured autonomy for her son, who is 36 years and lives with Down Syndrome and Autism. William is finally living the life any adult would aspire to in Boutique Supported Independent living Accommodation with 24/7 supports that ensure he is reaching his goals and fulfilling his dreams of an exceptional life.

William was born at a time when institutionalised care for people with disability was being phased out and the system was going through a huge transition period as funding flowed in different ways.

Sue ensured he was given access to the early intervention services that make such a profound difference to young lives.

When William finished school, the family had moved back to Queensland from Tasmania and continued to seek out the care and supports that would help him to not just meet his needs but maximise his potential.

Sue was working for a large provider at the time but decided her depth of experience warranted doing disability services a better way and she founded Lets Connect Support Services, a lived experience-based support coordination business delivering exceptional results, growing from 10 to more than 300 clients today and serviced by a dedicated team of highly experienced professionals.

Sue has been advocating for her son all his life and has demonstrated what persistence can achieve in both starting the business and growing it to what it is today, all the while supporting William to build on his goals and not just meet them but smash them out of the ballpark with his move to independent living.

Sue wasn’t happy with the offering of options to William for housing so set about with the vigour she had shown all his life to come up with  a better alternative and William is now living in a gorgeous home, surrounded by an exceptional support network of carers who ensure his needs are met.

As for William, he has clearly inherited Sue’s determination. Last year, William had seen an electric tricylce for sale at an expo and decided he had to have one. With the support of his carers he set about raising the money to make the purchase and within two weeks had the $4,000 through a combination of hard work and fundraising.

To hear more about William’s story, talk to Sue and also connect with other carers, register for the Carers Connect Morning Tea. This event takes place in Redcliffe with options of attending in February, April and June featuring different guest speakers across a variety of topics, such as advocacy for inclusive education and addressing carer burnout. Choose the date you want to attend and register today!

To learn more from Sue and her team about lived experience as carers and advocates and about their professional expertise as Support Coordinators, be sure to visit Let’s Connect Support Services at the Brisbane Disability Connection Expo on the 3rd and 4th March 2023. Register here and don’t miss out!