Christian’s Story

Rebuilding my life after a life-changing accident

A few years ago, my life changed in an instant. At the time, I was in my late 20s, working as a carpenter and abseiler. I’d always been active, playing sport, working with my hands, and constantly keeping busy. I’ve never been someone who could sit still for long.

I was living in New Zealand at the time and had travelled back to Australia for my best mate’s wedding. It was three days of celebrations. On the last night, I dropped my ex-fiancée home and was driving along a dark 80 km/h road to catch up with friends when a kangaroo suddenly jumped out in front of me. There was little to no time to react. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick.

After the accident, I was airlifted to Sydney and spent two months in ICU. I underwent multiple surgeries and remember very little of those first few months. My first clear memory is waking up after my third major surgery. After that, I spent another six months in a rehabilitation hospital. In total, I was in recovery for around nine months.

When something like that happens, your whole life is turned upside down. You have to relearn everything, how to move, how to manage daily life, and how to use all the equipment that suddenly becomes part of your world. At the same time, you’re trying to figure out what your life will look like going forward. Adjusting to life after a spinal cord injury was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced.

Facing the reality of accessible housing

As my discharge date approached, the focus shifted to where I would live. The options I was given were confronting. I was offered a one-bedroom Supported Independent Living (SIL) property or a room in a nursing home. It felt like those were my only choices.

The SIL property wasn’t large enough to accommodate my equipment, let alone allow my partner at the time and me to live together. The idea of moving into a nursing home in my late 20s was devastating. I couldn’t see that as my future.

What stood out to me was how little awareness there seemed to be about any other options. It felt like the system was focused on discharging people as quickly as possible into whatever was available. I kept thinking, this is my life and my plan, I should have a say in what happens next.

Learning to advocate for myself

Finding an SDA apartment wasn’t straightforward. Even after nine months in hospital, there were still discussions about discharging me without a suitable housing solution in place. I had to push back. I remember saying, “This isn’t going to work for me.”

If you don’t advocate for yourself, it’s very easy to be pushed into a situation that doesn’t fit your life. I’ve seen many people feel like they had no choice but to accept the first option offered.

I started doing my own research, and that’s when Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) was mentioned to me. I had never heard of it before, and it definitely wasn’t presented to me as an option early on.

Through the Housing Hub, I eventually found Ability SDA. Their properties stood out straight away, and they had a two-bedroom apartment that actually suited my needs.

Finding the right home

Meeting Paul, Angie, and the team at Ability SDA has been life-changing. Today, I live in a two-bedroom apartment in Sydney that’s designed to support my independence.

The location makes a big difference. There’s a medical centre and pharmacy downstairs, a grocery shop nearby, and plenty of food options around. It makes everyday life easier and gives me real choice and control over how I live.

My family lives about three hours away and visits regularly. I’ve always valued my independence, and this apartment allows me to maintain that while still having the support I need.

Building a new career path

Before my accident, I was working as a qualified carpenter in the construction industry. I loved the work, but realistically I knew I wouldn’t be able to return to the same role. That pushed me to think about how I could transfer my skills into a new career.

I had some experience with invoicing and bookkeeping from my own jobs, so I decided to study accounting and bookkeeping. I’m now close to finishing that qualification.

I’ve also always been comfortable reading building plans and understanding how construction works. Because of that, I’ve enrolled in a diploma to become an Access Consultant, with a focus on SDA housing. The goal is to ensure new builds are not just compliant, but genuinely functional for people living with disabilities.

It feels like a natural fit. I understand construction, and now I can combine that with my lived experience. A lot of accessibility planning is done by people who haven’t lived it. When you have, you notice the details others might miss.

Through my connection with Ability SDA and the SDA Alliance, I’ve also started building networks within the industry, which is helping me take the next step toward this new career.

Rebuilding my confidence through work

After a spinal cord injury, it’s easy to doubt yourself. I remember thinking at one point, “Who would want to hire someone with a disability?”

Through Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA), I came across a program called Employability, which helps people identify transferable skills and connect with job opportunities.

It helped me realise I still had a lot to offer. I now work remotely reviewing images from traffic cameras. It’s a small step, but an important one. It gave me back a sense of purpose and confidence.

Advocating for better accessibility

These days, I’m also putting my future career goals into practice by advocating for better accessibility in my community. I’m currently campaigning to have my local train station properly upgraded, as it’s labelled accessible but doesn’t meet real-world needs.

Through this process, I’ve realised that improving accessibility benefits more than just people with disabilities. It also supports older people, parents with prams, and anyone with mobility challenges.

The reality is that many places claim to be accessible, but when you arrive, they’re not. For someone with a spinal cord injury, that can be the difference between getting out and staying home. You don’t want to spend time and effort going somewhere, only to find you can’t even get through the front door because of poor design.

I want to help change that. In the future, I hope to be part of ensuring accessibility is done properly from the start, and eventually be in a position to sign off on the kinds of upgrades I’m advocating for now.

A community that feels like home

One of the best parts about where I live now is the sense of community. I’m lucky to have great neighbours in the building.

Life looks very different to what it did before the accident, but having the right home has given me the chance to rebuild my independence and start creating a new future.