While the victims were most often women, the report found nearly one in three of the victims were children — and one in four of them had sustained a brain injury.
“They’re shocking figures and yet the vast majority of women who experience family violence don’t get medical attention,” said Nick Rushworth, chief executive of Brain Injury Australia.
A leading disability expert has warned that the safety concerns of young people with disability will limit the potential for the National Disability Insurance Scheme to nurture strong support relationships with workers.
Robin and Bernard Shanahan are exhausted. They’ve been lobbying on behalf of their two children with disabilities for decades. Now in their seventies, they’d like to enjoy a well-earned retirement.
Julianne Bugeja recently filmed her daily encounter with a locked gate at University Park Primary, which prevents access to her daughter living with spinal muscular atrophy. This means that Alyssa, who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a wheelchair, is unable to wait for her younger brother inside the yard when he finishes school.
Department stores are increasingly using young models from diverse cultural backgrounds and children with disabilities in catalogues and advertising campaigns. That shift isn’t by accident.
A 43-year-old autistic wife and mother to two beautiful autistic children wants Australians to steer away from stereotypes about what it means to live with autism in the wake of the tragic Davidson family case.
In Australia in the 21st century, people with disabilities occupy a strange liminal world, at once accepted and ostracised. We have made enormous steps as a society when it comes to people with disabilities; we have given them financial support, anti-discrimination legislation, and even the opportunity to participate in sport. However we seem reluctant to … Continued
Can a parent stop their adult child from having a baby of their own? The debate’s been ignited by a couple with Down syndrome who’ve set their sights on marriage and babies. Their parents worry they don’t have the skills needed to take care of a child. But the couple say they’re adults and can make their … Continued
Jordanne Taylor is a typical year 9 student. The 15-year-old loves dancing, cooking and spending time with girls her own age, watching movies and just hanging out. Until recently, these simple activities were not always easy to organise for Jordanne, who has a mild intellectual disability and is on the autism disorder spectrum.
Caring for a person who has a decision-making disability can be both challenging and rewarding, however, you may be naturally concerned about what will happen, once you are no longer able to care for them. This guide has been created to help you put in place some safeguards to ensure the person with disability you … Continued
Desperate parents are turning to the human rights watchdog to seek justice for children removed from schools for mental health conditions. Nearly 20 complaints of children being expelled, suspended or removed from classes for a psychiatric or psychological disability have been made to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission in the past three … Continued
This is the story of Sian. Sian is a deaf person, who can speak and hear quite well, and is having issues progressing in her workplace due to the unintentional barriers in place, that limit her ability to access vital information. This post also explores the identity issues she has faced in being a deaf … Continued
The report is the culmination of a 13-month comprehensive inquiry into Victoria’s response to family violence by the Royal Commission. The Commission’s 227 recommendations are directed at improving the foundations of the current system, seizing opportunities to transform the way that we respond to family violence, and building the structures that will guide and oversee … Continued
A Victorian special school that placed a child who suffered seizures in a pen has been cleared of wrongdoing after an investigation.
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.