Disability advocates are pushing to change a word on the title of a Centrelink payment, claiming it’s condescending and demeaning to young people.
Disability advocates are pushing to change a word on the title of a government payment, claiming it’s discriminatory to young people.
Victoria University PhD student Jerusha Mather wants the term ‘pension’ changed on the name of Centrelink’s Disability Support Pension.
“The word ‘pension’ is quite condescending and outdated,” she told Leader.
“It can be used in a negative context to further exclude and harass people with disabilities.”
The payment provides financial help to people aged 16 or over living with permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric conditions that stop them from working.
The 27-year-old said she was concerned about about how young people feel about the title defining them as the word ‘pension’ was usually associated with older generations.
“It makes them feel quite looked down upon,” she said.
“Like we are not contributing to society as much, like we are a burden to the government and are not equal citizens.”
Ms Mather, who lives with cerebral palsy, started advocating for people with disabilties in her early teens.
She said she would like to see the title changed to Disability Support Payment or Disability Inclusion Payment.
Warranwood resident Jillian Abery has a daughter who lives with a intellectual disability and mild autism.
She said when someone with a disability is labelled as a pensioner, it brings up the connotations of being “less valued”.
“In common usage, anyone referred to as a pensioner is assumed to be old and beyond working,” Ms Abery said.
“It can be seen as demeaning and negative to use this term for younger people.”
Ms Abery said if the government changed the word, it would be a step in the right direction to help improve the self esteem and confidence of people living with disabilties.
“There are enough negative terms that people with disabilities have to deal with,” she said.
“It would help them feel like they have a right to a decent life, rather than referred to with a term that implies they are a sponge on the system.
“We should be trying to build self esteem, not undermine it.”
from https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/disability-advocates-pus…