Amanda Reflects on Scope's Trailblazing Legacy at Shannon Park

As Scope marks its 75th anniversary, we reflect on the stories that illustrate the profound impact the organisation has had on countless lives.  

Shannon Park is one of Scope’s flagship Social Connections (day program) centres, offering a range of different services supporting people with disability.

We spoke to Amanda Handley, General Manager of Social Connections, previously known as Social Connections, about her long history with Scope and how she supports clients and employees to be empowered to live their dreams.

Starting her career in the disability sector in 1995 as a Disability Support Worker, Amanda joined the team at Scope’s Shannon Park centre in Geelong, which she now oversees as part of her role as General Manager.

A woman of many talents, Amanda has not only had an extensive career in the disability sector but was also a panel member for a local netball show on Channel 31 for ten years.

“It was called GDFL Netball Show. It was good fun! We did it all in one take,” laughs Amanda.

Shannon Park’s transformation

Shannon Park, which started as the Geelong branch of the Spastic Children’s Society, has been used for many purposes over the years, transforming to keep up with community demand and needs.

“We used to have a supported employment workshop on site where people with a disability would come and learn skills so they could transition into supported employment, such as Shannon Park Industries which began here on site, but later moved to North Shore. We even had an integrated, “Reverse” Kindergarten where Scope therapists and personal care assistant support were provided to children with a disability. We were really advanced in terms of the research, using communication devices and therapy intervention. Maryann Stares, currently employed at Scope as Social Connections Manager West, actually first started at Scope 33 years ago, working at the kindergarten.”

The local community has always been a big part of Shannon Park, with auxiliaries raising funds through fetes and fundraisers over the years to support the programs run on site. Often the auxiliary members had personal connections to Scope.

“There were two auxiliaries that fundraised very differently, and eventually developed into the Shannon Park Parents and Friends Association. The main driver was to enable clients to buy equipment. For example, if someone needed to buy a new wheelchair, a basic chair would be covered by state funding, but they might need modifications that could be two to three thousand dollars. The auxiliary would raise money to cover this. Or they might fund a piece of equipment that was state of the art, that Scope would own and loan out to children who needed it - this was prior to the NDIS.”

The Shannon Park auxiliaries also raised funds to pay for the annual Christmas party, where the Myer Santa would come and sit in Miss Victoria’s Throne and give gifts, bought and paid for by the auxiliary, to all the children.

The original Shannon Park building was demolished 10 years ago to make way for a new, modern building.

“The new building was really advanced, in terms of accessibility, at the time,” said Amanda. “The indoor and outdoor areas were designed to be fully accessible for everyone. Overhead hoists were installed outside and in every activity room, which was very ahead of its time 10 years ago.”

“About five years ago the Shannon Park Parents and Friends Association funded and redeveloped the outdoor area, in collaboration with our clients, and now features a liberty swing and raised garden beds to maximise the use of the space and offer more outdoor activities for clients.”

“The joy that our clients have in being able to enjoy the outdoor space is fantastic to see – we see our clients thrive as much as the garden.”

“Our fit-for-purpose facilities enable Scope to offer a range of services including therapy and day programs, designed to support clients to connect with others and their local community.”

Looking back

“History is really important as it shows you where you have been; the distance that we’ve travelled. I have some great memories of the people we have supported over the years. It’s important that those wonderful memories are treasured”.

Being involved in the disability sector for many years, Amanda has valuable insights. Noting the Disability Act 2006 as a key driver for change, according to Amanda, this led to the embedding of quality frameworks and key performance indicators, and was when the sector really started to shift and become more future-focussed.

“The sector has come a long, long way in a short period of time.”

“When I first started working in the sector, I could see when we were in the community, that it was something new for people - they hadn’t met people with a disability before or had any lived experience.

“Sadly, there were some negative experiences early on but thankfully I no longer witness this. People with disability are valued and respected members of our community.”

“One of our clients has formed a friendship with a local business owner who he has been purchasing his lunch from once a week. This is helping him to develop skills around managing his money and independence. There is such a great relationship now between them both, and I am sure that the owner finds their interactions as rewarding as our client. We now witness so many of these positive interactions in the community that we tend to take them for granted because they just happen all the time now.”

Scope blazing the way

Amanda believes that Scope is a trailblazer in disability services and is a driver for change and continuous improvement.

“Scope was involved in the Victorian trial site for the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). We were critical in supporting the NDIS to improve the scheme for its participants through the trial site, as well as through broader disability sector sharing learnings.”

“During the trial we did a lot of preliminary work with clients and supported them to have as much information as possible to take into their first planning meetings, to ensure their needs were going to be met when they received their first NDIS plan.

“One of the things that came out of the first plans was that people with complex support needs weren’t getting the funding and supports they needed. We did a lot of advocacy work within the sector and scheme around people with higher intensity support requirements that required additional funding, and ultimately achieved a great outcome.”

“Scope is a really interesting organisation,” said Amanda. “We’re now the largest NDIS service provider in Australia and have an opportunity to influence the next generation. We’ve always been a leader, no matter the name or brand we’ve had over the years. I am proud to be part of an organisation that’s drives change, is committed to continuous improvement and sharing our learnings to improve the lives of people with disability. The voice of our clients has and will continue to motivate and inspire us now and into the future.”

Looking to the future

On the anniversary of Scope’s 75th year, Amanda looks to the future.

“I find it hard to envisage what 75 years from now will look like.”

“We’re working to and will continue to work on empowering people with a disability. I am sure people will continue to inspire me.”

“I think we have only just started to focus on technology and what that looks like for Scope and the sector in the future. It’s something we haven’t explored to its fullest potential. I’m excited to focus on how technology can really empower people to be independent and thrive.”

Excelling together

Reflecting on Scope’s values, Amanda said that while all of them are important to her, one particular value stands out the most – ‘we excel together.’

“We have a client who has been with us since he was a young child, and then participated in skill development workshops which transitioned into Supported Employment with Shannon Park Industries.”

“He is now retired, and lives independently in a Scope home, accessing Social Connections for recreation. Scope has been walking beside him throughout his life – not in front, not behind, but beside him.”

“He is just an example of one person, but there are many more that I’ve met.”

“If we continue to collaborate and work together it’s going to be amazing what we can achieve.”