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Feeling seen and appreciated
Leonie felt invisible when she kept getting overlooked because of her disability.
Being supported by Alysha and her employer has helped change her life for the better.
Leonie is 57 years young and after injuring her neck and damaging nerves in her right leg, she wanted to work again.
She felt her age and disability became barriers, which led her to feel hopeless about finding work.
For her employment consultant Alysha, she knew Leonie’s lived and professional experiences would make Leonie an asset to All-U-Need Pest Control.
APM has helped make Leonie’s return to work comfortable and successful through support from APM Employment Services, specifically the Disability Employment Service program.
Returning to work after injury
Leonie’s story is one of great personal and professional success – someone who really found the right fit.
Likewise, All-U-Need Pest Control found the right fit too – someone who has become like family.
Leonie has faced many challenges and barriers:
“When I disclosed (my injury) people in mainstream didn’t want to know – it was ‘too hard’” she said.
What’s helped Leonie manage in her role while living with disability and chronic pain has been working part-time, a Xero short course to refresh her knowledge and her special chair, both provided by APM.
Leonie’s employer is so supportive, he even personally picked up and constructed her chair for her.
“We never noticed that she had a disability, she fits in nicely with all the other staff and gets along beautifully with everyone in the office” her employer said.