The Essential Worker with Annette Bush

Get That Good Life! Conference Replay

In this presentation, you will hear how Jacob’s family thoughtfully and intentionally crafted a Good Life for him.

Jacob leads a life full of meaning, purpose, contribution, and belonging. Amongst other roles, he is a

• Woolworths employee
• small business owner
• coffee trailer volunteer
• surfer and surf club member
• dancer
• gym and music enthusiast
• and much-loved brother and uncle.

Together, Jacob’s family made intentional choices about critical life elements such as education, community and work. The strong Vision they hold for Jacob’s life has guided this process every step of the way.

This presentation will highlight the importance of having a Vision for a Good Life. It will emphasise the value of seeking typical experiences and holding high expectations for people with disability. And it will demonstrate how community connection can lead to opportunities, enduring relationships, and a life filled with rich experiences.

Introduction

This session was introduced by Jessie Ward.

Hello everyone. My name is Jessie Ward. I am a year 12 student, and I am here to introduce you to Annette Bush and Jacob Bush.

Jacob is a young man of 22 years. He lives in NSW. He is a surfer, a gym member, dancer and an Essential worker at Woolworths. He has followed an ordinary inclusive life throughout school. This has given him many opportunities for getting good things in life.

Annette is Jacob's mother. She is a big believer of inclusion. Annette has presented at many workshops about the benefits of having an inclusive life for people with disability. She thinks having an inclusive start at school is very important in getting the ‘Good Things in life’.

Today Annette will share Jacob’s journey with us. She will talk to us about the importance of having a vision and how this helped her son walk an ordinary life path to get the good things in life.

Meet Jacob

Jacob is a young man of 22 years. He is a surfer, gym member, bike rider, and dancer. Pursuing these interests has broadened his connections to his community while also keeping him fit and healthy.

Jacob graduated from Year 12 in 2018. Throughout his school years, Jacob was fully included in regular classes alongside his peers. This typical school journey provided many opportunities, including numerous work experience placements during high school. These experiences led to Jacob’s current employment as an essential worker at Woolworths.

Meet Annette

Annette is the mother of five children and grandmother to two. She is passionate about inclusion and belonging in community.

Annette believes that inclusion in the school setting is where the Good Life journey starts. In her experience, inclusive education was the critical factor that created community belonging for her son.

Annette has been affiliated with Family Advocacy NSW for 18 years. She has spoken at and facilitated many workshops promoting inclusion in education, the community, and the workforce.

Resources related to Annette’s presentation

• Vision - Resources about Vision on the Imagine More website
• Inclusive education - Resources about inclusive education on the Imagine More website
• Employment - Resources about employment on the Imagine More website
• Accept Difference Inclusive Employment - This is the video shared in the presentation that tells Jacob’s story of being a valued Woolworths employee