Posted November 13, 2020
This report was commissioned by the Disability Royal Commission and looks at how First Nations people with disability speak about their experience of violence and abuse. It finds that First Nations people with disability are less likely to discuss issues of violence and abuse with others outside their community because their experiences are too ‘raw’ to talk about. They often mention the terms ‘loss’ and ‘lost’ in reference to traumatic events.
Posted November 13, 2020
This report was commissioned by the Disability Royal Commission to explore how people with disability use language, as well as concepts such as safety, inclusion, belonging and self-determination. The report finds that people with disability interpret the terms violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation in a very broad way. They could even construe help from others as violent or abusive behaviour.
Posted November 5, 2020
The report sets out what the Royal Commission has done in its first 15 months, the cut-off point being 31 July 2020. The report says people with disability experience attitudinal, environmental, institutional and communication barriers to achieving inclusion within Australian society. It shows that a great deal needs to be done to ensure that the human rights of people with disability are respected and that Australia becomes a truly inclusive society.
Posted November 5, 2020
The disability royal commission’s interim report was handed down on Friday, detailing how people with disability were experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation across all aspects of their lives. The 561-page report outlines the attitudinal, environmental, institutional and communication barriers people with disability face when seeking inclusion within Australian society.
Posted November 2, 2020
In this research report, the author examined the articles of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to determine how well Australia is doing in improving the lives of its citizens with disability. This wide ranging assessment looks at 30 Articles to the UN Convention that affect Australians living with disability including the explanation of disability, transport, women and girls with disability, children and emergencies. The report finds that Australia is not upholding United Nations human rights protocols for people with disability and could do more to legislate greater rights for people with disability.
Posted November 2, 2020
This research report investigated the extent and use of the Commonwealth’s legislative powers that enable it to provide support for and protect the rights of people with disability. It has found three distinct periods of time in which the Commonwealth positively moved to support its citizens with disability. It also says there is more scope for the Commonwealth to further expand its support for persons with disability and its legislative protection of their rights.
Posted November 2, 2020
This report describes the international human rights context in which the Royal Commission operates. The report investigated the early rights movement of people with disability from the 1960s and 1970s through to the present day, which “exposed the power relations inherent to the medical model of disability, and which is commonly referred to as ‘ableism’”.
Posted October 27, 2020
At Public Hearing 7, focused on “barriers to accessing a safe, quality and inclusive school education and life course impacts”, the commission received submissions and heard raw and compelling oral testimony from young people and their families who described experiences of exclusion, violence and neglect. Collectively, their testimony painted a sobering picture of how the education system continues to fail many people with disability.
Posted October 27, 2020
Attorney-General Christian Porter announced on Tuesday that the government will amend the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to guarantee that written submissions will remain confidential even after the royal commission concludes.
Posted October 16, 2020
A disability advocate has detailed harrowing stories of abuse against some of Australia’s most vulnerable people – from physical assaults to being put in cages – by those paid by taxpayers to care for them.
Posted October 15, 2020
Disability advocates fear the most severe cases of systemic abuse will not be exposed during the royal commission unless greater privacy protections are given to people making submissions.
Posted October 2, 2020
The Royal Commission held a public hearing in Melbourne from Monday 2 December to Friday 6 December 2019. It inquired into homes and living for people with disability in Victoria and particularly the experiences of people who have lived or are currently living in group homes. This report finds that the closure of large institutions housing people with disability, with the resulting development of group homes has not eliminated institutional forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation experienced by people with disability, particularly those with serious intellectual disabilities.
Posted October 2, 2020
Far too many people with a disability are denied choices about their accommodation, often leading to neglect and abuse, a royal commission says. It said a shift from large housing complexes to smaller group homes had not eliminated institutional forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Posted September 25, 2020
“We believe that if Oliver had not have had the labels of autism and intellectual disability attached to him, he would absolutely have not have been prescribed psychotropic medications,” McGowan said.
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
