By ANEEKA SIMONIS
ANNE McCormick is special.
Her work at Outlook in Pakenham has shaped a model of care which now gives people with disabilities one of the most important rights – the right to speak and be heard.
With more than 20 years’ experience at the welfare provider, Ms McCormick was instrumental in changing the way people are cared for.
For the first time those with disabilities became part of their own care process by being asked how they wanted to achieve their individual goals and dreams.
Importantly, she helped make sure they had the support to do so.
The revelational shift to empower people with disabilities gathered momentum in the ’90s and took off soon after.
The change fits in with Ms McCormick’s motto “Do nothing for me without me” and has this year landed her a major award recognising her contribution.
Anne McCormick was inducted into the Lifetime Achievement Honour Roll for the Victorian Disability Awards on Wednesday 15 June at Federation Square, Melbourne.
“For the last 100 years, people with a disability have not had a voice.
“They have been institutionalised and shut away from society. But that is all changing. They now have voice and control and can make decisions,” Ms McCormick said.
“They, like everyone else, have dreams of a job, dreams of a relationship.”
Ms McCormick was one of seven Victorians to be acknowledged in the National Disability Services and the Department of Health and Human Services award ceremony.
