00:00 At Bedina State School on the Sunshine Coast, Alyssa Flannery is one of the most loved members
00:07 of staff. She's also one of the longest serving, recently marking a big milestone.
00:14 I've been here for 20 years, which is a big achievement for me.
00:19 The 40-year-old has Down's Syndrome. Her mum worried it'd be a barrier to employment until
00:25 she began volunteering at her old primary school.
00:29 She had a reason to get up and have a shower and get organised and get out the door. And
00:35 it also gave her a lot of confidence.
00:38 Miss Alyssa, as she's known to her prep students, is now a paid teacher's aide.
00:44 Well, watching the preps being little is really so cute, working with them and they're growing
00:51 up so much.
00:52 When I get hurt, she gets ice packs for me.
00:57 She's like their big sister as such, a really positive role model.
01:01 She's also the little sister of former student and Queensland State of Origin star, Chris
01:06 Flannery.
01:08 Outside of work, Lyss is also kicking personal goals, recently moving out of home for the
01:13 first time and into independent living.
01:17 Having Lyss in the office where parents come in, if they've got a child with a disability,
01:23 they can see what they can achieve, which we think's pretty special.
01:30 See you at preppies.
01:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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