Suspected child molesters have walked free because their disabled victims lack the capacity to be cross-examined in court, a senior police officer has told an inquiry.
Mobility taxis for the disabled are no longer commercially viable and the number of wheelchair accessible cabs will likely be cut, the Melbourne taxi industry has warned. Ride-sharing service Uber has claimed it could provide the solution and wants to launch UberWAV wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Thirteen disability groups have issued a joint plea to Jacinta Allan, Victoria’s public transport minister, not to legalise Uber unless the ride-share service makes a legally binding commitment to serve passengers in wheelchairs.
The child sexual abuse Royal Commission has heard that the demands of a criminal case mean many children with a disability never see their abuser convicted. The commission is examining the barriers that children face in reporting their abuse and giving evidence and possible reforms to improve the chances of a successful prosecution.
Less than half of Australia’s disabled students are supported by the appropriate funding at their schools, with a new report showing about a fifth of the country’s school kids have a disability or learning difficulty, a union says.
That was the message in this Croakey #Periscope discussion between Deakin University’s Dr Patsie Frawley and Women with Disabilities Victoria Executive Director Keran Howe at last week’s National Research Conference on Violence against Women and Children hosted by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).
The federal government is concerned that disability advocates will use the courts to seek further wage rises of intellectually disabled people, which it says could leave them worse off.
It was hurdle after hurdle for Tegan Allen to make it through high school. The legally blind Everton resident said a lack of understanding from some peers and staff made it “a fight to get through”.
Dual disability can be crappy for many reasons. For those with the diagnosis, it’s tough enough having a brain that doesn’t seem to work as efficiently as everyone else’s. It’s even worse when you become anxious, or hear voices. For families it can be an enormous, sometimes impossible, burden. But saddest of all, it doesn’t … Continued
In a report to be released on Friday, the panel, which comprised a range of academics, teachers and advocates, backed the best practice intervention for young children, which can cost up to $80,000 a year.
The introduction of the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which will progressively roll out countrywide from July of this year, has meant that barely a day goes by without some sort of media discussion relating to this policy or issues of disability more broadly.
Disabled Australians could be forced to wait up to a year for their disability support claims as the government’s crackdown on the pension clogs the system with thousands of medical examinations.
The city’s disabled community are pushing for greater awareness of their plight across Ballarat.
A “LIFE-CHANGING” supported accommodation facility for people with a disability will be built in Ocean Grove after the Geelong council approved a major land giveaway.
The overall population with acquired brain injuries (ABI) are two per cent, yet a study by Victoria Corrections found that 42 per cent of male prisoners and 33 per cent of female prisoners have an ABI. Hear first hand experiences from former prisoners living with Acquired Brain Injuries. They are members of the Enabling Justice … Continued