Tony Lam — disability support worker & youth mentor in Adelaide

In my own words

Hi, I'm Tony

I'm the person you'll actually meet — not a coordinator who passes you to someone else. I support people with disability across Adelaide to live independently and stay connected to the community they're already part of.

I've spent over two years providing one-to-one support to people with disability and mentoring young people, and I came to this work from a background in education and training. That background shapes how I work: I'm used to meeting people exactly where they are, breaking a goal down into a step small enough to actually start on, and noticing the kind of progress that's easy to miss from the outside.

In practice the work looks ordinary, and that's the point. Getting to an appointment without it becoming a whole ordeal. Doing the shop. Cooking something you actually want to eat. Making the gym session happen on the week you'd rather not. Being reliable company on a Tuesday afternoon when the house is quiet.

I speak Vietnamese and English. For Vietnamese families that means the conversations that usually get lost — what's actually in the plan, how the invoicing works, how the week really went — can happen directly, in the language you're most comfortable in. Parents and grandparents get to be part of it rather than waiting for a translation.

I work the way I'd want someone to work with my own family. You choose what happens and how — I'm there to make it possible, not to decide it for you. If something isn't working, I'll say so early rather than let it drift. Families and support coordinators hear from me before they have to chase me.

Tony Lam Founder & Support Worker, LCT Support Care