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Post by bear on Feb 25, 2020 7:42:40 GMT 7
Two more Horror Stories told to the RC
‘Mum, I want to go home’: heartbreaking testimony of health system failing children with disabilities
Rachel Browne tells royal commission that when a nurse rolled her eyes at her son, she knew he wouldn’t get the help he needed.
Rachel Browne was choking back tears as she remembered how her son’s life slipped away.
“He kept saying ‘Mum, I want to go home’,” she told the disability royal commission this week. “He wanted to go back to school. I wanted to get him home. But it became evident that if he did recover he would have no quality of life.”
www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/21/mum-i-want-to-go-home-parents-say-health-system-is-failing-
Being Aboriginal with a disability a 'double whammy', royal commission told.
Narelle Reynolds, who has two disabled sons, says her family has been pushed into homelessness.
A Wiradjuri woman who is the full-time carer for two adult sons with intellectual disabilities has told the royal commission that the “double whammy” of being Aboriginal with a disability has pushed her family into homelessness. Narelle Reynolds’ sons, Justin, 38, and Luke, 33, have Fragile X syndrome – a genetic condition that causes intellectual disabilities. Luke also has epilepsy and has been treated for thyroid cancer. In childhood, they were misdiagnosed as having autism.
www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/24/being-aboriginal-with-a-disability-a-double-whammy-royal-commission-told
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Post by bear on Mar 4, 2020 7:01:49 GMT 7
The Morrison government is failing to provide disabled people with the protection we need to tell our stories to #OurRoyalCommission The government needs to act now to fix this. Call the PM: Canberra: 02 6277 7700 Sydney: 02 9523 0339 www.facebook.com/JordonSteeleJohn/videos/870132900089493/
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Post by bear on Mar 18, 2020 17:54:48 GMT 7
Disability royal commission cancels public events as coronavirus cases spike
The Townsville hearing of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
The disability royal commission has postponed its next three hearings and cancelled all other public events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The disability royal commission has cancelled all public events including hearings and face-to-face sessions with abuse and neglect survivors due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus.Chair Ronald Sackville QC on Monday said its next three public hearings have been postponed, while community forums and face-to-face private sessions have been suspended until further notice. "The commission has decided that these measures are necessary in view of the risks to health, especially to people with disability who are often particularly vulnerable to infections," he said. Mr Sackville said the commission is considering the implications of the situation for its timetable. "There is a great deal of important work that can and will continue despite the postponement of some of the royal commission's activities," he said. The postponed public hearings were to be held in Brisbane next week and in April, as well as one scheduled for Alice Springs in May. Mr Sackville said people can continue to tell the royal commission about their experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, including by phone, in writing or an audio or video recording. The aged care royal commission is continuing to hold its scheduled hearings and workshops but members of the public are not allowed in the hearing room. That measure began with a two-day workshop that began in Adelaide on Monday. Counsel assisting the inquiry Peter Rozen QC said the commissioners took the precautionary step of not permitting the public to attend its hearings and workshops due to the health risk of the virus. "The step has not been taken lightly," Mr Rozen said. The step has not been taken lightly "It is intended to protect public health and especially the health of older frail people." Some witnesses are appearing via videolink instead of in person, if they receive aged care services, work in the sector or are in contact with any of those groups. Commission chair Tony Pagone QC stressed that the hearings were still being webcast to the public. The royal commission last week stopped site visits to aged care residential homes and meetings with people engaged with aged care who work with the elderly. The aged care royal commission is due to deliver its final report in November, while the disability inquiry has until 30 October to submit its interim report. SOURCE AAP - SBS: www.sbs.com.au/news/disability-royal-commission-cancels-public-events-as-coronavirus-cases-spike
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Post by bear on Jul 27, 2020 8:14:44 GMT 7
Sharing your story with Disability Royal Commission
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has thanked the many Australians who have already shared their stories and experiences.
As at 30 June, the Royal Commission has received 1141 submissions• 47 per cent have been from people with disability • 41 per cent have been from family members • 16 per cent have been from advocates or paid support workers Hearing directly from people with disability, their families, advocates, and the wider disability community is critical to the work of the Royal Commission. Every submission helps build a better understanding of the extent and impact of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability in Australia. These contributions will help bring about the transformational change needed to achieve a more inclusive society. The Royal Commission has today launched an animation to help raise awareness about the many different ways people can share their story – by phone, email, via the website or by making a video or audio recording. People can make a submission and share their story in any language. We can provide interpreters and translators. In the submissions received so far, people have shared their experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation across a range of settings including the health and medical system, in schools, in group homes and other accommodation. In recent months, many people have shared their experiences about the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Terms of Reference of the Royal Commission ask that we look at the particular experiences of First Nations people with disability and people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Of the submissions we’ve received so far; • 8 per cent have been about people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds • 5 per cent about First Nations people with disability • 4 per cent about LGBTIQ people with disability • 46 per cent from women with disability • 29 per cent children and young people with disability As well as making a submissions, people can apply for a private session, in a confidential setting with a Commissioner. The Royal Commission has had almost 400 requests for private sessions. www.miragenews.com/sharing-your-story-with-disability-royal-commission/
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Post by bear on Oct 14, 2020 7:25:41 GMT 7
Boy with disabilities was suspended from NSW school seven times
With some teachers struggling to juggle 32 children at once, how can we improve our children's learning environment?
The mum of a boy with disabilities who was suspended seven times before he was seven years old, has told a royal commission of repeated attempts to get support in place for him.
“Amy” told the Disability Royal Commission on Tuesday her son’s 18 months at a NSW school were ‘the most stressful (years) in my life’ and have left the boy, now 10, traumatised. “Sam” has autism, ADHD, anxiety and a number of other conditions. Amy said she was at first overwhelmed with the school’s willingness to accept Sam and provide the support he needed. But two weeks after he began kindergarten, aged five, he had an outburst and received his first suspension warning for aggressive behaviour. “It was presented to us like ‘rein him in or he’s going to be suspended,” Amy said. “I was absolutely floored. For any kindergarten kid, I would think that’s not a way to say welcome to the school let alone a kid with additional needs who struggles.” The new principal complained the school wasn’t provided any information to support Sam, prompting a “gobsmacked” Amy to turn up with a wad of papers and reports and recommendations that had been provided. Sam was suspended for the first time in April after the school said he “deliberately” kicked a teacher in the knee when he tried to abscond. Other suspensions for aggressive behaviour followed, including stretches that lasted 20 days, forcing Amy and her husband to re-organise their lives to support Sam at home. “I was devastated. I couldn’t understand why suspension was being used and there were supports that had been recommended that weren’t being used,” she said. Amy appealed two of the suspensions to the education department but was rejected. “It just didn’t feel like anything was changing after each suspension,” she said. She said the department responded by referring to supports in place for Sam, but there was no evidence they were being used consistently. The suspensions continued into the next year, leaving Amy feeling “deflated” and questioning why it kept happening. After Sam was suspended a seventh time, this time for another 20 days, he was taken out and home schooled. Amy said that period was the “most stressful in my life”. “Anyone who knows me will know the incredible pressure we were under as parents and the fear we had for Sam’s safety in terms of his absconding behaviour. Every time that phone rang I was waiting to be told he was injured or possibly dead.” Amy - who said she was threatened with trespass by the school - called for an independent process to look at what is being done to address behaviour before a child is suspended. She said authorities needed to treat parents as “human beings that want to be in partnership with the school rather than people to blame or shut out”. “There shouldn’t be a system where it can be manipulated to the point where parents feel they have no option … and they have to pull them out to home school them,” she said. “Five, six year olds just at that age don’t have the capacity to process and understand a suspension, let alone a child with a disability who is emotionally and socially at a two, three year old level.” Commissioner Ronald Sackville QC noted that Sam’s behaviour was described by school authorities as “deliberately” aggressive. “Under the general law, a child under the age of 10, and people say that should be 14, can’t be responsible by way of criminal law and here is a five year old, six year old, characterised as deliberately kicking and deliberately engaging in aggressive behaviour,” he said. A NSW education department official is addressing the commission on Tuesday afternoon. www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/boy-with-disabilities-was-suspended-from-nsw-school-seven-times/news-story/dddcbf4f16114d461d5abc23622986a1
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Post by nomadic on Oct 14, 2020 7:36:02 GMT 7
Fair enough obviously, but once again the media feed off an individual single emotional story.
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Post by bear on Oct 14, 2020 7:39:11 GMT 7
More to my way of thinking; we all can't be made to fit into the same pigoen hole. Trying to make disabled people be the same as able bodied people is designed for failure. Cheers bear
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Post by tasjo on Oct 15, 2020 18:12:37 GMT 7
One issue I do know (through a friend) is that when education support is provided for a child at a school it is provided to the school... not neceasarily for the actual child. So there is an 'incentive' for schools to take children with disabilities and special needs and not necessarily provide that all of that support/resource to the child. My friend eventually moved her child to a 'disability' school, but not all people have that option.
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Post by bear on Oct 15, 2020 19:31:49 GMT 7
One issue I do know (through a friend) is that when education support is provided for a child at a school it is provided to the school... not neceasarily for the actual child. So there is an 'incentive' for schools to take children with disabilities and special needs and not necessarily provide that all of that support/resource to the child. My friend eventually moved her child to a 'disability' school, but not all people have that option. Just one more area that makes a mockery out of the narrative. It's always about the money.......Bear
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Post by bear on Oct 21, 2020 14:02:05 GMT 7
Disability inquiry participants protected
Christian Porter will introduce measures to protect witnesses to the disability royal commission.
Legal protections are being introduced to better protect the privacy of participants in the disability royal commission.The extra measures come on top of existing mechanisms including the use of private sessions, pseudonyms and non-publication orders. Attorney-General Christian Porter is hopeful the changes, which were requested by the chair of the royal commission, will give people with disabilities and their supporters the confidence to give evidence. Mr Porter plans to introduce the amendments to federal parliament early next year. "We want people in the community to engage fully with the royal commission," he said on Tuesday. "The amendments will ensure that the work of this royal commission is guided by people's experiences and that its outcomes are based on a true reflection of those experiences." Concerns have been raised about the protection of information both during the inquiry and after it has concluded. Greens senator Jordon Steele-John, a prominent disability advocate, slammed the delay in introducing the privacy protections. Senator Steele-John said whistleblowers must be empowered to expose violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect. "It's simple legislative fix that would be universally supported," he said. "There is no excuse for forcing disabled people to wait any longer to tell their stories." The royal commission is due to present an interim report to the governor-general later this month before publishing a final report in April 2022. www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6975990/disability-inquiry-participants-protected/?cs=14264
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Post by bear on Oct 30, 2020 16:01:10 GMT 7
'Not a sprint, it's a marathon': Disability royal commission to request extension to September 2023
Disability royal commission chair Ronald Sackville announced his intention to request the 17-month extension hours before the inquiry's interim report is set to be made public.
The disability royal commission has revealed it will ask for an almost one-and-a-half-year extension to complete its final report, hours before the inquiry's 560-page interim report is expected to be released. In a briefing for reporters on Friday morning, ahead of the release of the interim report, chair Robert Sackville said the terms of reference covered by the inquiry were larger than any other royal commission in the past 20 years. "The commission is not a sprint, it's a marathon," he said, explaining that it was tasked with investigating violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of people with disability in a wide range of settings. READ MOREDr Kerri Mellifont QC addresses the Townsville hearing at the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. After one year of hearings, privacy concerns still plague witnesses at disability royal commission "The terms of reference are extraordinarily broad, much broader than any royal commission appointed in this country since well before the turn of the 21st century." Mel Harrison, acting director of communications, training, and media at People With Disability Australia (PWDA), the peak national advocacy body, urged the government to grant the extension as the inquiry has so far "only scratched the surface" of the abuse and violence suffered by people with disability. "We urge the government to give people with disability from Australia more time to tell our stories," she told SBS News. "And we call for the act to change immediately in regards to the confidentiality issue, beyond the last of the disability Royal Commission." Last week, Attorney-General Christian Porter announced plans to amend the royal commission legislation to ensure the confidentiality of witnesses during and beyond the inquiry. The announcement came after a long campaign by disability advocates calling for reform, citing concerns that the lack of safeguards would stop victims of abuse and neglect from coming forward. The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has so far held seven public hearings on topics including the experience of people with disability in education settings and in group homes. Mr Sackville compared it to the child abuse royal commission, which was limited to investigating the response within institutional settings. The commission was originally scheduled to hand down its final report in April 2022, but Mr Sackville said he would write to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday to request an extension of the inquiry until September 2023. READ MORESenator Jordan Steele-John during Senate Estimates. Disability royal commission expert witness left woman lying on the ground for 30 hours before death, senate committee told If granted, the $528 million commission will run for four years and five months. The inquiry, which was established in April 2019, has also investigated the experiences of people with disability during the coronavirus pandemic, with a report on this hearing to be released next month. Meanwhile, the interim report was handed to the Governor-General David Hurley on Friday, with expectations it will be tabled in Parliament and made public shortly after. The inquiry’s next public hearing is set for the week from 23 November in Brisbane, and will examine the experience of Indigenous people with disability and the impact of child protection systems. Mr Morrison has been contacted for comment. www.sbs.com.au/news/not-a-sprint-it-s-a-marathon-disability-royal-commission-to-request-extension-to-september-2023#:~:text=Australia-,'Not%20a%20sprint%2C%20it's%20a%20marathon'%3A%20Disability%20royal,request%20extension%20to%20September%202023&text=Disability%20royal%20commission%20chair%20Ronald,set%20to%20be%20made%20public.
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Post by bear on Nov 12, 2020 7:12:31 GMT 7
Disability Royal Commission to engage with First Nations people with disability and their families
First Nations people with disability and their families who have interacted with child protection systems will tell their stories at the next public hearing of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
‘The experiences of First Nations people with disability and their families in contact with child protection systems’ will be the subject of the Royal Commission’s eighth public hearing, to be held at its Brisbane headquarters from November 23-27, 2020.
The hearing will be closed to the public, but will be live-streamed on the Royal Commission website. Royal Commission Chair, Ronald Sackville AO QC and Commissioner Alastair McEwin AM will hear evidence in the Sydney premises of the DRC, while Commissioner Andrea Mason OAM and Commissioner Roslyn Atkinson AO, will sit in Brisbane. ‘This hearing will mark the first hearing the Royal Commissions will hold that will specifically examine the experiences of First Nations people with disability,” Mr Sackville said. “The Royal Commission is aware of the notion of inquiry fatigue for First Nations people, however, we are committed to examining the cumulative impacts of ableism and racism for First Nations people with disability. “We will look closely at the deeply complex interactions between prevalence of disability, abuse, the experience of trauma and the ongoing impacts of colonisation for First Nations people, and respond to key concerns raised by them and their representative organisations during our First Nations-specific public hearings.” Commissioner Mason acknowledged that the issues to be explored at the hearing are longstanding, and that First Nations people may find the experience of truth telling at a public hearing to be painful, but urged those with lived experience to come forward. “The Disability Royal Commission seeks to learn about and understand the harsh realities that First Nations people experience in their daily lives as they deal with child protection systems,” Ms Mason said. “We acknowledge the pain and difficulty experienced by generations past and present, but seek to hear from them in their own voice so that we may report not anecdotally, but with the full force of their experiences. “It is an important step to help rectify injustice and we offer our heartfelt support and encouragement to our First Nations community to come forward.” Data shows disability is twice as common for First Nations people, (38 per cent), compared to the general population (18 per cent) while there is an over-representation of First Nations children in out of home care. Among other topics, the Royal Commission’s scope and purpose during the initial First Nations-specific public hearing will inquire into: whether First Nations parents with disability and their families are exposed to a higher likelihood of intervention(s) by child protection systems because they are a First Nations person with disabilityhow child protection services interact with and respond to First Nations parents with disability in their practices and administrative decisions, andwhether First Nations parents with disability are exposed to a greater risk of violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation during, or as a result of, contact with child protection systems. As well, it will continue its inquiry into causal factors that place First Nations people with disability at greater risk of experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. It is also expected to gather evidence about the experiences of First Nations parents with disability in contact with child protection systems, including to consider whether systemic failings identified may amount to systemic violence and/or neglect. The Royal Commission has counsellors and First Nations engagement officers to help support any First Nations people willing to talk about their experiences. Senior Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission is Lincoln Crowley QC and Dr Kerri Mellifont QC. Mr Crowley QC is only the second First Nations lawyer in Australia to be designated as senior counsel. www.miragenews.com/disability-royal-commission-to-engage-with-first-nations-people-with-disability-and-their-families/
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Post by bear on Nov 21, 2020 16:53:25 GMT 7
Disability Royal Commission will hold first all-Indigenous hearing next week
Source: Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability
The first all-Indigenous hearing for the Disability Royal Commission will commence in Brisbane next week, focusing on Indigenous parents living with a disability.The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability will commence its inaugural First Nations hearing next week, providing an opportunity for Indigenous parents living with a disability to give evidence to the inquiry. The hearing will be held in Brisbane and will focus on the challenges and concerns Indigenous parents face living with a disability. Speaking with NITV News on Friday, Commissioner Andrea Mason said it was an area that needed more examination. “We have had inquiries looking at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection systems in past enquiries and they looked at First Nations children with disabilities, but rarely First Nations parents with disabilities," she said. Ms Mason said prior research and extensive consultations across Australia had proven Indigenous people living with a disability generally faced more barriers than non-Indigenous people due to "systemic" factors. "First Nations people with disabilities walk in three worlds: The First Nations world, the disability world and then they walk in the Australian community," she said. "And we know that race and ableism, which is discrimination because a person has a disability, is higher for First Nations people with disabilities...even compared to First Nations people without a disability. "So right across the board, their experiences of exclusions are higher." It will be the eighth public hearing of the Royal Commission overall. The next First Nations hearing is scheduled for April next year and will examine how Indigenous parents interact with child protection systems and vice versa. Senior Counsel assisting the First Nations hearings, Lincoln Crowley, said the inquiry would also examine how systemic racism played a part in the challenges faced by First Nations people with disability. “We will hear from people (telling) their stories and share their experiences of how they have interacted with those systems, not only as individuals, but as part of a system, because not only can there be violence, abuse, neglect as an individual, but it can be systemic, and these are important matters that the commission will examine,” he said. "All journeys have three parts to it, a start, an end or a destination, and ultimately a purpose...and the purpose here is important...the purpose ultimately is to bring positive change to the lives of First Nations people living with a disability." On Friday, a cleansing ceremony was conducted at the Disability Royal Commission office in Brisbane ahead of next week’s hearing. The Disability Royal Commission is due to come to conclude in mid-2022, however, an application has been submitted for it to extend into 2023 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its schedule. Quaden's Law: Yarraka Bayles calls for legislation to protect students with disability from bullying The Disability Royal Commission hears from Yarraka Bayles, mother of 9-year-old Murri boy Quaden Bayles. www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2020/11/20/disability-royal-commission-will-hold-first-all-indigenous-hearing-next-week
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Post by bear on Dec 9, 2020 7:19:23 GMT 7
Royal Commission exposes demeaning and exploitative practices against workers with disabilities
By David Taylor on PM Download Royal Commission exposes demeaning and exploitative practices against workers with disabilities (1.92 MB) Download 1.92 MB People with disabilities can face enormous daily life challenges, so it's distressing to know that the majority say they also regularly suffer workplace exploitation. And that's the focus this week at hearing 9 of the Disability Royal Commission -- to get a sense of the scale of the problem and the trauma it's causing. The Commission's hearing from witnesses who have been turned away from employment because of their disability, or have been the victim of corporate box-ticking. That's when companies hire workers with disabilities simply to meet inclusion targets, only to promptly fire them. Duration: 4min 11sec Broadcast: Mon 7 Dec 2020, 5:10pm More Information Featured: Kalena Bos, Disability Royal Commission witness Cody Skinner, Disability Royal Commission witness Catherine McAlpine, Chief Executive, Inclusion Australia Melinda Zerner, Counsel Assisting the Disability Royal Commission TranscriptLINDA MOTTRAM: Stories of demeaning and exploitative practices in the workplace towards people with disabilities are emerging in the ninth series of hearings of the Disability Royal Commission. Seeking to understand the scale of the problem and the trauma it's causing, the commission is hearing from witnesses who have been turned away from employment because of their disability or have been the victim of corporate box-ticking; that's when companies hire workers with disabilities simply to meet inclusion targets, only to promptly fire them again. David Taylor has been following the proceedings. DAVID TAYLOR: Kalena Bos has a mild intellectual disability. Her first job was as an assistant, stacking shelves in a charity shop. She enjoyed the work, but meeting and greeting people became overwhelming. KALENA BOS: Because sometimes I get nervous when it comes to meeting new people. DAVID TAYLOR: How do you know you get nervous? KALENA BOS: I just sort of go a little bit quiet. DAVID TAYLOR: For many this type of job might last a year or two but Kalena Bos, unable to find another job, stayed there for more than a decade. KALENA BOS: Towards the last three years of that job, I just got sick of it. DAVID TAYLOR: Why did you get sick of it? KALENA BOS: Oh, I just wanted something new. DAVID TAYLOR: Did you do the same thing for 12 years, the same role? KALENA BOS: Yeah, yup. DAVID TAYLOR: And that got a bit boring? KALENA BOS: Yes. DAVID TAYLOR: Did you ask your boss to do something different? KALENA BOS: There wasn't a lot to do because it was just like a small charity shop. DAVID TAYLOR: Did you want to do something different. KALENA BOS: Yeah. DAVID TAYLOR: Catherine McAlpine is the chief executive of Inclusion Australia - the peak national body for Australians with intellectual disability. She told the royal commission she knows of distressing stories where workers have been given the same basic task to complete over and over again. CATHERINE MCALPINE: People who are given a box of nails to sort and then when they'd finished sorting it by lunchtime and said, "What am I going to do for the afternoon?", they said, "Oh whoops," and popped all the nails back in the box and put them all together and said, "Here you go, you can sort them again". DAVID TAYLOR: She's pushing for people with disabilities to be given more open employment opportunities - that means having a job in the general labour market. CATHERINE MCALPINE: We believe that for people to live truly inclusive lives, that employment is critical to that because employment is where you meet people, where you are valued, where you create your own income for your own quality of life. It is critical to the well-being of people, all people, including people with disability and people with intellectual disability. DAVID TAYLOR: She says now, too often, people with disabilities are placed in employment alongside other workers with disabilities and have no chance of developing their careers. CATHERINE MCALPINE: And we would refer that as closed employment because it is not together with everyone else in the community. DAVID TAYLOR: The commission also heard today from Cody Skinner. He's deaf, has autism and struggles with mental health He told Counsel-Assisting Melinda Zerner he had been rejected from 100 separate job applications. CODY SKINNER: And every time I disclosed by disability, they just reject it and that felt very, very frustrating and I thought it was hopeless. People don't understand the education about us. DAVID TAYLOR: He eventually landed a job in a care home working as a casual for 15 hours per week, but he hit a road block when his boss demanded he take out his hearing aid so he could shower a resident. CODY SKINNER: I should have gone straight to the boss and said "I have to take out my hearing aid because it is not waterproof." The boss said, "You're breaking the work, health and safety rule. You're breaking it.” DAVID TAYLOR: He spent weeks trying to find a solution including working with Hearing Australia but he didn't get anywhere. He was eventually let go. MELINDA ZERNER: And because of that, you weren't able to continue on in that role, were you? CODY SKINNER: That's right, yes. So I couldn't continue on and I got a letter to say the employment was terminated. MELINDA ZERNER: Alright. DAVID TAYLOR: Counsel-Assisting Kate Eastman made it clear today that the commission wasn't looking at penalties for hiring and firing workers with disabilities. But over the next week, it's set to examine why workers are often let go not long after being hired and how support services can assist them. The hearing continues. LINDA MOTTRAM: David Taylor with that report. www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/pm/disability-royal-commission-exposes-workplace-exploitation/12958370
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Post by bear on Dec 9, 2020 15:46:24 GMT 7
Disability royal commission hears about barriers to finding employment faced by people like Yuri
Yuri Sianski and his father Edward both gave evidence at the disability royal commission on Tuesday.
Yuri Sianski has spent the last 25 years trying to find a job — and his father has told the disability royal commission the situation is a "shameful cul-de-sac of neglect". Key points:• The disability royal commission will hear from more than 20 witnesses this week on the barriers people with disability face finding and maintaining employment • Edward Sianski said his son Yuri, who lives with schizophrenia, has been "exploited" in the past • The royal commission heard earlier this week that Australians with disability are more likely to be over-educated for their jobs, have lower earnings and poor job satisfaction Yuri, 47, from Hobart, lives with schizophrenia and has trained as a bartender and a cleaner but has only ever managed to find unskilled work. Mr Sianski and his father gave evidence together via video link from Hobart to the disability royal commission hearing into the barriers faced by people with disability to find and maintain employment. Edward Sianski, Yuri's father, told the inquiry he became angry when he saw his son was being "exploited" whilst doing a plastering job — one of the small number of casual jobs he had been able to find over the past 25 years. "People who employed Yuri realised he was on a Disability Support Pension [DSP] and that he couldn't earn more than a certain amount," he said. "They didn't pay him anywhere near the work he was doing. "I knew Yuri was being exploited but I thought to myself it's better for Yuri to go out and do something rather than stay in his flat all day." He said structures were not available for his son and others like him to get a job and they should be. "Twenty-five years of Yuri trying to get a job, it has convinced me it is a cul-de-sac of neglect and it is shameful," he said. An employment agency organised for Yuri Sianski to do a bartending course, but he has not found any work after years of looking.(ABC News: Luke Bowden) Yuri Sianski told the hearing he was about 20 years old when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He had to stop his apprenticeship studying mechanical engineering at TAFE. After a period of ill health, he was put on a DSP and while his father tried to help him find work, he said that "the whole thing was futile". "It was just a big effort but there was no mechanism in place to help him," Edward Sianski said. "I felt bereft of any support from outside. I was just beavering away and getting nowhere." Senior counsel assisting Kate Eastman told the royal commission earlier this week that Australians with disability were less likely to be in paid work — relative to those without a disability — and more likely to be over-educated for their jobs, have lower earnings and poor job satisfaction. She said almost half of the discrimination complaints received by the Australian Human Rights Commission were from people with a disability and many of those complaints were about employment. The royal commission will hear from more than 20 witnesses this week. Mr Sianski told the hearing he was pleased when an employment agency stepped in for his son, because he did not have the "expertise" to find him a job. The agency organised for Yuri to do a bartending course and he looked for hospitality work for two years. "I sent so many resumes to all the bars around Hobart," Mr Sianski said. "I tried hard. Unfortunately [there wasn't] even a phone call or a letter or anything." Mr Sianski said he was worried about the future for his 22-year-old grandson Kayden (R).(ABC News: Luke Bowden) He told the royal commission he worried about the prospects for both his son and his 22-year-old grandson Kayden, who also lives with schizophrenia. "The whole system is really up against people like Yuri with a mental illness," he said. "A mental illness is a condition that ebbs and flows. "Yuri represents many, many people in this situation, they have a mental illness, they are put on a DSP and then they're forgotten about." Mr Sianski said his grandson was receiving a DSP and an NDIS package that provided job-seeking support but he had been unable to find work. "I'm just worried that down the track he will lose that support and end up on his own trying to scrounge jobs," he said. "I don't know what his future will be, I just don't know." www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-08/disability-royal-commission-schizophrenia-and-finding-work/12961166
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