Ann Greer

Ann Greer is the parent of three very adult children, two of whom have significant disabilities.  She would rather talk about their attributes than anything else and is so very proud of those three children: Jane, Sally and Valen.

The big challenge now is that she has recently noticed that she has grown elderly – and this makes thinking about the future scary because it turns out the future is now!  She has given a lot of thought to what it will take to safeguard the future of Jane and Valen.

In Ann’s opinion, the most potent safeguard is Sally’s presence in her brother and sister’s lives and her knowledge about what makes them happy and is important to them. This, combined with clear values, is a good combination. Ann doesn’t want Sally and her husband, Tom, to experience the intensive caregiving that Ann and the children’s father, John, experienced. The extended family are currently working to define Sally and Tom’s future roles in the safeguarding continuum. Watch this space!

It’s a long game: Planning for a great future for Valen in a constantly changing world

Valen Litster – a man with a severe communication impairment – will open this session using a slideshow to tell the audience about his present-day life. Val was involved in developing the captions for the slide show with the support of his family and team.

Ann Greer, Valen’s mother, will discuss the past experiences, challenges, and strategies that have helped Valen become the happy man and good citizen he is today. With her signature candour, Ann will share her family’s questions and thoughts about Valen’s future when he will need help from people other than his parents.

Sally Aubrey is one of Valen’s two sisters. She will discuss her thoughts on growing up in a family where lots of time and attention went elsewhere and her future support of her brother and sister. This plan is not fully formulated but is still under construction.

About this session

• Ann Greer, Valen Litster, and Sally Aubrey will be presenting at the main Safeguarding the Future conference
• Thursday-Friday, 23-24 May 2024
• 9:00 am to 5:00 pm AEST both days

Register to attend the conference and/or the pre-conference webinars

Learn about the other conference speakers and their presentations

Pre-conference webinars

• Webinar 1 – Decision-making in everyday life – Janet Klees
• Webinar 2 – Medical safeguarding – Jo Massarelli and Cathy Ludlum
• Webinar 3 – Now is the time for vision – Darcy Elks

Main conference

• The secrets of fabulous skin self-direction – Margaret Ward
• Never too late to get a life – Josey McMahon and Cathy McMahon
• Building bridges to neighbourhood – Sarah Faulkner
• Safeguarding a Micro Enterprise for the future – Helen Neale
• Who is the person behind the behaviour, and what do they need? – Kane Morgan
• It’s a long game – Ann Greer, Valen Litster, and Sally Aubrey
• The importance of trust and relationship in supported decision-making – Kim Roots
• A sibling’s perspective – Rebecca Altaffer
• What happens when I cark it? – Linda Hughes
• Safeguarding Isaac’s good life through a Service for One – Sheree Henley
• More speaker details coming soon!

About the Safeguarding the Future conference

• Thursday-Friday, 23-24 May 2024
• 9:00 am – 5:00 pm both days
• Hotel Realm in Canberra
• Optional networking event on Thursday evening
• Three pre-conference webinars included in the main conference ticket
• Pre-conference webinar-only tickets are also available if you can’t attend the main event
• Flexible pricing is available for people with disability and their families from $0.00 to $225.00
• People with disability, their families, friends, and allies, support workers, education professionals, health professionals, and everyone interested in safeguarding the future of people with disability are welcome to attend.

Register to attend the conference and/or the pre-conference webinars