A personal and professional journey
An invitation to shoot some hoops with his friend Faye would open up an unexpected door of opportunity for Tristan.
Faye, who works as part of the customer and participant support team for APM Communities, initially connected with Tristan through community capacity building activities.
As she got to know him, she saw he could be a good fit for their local area coordination team.
APM Communities delivers NDIS Partners in the Community services in parts of Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.
Local Area Coordinators (LACs) help people with disability, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants, families, and carers to identify and access the support they need.
As a NDIS participant himself, Tristan was early in his journey of living with disability.
“It’s been quite a journey” he said.
“I started with APM probably six months out of spinal rehab, so it was quite, you know, soon after having a disability I guess.”
Valued member of the team
Over the three years Tristan has been part of the Communities team, he has progressed to the role of Senior Local Area Coordinator.
“It’s kind of been a personal and a very professional journey at the same time, being able to, you know, connect with participants on a different level as well” Tristan said.
“Being a participant myself, it feels like it gives me a little bit of an edge.”
An avid sportsman, Tristan has been able to find a balance with his working life with his sporting commitments as a member of the Wheelchair AFL Brisbane Lions National team and the Wheelchair AFL All Australian team.
“Tristan has the benefit of being able to build rapport with participants so naturally with his lived experience” Faye said.
Tristan’s confidence has grown and he has a strong sense of stability and a capability, wherever his career leads him in future.
“There’s a lot to look forward to with APM, I feel like they’ve definitely given me the feeling that I can continue to progress in my career” he said.
“They’ve given me that belief and I also feel like I have that potential to keep going and I’m really looking forward to the future.”