About Our Disability Support Services

Our Story

I am the mother of three beautiful intelligent girls—Morgan (24), Bree (21) and Sophie (18). Morgan was born with Jacobsen’s Syndrome, which is displayed as a moderate to severe learning delay. As the mother of a young adult with special needs, I want every possible opportunity for her to develop skills and gain knowledge associated with daily life. For young adults that don’t have the ability or haven’t yet acquired the skills to gain employment when they leave school, the main option is your typical disability day program, and Morgan is in this category. After finishing school, Morgan was enrolled in a disability support day program five days per week, six hours a day. 

After a few months, I noticed that there were very few activities offered in Morgan’s supports schedule that were targeting Morgan’s individual goals and interests. Meetings and phone discussions were becoming more regular regarding Morgan’s goals and the level of care given around supporting her needs. The major turning point came for me when Morgan started returning home from her day program regularly upset and frustrated. Her demeanour went from always singing, happy and chatty to being visibly upset and cranky. The reality of the situation finally became evident when, after nearly three years of discussions with the day support program, all it resulted in was the seemingly unproductive use of NDIS funding. 

It was apparent that the support centre believed walking around shopping centres and going bowling, or to the movies, was meeting Morgan’s individual goals. The excuse I was given for not providing individual support targeting Morgan’s goals and interests, regardless of her 1:1 funding, came from Morgan’s Team Leader. He advised, “He had over 40 clients to try and coordinate activities for and not enough time or the staff to be able to provide individual one-on-one supports and activities aimed towards Morgan’s individual needs.” Like me, most parents will visit day support centres in their local area before making the important decision on which support service to send their “child” to.

The hard reality is that most Disability Support Providers I visited had basic group programs which were easily maintained and structured to facilitate higher numbers of participants. Activities usually included trips to shopping centres for lunch, going to the movies, bowling, etc. When cooking classes were provided, the support worker cooked for the participant with very little interaction on their part, and the food was not specific to the individual's dietary or sensory needs or tastes and was catered for on a “group” basis. So, you have to ask yourself, “how does that benefit the participant in achieving their individual goals?” 

Something needed to change. So, I employed a support worker for Morgan, around similar age, who was outgoing, enthusiastic, up-to-date with technology and shared an interest in games, music and activities. I created or found programs and activities that continued to provide basic subject criteria based on Morgan’s capabilities and incorporated technology learning programs with the use of her iPad. After a short time, Morgan began to not only excel in her reading, speech, maths and money skills, but she also was happy to engage in outdoor activities and social participation. Morgan was happy and enjoyed learning, as it was incorporated into fun activities. She was learning without even realising it. 

Opening The Happy Human Hub

With the excitement and accomplishment of Morgan’s goals being met, I was beginning to think other kids could benefit from programs like the one I had provided for Morgan. So, I bravely took out a second mortgage on my home and purchased a property where I could provide a hub for kids to learn and have fun…and The Happy Human Hub, ‘Where Happy Humans Hang Out’ was created. 

My fiancé’ Brad and I spent hours upon hours and many late nights renovating and decorating the space and are proud of what we have created to share with the community today. Our facilities have dedicated rooms to assist with creating individual programs. We have a sensory room, media and gaming room, edutainment room, salon, arts and crafts room and full kitchen and laundry facilities. We want to share our hub, so we’ve opened our doors to all. Any of the individual rooms can be booked for use throughout the week with support from your own support worker OR you can book support with our dedicated support staff. 

Our team at The Happy Human Hub have found that participants who choose to include edutainment games and programs integrated into their daily program, are continuing to show improved development in speech and communication, physical, tactile, gross and fine motor skills. We have chosen ‘fun, interactive’ ways to support continuous learning in all aspects of the participant’s plan, including physical activities, improved independence, non-stop knowledge subjects, community access and social activities. 

Our mission is to build an environment for connection and support of kids aged seven and up. Our Social Connection Club programs are designed to reinforce their confidence, support their independence and prepare them for daily life by providing life skills in readiness for their personal growth into teenagers and young adults.