“The plan was to go together, then live together, get married, then have children. But the plan went the opposite. Julie got pregnant, we got engaged at Christmas in 1990, we got married in 1991, and Amanda-Lee was born in June. Throughout the time, different people – our families and some of our support workers – have been positive or negative about the choices we have made. People thought it wouldn’t last for so long. We proved them wrong. All people need is to build their confidence. It’s something we like helping other people do. It gives us a good feeling to give someone a pat on the back and say, “Good on you!””
– ROBERT and JULIE STRIKE with their children, Amanda Lee, Bradley and Casandra, Sydney NSW Australia, 2000
ROBERT and JULIE STRIKE with their children
Robert is a homemaker, Self Advocacy Spokesperson, Board Member of the NSW Council on Intellectual Disability, Board Member of Citizen Advocacy – Western Sydney and a Member of the Intellectual Disability Rights Service. Julie is a Senior Advocacy Educator with Self Advocacy Sydney. Robert and Julie come from very different backgrounds. Robert lived in a state-run institution, which housed people with a variety of disabilities, from the age of 3 1/2 to 18. Julie grew up in a supportive family environment. They met in 1987 at Nambucca Heads when Robert was running a Self Advocacy Conference with a group of people with intellectual disability. They had a very long courtship and had a long-distance relationship for 2 years, which ran up some pretty big phone bills! Robert says that Julie was a very quiet person when they met. Oh, how things have changed! Both Robert and Julie have an intellectual disability.