Kylee's Crew

Kylee Black is a disability advocate, public speaker, and Mycare user who is passionate about building community connections and equal access for all. 

Kylee has a developed a deep connection and understanding of disability in New Zealand through her work and personal experiences. The social nature of her work enables Kylee to connect with a range of people throughout the disability sector, and she uses her connections to ensure that other people with disabilities have the same opportunities regardless of their location or circumstance. Kylee sees value in the independence and control that the flexibility of self-managed support can provide to people with disabilities. This is a part of why Kylee began to use Mycare. 

Kylee chose Mycare because of its philosophy of community supporting community. This meant a lot to Kylee, “I believe in people doing life with one another and disability not being something to fear but making it a natural normal role without our wider community. At the end of the day, we all need supports in a variety of ways; disability is no different.” Creating relationships rather than just fulfilling clinical task-based support was one of the most important aspects for Kylee. That’s why she calls her support workers her crew, because they are more than just a workforce but an integral part of her life. It was important for her to find a way to have a mutually beneficial relationship with her crew, which is something that Mycare was able to offer.  

Depending on ever changing personal circumstances the way in which she structures her supports and is continually evolving. This means Kylee’s crew has changed in a range of ways, and she appreciates the flexibility Mycare provides to manage this. Her crew once consisted mainly of students who worked fewer hours. “It was great to have students as I could offer them an opportunity, to give them an understanding of what it is like to live with a connective tissue and rare disease.” When her crew was this large and diverse, Mycare worked well as it made booking and paying them all easy. Now her crew has become smaller with fewer people working more hours, but the booking system has remained the same. No matter the size of her crew, the process remains simple and the same, so she can create a roster that fits with whatever her life currently looks like. 

“It works well for both myself and my crew,” Kylee says about Mycare. Using Mycare has meant Kylee and her crew no longer have to deal with heavy administrative costs, and exhaustive time and effort bringing on new people and arranging visits. The perks of using Mycare have proven themself for both Kylee and her crew in terms of ease and access to support and work. “One of my crew was going to be away all summer so I filled all of her shifts. She ended up returning a month early and while I couldn’t provide her any hours, there was a person I knew on Mycare who was looking for someone, so my crew member was able to access work easily.” 

Kylee believes the key to having a successful crew is ensuring that there’s give and take in the relationship. “Disability is like other areas of life, in that none of us stand alone”, Kylee reflects, “we all have need support, and have our crews, a community who stands with us, Disability is no different.” Mycare has given Kylee the tools to maintain positive and beneficial relationships with her crew, and make sure that they are all taken care of.  

If you have any questions about how Mycare can work for you contact the team on 0800 677 700, or email hello@mycare.co.nz.