A FAMILY history of disability advocacy inspired Sara Bland to work in the field and her dedication has earned her an award.
“I have an uncle who has a disability and my grandmother was very involved in advocating for people with disabilities. I guess that’s been passed down,” she says.
“I tried psychology, but it was too clinical.
I wanted something more community-focused and which had direct contact with people, so I chose social work.”
The Altona resident, who works for Housing Resource and Support Service, a not-for-profit organisation, was named top ‘client services worker’ at the 2012 Victorian disability sector awards last month.
Ms Bland, 25, was recognised for her work developing disability support plans for her clients and for creating the ‘My Amazing Life’ project. With co-worker Jacqueline O’Donnell, Ms Bland developed a website to re-engage young people with disabilities by encouraging them to have their say.
The pair held workshops and worked with young people to upload video, podcasts and tip sheets about independent living.
“It was really interesting because some of the things we think are important are not so much for them,” Ms Bland says. “For example, someone brought up that when you’re cleaning, you have to make sure not to mop yourself into a corner.”
She says the main goal is to give young people the skills to continue developing the website and adding content themselves.
“It’s really about getting them to take on responsibility and making sure it’s their website, and not ours.”
In her day-to-day role, Ms Bland works with clients to find ways to use their government support packages to achieve their goals.
While she admits being a social worker can be hard, it does have its rewards.
“Some parts are definitely difficult and you have complex cases, but they can be the most rewarding ones.”
Ms Bland was selected from 12 award nominees and joined 10 other recipients recognised for working to improve the lives of people with a disability in Victoria.
