Giving Back

Forsight was established 40 years ago by a group of teachers and parents from the Alice Betteridge School at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.  After finishing school the only option for these children to live out of home was to be in a government institution.  Forsight was one of the first organisations in Australia to provide a home environment for groups of between 4 and 5 people who are cared for by a team of dedicated staff.

Forsight cares and supports adults with sensory impairments.  There are 8 senses Touch, Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste, Awareness of our body’s position, Awareness of our 

body’s movement / balance, Awareness of what we feel inside our body (temperature, hunger, thirst etc)

Sensory Processing Disorders or impairments can be a combination of several of these senses such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Prader Willi syndrome.

At present Forsight supports 14 group homes situated in the greater Sydney area, caring for 64 people.  In the next 3 years, our goal is to increase the number of houses to 18, to provide a place to call home for approximately 90 people.

Forsight is thrilled to welcome Allworth Homes as a partner to our organisation.  The relationship between Forsight and Allworth goes back some way with Managing Director, Stephen Thompson, personally supporting Forsight over many years.

In 2019, this has now extended companywide with Allworth Homes donating to Forsight for every new build contract signed. Funds raised will be directed into projects that have the capacity to benefit our clients in one of three key areas – well-being, independence or inclusion.

For example this could include technology to enable clients in some homes to have specific lighting installed to assist their movement through the home, software or hardware to enhance the ability to communicate, memberships to learning centres that specifically cater to our client’s abilities and areas of growth opportunity.

When you stand outside Forsight’s “Pines” home in Marrickville, you can’t help being struck by the beauty and intricate detail of the home’s Federation façade.

Once inside, you can feel the history of the home reverberating around the walls.  A big part of that history is Sue McLeod.  At 18 years of age, when Forsight was still in its infancy, Sue was one of the first people to move into a Forsight home.  Thirty-two years later, she lives with four other housemates, several of whom Sue has been living with for over 20 years.

A short journey up the road to Stanmore is Sue’s place of work, Ozanam Industries.  Ozanam is a supported employment organisation that specialises in completing outsourced tasks such as mail fulfilment, shrink-wrapping and packaging solutions. Sue has worked there for over 20 years, and currently works four days a week.

“I first started in the workshop, but I wanted more of a challenge and to try something new. At the time they didn’t have a receptionist, so I asked if I could give it a go”, said Sue. So for the last five years she has been the welcoming face and voice of Ozanam Industries.

The role is a perfect fit for Sue. “I wanted to do the job because I enjoy talking so much” laughs Sue. “I got special training. It took a while to learn, but I love it.”

From her journey to New Zealand by ship five years ago, to her many awards playing championship blind bowls, to barracking for the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval once a month during the NRL season – “I just hope they perform better this year” – Sue has never been one to sit still.

Sue has also embraced the opportunities for more independent living since the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

“Before the NDIS, I couldn’t do as many things as I do now. I enjoy group activities, but doing things by myself is also important.  I receive one-to-one support, so now every two weeks I head to the Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre with my carer for a swim”.

One of the biggest shifts for Sue has been due to her once a week visits to her clinical psychologist. “Every Friday morning I go and speak with my psychologist. The reason I first wanted to go was to learn about being more positive and confident. Also I wanted to get better with my independent living skills, and confidence building plays a big part in doing that.”