From: To: Community Affairs, Committee (SEN); Subject: Spam: Submission to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 Date: Thursday, 17 January 2013 10:39:41 AM
Please consider this email a formal submission by me to the Senate Standing
Committee on Community Affairs Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance
Scheme Bill 2012.
The current disability system has many problems that need to be addressed.
The current system has failed my family. -My child requires the equivalent of 24/7 care which was delivered exclusively by myself. He would go for 48 hours at a time, not even to sleep. This continued for the first four years of his life. I would balance this with the care of 3 other children and a marriage. There was no respite or other practicable assistance which was available to us due to his young age. -child could not access appropriate support in order to attend preschool. His experience was quite a traumatic one and subsequently was removed from the center. -child began at 4 years of age, traveling 3 hours a day to attend a school with a 1:2 ratio and therapy staff because this was our ‘closest most appropriate school setting’. -My son who travels with only the bus driver has been hurt while accessing school transport, resulting in a inquiry which resulted in suspension of school travel for several months. No charges were brought against the driver, he was simply ‘moved on’ to another bus run. I was repeatedly told in writing to not speak of the incident as it was considered ‘a private matter’ which raises the question ’ is child abuse ever a private matter? and is it the nsw government via it assisted school travel actively work towards concealing child abuse rather than expose and punish it?“ The current system is essentially designed to punish rather than assist the victim. -Home care staff are not trained to tube feed and therefore my son can not be left for inhome respite for any real length of time. -The homecare experience can best be described as a ‘home invasion’, highly paternalistic, condescending and is essentially a systemically flawed system. School holiday care is not available for my son to access. What is available entails the use of volunteers as carers which begs the question, ‘how would the average Australian respond if this was the child care option available to them?’ Respite options are limited and due to my sons high medical/frail heath is not an appropriate setting. -Despite living in a region that holds the largest number of people with disabilities such as autism in nsw, resources are scarce if they exist at all. For those with non autistic related disabilities, we stand very little hope. -Equipment funding for basic life supporting functions is difficult to fund and time consuming. -Equipment for life enhancement and carer relief is impossible to fund and considered luxurious.
- The disability experience was a large contributor in the death of my marriage and my two eldest children leaving home prematurely. -The experience of the current Australian disability system can best be described as having your soul stripped bare and then poked at with a hot iron rod humiliating and painful.
The main features of the NDIS that will make a difference to the community are:
Ensure support and equipment is available when needed, Better access to education and work opportunities, People with disability can choose who comes
into their home
The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:
Equipment and home/vehicle modifications, Education support (technology/services/equipment), Flexible in-home/outside home respite
I support the introduction of the NDIS.
A National disability insurance scheme would ensure that all Australians have a fair go.
I agree for my submission to be made public