Peter Chalmers

I have a long-standing interest in the humanities, having worked as a disability support worker who holds a Certificate IV for 13 years, lived as a Buddhist monk in Southeast Asia for many years, and recently completed a Diploma of Community Services. As a support worker, I have worked across multiple settings, ranging from community access, supported independent living, and home care support. With this, I have provided support to a broad range of individuals living with physical and/or intellectual impairments. I have worked with people living with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury, early-onset dementia, spinal injuries, and more. As a Buddhist monk, I trained in the cultivation of qualities such as generosity, mindfulness, determined effort, integrity, and renunciation, while also providing teachings and training for guests of the monastery in Buddhist practice. Within the Diploma of Community Services, I was provided with the knowledge to understand principles such as social justice, inequality, and disadvantage, as well as the skill set to better assist people in gaining more power within their lives by connecting them to support services and helping them understand their human rights. At this time, I am looking to further my training within the community services sector by either stepping up to a role as an NDIS team leader, support coordinator, or a case worker within the homelessness sector.