SINGAPORE: Dealing with deafness, an intellectual disability and now generalised epilepsy, Ethan Gower-Wiggins has experienced the pitfalls that come with striving for independence.
The 17-year-old worked for an NDIS supported coffee van two days a week in 2025, but after he had his first seizure on September 14 he was let go due to being ‘high risk’.
Being the mental age of an eight-year-old, Ethan’s employment provided him with opportunities that were difficult to come by, including professional and financial independence.
Ethan’s mum, Missy Gower, said that it was disappointing to see his progress come to an abrupt stop and strived to provide her son with opportunity.
After investing $30,000 of their own money into a coffee van, they now have their own business named Ability Brew with Ethan that made its debut on Saturday.
“It’s not going to make us rich, it’s all about giving him a purpose,” Ms Gower said.
Kitted out with a coffee machine, electric coolers, a generator and a bain marie for future endeavours, Ms Gower said the mobile van gave them the flexibility they needed.
“The ultimate goal is that I would get myself, Ethan, and whoever was supporting him for that day, we drive around to a few businesses in the morning,” she said.
“Ethan and the support worker could start by going into an office with an iPad and getting everyone’s orders and I’d start making coffees, they’d come back and help me, and then Ethan can go and deliver them.”
Although Ethan’s goal with the business is to raise enough money for a speedway car, they all hope to open it up to other people in the community with disabilities as a place of employment.
“When we sit down and do planning with support workers, you’re constantly trying to find things to keep them amused with community things like going to men’s shed and do all this stuff but what else is there for them,” Ms Gower said.
“They want to live a normal life, they don’t want to be sent to places to just fill in the time.”
The project was placed on GoFundMe to help raise funds for the van, but Missy said that now they have the van, they hope to use funds to help with the employment of those with disabilities and pay for whole shifts, regardless of how long they work.
The language barrier and limited resources of people who speak AUSLAN is a gap that Ethan and Ms Gower have had to overcome and have experienced that blind spot.
Chief executive of Expression Australia, Rebecca Adam said those who speak AUSLAN use it just like any other language despite it not being recognised.
“There’s challenges with there not being enough interpreters within the community who are available to do the work and support communication needs across the country,” Ms Adam said.
