An act of kindness by a fisherman and his boy stopped Craig McDonnell from tipping himself out of his wheelchair and into the cold waters of Port Phillip Bay.

In January, Mr McDonnell found himself at the end of the Port Melbourne pier and contemplating ending his life after another tough day in the care of Yooralla, Victoria's biggest non-government disability care provider.

Craig McDonnell was active in exposing alleged sex crimes carried out by a disability carer. Credit:Justin McManus

That morning, Mr McDonnell, 44, met Yooralla's chief executive, Sanjib Roy, to request the organisation's board visit the Box Hill North house where he and several other disabled Victorians reside to discuss the level of their care.

The residents had been through a torrid time. A part-time carer had allegedly raped two of Mr McDonnell's fellow residents and sexually assaulted another. Mr McDonnell was central to exposing the man's alleged crimes.