Dapto mother Lorraine Diaz is wary of her daughter Amy using unrestricted social media platforms, so she's delighted with a new online forum specifically for people with disabilities.
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Amy, 23, was born with Down syndrome and can't wait to get connected to people with similar interests and experiences via My Voice My Choice.
Mrs Diaz is also enjoying using the online forum to share information with other parents, medical professionals and service providers.
"When you have a child with a disability, you can sometimes become a bit isolated from other parents," she said.
"So it's great to be able to share stories that are similar, to make connections with other parents. Even if just one other person has had a similar experience, it helps to alleviate stress and worry.
"Soon I'll be able to set Amy up so she can share her experiences, connect with others and read blogs, all in a safe network for disabled families. It'll be a great experience for her."
Mrs Diaz was part of the pilot program for the new online forum developed by The Disability Trust with the involvement of a number of other Illawarra disability service providers.
She said My Voice My Choice allowed her to store all Amy's personal and medical information in one place which could then be given to different services when required.
"It's great to have everything in one handy location - rather than filling out endless forms with the same information whenever you access a new service," she said.
The forum will also assist parents and carers, to get information that will help them manage their individual funding packages and access up-to-date information disability services.
"Amy is keen to live independently and this will help her plan for that," Mrs Diaz said.
"This is making our lives easier, and the more your life is made easier, the more your life becomes normal."