Our Nell. Day 16, 2020
by Sarah Dunbar
People often view living rural as a negative when it comes to raising a child with a disability however for ‘Our Nell’ it is a community of strength and support. Although we may travel for most medical apppointments, we do have a lot of excellent perks. Her physio comes to our home and one of Australia’s top paediatricians lives around the corner.
Our local community have gone above and beyond for our girl and along the way have learnt so much about understanding her extra chromosomal gift.
Nell goes to home day care and is their first child with a disability. They have fully embraced having her and are currently researching and learning all about Down syndrome so they can properly support her. Plus, my parents’ family business has set up a crèche-like space so they can babysit Nell while I work.
Our local swim school Blackline has created an environment of opportunity for Nell to grow, including all staff. They decided to upskill all their staff to meet the needs of a variety of children and offered Nell a group and individualised lesson to support her physio and OT.
We lovingly refer to Nell as ‘Our Nell’ as she has a huge network to love and raise her in Griffith which is the greatest advantage of living in communities like ours.
And she is guaranteed a life of inclusion with her brothers by her side!
