This video series explores the importance of the social model of disability framework when responding to disability issues in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.. The videos highlight the experiences of six people with disability and what the social model of disability means to them. The videos are available in multiple languages and with English subtitles.
‘Our Regulatory Approach’ explains the high-level principles that guide the work of the Commission to meet their vision for people with disability to be able to choose services that best meet their needs and supports their quality of life free from abuse and neglect. It describes who the Commission is, how they do their work and what to expect from them. It also sets out the work they undertake, how they make decisions and the types of action they can take.
The NDIS was founded upon a three-tier system, with each tier providing a critical and unique contribution to the overall system of support and care for disabled people. Tier 2 was originally designed to provide for a robust community-based support system, which could offer services not only to NDIS participants, but also to the roughly 4 million disabled people who fell outside of the Tier 3 individualised service provision. This report highlights the declining, sporadic and unpredictable nature of Tier 2 funding. Such funding arrangements are anathema to the creation of a community-based support system since community-based organisations are particularly vulnerable to unpredictable cash flows.
The new National Disability Advocacy Framework 2023-2025 (NDAF) and associated Disability Advocacy Work Plan were endorsed by Disability Ministers on 21 April 2023. They were developed by the Australian, state and territory governments, in consultation with people with disability, families, carers, disability advocacy providers and disability representative organisations. The NDAF commits governments to work together to improve national consistency and access to advocacy services for people with disability across Australia. The Work Plan identifies shared priority work areas for the Australian, state and territory governments, to work on to support the outcomes in the NDAF.
Despite the numerous inquiries, reviews, and new programs being introduced in the past two decades, there is a lack of significant improvements in educational outcomes for children with disabilities in Victorian schools. Very little useful data is collected and recurring problems in the school system, such as restrictive practices, restricted attendance based on disability, and issues with suspension, expulsion, and exclusion continues.
Julie Phillips, Manager, Disability Discrimination Legal Service, presented this topic at the Advocacy Toolkit session held for advocates on 16 May 2023. This is a summary of that session and provides useful resources to assist advocates working with children with disability in the Victorian education system.
The Charter was released in February 2023 and aims to improve outcomes for parents and carers with disabilities who come into contact with Child Protection in Victoria. The Charter recognises that parents and carers have the right to a relationship with their children. In this session, Miranda Bain, the Funds In Court Human Rights Advisory Committee Deputy Chair, Susan Arthur, representing Positive Powerful Parents Self Advocacy Group for parents with intellectual disability, Frederikke Jensen, the Advocacy Manager at VALID and Denise Boyd, Executive Officer at, STAR Victoria, discuss the principles and design of the Charter and how it works operationally. Is it effective as an advocacy tool? Does it uphold the rights of parents with disability when they come into contact with the child protection system?
The Ready to Go Home resources have been co-designed and co-developed with health consumers with disability, disability service providers and health professionals to improve the hospital experience for a person with disability, and reduce barriers that contribute to discharge delays. The resources include a series of guides for people with disability and their supporters on topics including preparing for a scheduled or unscheduled hospital stay, what to expect while you are there, decision making during your stay, discharge and what happens afterwards. An associated ‘My hospital kit’ is also available.
Under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031, federal, state, and territory governments have committed to improving health services to create better health outcomes for people with disability. Notwithstanding this, it was brought to the committee’s attention that people with disability continue to face a range of barriers including accessing appropriate, accessible, responsive and equitable reproductive health services and education.
The Easy English parent guide and activity booklet are for parents with disability. They explain how parents can get help with raising their children. The resource includes help with your baby, activities for your child, and help with paperwork.
The report finds that there is a critical need for improved visibility of people with disability within the criminal justice system and for greater transparency of outcomes in relation to programs designed to support their re-entry (including housing outcomes). Many of the programs designed to support people leaving correctional facilities have a limited evidence base and focus on recidivism to the exclusion of other related factors, such as housing and access to services that support people with disability to live independently in the community. Likewise, many supportive housing programs have not been evaluated for justice-involved people with disability.
This resource was established to provide advice to government departments, and other large organisations, on how to be more inclusive of people with an intellectual disability. It consists of a range of helpful resources, co-designed with a network of people with an intellectual disability across Australia. They can be read individually or as a whole to help you think about and improve your own inclusive practice.
School is a big part of a child’s life. To be suspended or expelled is serious and it’s important to understand the process and your child’s rights. When the school has a good understanding of your child and effective supports and strategies are in place, serious issues can be avoided. There are many ways that schools and parents can work together to create the best possible learning environment for students with disability. This information sheet refers to processes for government schools.
The Planning Inclusive Communities (PIC) project stems from research on mobility, participation, and the diverse experience of everyday life in the planned and designed city centres, towns and neighbourhoods of Australia. This report presents the thoughts, experiences, and ideas of 97 participants on what makes communities inclusive, their current experiences of living in their communities and what change is needed to make communities and cities more inclusive.
Jury duty is an important civic duty associated with active citizenship. Barriers to jury service in current law and practice are out of touch with community expectations, laws and policies about non-discrimination and the inclusion of people with disabilities in public life. This report recommends ways to remove barriers from current law and practice that prevent people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision from serving on juries.
In 2021, Equality Lawyers and Picture Human Rights joined forces to create Disability Rights in Real Life, a law handbook for people with disabilities, their families and supporters. Disability Rights in Real Life aims to provide the disability community with information on their rights and to know when they might need a disability rights lawyer. … Continued