Resources

Expensive, cruel and ineffective: disability royal commission hears of costly mistreatment in prison

This week the disability royal commission heard tales of abuse and neglect from people with disabilities in youth detention and adult prisons. One woman described being constantly dropped while being moved in and out of her wheelchair and said she was denied physiotherapy to slow the progression of muscular dystrophy. An Indigenous man said he was denied his antidepressants and asthma puffer. A hearing-impaired man said he didn’t have an Auslan interpreter for weeks.

99 per cent of rentals out of reach for Australians on disability pension, royal commission hears

On any night there’s an estimated 116,000 homeless people in Australia and the majority of them have a disability. “Having nowhere to go after hospitalisation … that’s one of the difficulties I faced,” she said. “You just feel nothing, you’ve got nowhere to go, you don’t really have the ability or the finance to feel anything, so it’s nothingness.

Indigenous boy featured in NDIS promotional material placed in state care after funding cut

Among the witnesses was a Warumungu woman, Daisy*, whose three children include 18-year-old Joziah, who lives with quadriplegia and dysphagia.  While Daisy lives in Tennant Creek, Joziah now lives 500km away in Alice Springs, because he was unable to access the support he needed – such as speech therapy and physiotherapy – in the family’s home town.

Disabled Indigenous boy in NDIS ‘stolen’

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has turned its attention to the treatment and experiences of thousands of Indigenous people with disabilities in remote communities.

Thomas “Marksey” Marks – This Is My Story

Proud Indigenous man Thomas Marks tells his story of being Stolen Gen, incarceration and turning his life around through art. This is his story told in his own words for the Disability Royal Commission.

Young men abused by disability worker

The family of a young disabled man abused by a carer has never received an apology or compensation from the service provider, a royal commission has been told.

NDIS provider apologises to group home residents after allegations of violence and neglect

One of Australia’s largest national disability insurance scheme providers has apologised to the residents of two troubled group homes after allegations of violence, abuse and neglect were aired at an inquiry.  Life Without Barriers charged residents at a Victoria home a substantial proportion of their disability pension for “rent” despite the property being leased on a peppercorn deal of $1 a month.

Agents of our own Destiny: Activism and the road to the Disability Royal Commission

This research report is about the disability rights movement and the history of disability activism and advocacy in Australia. It highlights how hard people with disability, advocates and activists have fought for the same rights as others, and to gain the protections offered by equality, inclusion and justice. It also reminds us of how important the outcomes of the Royal Commission will be for hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability.

Disability in Australia: Shadows, struggles and successes

This research report provides historic insights into the experiences of people with disability in Australia. It looks at different cultural and social factors that have impacted the lives of people with disability over time.  It explains how, for hundreds of years, society viewed people with disability as different and told them they didn’t fit in. This influenced the way the community and government treated people with disability regarding access and needs. The 21st century has marked a more inclusive approach towards people with disability in Australia, but attitudes such as racism, stigma and exclusion are still common experiences that people with disability struggle against

Promoting Inclusion: Summary of responses to the Issues Paper

This overview summarises the responses to the Promoting inclusion Issues paper that was released in December 2020.  It outlines what should be done to promote a more inclusive society that supports the independence of people with disability and their right to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.