People with autism are highly under-represented in Australia’s workforce. But some IT companies are hoping to turn that around, running new prorgams to recruit and train people with high-functioning Austism Spectrum Disorder. For the workers, this can mean a potential career in a lucrative industry. For the employers, this can mean a highly skilled workforce, … Continued
Would you plead guilty to crime you didn’t commit and serve out the jail time? What if your only other option was being locked up with no release date in sight? A lot of people with a cognitive disability or psychiatric illness are facing that dilemma in Australia right now. They’re being told to to … Continued
A new advisory council has been established to work with the federal government on policies affecting people with disability and drive the implementation of the National Disability Strategy.
The Federal Government’s announcement it will set up a national redress scheme for survivors of abuse is much-needed and long overdue.
Disability advocates – who all emphasised their strong support for the NDIS – said the agency managing the scheme was under enormous pressure to sign up participants in an unrealistic timeframe, and with inadequate federal funding. As a result, plans for Victorians with complex disabilities are being drawn up by planners with insufficient expertise, they say.
Imagine being excluded from an inside joke shared among all your best friends simply because you can’t see the photo they’re laughing at.
Almost one in 12 Australians with disability – or more than 281,000 people – reported that they had experienced discrimination or unfair treatment because of their disability, according to new data from Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures were revealed in the latest survey data called Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings.
Mental health as a key performance indicator (KPI)? It’s a future BeyondBlue Chairman Jeff Kennett wants to see for Australian business. The former Victorian Premier has called for performance bonuses for chief executives to be partially tied to the mental wellbeing of their staff. Kennett is making the proposal to the Business Council of Australia … Continued
A 43-year-old autistic wife and mother to two beautiful autistic children wants Australians to steer away from stereotypes about what it means to live with autism in the wake of the tragic Davidson family case.
It is estimated there are more than 30,000 people in Australia living with spinal cord injuries and amputations who could potentially drive modified vehicles. Paul Crake believes that number could be even greater when the needs of others who require modifications to drive are factored in. His company has a first for Australia: a van … Continued
Disability advocates are ramping up calls for the National Disability Insurance Scheme to reverse a decision on the way it handles payments to participants. From July 1 the agency that administers the scheme stopped giving people a month’s payment in advance, instead asking participants to obtain receipts and claim money back.
Leaked documents reveal a number of corporate heavyweights will be appointed instead. That’s sparked fears the government may be trying to seize control of the $22 billion scheme in order to cut its funding. Among the casualties is the chairman Bruce Bonyhady, known as the ‘grandfather’ of the NDIS. He joins Fran Kelly on RN Breakfast.
In Australia in the 21st century, people with disabilities occupy a strange liminal world, at once accepted and ostracised. We have made enormous steps as a society when it comes to people with disabilities; we have given them financial support, anti-discrimination legislation, and even the opportunity to participate in sport. However we seem reluctant to … Continued
A new comic series, called The Disabled Life, is using humour and sarcasm to chronicle what it’s like to live with a mobility-related disability. Created by Jessica and Lianna Oddi, who both use wheelchairs, the series documents what they call the “jerks and perks of living #TheDisabledLife.”
A big central Victorian disability support agency has immediately cut about 40 jobs after going into voluntary administration.