Zoe Simmons explains the importance of her disability supports

When you’re disabled or chronically ill, life can be pretty rough. You can experience pain, fatigue, brain fog, numbness, inability to do certain things, along with a whole bunch of other pesky symptoms and experiences—and stigma and ableism certainly don’t help. Unfortunately, many people have poor attitudes about disabled people, and our worth. But the truth is: disabled people can live wonderful lives. We can build careers, build relationships, and change the world. But we do have a lot more barriers than our non-disabled counterparts—which is why accessible, inclusive supports are so important.  

Even small things can make a huge difference. And as a disabled journalist, copywriter, speaker, author and disability advocate, I’m going to share with you how disability supports have helped me thrive. 

Why do disability supports matter? 

Disability supports are vital for ensuring disabled people can live meaningful, safe lives. But even if we share the same disabilities, everyone’s support needs are different—and everyone’s needs matter. 

Living with disabilities and chronic illness, we can’t always do the same things non-disabled people can. We might have less energy, less capacity, or be unable to do certain tasks. Sometimes, doing a certain task might mean we can’t do anything else, which makes it very hard to live, given we still have bills to pay and lives to live. Disability supports are life-changing, because they allow us to have access to things non-disabled people take for granted, like being able to cook food, have clean clothes, get groceries, and go into the community. Everyone deserves this. And while I can’t capture the experiences of everyone in the disabled community, I can share my own experiences, as an autistic, chronically ill disabled entrepreneur, living with multiple mental and physical disabilities. 

Support workers 

Support workers are genuinely a godsend. There is so much they can help with, and I really can’t emphasise how much even a few hours of support a week has made such a huge difference in my life. 

My support worker is basically the manager of my house. She helps cook, clean, do the washing, water the garden, pick up medication, get groceries, make phone calls, and assist with any other errands I might need help with. 

My disabilities and chronic illnesses cause extreme pain, fatigue and brain fog. I developed them in my mid-20s, and it truly turned my life upside down. I went from being a high-achiever, to someone who couldn’t even clean my own bathtub. My home was gross. I survived off dry noodles, because I just didn’t have the energy to cook anything, or get groceries. To be able to eat healthy, yummy nutritional meals, have clean clothes, clean sheets, and a clean place to bathe has been so extremely helpful and beneficial for my well-being. A lot of people take these tasks for granted, but I certainly don’t. Having someone sorting these tasks out means I can focus on my health—and on my business and disability advocacy. I’ve been able to achieve so much more in the past 12 months, just because I’ve had more support within my home. I am so, so grateful. It really helps even the playing field, and gives me a chance to actually build a career—even if I can only work a few hours a week. 

Meals, gardening and cleaning services 

While some people prefer to use support workers, a lot of people use external support services, too. You can hire gardeners, cleaners, and meal delivery services. I get a support worker to do these tasks, but it can be handy to outsource, because it leaves more time for your support worker to do other tasks—and these service providers can often do more. A cleaning service, for example, might also be able to steam clean your carpets and curtains, or a gardening service might be able to chop back bushes. While some support workers can certainly do these tasks, it’s easier for someone who’s already trained and has the equipment ready. 

I now get my support worker to bulk-cook batches of food, but prior to this, I used to order pre-made meals, which were really handy: I could still eat yummy food, even when I didn’t have the capacity to stand and cook. Even if you do have a support worker who helps cook, it can be a good idea to get pre-packaged frozen meals to take the pressure off—and eat something a bit different.   

Psychology 

I genuinely don’t think I’d be alive without my psychologist. I’ve been seeing one since the age of 14. Now 29, I couldn’t imagine my life without that support. 

I live with complex mental illness in the form of bipolar and anxiety. My brain can be a bit of a jerk to me. It gets incredibly anxious about nothing. It catastrophises. It tells me everyone hates me, and makes me question every single interaction with people, even if it seemed positive. Sometimes, the anxiety is so bad, I’m certain my spine will explode from the pressure. It’s really helpful to have someone I can talk to about these things. My psychologist can validate how I’m feeling, reassure me about certain thoughts, and point out things I hadn’t considered. She helps me through my decisions, my emotions, my identity, my trauma—and helps me cope with the hardest parts of being disabled, like blatant discrimination, stigma and ableism.  

There is a lot of stigma against psychology and counselling. But having a professional to speak to—especially one with lived experience—can be so helpful. I feel like everyone would benefit from therapy. You’ve just got to find the right person for you. 

Assistive technology 

Assistive technology is a game-changer—and there are so many different kinds of assistive technology that can help. For me, mobility aids have been the biggest positive. With crippling chronic pain and limited energy due to chronic illnesses, it can be hard for me to leave my house.  

Becoming disabled, your world gets smaller: and no one really thinks about access needs. Standing hurt. Walking hurt. Existing hurt. But using my wheelchair makes it so much easier. I’ve been able to go shopping, go to the city by myself, go to concerts and festivals, speak interstate at conferences, and even travel independently overseas thanks to my beautiful electric wheelchair. It is truly a freedom machine. I also sometimes use a walker or walking stick as a way to move my body, but still have support and a seat when I need it. While the NDIS don’t recognise my physical disabilities, SWEP, the state-wide equipment provider, is a Victorian service that can provide funding for assistive technology—all you need is an occupational therapist to make an application. Not every state has this program, but it’s worth checking if yours does. 

Other assistive technology can also make a world of difference. My shower chair, kitchen stool, and jar opener have all been helpful for adapting tasks to my needs. And no matter what your disability is, there is likely some kind of assistive technology that can help. 

Admin support 

One of the biggest challenges of being disabled is juggling mountains of admin. Whether it’s medical admin, life admin, or admin from support services like the Disability Support Pension or NDIS, it can be pretty overwhelming—and it can be even harder for people with certain disabilities.  Being disabled is already a full-time job, and it’s even more challenging with additional paperwork non-disabled people don’t even think of. 

Admin support can be a huge asset, whether it’s getting a support worker to help, getting an advocate to help fight systemic issues, getting a support coordinator to manage your supports, or using a service like Plan Partners, who can deal with all your NDIS-related financial admin. Using my support coordinator and Plan Partners helps a lot, because I don’t have to submit or chase invoices, and don’t have to worry about accidentally doing the wrong thing—especially when there are so many changes to the NDIS. Sometimes, it’s best to let professionals do what they do best! 

Need help with your NDIS finances? Get in touch with us today and see how Plan Partners can help you. 

Zoe Simmons is an award-winning disabled journalist, copywriter, speaker, author and advocate. She writes to make the world a better place. You can find out more about Zoe on her website, or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Tik Tok.