Victorian prisoners with known intellectual disabilities are facing internal disciplinary hearings, and receiving punishments, without specialist support services to ensure they understand what is happening and what they have done wrong.
The Hon Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Dear Prime Minister
Subject: Girl with autism handcuffed by police
The story below, from https://a4.org.au/node/2268 or 9News, describes unacceptable events. This outrageous treatment of autistic students cannot continue.
What would you do if your child was ridiculed in front of all their friends and peers and couldn’t do anything about it? Bullied and treated badly by the one person you entrusted with the care of that child?
My son has autism. We have never hid that fact, we have always been very open about it.
Another peak medical body has sounded the alarm over the new NDIS independent assessment model set to be rolled out next year.
Evan Young
A peak body for Australian psychologists has lent its voice to a chorus of concern about controversial new National Disability Insurance Scheme reforms and is calling on the government to stop them from being rolled out.
The Australian Association of Psychologists says the “simplistic” independent assessment process will create greater disadvantage for Australians living with disability.
Getting your first job out of school is an exciting milestone... but for many people on the Autism spectrum it can be daunting.
23-year-old Canberra man Darien Judge has been working for almost two years in IT at the Australian Bureau of Statistics after joining a specialist recruitment program.
Darien spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about his experience to encourage other Autistic jobseekers and potential employers to see the benefits of hiring someone with Autism.
New figures show NDIS appeals to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal have soared in recent years, as the government comes under fire for disability reforms.
Evan Young
Appeals against National Disability Insurance Scheme decisions have skyrocketed by more than 700 per cent since 2016, as the government concedes parts of the process have been "complex, costly and inconsistent".
Being diagnosed with autism at the age of 33 was a watershed moment for Josh McKeiver.
Mr McKeiver was in his final semester of a science degree when he read an online story about a woman being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as an adult.
The woman's description of her condition struck a chord with Mr McKeiver, who had suffered through six years of a depressive disorder and severe anxiety.
The death of an autistic teenager who was given anti-psychotic medication by NHS staff against his and his parents’ wishes was “potentially avoidable”, a new independent review has concluded.
The decision overturns an earlier investigation labelled as being “mismanaged, poorly monitored” and carried out without “due rigour” by the latest analysis.
The Disability Royal Commission released a report summarising its public hearing #4 that is about Health care for people with cognitive disability. The DRC includes autistic people among people with cognitive disability.
The report focuses on NSW and describes many poor experiences of autistic people in the health systems. It says:
Experts and advocates also noted the dearth of initiatives to ensure that people with autism can access and receive appropriate health care.
Autistic student Maria Scharnke plans to spend her life fighting for justice for young people with disabilities, after experiencing physical and psychological abuse at schools across two states.
The 17-year-old final year student gave evidence to the Disability Royal Commission's inquiry into the education system.
She told the inquiry she had been excluded from activities, removed from classes as a disciplinary measure and isolated without supervision.
"School has at many times absolutely been a hostile environment that did not understand who I was," Ms Scharnke said.
MINNEAPOLIS – Autism is considered a disorder of the brain. But a new study suggests that the peripheral nervous system, the nerves that control our sense of touch, pain and other sensations, may play a role as well. The exploratory study is published in the October 14, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The NDIA’s Independent Advisory Council (IAC) published a report to the NDIA titled Promoting best practice in early childhood early intervention (March 2020) Paper, herein referred to as the IAC’s Advice. The website says the IAC gave this advice to the NDIA Board.
The managers of the National Disability Insurance Scheme spent almost $18 million on lawyers and legal advice in the last financial year, more than double the previous year’s bill, according to new data from the agency.
Figures contained in the latest senate order contracts report show the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) outsourced almost $300 million worth of labour hire, consulting, legal fees and training and development for staff in the year ending June 30.
Severely autistic man Hayden McLean was kept in a "large caged area" and had an "absolutely horrific" experience adjusting to life in a group home, according to evidence his mother has given at the disability royal commission.
Just one fine has been issued and only one provider banned by the disability watchdog despite more than 8000 complaints being lodged in the past two years.
The scandal-plagued disability sector will get $22 billion from the federal government this financial year, but an independent review found the system left vulnerable people open to harm and neglect.
The government is appointing independent assessors to review everyone on the National Disability Insurance Scheme to ensure the funding is fairly distributed and not just given to "those who can pay the most for a report".
