Posted June 12, 2020
Celebrating his 10th “truly free” day of freedom since he was 16, Indigenous man Daryl Carr, 35, who has a mild intellectual disability, had a single message. “I don’t want to see the mob go through what I went through,” said Mr Carr, a Wiradjuri man who has spent most of his life behind bars. He was released from prison in late May after a NSW Supreme Court judge found that Mr Carr had been cruelly detained on a five-year extended supervision order for 11 years, sometimes for “minor breaches”.
Posted May 29, 2020
David had been receiving weekly visits from a registered nurse who administered injections to treat his schizophrenia, and also had an NDIS-funded cleaner and gardener, but these visits stopped when his funding was cut off.
Posted May 28, 2020
Federal court decisions are really important because they help us to understand what the NDIS principle of “reasonable and necessary” means in the real world. From what we have seen from court decisions so far (including this one) reasonable and necessary is very specific to the person’s disability and their unique situation.
Posted May 28, 2020
More details have emerged from a number of investigations into the death of Adelaide woman, Ann Marie Smith, who police say died as a result of shocking neglect last month. The acting head of South Australia’s Human Services Department today told a parliamentary committee there had been several “flags” against her carer, Rosa Maoine and the company that employed her – Integrity Care over the years.
Posted May 25, 2020
The Federal Court recently decided it was reasonable and necessary for an NDIS participant to receive funding for sex work. Sara digs into the must-read details of this fascinating ruling.
Posted May 22, 2020
Disability advocates say the death of an Adelaide woman with cerebral palsy is proof the system is failing the most vulnerable. Ann Marie Smith was meant to receive around the clock in-home care but was instead left in the same chair for a year – with police describing her death as ‘disgusting and degrading’. How her condition went unnoticed for so long is now part of a criminal investigation.
Posted May 22, 2020
The Federal Government says it “wants answers” on the death of disability care recipient Ann Marie Smith in what police described as “degrading circumstances”, as pressure mounts on federal and state authorities to explain how her case was overlooked.
Posted May 22, 2020
The essence of human rights is the right of everyone to live a dignified life. A life with shelter, food, access to health care, safety, inclusion in the community and respect. As a community we should value human rights because we value people. People from all backgrounds, living circumstances and abilities. People like Ann-Marie. A police investigation is now underway, and Ann-Marie’s death has been declared a major crime.
Posted May 22, 2020
She died on April 6 from severe septic shock, multi-organ failure, severe pressure sores, malnutrition and issues connected with her cerebral palsy after being stuck in a cane chair for 24-hours-a-day for more than a year.
Posted May 18, 2020
The case of an Adelaide woman who died after being left by carers in a cane chair 24-hours-a-day for a year shows the community still does not value people with disabilities as much as it should, advocates say. Her death, which Detective Superintendent Des Bray described as happening in “disgusting and degrading circumstances”, is now the subject of a manslaughter investigation.
Posted May 27, 2016
The mother of an intellectually disabled woman who was repeatedly abused in respite care says her daughter was barred from accessing justice because of her disability.
Posted March 20, 2014
The Australian Human Rights Commission this week called for an urgent audit of justice services to people with disability, as Rosie Anne Fulton, a woman detained in WA because she her disability meant she was deemed unfit to plead, became the latest person to highlight this type of human rights breach. The Disability Discrimination Commissioner … Continued
Posted March 20, 2014
Disability advocates say the indefinite detention of an Aboriginal woman in a West Australian jail is not an isolated case. The ABC’s Lateline program last night has revealed 23-year-old woman, who suffers from foetal alcohol syndrome, has spent the past 18 months in a Kalgoorlie jail without a conviction. The Aboriginal Disability Justice Campaign says … Continued
Posted February 7, 2014
This report focuses on people with disabilities who need communication supports or who have complex and multiple support needs and who have come in contact with the criminal justice system. Negative assumptions and attitudes, coupled with a lack of support services and minimal provision of adjustments, often means that people with disabilities are viewed as … Continued
Posted September 30, 2013
On 5 March 2013, the Law Reform Committee tabled its report on the Inquiry into Access to and Interaction with the Justice System by People with an Intellectual Disability and Their Families and Carers. During the course of the Inquiry, the Committee received 60 written submissions, and convened public hearings with 78 witnesses. The report … Continued
