Anonymous
Which of the following statements best describes you?
- I’m a parent / guardian or other family member of a person with disability
- I’m a carer of a person with disability
Question 1:
What matters most to measure and report on as we seek to achieve inclusive and accessible communities for people with disability?
Measures need to include community acceptance of people with disability and community understanding of ableism. How many people with disability access community spaces in the way they choose to; how well supported are they to do so; how many people with disability are involved in community planning; how many people with disability are involved with local council; state and federal government policy making.
Question 2:
What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve economic security for people with disability?
Being realistic in that some people with disability will not be able to gain employment due to the perception of industry, due to the limits of support, due to not being able to secure employment that is a good fit. Economic security for people with disability means ensuring that they have access to housing that fits their needs and their income. The private rental sector is nightmare for people with disability, it is so expensive and competitive and offers no future security for people with disability. People with disability need to know that they do not have to fight for their right to live in affordable and appropriate housing. Home ownership schemes would be so advantageous. Subsidised permanent housing models could also work. Increasing the disability support pension and rental assistance would be the obvious option to achieve economic security. Ask yourself this question …. what do you prefer – home ownership or to be a tenant at the mercy of private property owners? Why would people with disability be any different in that their preference would be home ownership for security.
Question 3:
What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve health and wellbeing outcomes for people with disability?
Ensure that people with disability receive the financial support needed to be able to access health specialists. Train health professionals to better understand people with disability and their needs. Push for a dental scheme so that people aren’t waiting for 2 years for a check up. Dental health reflects overall health and waiting lists for public dentists are so long.
Question 4:
What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve rights, protection, justice and legislation outcomes for people with disability?
Ensure that advocacy organisations are well funded and promote such organisations. Also, the NDIS should be the example model of ensuring that recipients feel safe. Train NDIS staff so that they are well versed in disability. As a nominee for my son I have felt very confused and incredibly stressed by the lack of and inconsistent communication from the NDIS. This in turn impacts on my son and his rights. Liaising with the NDIS is like walking through mud.
Question 5:
What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve learning and skills outcomes for people with disability?
Being realistic in understanding that some disabilities will not ‘improve’. There is no magic cure for disability yet this measurement seems to seek such. People who live in regional areas are greatly disadvantaged with access to education and employment. My son can’t read or write, he is 37 and lives in a regional area. It is unrealistic to expect that any amount of support will see him go from one level of education to another and then employment. It needs to be acknowledged that for some people with disability, just getting breakfast prepared is an accomplishment in itself.
Question 6:
What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve personal and community support outcomes for people with disability?
Ensure that people who need the NDIS actually get it. Measure on case by case.
Question 7:
How often would you like to see progress against the outcomes for people with disability in the National Disability Strategy and the National Disability Insurance Scheme reported?
We don’t have a definition of progress here. I would suggest that needs to be clearly defined. For what purpose other than reporting to government, is this ‘progress report’? It sounds very paternalistic and seems to infer that people with disability are supposed to ‘do more’ and use less funds as time goes on.
Question 8:
Is there anything else that you think should be considered when we are monitoring and measuring the impact of activities on people with disability?
I think a qualitative approach needs to happen so that NDIS recipients are asked how they have used their funding to support them and how that support has changed their lives and also what would happen if they no longer received that support. I also think that there needs to be far more involvement from people with disability in every single aspect of the NDIS.