Coalition says NDIS change is ‘streamlining’ but critics say it is cost-cutting exercise The changes have sparked widespread backlash, including from a coalition of 25 disability advocacy groups which this week called for the plan to be scrapped.
Carl Thompson, 31 – who lives with cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair – and his girlfriend Kirsty Crosby, 24, from Melbourne, say they are often met with confusion when people realise they are in fact in a relationship.
A relative of an Aboriginal man with a cognitive disability who has been held in indefinite detention for 15 years has told the Disability Royal Commission he was given “shut up medicine”, held in a restraint chair and given limited access to his community and culture.
When children can’t and don’t see themselves and the possibilities of their lives, joy and dreams in what they watch, read and play with, it’s like a black hole gets torn inside them.
Jo Abi fears what will happen to her two autistic teenage sons when she is no longer around to communicate when they need health care, she told the Disability Royal Commission on Tuesday.
Currently there are more than 4,300 younger Australians living in an aged care facility; most of them are with disability. But the Aged Care Royal Commission says by 2025, no one under the age of 65 should be in these facilities. But to reach this target, there are calls for more accommodation options to be made available.
Many of the workers who’re caring for people with disability have been waiting for news about when they might be able to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Some say they’re worried they’re going to miss out because of what they describe as an “information vacuum”. It’s particularly a problem for the carers who are independent contractors … getting their work through Uber-style apps.. with limited contact with disability service providers.
When 26-year-old Nathan Johnston tried to connect with people during the peak of last year’s COVID-19 lockdown, he realised how challenging it could be for people living with a disability to use social media networks like Twitter and Facebook.
‘In respect of AAT cases, of course they are not precedent setting; they are individual cases relevant specifically to the facts of the particular matter, unlike Federal Court cases…’
With independent assessments soon to become compulsory for National Disability Insurance Scheme participants, advocates are speaking out about major flaws in the process, which will prevent people from directly appealing a decision.
There is a lot of natural variation in the large and diverse disabled population, and many different opinions among the smaller core of committed disability activists. But there are some beliefs, positions, and mindsets that shape the community of individuals and organizations loosely referred to as “Disability Activism.” Broadly speaking, disability activism seeks to fix society’s ableism, not fix disabled people’s disabilities. That gives disability activism it’s most essential and distinct shape and dimension.
Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers Luke Donnellan today awarded more than $1.6 million for advocacy funding, to help Victorians with disability and their families continue to access timely and targeted advocacy support when they need it.
One of the “most significant reports” ever released by Victoria’s Office of the Public Advocate will recommend that every person entering Australian prisons be screened for cognitive disabilities – a move it says will trigger support for thousands of at-risk people, reduce recidivism rates and, ultimately, change the justice system forever.
The panel of eight experienced organisations has Australia-wide coverage to ensure that new and existing participants, irrespective of their circumstances or where they live, will have access to the free assessments to receive supports through the NDIS. The Agency has completed a formal and thorough open tender process to find the right organisations to deliver independent assessments, selected for their capability, experience and expertise.
Advocates for a First Nations man detained for 14 years in a “hopeless and desperate situation” say they will renew his case for justice with the United Nations to move him to accommodation where he can live his life with “dignity”.