Lee Cherry

Which of the following statements best describes you?

• I’m a parent / guardian or other family member 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?

My son is discriminated against constantly. To me schools should be armed with strategies to assist the special needs of adhd. Similarly coaching for sports should be funded to enable an EA type role to assist those struggling with skills in sport and teams.

Question 2:

What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve economic security for people with disability?

The cost of providing ongoing psychological, OT, speech therapy and physio therapy needs to be included in the economic strategy for parents who have exhausted the already exhausted CDS scheme and are having to May thousands.

Question 3:

What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve health and wellbeing outcomes for people with disability?

The use of school psychologists to integrate assist to teachers in classrooms. We are turned away every time we ask as the school psychology system is booked. The CDs system is overbooked with long waits and one must report to private care if they can afford it. If not children, particularly with adhd and other disabilities may often develop significant mental health issues. Would be great to measure this burden

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?

How many children with adhd are suspended
How many are excluded form class activities
How come they’re measured against neurotypical folk as doing this is discriminatory

Question 5:

What is most important to measure and report on as we seek to achieve learning and skills outcomes for people with disability?

Understanding school start age and adding flexibility to this date to children with suspected disabilities, sensory issues and emotions regulation problems.
Having streams of work to enable those who are disabled and specialists programs and centres in school to provide extra and targeted help

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?

Having adhd coaches available to schools, parents and children on a regular basis.
Measuring the impact of its use through a study would enable adequate decisions to be made to its effectiveness in improving behaviour and integration outcomes

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?

Annually

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?

Physical disabilities are often given preference
We need to take care not to ignore disabilities which are unseen like adhd, ODD, sensory issues which are hugely debilitating as they often occur throughout the family with siblings and parents. This takes a toll on mental resilience and mental health. We need to include adhd as a claimable item to ensure children do not fall down a slippery slope to mental issues leading to financial burden long term on the psychiatric system, law enforcement and other systems affected