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We Made Complaints Sexy

When I started working with the Disability Services Commission (DSC) Capacity Building Team we had the daunting task of making complaints sexy and I believe we succeeded.

I was very proud to be a part of such a unique organisation because Victoria was the first state in Australia to have a separate disability complaints body. 

This allowed people with disability's voice to be separated from the crowd and amplified so we could be heard out loud. 

The DSC and I were able to make people with disabilities and disability service providers see that complaints were a positive thing and not a negative. 

It was incredibly gratifying to see the amount of complaints going up each year. I know that sounds weird to say but to me it meant people with disabilities were speaking up more. 

The Disability Service Commission didn't just use pretty words, the culture within the office was also inclusive as a matter of fact for the first time in my life I felt truly equal with all my DSC colleagues. 

With the NDIS transferring a lot of responsibility for disability to the Commonwealth I only hope that the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission will build on DSC's work and take it as best practice. 

The SAS soldiers see themselves as force multipliers and I encourage the DSC staff to see themselves as communication and complaints multipliers when they move onto new roles within the community. They can take what they know from their time at DSC and spread it out into the community stealthily empowering people with disabilities as they go.

It is always important to remember the lesson that they have taught me, "You are not a pain, you can complain".



You Are Not A Pain, Complain!


I have spent years arguing with my brain trying to convince myself I am not a pain;

Yes I have a disability but when I am not happy I still have the right to complain.

The person that rudely sends the chicken back to the kitchen;

Is the same one who tells me "You have enough to worry about with your disability, so quit your bitchin'".


"There's only one small complaint" is a frequently heard quip because they're only focused on the iceberg's tip.

Life is full of complexity and it is hard to make complaints sexy.

Yet in truth it is about speaking up before we overflow the cup.

It is about being curious not furious.


Before you go too far down the negativity ride, it's time to flip complaints to the positive side.

Some people approach complaints like they're trying to keep balance on top of a church steeple

But don't be scared because calm people calm people.

Now I know I am not a pain if I complain.


Chris Van Ingen | 19 October 2020

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