Emmanuel leads his career with heart
16 May 2025
Speaking without words: How Emmanuel Vuningoma builds trust and transforms lives at AnglicareSA.
A staggering amount of human communication is non-verbal. For some people with disability, facial expressions, body language and gestures become especially critical tools in expressing their needs. At AnglicareSA, Emmanuel Vuningoma draws on his expertise in reading these non-verbal cues – skills honed through years of disability support work – using his patience and empathy to help people thrive.
Finding fulfilment
When you walk into a medical practice for your appointment, how much do you notice about your surroundings? The smell of antiseptic and fresh flowers. The sound of ringing phones and patients chatting. Most of us can tune these out. But for some people with disability, it can be overstimulating to the point of panic.
“Most of the clients I work with are non-verbal and can’t communicate what’s troubling them. You have to walk in their shoes to try to understand what their triggers are,” shared NDIS Team Leader, Emmanuel Vuningoma. “Was there a certain noise? Were there too many people in a small space? Was it the door? The stairs? There’s a lot of patience required on both sides, but when you work it out and make changes to accommodate, you create an environment for them to flourish.”
Support work is a far cry from Emmanuel’s original career in sales. But when he left Uganda in 2017 and moved to Australia, he took it as a fresh start – one where he could pave a new career path and pursue something more meaningful. Emmanuel decided to study support work – and completed his industry placement at AnglicareSA.
“I used to love working in sales, but it was always about profits over people. I had always wanted to work with people, but when I joined AnglicareSA and actually started doing it, I realised, ‘OK, there’s no turning back.’ To put all your focus towards giving a person an opportunity to live life to the fullest – that brings me so much fulfilment.”
Grant, AnglicareSA CEO, Emmanuel and the Disability Services team won the ‘Go-getters Enthusiasm’ Team
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Strength in connection
Soon after completing his qualification, Emmanuel was offered a permanent role with AnglicareSA and officially joined the team as a Disability Support Worker in 2018. It didn’t take long for him to show his leadership potential, and he was promoted to Team Leader in 2019.
“My role as team leader is all about helping our staff shine at what they do best. I still work directly with clients, but I’m more of a middleman, helping to connect them with everyone they need in their corner, such as allied health and mental health professionals. Whether it’s getting a new service up and running, checking in on how their current services are working for them, or keeping their finances on track – I’m there to advocate for them every step of the way.”
This “client-linked” approach, as Emmanuel calls it, means pairing clients with staff who can support and connect with them best, contributing to better outcomes. Like Emmanuel, many of his colleagues come from diverse backgrounds – from former chefs to engineers and nurses. All bringing unique skills and perspectives to their work.
“Everyone’s experience is valuable. We focus on each other’s strengths and support the weak points. Someone with a social work background might be very creative with activities, while a former chef can improve the quality of meals we provide.”
Emmanuel said his own transition from sales to disability support work taught him invaluable lessons about communication and trust. Building relationships with non-verbal clients requires patience and careful observation – even the smallest moments can lead to massive breakthroughs.
“It’s so easy to say, ‘That’s just what they do’, or, ‘That’s who they are’. But the more you work with someone, you pick up on their little cues and facial expressions and begin to understand them. You become their voice. We have the most wonderful communication, and most of it is non-verbal.”
“Once their needs are heard and met, you can see the positive changes in their behaviour, in their quality of life and how they engage with activities. They get excited when you get something right. Seeing them find joy and happiness again, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Leading with heart
More than seven years later, Emmanuel remains just as passionate about his role as the day he started. While he has witnessed plenty of different people join AnglicareSA and thrive just like him, he said he has learned that some key characteristics set them apart.
“You have to have a heart for people. We do a lot of tasks in this job that are very important, like cooking and cleaning, but we are therefor the people, not the tasks. If you don’t love what you do, this is probably not the industry for you. You have to have a degree of care, compassion and empathy in your nature to find fulfilment here.”
Emmanuel certainly has those qualities in spades. His care runs so deep that he’s pursued additional qualifications and training courses, including nursing studies, to better serve his clients. While these could have easily propelled his career upwards, he said he has chosen to stay where he is, content with helping clients overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
“I’m happy where I am because I enjoy working with clients. I can’t think of anything more rewarding to do,” he said. “No matter what I do in the future, I always want to have a direct connection with them. But, for now, I love working in disability support and can see myself doing this for years to come.”