‘There are still urgent and significant issues to address in terms of access to PPE, the potential loss of 20,000 jobs for disabled employees, the lack of disability support workers, and the funding of services,’ said David Moody, CEO of National Disability Services.
A woman in regional New South Wales has been left distraught, after she claims she was told she couldn’t have her disability support person with her during a recent trip to the grocery shop.
As universities around the world go online and many workers shift from cubicles to dining tables, some people with disabilities are left wondering if ableism was the only thing standing in their way of previously being granted such accessibility.
People with a disability claim they have been “shafted” in the government’s coronavirus response, with disability pensioners and their carers missing out on income supplements given to many other welfare recipients.
The Australian Government has taken urgent action to protect the lives of Australians with disability as we continue to confront the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, National Cabinet agreed to release the Management and Operational Plan for COVID-19 for People with Disability (the Plan).
Last month, the Government announced a Coronavirus Supplement of $550 per fortnight would automatically be paid to a number of welfare recipients from April 27. This extended to those receiving payments including JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and Austudy, but those on the DSP and Carer Payment were excluded.
The focus of the meeting was on the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, in particular the effects of the response on people with disability. The Council noted the coronavirus pandemic has caused a significant shift in the Council’s immediate priorities.
As more than three billion people across the world isolate themselvesagainst coronavirus, George Taleporos is forced to invite two or three people into his home every day. The disability advocate from Melbourne, who lives with a severe physical disability and uses a wheelchair, relies on carers to complete the daily tasks he needs to live, including eating, showering and getting in and out of bed.
The Morrison Government has committed more than $154 million in additional support for Australians living with disability, experiencing domestic and family violence and families doing it tough amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“We haven’t heard anything about how disability and those living with disability are going to be prioritised at this moment,” disability leaders say.
COVID-19 can infect anybody, but some groups are facing particular risks and challenges, from both the virus and the measures being taken to contain it. Along with older Australians, people with disability are likely to be more vulnerable to the virus than others, and more affected by the restrictions, social isolation and economic hardship caused by the shutdowns.
Times are hard right now. For everyone. And if you’re a parent of a child with a disability, being off school isn’t as ‘cute’ and ‘pretty’ as it may seem across social media. I’m not saying every minute of every day is hard, but it’s not all fun crafts and cookie baking either.
But for many people, this sense of isolation and detachment from “normal” life isn’t a temporary phase; they aren’t waiting out the lockdown for normality to resume. For a large percentage of the population, including the elderly and many of the 1.3 billion people living with a disability worldwide, this daily experience of isolation and exclusion is unfortunately the norm.
Over 70 national, state and territory disability organisations have come together to urge the National Cabinet to take the urgent action we need to keep people with disability free of the COVID-19 virus. Today, we are releasing our letter to the National Cabinet, with the ten vital points for action. We are hearing more and more each day from people with disability who are being directly impacted by the virus, and the measures taken to deal with it.
Disabled Australians will be prioritised for home food and grocery deliveries by some of the country’s biggest supermarkets from Monday.