National disability insurance scheme participants will be able to dip into their core funding to purchase rapid antigen tests for themselves and their support workers, but critics have warned the change is still inadequate.
The continuation of supports remains one of the biggest challenges for the disability sector. Many providers are increasingly worried about how they are going to continue delivering essential services with so many of their employees unable to work. Meanwhile, people with disability are anxious about what will happen with their disability supports if they or their regular support worker test positive for COVID.
Although she says she grew up independent, she had to “fight through” the stigma that came along with having a disability, you were “supposed to be locked up at home because of the shame”, she says.
“Last time around we were able to get a team to come out and do the vaccination at home where he’s obviously more comfortable,” Walker said. “I called [Aspen Medical] again this week, to ask them to do the booster. “They were really lovely, very nice, but they said they’re trying to do all the nursing homes right now. So they can’t do him for another month or two.”
“I’ve spent $1,300 of my own money on Rat tests so I can make sure my carers do them before they come in,” Campbell-McLean said. “The NDIS has not allowed me to claim that money. If I was living in a group home, the staff at the group home and their agencies that runs those homes are … able to claim this money.
The Victorian government has seized control of two supported care homes in Melbourne’s outer north-west after an investigation revealed coercion and abuse of residents, uninhabitable living conditions, forgery of signatures and access to NDIS services being hindered. Sydenham Grace and Gracemanor (formerly Meadowbrook) supported residential services in Sydenham and Melton South, which house people with mental illness and disabilities, have been placed into administration.
Disability service workers urgently need more support from state and federal governments as COVID-19 has caused severe staffing shortages, according to union officials and the industry’s peak body.
Joshua and Nicole’s case highlights a problem in the NDIS system where recipients of services end up taking on legal liability in the case of a dispute over payment. Jo Evans, a senior solicitor in the Consumer Law team at Legal Aid NSW, says she’s more and more concerned about the number of cases she’s seeing of NDIS recipients being sued or facing action from debt collectors over unpaid invoices.
Closing date: February 11, 2022
the main key accountabilities include leading the development of a stakeholder engagement plan to support the delivery of Sport, Recreation and Racing and producing and implement a coordinated program of engagement products (including digital communications, social media campaigns and digital marketing) to achieve clearly articulated objectives in the stakeholder engagement plan. This is a prioritised position. People with disability are strongly encouraged to apply and will be given priority consideration for this role.
The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic all-rounder with a love for beaches and a passion for access and inclusion. With flexible hours across up to three days per week, the role is a six month position and will include coordinating beach access events, content development for social media, website support, attending events and coordinating volunteers.
Under these current policy settings, experts say, Australians with disabilities are being left to fend for themselves, as workers with little to no workplace protection fall out of the workforce in droves.
Closing date: February 13, 2022
1 in 5 people in Australia have a disability, however, this number is far from represented at executive and board level positions. Inclusion, diversity and equity cannot be met if people with disability are not part of decision making across business. Without Board and Executive representation, businesses are not making informed decisions with true market representation. This historic opportunity will support leaders with disability to increase their governance knowledge and access to board positions.
Closing date: February 11, 2022
Grants of up to $20,000 are available to charities and non-profits from a total pool of $250,000. This year’s grant round will focus on projects that provide opportunities for social inclusion and social participation for people with disability in Victoria.
Large swathes of the disability service sector have been forced into Covid isolation, leaving some clients without access to vital services, while a major provider has only been able to source seven rapid antigen tests for its entire workforce in one state.
On 30 December, a senior psychiatrist tweeted out her frustration at mismanagement of the COVID pandemic in Australia using the “#LetItRip” hashtag. “Australia is a failing nation state with no leadership, accountability, provision of basic services or public health. Any wonder we are disillusioned,” said Professor Louise Newman, a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne.