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 12:00:02 PM
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.
I am not disabled, nor do I have anyone in my immediate family who is.
I am 80 years of age. When I was a boy my older brother was disabled and died when he was only 15. I saw the heavy workload for my mother, and to a lesser extent dad. Today he would have been fixed up easily, given the advances in medicine.
After leaving the regular army and doing a few different jobs, I became manager of the Qld Society for Crippled Children (Montrose Home) late 1976. I saw the difficulties for the children and the stress on the parents, and other siblings. Within the limits of residential care Montrose did its utmost to help.
In 1980 I moved to the Qld Spastic Welfare League, and experienced the same situation for those with disablities and their families. Communication for people with Cerabral Palsy is a major problem, helped to some extent with modern technology. During thes years I was active in a number of voluntary organisations that provided assistance in various ways and also advocacy through ACROD.
Many changes and improvements have occurred since 1976, but ther is so much more to be done.
The NDIS is a wonderful initiative, but the road ahead is difficult. Few people realise the wide range of disabilites with such different needs. I wish the Government the perserverance they will need to achieve a workable outcome.
The main features of the NDIS that will make a difference to the community are:
Ensure support and equipment is available when needed, Removal of age barriers to services for children, Older parents and families will not worry what happens when they can no longer provide support
The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:
Therapy and allied health services, Equipment and home/vehicle modifications, Crisis and emergency support
I support the introduction of the NDIS.
My main reasons are set out above.
When a child is born with a disability it is a life sentence for the family no matter how loving they are. I saw many marriage breakups occur.
An aquired disability folowing an accident is devastating for the individual and the family.
The NDIS is like a light at the end of the tunnel and offers some hope that the problems facing those with a disability and their family wll be eased to the maximum possible.
I offer the NDIS my 100% support
Miles W Farmer
17/01/2013
I agree for my submission to be made public