On 3 December we acknowledge International Day of People with Disabilities. The United Nations theme for IDPwD 2023 is ‘United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for, with and by persons with disabilities.’ We know that in Australia, there are so many things that need to change to realise the … Continued
The role of disability advocates is a vital part of protecting the rights of people with disability, giving them a voice, and helping them to self-advocate. They are also the “canary in the coal mine” – as frontline workers advocates have insight and knowledge of when abuse and injustice is taking place, and are able … Continued
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was welcomed in 2013. But it’s become complicated. The onus falls on people with disability to put their support needs into NDIS language, but much is lost in translation. So who can assist when misunderstandings arise and who can step in when things go wrong? In this short course you will learn about how the role of Disability Advocacy intersects with a Participants NDIS journey, and how this role differs from those of Local Area Coordinators and Support Coordinators.
In March 2021 the NDIA released the Regulated Restrictive Practices Guide which identifies each regulated restrictive practice and provides practice advice consistent with a positive behaviour support framework and contemporary evidence informed practice. This short course summarises content presented at an Advocacy Sector Conversations Forum presented by volunteer advocate,Julie Phillips. Topics include the guidelines unpacked, … Continued
Angela is a visual arts student who completed DARU’s disability inclusion micro course. She loved it so much that she was moved to create a visual presentation summing up what she’d learnt. Here it is:
Systemic advocacy is all about creating positive change for many people. In this course Dr George Taleporos, disability rights advocate, expert in disability service reform, PhD (psych), and Policy Manager at the Summer Foundation and Amy Ferguson,Managing Director at For Purpose, will give you the tools to create positive systemic change for people with disability. … Continued
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was welcomed in 2013. Its purpose was to realise a human rights based disability support system that would offer people with disability choice and control around the reasonable and necessary supports they need in order to live an ordinary life. This information sheet shows where the role of Disability Advocate intersects along the NDIS journey and how this role differs from those of Local Area Coordinator and Support Coordinator.
This issues paper was prepared in response to the lived experience and literature presented at the Disability and Disaster Resilience forum hosted by DARU on 27 August 2020 which built a picture of the roadblocks to safety and wellbeing for Australians with disability in emergency management. What’s missing are methods, tools and programmatic guidance on how to include people with disability and their support needs in emergency management practice and policy formulation. This presents significant risk to the safety and wellbeing of people with disability before, during and after emergencies. This paper distills six key issues that present barriers to the full inclusion of people with disability in emergency management and 5 practical actions that institutions with responsibility for emergency management and other stakeholders can undertake.
People with disability continue to experience significant barriers to social inclusion, equal opportunity in education and employment, discrimination in health and housing, and lack of financial security. This is despite reforms and legislation to protect against these unfair outcomes. It’s the attitudinal and systemic discrimination that legislation can’t protect against. These are the barriers that … Continued
The concept that all human beings are born free and equal with dignity and rights is not new, but it has taken a long time for that concept to translate to how people with disability are treated and included in everyday life. Despite a dedicated international convention being in place, making rights real for people with disability is still slow largely due to underlying attitudes and presumptions held in society. In this short course you will learn How the models of disability describe attitudes that either hinder or advance the rights of people with disability, and you will understand that how we talk about disability matters.
Disability awareness is generally low in the broader community. Have you ever found yourself not making the effort to connect out of fear of saying or doing the wrong thing? Well, it’s just this that makes people with disability feel invisible and excluded. In this short course you will learn to understand what inclusion means to people with disability, what disability etiquette is and how to meet, write and talk about people with disability.
DARU courses are designed primarily for advocates working within funded disability advocacy organisations to supports skill development for providing human rights based advocacy practice. However everyone is welcome to give them a go. The courses are: Available online free of charge Structured with self paced modules that you can complete at your convenience unaccredited but … Continued
Disasters amplify the existing fault lines already experienced by people with disability to live an ordinary life. The best way to truly understand the impact of disasters on people with disability is to hear their stories first hand. Let’s hear what Mark, Tim and James experienced in the midst of 2020’s disasters.
In this course you will learn how to be inclusive for the LGBTIQA+ community and look at how to advocate for LGBTIQA+ people with a disability. This is a free online course available to anyone through the DARU website.
Just like designing an accessible website or face to face meeting, a bit of planning and consideration is all it takes to make your online meeting accessible. This short resource will help you make your online meetings more inclusive.