Bec Celebrates 10 Years Working In Her Dream Job At OAC Concord
From a young age, Bec dreamed of following in her mother’s footsteps and working in childcare. But with cerebral palsy impacting her speech and mobility, Bec thought there were too many obstacles in her way. That’s why September 2024 was so significant. It marked the 10th anniversary of Bec’s employment at Only About Children Concord, a milestone she reached with support from Northcott every step of the way.
Achieving a goal
In 2014, Bec began partnering with Northcott – Parramatta Life Skills service and she expressed an interest in working with children. Northcott then formed a partnership with Only About Children to introduce Curious Kids, a supported employment program for people with disability.
“With my Northcott support worker, I did 6 weeks of training before starting the job,” Bec explains. “I started working one day a week, and then I moved to two days.”
Bec now works Tuesday and Thursdays. She is supported by two Northcott support workers, who go to work with her, assisting her to interact with the children. On her days off, Bec is supported by other Northcott staff to plan and prepare her lessons.
Bec’s childcare work
Bec’s lessons focus on teaching the kids about her disability. She shows them photos of her childhood, talks about how she experiences life in a wheelchair and demonstrates her methods of communicating which include using a communication board and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools.
“I’m proud to teach the kids about my disability. They are quite curious and ask me questions about how I do things,” Bec says.
“My favourite thing to do is play games. Sometimes I read to them, using a storybook printed onto A4 paper and my iPad. We also play games, such as number bingo.”
The children & team at OAC Concord love having Bec in the campus and look forward to celebrating her next anniversary at the campus!
