Ka-sa Tao
Which of the following statements best describes you?
- I’m a person with disability
Question 1:
During the first stage of consultations we heard that the vision and the six outcome areas under the current Strategy are still the right ones. Do you have any comments on the vision and outcome areas being proposed for the new Strategy?
Inclusive and accessible communities, one area that needs to be corrected in our communities is the fact that ignorance and stigma towards peoples with disabilities is still a major issue for people with a disability and there family and or careers.
Health and well-being.
A little of the above can be applied here, as i believe the Gov & it’s Dept’s have a very narrow if not ignorant view of what disability means, as not all disabilities can be seen & some peoples disabilities are so complex & inter-twined that it’s not as simple as stating someone has a Mental &/or Physical Disability, this compartmentalizing of disabilities is not only ignorant it is offensive.
Question 2:
What do you think about the guiding principles proposed here?
Policies and programs at present are not designed for people with disability, their family and carers, there are designed to support the organizations that make money through the disable members of our communities & for the Gov to present facts & figures of what a great job they are doing in supporting the people with disabilities, their family and carers.
Training and information sharing by people with disability who have lived experience is a great start.
A checklist for organizations of the steps they could take to put the principles into action & legislation to bring criminal charges against any organizations it’s Senior Staff,CEO’s &/or Staff, &/or any Gov Member &/or Staff that fails in there care-of-duty either through failing to provide Financial, Physical or Mental Support for people with disabilities, their family &/or carers, in an attempt to avoid another Royal Commission.
Question 3:
What is your view on the proposal for the new Strategy to have a stronger emphasis on improving community attitudes across all outcome areas?
All levels of government and all parts of the community share the responsibility to shape positive and disability-inclusive attitudes. We all play a part in helping people with disability to fully participate as equal members of the community.
This just sounds like the Gov trying remove some of it’s responsibilities onto the community.
Question 4:
How do you think that clearly outlining what each government is responsible for could make it easier for people with disability to access the supports and services they need?
To begin with having clear and precise information is one thing being able to access this has always been difficult, so if peoples with disability there families, carers & supporter were able to go to one place to find what Gov Dept provides what support for what disability would be a start but in saying that, it would be better if there was not so many Gov Dept with different rolls as this makes thing extremely confusing, as there are a number of people with disabilities prior to & after the advent of the NDIS whom still either can not access the NDIS or any other Gov support this is due to support information is not only hard to find but is divided between to many Gov Dept making it very difficult for some one with a disability to understand what they are entitled to & who to contact for support, often one is told there is no support for this disability or you have to contact this Dept only to told you now have to contact this Dept, this can become not only frustrating & debilitating but often leads to giving up & paying full cost for support & services out ones own pocket, (There are a lot of services i have no idea exist or know how to access).
Question 5:
How do you think the Strategy should represent the role that the non-government sector plays in improving outcomes for people with disability?
To begin with there needs to be better & more appropriate legislation in place to protect peoples with a disability there families and carers from non-Gov organizations, employers & businesses (To stop the exploitation & profiteering), as disabilities in this country has become a profiteering business for non-Gov organizations, employers & businesses & the NDIS is the biggest culprit due to handing the organizing to to organizations such as Mission Aust whom do not care for the people with disabilities there families and carers.
Question 6:
What kind of information on the Strategy’s progress should governments make available to the public and how often should this information be made available?
The listing government activities does nothing for people with disabilities their families or careers only makes the Gov look good in the pubic eye, and the fact that this is conducted without assessing whether the activities are effective is appalling & goes to show the lack of compassion for people with disabilities their families or careers by the Gov, so an assessment that is conducted with consultation with people with disabilities their families or careers, support groups & that identifies what Gov policies, what Gov Dept are achieving what out comes for people with disabilities their families or careers, this needs to be done annually & needs to be transparent & made public.
Question 7:
What do you think of the proposal to have Targeted Action Plans that focus on making improvements in specific areas within a defined period of time (for example within one, two or three years)?
Governments would work with each other and the non-government sector on a particular topic, for a certain period of time, to make the improvements needed. The Targeted Action Plan would involve committing to delivering actions within a set time frame, How & Why this has not been implemented now being 2020 is again appalling.
Governments would work with each other and the non-government sector, here is part of the ongoing issues, Gov & Non Gov sector no mention of people with disabilities their families or careers as we are the one the planes are going to target so shouldn’t we have a say in with process.
Targeted Action Plans are a good idea & the time frame for each one would depend on the plan, but none of this will work with out consultation with people with disabilities their families or career.
Question 8:
How could the proposed Engagement Plan ensure people with disability, and the disability community, are involved in the delivery and monitoring of the next Strategy?
Set legislation that all plans must be an equal collaboration between all parties, Gov, Non Gov & people with disabilities their families or career, as the Gov & Non Gov can never fully understand nor appreciate the need of people with disabilities so not including those in any plan would show a complete disregard for there needs
Question 9:
Is there anything else you would like to share about the ideas and proposals in the position paper?
Gov Dept & Non Gov sector need to fully engage & listen to those with a disability & stop the narrow minded stigma when it comes to people with a disability also stop thinking you know what a disability is as some disabilities are extremely complex-ed, & some time it can be almost impossible to see this is some as some have found ways to present them self’s to the world thus hiding there condition/s brought about through stigma, assumptions & ridicule from Gov Dept, Non Gov sector and the general public, (I have heard NDIS staff ridicule & call someone with Bipolar, an idiot a nutter), if this type of behavior exist with in the NDIS the Dept a Gov Dept that was established to support & protect those in the community whom can not support &/or defend them self’s & this is the type of treatment some receive then imagine without better legislation in place to protect these people, protect them from the very Gov Dept, Non Gov Sector, Support Group’s & Organizations that claim they are here to help & support, but the Royal Commission has shown that some Gov Dept, Non Gov Sector, Support Group’s & Organizations have not only been systematically exploiting these people but there has been Physical, Mental, Emotional, Financial & Sexual Abuse for a long period of time & some of this is due to the way our society views people with disabilities & this includes Gov Dept, Non Gov Sector, Support Group’s & Organizations, & to protect these people there needs to be better legislation in place to better support &/or protect & that includes all Gov Members &/or Staff, the Non Gov Sector with no exemptions if you fail to support &/or protect, if you fail in the Duty-of-Care, then charges need to be acted upon with the appropriate discipline, & with a transparent plan in place with constant consultation with people with disabilities, with constant checks, with constant reviews, as funding is part of the solution as is peoples attitude, as the Gov need to shift it’s attitude towards the disable of this country & start treating them with the dignity & respect they deserve, remember none of us ask to be born this way, none of us asked to be inflicted with these conditions, so do not treat us as sub-human, & stop this attempt of propping up the church though disabilities through the NDIS as these groups like Mission Aust have no interest in helping people they could not care of your condition/s they have no empathy, what they have is a well payed job and we the disable are just a money making exercise, (As one organization once stated, the Gov will pay us good money, we just need to get you on our books, we just need to get as many people on our books, the more people the more money), disabilities is not for any Gov Dept, any Non Gov Sector to exploit to profit from.