Humanity Platform

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...

In my years as a disability sexuality advocate I have been taught the importance of making sure disabled people of all sexuality backgrounds are represented. This is what has made me a LGBT+ ally.  Every year I am asked to speak to disability organisations, universities, and more about the topic of sexuality; and although I do not know what it’s like to be a part of the LGBT+ community, my disability has given me an insight into some of the negativity around sexuality that exists in our society.  I have been told: 'How dare I be attracted to an able bodied woman? Shouldn’t I just stick to my own type?’  In my life I have had many friends with disabilities from the LGBT+ community and a number of them have been told that their disability has made things complicated enough, why would they want to add the extra complication of being gay on top of it?  Sexuality is not a choice. It is simply a fundamentally human instinct and disability or not we all deserve the right to...

This year's R U OK? Day is more important than ever before.  Mental health is something that should be talked about on a regular basis and with current statistics indicating that anxiety has increased up to 40 percent due to COVID-19.  Having someone check in is a simple way for us all to help each other.  On a personal note, I know that I have stopped a panic attack a day during the COVID-19 crisis thanks to the support of my family.  It is time we get rid of the stigma attached to mental health.  People don’t look at me funny when I take pain killers for my pain. So in my opinion the same curtesy should be extended to people seeking treatment for mental health conditions.  This R U OK? Day take the time to ask just one person if they are okay because you never know if you might be the person who helps them climb out of their snakes and ladders mind.  My Snakes and Ladders Mind How fast my thoughts make my head run until I think my brain might start t...

Victoria once again is a leading light in disability services with the establishment and opening of the Disability Worker Commission on the first of July 2020.  The Commission will receive and investigate complaints about disability workers.  VDWC will focus on complaints and breaches of disability standards and code of conduct by support staff while the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commission focuses on complaints about disability service organisations and NDIS funded supports.  "People with a disability have a right to strong safeguards for services they rely on. That's why we're building a stronger, safer disability sector in Victoria." said Dan Stubbs, Victorian Disability Worker Commissioner.  In my thirty-seven plus years living with a disability I have seen, heard, and experienced the best and worst of disability care. In the current health crisis and with recent high profile abuse and neglect cases, it is more important than ever that people with disabilities a...

It has been interesting to watch the development of the pandemic and how people are reacting. This is definitely my generation being put to the test. Previous generations have dealt with the Vietnam War, the Depression, and World War II. In World War II in particular the world came together to defeat evil. After that test, the decade of the fifties was the most prosperous decade in years. I would like to think that the pandemic is teaching us the resilience, unity, and selflessness that past crises have taught previous generations. Marcus Aurelius once wrote something like this "it is the bees' job to swarm and make the honey, so too it is a human's job to make humanity better". In the past month, I have undergone a coronavirus test and, for the first time in my life, I am happy that something turned out negative. Getting to the testing centre however proved to be the biggest test of all. When I contacted the Covid-19 Hotline they told me that a taxi would not...

The past few months there have been some horrifying incidents that affect the entire disability community. The tragic and unnecessary death of Ann-Marie Smith is a major indictment on disability care. Her situation should not occur in 2020 and the fact that the ironically named Integrity Care has only received a fine is just a disgrace. No matter how big the fine is it does not equal the price of Ann-Marie's life. Just as the disability community was coming to terms with one tragic death, the appalling neglect of little Willow Dunn came to light. Where were the agencies that were supposed to be protecting her? My anger reached boiling point when I read the story of the two Brisbane boys with Autism who were found locked in their house in filthy conditions despite neighbours reporting the neglect of the twins to authorities no action was taken. As a further demonstration of current attitudes towards people with disabilities, I was forced to add my voice to the outrage over t...

This post is in memory of Ann-Marie Smith; a woman with cerebral palsy who tragically and unnecessarily died recently. May she rest in peace. I Cry and Am Not Heard Groups of people go out with binoculars in search for that one rare bird Yet I cry and am not heard. Causing pain with a cane was outlawed years ago Yet I feel the bite day and night.  My soul is not dirty but I wait and wait to be clean; You're standing right there but I am not heard or seen. I do not ask for much even though I miss human touch. All I need is what's fair, just one person to care. I hear you call me Ann-Marie Smith, I am not heard. I listen to you whisper Tessa but I am not heard. You shout Tony but I am not heard. I am many people with disabilities, I am not heard. How many times have people with disabilities been told, 'It's different than it was back then, it will never happen again'. It's 2020; you have a vision of understanding and care...