About

The globally mobile community is large, and growing. There is estimated to be approximately six million learners in International Schools worldwide, not counting those that are living outside their passport countries and are educated in local schools, at home or online. Of all students between the ages of 3 and 18 worldwide it is estimated that approximately 1 in 7 have a learning disability; dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, an Oral / Written Language Disorder or an intellectual disability. Otherwise is a podcast for this community and those that support us and our families, as we navigate these additional learning requirements in different countries, with different languages and often different diagnoses, depending on the country and the relevant health professionals involved.

Our family left Australia nineteen years ago, with a baby and a twenty foot container for three years in Hong Kong. Once there. we had another baby, stayed for six years instead of three, and all bets were off.

Four more continents and an additional sixteen years later, we’ve lived through some interesting times and locations. We”ve learnt a lot of acronyms, seen more than our fair share of doctors waiting rooms and I’m yet to meet a school Principal whose office I couldn’t cry in. There are a lot of stories to tell, but not all of them are mine to share.

Otherwise is to tell the stories of those that have walked these paths before us, with us, and for those that are yet to make the trip. We got you. There is much wisdom to be found in sharing our collective stories. You never know which a piece of information that might help someone else, far far away, in a different country, timezone and with a different issue. Oh, and we need to laugh too.

“Home is where my people are.”