PWDA has sent a letter to the United Nations OPCAT Committee ahead of the planned visit of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) to Australia in 2022. When visiting Australia,…
Tag: disability rights
Escape from exploitation
Until he turned 18, Josh had lived in foster care on a remote country property, sleeping in a tent away from the main house. Josh, who has a speech impairment and mild intellectual disability, became increasingly isolated after graduating from…
Fighting financial mismanagement
Jess was hospitalised while under financial administration and guardianship by the state. The state guardian was delayed in finding appropriate accommodation, so Jess was forced to remain in the public hospital but she was then told she owed the hospital…
They’re denying us a basic human right, and that will never be okay
I eventually won the fight to get the provisions I needed, but the road was convoluted and demeaning, writes Hannah Diviney.
Bad Medication
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash By Ashley Waite A bad experience with medication can leave lasting trauma and close us off to truly helpful and positive use later, writes Ashley Waite. I have not always had a healthy relationship…
Visits to the Hospital
Photo by Doug Maloney on Unsplash By Pippin Latham (They/Them) Content warning: Mentions of suicidal ideation and descriptions of restrictive practices in hospitals. Don’t “Forget” the Wheelchair I have been admitted to hospital numerous times in Melbourne, usually by ambulance,…
I Used To Know, And Love, My Mind
By Heidi Everett Content note: Implication of self-harm. Heidi is a musician as well as a writer, and suggests listening to this song as you read this blog (description and lyrics at the end). “Psychotropic medication, behaviour support and behaviours…
Challenge Rejected! 5 Isolation Challenges of a COVID-19 High-Risker
By Carlie Park I am bursting to talk about what my friends and I need during the pandemic. However, the opportunities for me to speak out have been fewer than usual and I am being shouted down for my views…
Congregate Living is a Public Health Concern
The spread of the COVID-19 in congregate living situations like aged care facilities, and now in a Melbourne group home, really emphasises the need for people with disability to be supported to live independently. People who live in group homes…
Fighting for our rights – the UN delegation
A number of PWDA staff, including our former Co-CEO, are in Geneva this week to support seven people with disability who were chosen as delegates to give evidence to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities…