By any measure, Aboriginal people with disabilities are amongst the most disadvantaged Australians. They often face multiple barriers to their meaningful participation within their own communities and the wider community.
This continues to occur for a range of reasons including the fact that the vast majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities do not identify as a people with disability. This is because in traditional language there was no comparable word for ‘disability’. Also the vast majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities are reluctant to take on a further negative label – particularly if they already experience discrimination based on their Aboriginality.
As a consequence, ‘Disability’ is a new conversation in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
A further major factor is that historically, the focus upon Aboriginal people with disability has been from a medical model of disability perspective. Whilst primary health care is essential, it has come at the cost of recognising the social aspects of disability. This has meant that discrimination against Aboriginal people with disability remains firmly entrenched.
Despite the high prevalence of disability in Aboriginal communities, the Closing the Gap campaign continues to overlook disability. I would argue this is because of a dominant medical model of disability approach; disability continues to be looked at as strictly health issues when clearly, it is more accurately a civil rights issue that involves the whole of life conditions of a person with disability, not simply a medical intervention.
A way to address some of the very serious human rights abuses experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disability is to support the ongoing development of their networks. To date, there is one formally constituted network of Aboriginal people with disability, their families and carers, based in NSW.
However, there are also networks at various stages of development in Queensland, Victoria and a long-running informal network based in South Australia.
As an encouraging sign, on March 30 this year, the national peak organisation representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities, their families and carers was formally launched. Known as the First Peoples Disability Network (Australia), its role is to be a strong voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities and to educate both government and non-government sectors about the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities.
The organisation has identified three key priority areas: advocating and ensuring that the National Disability Insurance Scheme can meet the often unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities, the successful implementation of the National Disability Strategy from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective, and supporting the development of networks of Aboriginal people with disability in jurisdictions where they do not currently exist.
With the journey just beginning in many ways, there is clearly more to be done to promote and protect the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities. It is now over to the government and non-government sectors to better resource the state and national network so all can come together and learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities and their families about the best way to meet their needs.
View Article (off-site)- Cost
- Free
- Topics:
- Ableism and disability models, Discrimination, Human Rights, NDIS
- Author:
- Damian Griffis, Executive Officer of the First Peoples Disability Network (Australia)
- Source:
- ABC Ramp Up
- Date published:
- Fri 20th Apr, 2012