Coledale founders of tappON aim to help people with disabilities around the nation
Started by Coledale husband and wife duo, Maryanne Harris and Daniel Hillyer, tappON was created as a result of their own struggle with a fragmented healthcare system after Daniel became a quadriplegic following an accident in 2010.
Started by Coledale husband and wife duo, Maryanne Harris and Daniel Hillyer, tappON was created as a result of their own struggle with a fragmented healthcare system after Daniel became a quadriplegic following an accident in 2010.
Daniel kindly took time to answer 2515's questions.
How did the two of you meet and what brought you to live in Coledale?
I met Maryanne through her cousin who was also my very close mate.
After my accident in 2010 and spending 10 months in Prince of Wales hospital I moved back into my parents house for three years in a granny flat purpose-built for accessibility. We chose to move to Coledale due to a more relaxed lifestyle and as it’s close to work.
When and how did tappON start?
tappON started in 2018, where we started at iAccelerate, located at the UOW’s Innovation Campus, North Wollongong.
tappON was created after our own experience with using traditional agencies for receiving care and support. There were days I was left in bed with no-one turning up or without a phone call.
A carer would turn up and not know my name nor the job they were there to do, which was very personal. I would phone my wife while she was on the way to work in Westmead, resulting in her turning around to come help me get out of bed and ready for the day.
There was a lot of missed communication between admin, carers and myself, resulting in missed shifts. There needed to be a better solution.
What did you find most frustrating?
Not being able to connect with reliable carers and communicate with them directly. I would need to contact the agency admin and wait for them to contact a carer, ask a question, sometimes taking days when I needed to change a time or request additional help.
tappON makes the communication between our members and support worker or small business direct. A question or request can be actioned more quickly with no need to be waiting days. tappON’s platform is free for our members to access, and exists to help make their lives better.
What do you like about working with Maryanne?
I really enjoy working alongside my wife. We work really well together, bouncing ideas and solutions off one another. It’s really positive sharing the same goals and values around making tappON what it is today and being able to celebrate our success together. I really admire Maryanne’s work ethic, she is super driven. She never gives up, and faces challenges with vigorous tenacity.
Maryanne is a kind and caring individual. She has been there to support my darkest days, and support me with the challenges I’ve faced over the years since my injury.
In the crowded online world, how is tappON different?
tappON has been developed with our members first and foremost in mind. As a tool to save them time and money, while coordinating their team to maintain their independence. When needing to build a team or people to support them, our members search our discovery section for their right fit of verified support professionals in the local area.
They can then view their profile, information and qualifications before making a booking. A booking can be made using NDIS funding, Aged Care packages and privately through our secure booking system.
Our members can connect with a support worker via our inbuilt messaging feature and get a quick response, removing the third person and not having to wait long periods for a reply.
We also have our virtual booking feature where a member can request support, such as art therapy, and participate and interact with a qualified art therapist, even if they aren’t in the same local area.
tappON also offers Allied Health services such as Exercise Physiology, Podiatry and Occupational Therapy. It’s all about giving our members autonomy over who they choose to work with, and personalising the connections between our members and the support people they can access.
Having someone come into your home is a very personal thing, and tappON helps our members feel confident about the help they’re accessing.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Balancing our work and home time. It’s all-consuming running a business like this, especially when we’re experiencing such rapid growth.
What are your plans for the future?
To see our platform go Australia wide. We recently announced our new Impact Partners, the Black Dog Institute and SpinalCure Australia – we are donating funds to the important research of both organisation.
