Posted September 25, 2020
This report was commissioned by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. It investigates the early rights movement of people with disability, which “exposed the power relations inherent to the medical model of disability. The report acknowledges that the disability rights movement in Australia has driven important policy and legislative reform for people with disability. However, ‘it has not led to the social transformation required’ by the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Posted September 22, 2020
The Hon. Alan Robertson SC was appointed to conduct an independent review into the NDIS Commission’s regulation of the provider of NDIS supports and services to Ms Ann-Marie Smith, an NDIS participant who died on 6 April 2020 in appalling circumstances.
Posted September 18, 2020
This submission is in response to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) discussion paper on Support Coordination.
The quality of NDS plans, including the provision of Support Coordination funding, largely depends on people’s capacity to learn about and understand the system and to self-advocate. People experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of disadvantage and isolation face greater challenges at every stage of the NDIS journey, from finding out how it works to accessing the Scheme, developing a plan and connecting to services.
Posted September 14, 2020
Responses to the issues paper about education and learning for people with disability have been received from individuals including people with disability, family members of people with disability, advocates, organisations and government. This overview is a summary of what people are saying. The use of restraints and seclusion in schools, experiences of bullying, and what neglect … Continued
Posted September 3, 2020
The Australian Government welcomes the 2019 review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (the NDIS Act) report completed by Mr David Tune AO PSM. The Report contains 29 recommendations to improve the experience of participants with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and support the introduction of the Participant Service Guarantee.
Posted August 30, 2020
Noting the Royal Commission’s Statement of Concern released on 26 March 2020 about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disability, and Issues Paper on Emergency Planning, the hearing highlighted the experiences of people with disability during the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.
Posted August 21, 2020
More than 700 people with disability and their families filled out the survey that asked about your experiences during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. What impact did the pandemic have on your lives? How did you cope and what you thought of the changes made to the NDIS during this time?
The problems raised were the usual issues – confusing, changing and inconsistent information, lengthy delays, lack of flexibility, poor treatment at the hands of Local Area Coordinators or NDIA staff. These issues are bad enough at the best of times. But in the middle of a global pandemic they stood in the way of people with disability getting what they needed to stay safe and well.
Posted August 21, 2020
This report finds that integrated models for care, health and housing that are embedded in the community are the most effective at empowering clients and carers to take a lead in meeting their own needs and preferences. Incorporating literature reviews on integrated care models and consultation with key experts and providers of integrated care in Australia, this research provides an overview and analysis of integrated models of care for older people, as they relate to health care, social care, and housing or accommodation in Australia.
Posted August 13, 2020
The Second Progress Report summarises the work carried out by the Royal Commission during the period 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2020.
Posted August 7, 2020
In May 2020, the ILO Global Business and Disability Network conducted two surveys – one for National Business and Disability Networks (NBDN) and one for those networks’ company members – to identify good practices and gaps in responding to the COVID-19 crisis in a disability-inclusive way. In total, 159 companies from 22 countries (representing four regions) participated in the company survey, and 19 national networks participated in the NBDN survey.
Posted June 10, 2020
The main message of this report is that urgent action is needed to attend to the many inequities that people with disability and their families and carers face on a daily basis. Without movement on these issues, any future widespread emergencies will again produce substantial destabilisation for these households, with similarly detrimental impacts. This report sets out the key findings of the survey, devised by Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA), that captures the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people and their families and identifies unmet needs for resources and information as well as identifying areas requiring responses and future research priorities.
Posted June 10, 2020
In 2018–19, about 230,000 people used disability support services funded under the National Disability Agreement (NDA). Of these, 68% used the Australian Government’s open employment services. During the year, about 29,200 NDA service users transitioned to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, many of whom (65%) had an intellectual or learning primary disability.
Posted June 9, 2020
Australians with disability represent some of the most excluded of all Australians in relation to the impacts of coronavirus. At the same time, many people with disability are particularly at risk from COVID-19, because of barriers that exist to inclusion, and the need for ongoing support. This report sets out the findings from a survey that asked 200 people with disability about their experiences over the last two months.
Posted May 29, 2020
This research provides insight into the impacts of COVID-19 on people with disability and offers some directions for recovery post-COVID The COVID-19 pandemic poses immediate risks for people with disability and their families and carers who experience higher vulnerability to COVID-19 due to pre-existing health conditions and reliance on support workers and disruption to essential supports and services particularly for those who struggle online. Some of the key actions include embedding strong governance and co-design by people with disability across all public policy and investing in community-based solutions which maximise existing resources and build inclusion.
Posted May 19, 2020
This inaugural flagship report for the Intermediaries Sector exposes challenges within the operating and policy environment and features the results from the inaugural Intermediary Sector Survey which 461 intermediary service providers responded to. The administrative burden of NDIS systems and processes frustrate providers, with 61% of respondents strongly disagreeing or disagreeing that systems and process in the NDIS are working well, however, despite this, the sector is responding and meeting Participant demand.
