Support to live a full life with no barriers ‘

SEREAKO Treloggen’s journey is an inspirational, National Disability Insurance Scheme success story.

The 27-year-old was born with cerebral palsy — a physical disability that affects muscle control, co-ordination, body movement, reflex, posture and balance.

Because of his disability, Sereako’s biological family couldn’t look after him on Thursday Island.

His great-grandparents found a couple in Cairns who could care for him and Sereako was adopted and moved to Cairns as a nine-year-old.

He has since seen his family multiple times when they visit each other, but Sereako says missing them was not really an option.

“I kind of miss them sometimes,” Sereako says, speaking through his support worker.

“I know I have to be here in Cairns for my care so I don’t really have a choice. I wouldn’t get this care back home on Thursday Island.”

Sereako is a beneficiary of the NDIS but believes additional funding would make seeing his loved ones easier.

“I need 24-hour care and so I need more than one support worker to travel with me.

“They need to have breaks too and there just isn’t enough support workers at the moment.

“The NDIS can help with funding more support workers.”

Sereako has a great passion for helping improve the quality of life, of people with disabilities in both his Thursday Island home and here in Australia.

He is on the board of the First Peoples Disability Network and regularly attends their meetings in Brisbane and Sydney to discuss what improvements can be made for members of the community with disabilities.

He’s also given speeches to schoolchildren on Thursday Island.

“I tell them about the importance of getting a good education, staying in school and working hard to follow their dreams.

“I also spoke with their council there and told them they need much more access for people in wheelchairs and with disabilities.

“Disability is a big problem in the Torres Strait Islands and a lot of people need to move away from their families.

“We’re starting to lose our culture, especially when the elderly have to move.”

Most notably, however, Sereako spoke at a United Nations conference in New York earlier this year.

He spoke to the 12th session of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and brought up the issues facing people with disabilities in both Australia and the Torres Strait Islands.

Through multiple funding and support sources Sereako is able to use a motorised wheelchair.

Attached to his wheelchair is a $25,000 communicator — a device that connects with his eyes and speaks out aloud, what Sereako is reading.

The communicator also doubles as Sereako’s personal tablet.

“The NDIS has helped me in big ways, so in day-to-day things, I can go out and about.

“The funding for a support worker allows me to do all the regular things I enjoy.

“It has also allowed me to visit my family.”

Next Sereako hopes the NDIS and other disability funding services can help get him back into the classroom.

He was a former TAFE student and next year hopes to begin studying a political science course at CQUniversity in Cairns.

“I’ve always been interested in politics; a lot of family works with politicians here and on Thursday Island.

“I’ve been to Parliament House in Canberra twice.”

Sereako is currently waiting for CQUniversity to finalise modifications to their emergency exits and hopes to begin studies next year.

He says sometimes people without a disability feel awkward, or unsure about how to act around people with disabilities.

He says that people with a disability just need to be treated like everyone else.

During his childhood he says his parents didn’t do anything different because of his disability and the same applied during high school.

“I went to football training and sometimes the team was amazed at what I could do and that gave me more motivation.

“That was really important to me because everyone is different in their own way; you’ve got to find what you’re able to do.

“I tried everything and it really opened people’s eyes.”

Sereako now enjoys travelling, going to the gym and absolutely loves rugby league.

Former Brisbane Broncos player Sam Thaiday is Sereako’s uncle, but he chooses to support the Cowboys.

He also loves the Queensland Maroons and says Billy Slater was his favourite player.

During his spare time, Sereako likes to go to the Pier Bar to watch the footy.