Month:

OzHarvest’s NEST Launch

  • March 4

Our WorkReady program has fostered a partnership with OzHarvest, a leading food rescue organisation. OzHarvest work with thousands of food donors and provide work experience in their markets. Seven lucky participants are taking part in their Nutrition Education and Skills Training (NEST) Program. The Program is evidence-based, and promotes public health, food security, it teaches life skills to people, exploring important aspects of culinary education.     On Friday 19 Februar... CONTINUE READING

WorkReady Take Over Sydney Opera House

  • February 26

On Friday, 5th February 2021, WorkReady participants had the opportunity to go on an employment-focused tour at The Sydney Opera House. Participants from Ability Options Parramatta, Penrith, Seven Hills, and Windsor came together for this Industry Day. The guided tour showed participants the behind the scenes work of the Opera House. The tour started with a history of the Opera House's construction. Then, the participants had access to a cinema room, to see a clip depicting the experience in... CONTINUE READING

Casuarina Grove – Art Exhibition

  • January 22

Casuarina Grove is the first purpose-built village for people with intellectual disabilities and complex needs associated with ageing. Every year, an Art Exhibition is held displaying the amazing work of residents. Each resident produced paintings on canvas, colouring-in, and stellar photography. Three sections of their work were displayed. Section A had works of art completed with no support or assistance. Sections B and C represented semi and fully supported works of art, made alongside wel... CONTINUE READING

Vanessa’s Newfound Freedom

  • August 23

Vanessa had been living in a nursing home after being hospitalised, after she developed a long-term illness. This illness resulted in Vanessa becoming completely blind and needing to use a wheelchair for mobility. Prior to her diagnosis, Vanessa had lived independently and had also run her own hairdressing business. Vanessa wanted to change her living arrangements and after receiving a Supported Assessment, she connected with our Support Coordinator, Karmen, who worked with Vanessa t... CONTINUE READING

Chris Excels at Harvey Norman

  • July 6

Chris came to us very motivated and keen to work although he needed some support with building his confidence. Chris was very studious in attending all appointments and interviews and had a keen eye for IT/computers which he also has qualifications for. This industry became the focus in supporting Chris in his job search. Chris successfully gained employment and commenced a position as Computer Technician/Customer Service team member in the Tech Bay at Harvey Norman Castle Hill. With suppo... CONTINUE READING

Natalie’s Celebration

  • June 22

Fashion Fan Natalie Celebrates One Year Anniversary with Retail Brand H&M Natalie’s journey to find her ideal job started nearly two years back. After months of navigating the employment market with a different provider, Natalie’s clinicians at Karrikin Youth Mental Health Service referred her to Olympus Solutions, the employment service of Ability Options. “At the time, I was linked with a different Disability Employment Provider, but they didn’t really help me. I had limited... CONTINUE READING

Hristo Finds his Ideal Home

  • June 12

Hristo has been using Ability Options' Support Coordination service since 2016. In late 2019, Hristo and his family met with his Support Coordinator, Krystal, to talk about moving out of home into Supported Independent Living (SIL), with access to 24/7 support. Krystal coordinated with Anna, our SIL Engagement Specialist, and arranged information sessions to support the family to make an informed decision... CONTINUE READING

Lauren and Both Find a Place to Call Home

  • May 4

Two participants, Lauren and Both (pronounced Booth) were referred to the Ability Options Support Coordination (COS) Team in mid-March 2020, looking for supported accommodation. Lauren was referred, as she was based at Springwood Hospital with no medical reason to stay there. During her first appointment with our Support Coordinator, Karen, Lauren and her family expressed their desire for her to move into a permanent home to call her own. Within two weeks, Lauren relocated into a fully access... CONTINUE READING

Harry Embraces the Farm Life

  • March 21

Harry is a participant of WorkReady and has experienced significant growth in his time with our service. During this time, he has achieved many goals, including; working on the driver knowledge test, improving social skills, handling money, increasing his independent living and travel skills. In addition, Harry’s consultant also supported him to complete a First Aid Course, Certificate I in Information, Digital Media and Technology, Certificate II in Hospitality, and accomplish his goal of gai... CONTINUE READING

Let’s Thread Together

  • December 1

‘Thread Together’ is a new organisation that takes new clothing, shoes and accessories that don’t sell in retail stores (and are destined for landfill) and distribute to service users and participants of Not for Profit organisations. Ability Options have just entered into an agreement with Thread Together, and recently a group of Sydney accommodation residents went on a shopping trip to the Thread Together store in the city.... CONTINUE READING

What can a Standout Support Coordinator can do for you?

In the ever-complex world of the NDIS, Support Coordinators emerge to empower participants to navigate the scheme, exercise choice and control and achieve their goals. This month, we wanted to highlight the thoughts from across our Support Coordination team about what they think makes a Support Coo...

Ability Options would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging.