Salvos help Matty spread his wings

“We had a baby bird with no feathers who came into all of our lives and now, after 12 months, we have an eagle who is spreading his wings further and further each day; building confidence to take flight as he learns.” – Cheryl Watson

For many young men, going to a shopping centre or jumping on a pushbike would be a normal everyday activity.

But for 27-year-old Matty, who suffers from severe epilepsy and an intellectual disability, such simple activities would have seemed impossible even a year ago. 

Matty had always lived a highly protected life with his family before moving into a Salvation Army residential facility. Staff at the centre realised Matty needed greater independence and referred him to SAILSS (Salvation Army Individual Lifestyle Support Service). 

SAILSS is funded by the Department of Communities, but has been operating in various forms since 1920. The service works to build authentic independence in the lives of people with disabilities, to allow them to live in their own homes, become part of their communities and develop a wider network of family and friends.

Senior Lifestyle Worker Cheryl Watson says: “For much of Matty’s life, everything was done for him, but that meant Matty was too often bored and frustrated.”

Working intensively with Matty for the past year, Cheryl and the team have seen him blossom.

“Matty now belongs to a group household where he has to share responsibility. But to do that, he had to learn the basic things like washing his own clothes, hanging them out, keeping his room tidy,” she says.

“He’s got a passion to cook, but was never given the opportunity. You can see the joy on his face when he now cooks dinner for his housemates. And he does a lot of that independently. The team has really focused on him gaining independence and developing those skills.”

Matty attends Stafford Salvation Army Corps, volunteers at the Stafford Salvos Store, has a personal trainer and has joined a gym and BMX club.

Cheryl said that even simple things like helping Matty get around on his bike took intensive study into safety issues and involved teaching him all possible routes, traffic awareness and road rules. Once Matty started riding on his own, staff would at first shadow him to ensure his safety.

Cheryl said: “He always says to me, 'I have a voice now and I have the right to be heard', which I think is amazing – absolutely amazing! He knows who he is. You don’t see a young man today with a disability – just a young man who is confident and intelligent.” 

Matty says he loves his new life. “I can now do things on my own such as go to the movies, play games on my Playstation, ride my bike, make new friends. I have more freedom. I also get to cook dinner – pizza, casseroles, cake.

“I even got to choose my own furniture for my room and went and paid for it,” he says. “I want to be able to move out into my own unit and be able to live independently or maybe with a mate.

“And," he said with a big smile, “I would like to have a girlfriend, too!”

By Naomi Singlehurst