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Heartbreaking Testimony

 Heartbreaking testimony from the South Australian hearings of the Disability Royal Commission keep circling in my mind and requires an urgent response.

The Royal Commission heard from a mother of a teenage girl who choked to death on a rubber glove after being left unsupervised by support workers and to make matters worse the mother arrived at the same time as the ambulance and saw her daughter's body on the kitchen floor. 

When are we going to learn that complacency kills? It should not take a Royal Commission into abuse, neglect, and exploitation for these events to come to light and get fixed. 

It could take years for the Royal Commission recommendations to be handed down and acted upon. That's even if the government chooses to act on all of them. 

The disability community cannot afford to wait that long. Each year more and more staff to client assaults and unexplained injuries are being investigated. How long do people with disabilities and their families have to fear for the people they love?

More testimony from the South Australian hearings revealed that a 38 year old man with autism was threatened via a letter sent to his guardians. The letter stated many horrible things that were going to occur to this man but when his guardians reported the letter to service providers they were "gaslighted" according to the testimony of the man's guardians. 

In the letter the 38 year old was called a "little piggy". I feel like we've gone back 100 years if people start seeing us as subhuman again. 

The entire disability community have worked hard to find our voice and when events like this happen, it's easy to see why threats of retribution are the number one fear faced by people with a disability when they speak up. 

We have to do more now so that no one else is forced to give such heartbreaking testimony. It's time to rebalance the scales of justice.



Scales of Justice


Lady Justice is blind but that doesn’t mean that disability gets fair accessibility. 

Words have power, I will not cower under your little piggy threat; 

You’re supposed to be a disability worker not a vet. 

I will keep Princess Sophie’s memory wrapped in a glove of love. 


We need to rebalance Justice’s weight;

Cruelty shouldn’t be disabled people’s fate. 

When justice fails, we are left crippled underneath the scales. 

How many have to choke before they notice the system is broke?


Will it take all one point five billion lives to make the scales tip?

Which is what will happen if hate and ignorance keep society in their grip. 

Lady Justice you only can tell the truth of our testimony. 

You might be blind but disabled justice is the verdict you need to find. 


© Chris Van Ingen | 8 June 2021

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