For some, as young members of our society, getting locked away from the world is a part of life. While it may sound like a terrible experience the stories they tell, via the Home to Home exhibition by the Summer Foundation, is an uplifting tale of their goals and achievements. We talked to Carolyn Finis from the Summer Foundation on what it’s all about.
With your work at Summer Foundation you’ve recently got involved with the Home to Home exhibition, how did you first come across that work?
The Summer Foundation has a long history of supporting people with disability to share their stories and experiences. We first began encouraging young people with disability and family members to capture their stories in digital formats in 2010. In almost all cases, when a young person or a family member creates a digital story, they do so with the motivation that their story and their experience will help bring about the changes necessary to prevent other young people having the experiences they’ve had. Essentially these stories are created to be shared. The current collection of digital stories have all been made in regional settings which, in addition to Geelong, have included Newcastle and Cairns. The exhibition has already toured Newcastle and Cairns. There are 22 stories in the collection, and 7 of these stories feature story tellers from the Geelong region.
As they are quite impacting stories, what was your response to seeing the images and hearing their stories?
In many cases the digital stories are extremely positive. While the trauma surrounding the onset of disability can be confronting, for most storytellers their stories are less about acquiring their disability, and more about the lives they are living and their current goals, achievements and priorities. Overwhelmingly the stories in the collection are uplifting. The digital stories do catch a moment in the storytellers life, and with 22 stories in the collection, not all storytellers were in a positive place at the time of making their story. I admire the bravery of these storytellers. It is a difficult and confronting thing to admit your circumstances are not as you would like them to be, but to make this admission publicly, and do so for the purpose of helping others, is an extremely generous gesture.
And the exhibition doesn’t just share stories of those at risk or in retirement homes, it has their parents as well, do you think it was important to show the issue at many different angles?
The issue of young people in nursing homes doesn’t just impact the young people with disability themselves. There are many layers of relationships which are affected, and each of these connections have a perspective and a story to tell. For some people viewing these stories, it may be the perspective of a mother that resonates most…for others, a story told from the point of view of a husband might be the story that strikes a chord. All these voices are relevant and show a different side to this issue.
But ultimately the stories are all about how they overcome the issues they faced and found hope. Has hearing these stories given you a new perspective on life at all?
I’ve been immersed in these stories for years, and one of the significant changes I have noticed early on was that I quickly lost focus on the circumstances surrounding someone’s injury or the incident that triggered to onset of their disability. What intrigues and inspires me is people’s capacity to redefine themselves and move forward. People talk about ‘seeing the person rather than the disability – when you actually live this, you open yourself up to meeting some incredibly strong and motivated people. There is something powerful about surrounding yourself with a community who prioritise improving our society for those who will follow.
What’s the biggest thing attenders will take away from witnessing the stories/photos?
Many people are unaware of the issue of young people in nursing homes. This exhibition raises the profile of this issue, and provides a first hand glimpse into the reality of life in a nursing home for a young person with disability. By viewing these stories, visitors to the exhibition will gain an understanding of why we as a community need to work harder to address this issue and create choice for young people with disability. As a young person, I expect to be able to choose where I live, who I live with and how I live. So many young people with disability are denied these basic choices.
Home to Home is actually free to attend, was it important for the Summer Foundation to make it accessible to everyone?
The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the issue of young people with disability amongst the general community. We would encourage and welcome people to come along to the exhibition and take the time to view these stories. The storytellers have created these stories to be shared. I’ve seen the impact these stories have had on people in our previous exhibitions. Home, and our sense of home is vital to our quality of life. We look forward to meeting and engaging with the Geelong community over the course of the exhibition.
Image Credit: Fred Kroh
When & Where: Deakin University, Waterfront Campus – Open daily (9am-6pm) from September 8-15. Free admission
