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International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Disability royal commission in Victoria


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  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்

உருவத்தால் மனிதர்களாகவும்... உணர்வுகளால் மனித தன்மையற்றவர்களாகவும் இருப்போர் செய்யும் காரியங்களில் இதுவும் ஒன்றாகும்.

Disability royal commission: Six key takeaways from the public hearing this week

Posted 18 hours ago, updated10 hours ago
A black wheelchair is seen next to a brick wall. There is a window behind it, with a backpack leaning on it. The inquiry heard people with disabilities living in group homes were segregated in harsh conditions.(ABC News: Elizabeth Pickering)

The disability royal commission turned its attention to group homes in Victoria this week.

It chose to look into the topic because the home should be a place where people feel safe and free to be themselves.

But the inquiry's heard that's not the case for all people with disability living in group homes across Victoria.

Group homes were meant to be temporary, but they're now the only option for many

The commission has been looking at how and why an estimated 17,000 people with disabilities currently live in group homes around Australia.

The inquiry was told people used to be segregated away from the community in large institutions where they lived in conditions that were "harsh, if not barbaric".

Disability advocate Kevin Stone worked in several Victorian institutions in the 1970s.

He described people in institutions being dragged by their hair and locked away in cupboards, and told the commission about his first day on a student placement.

"My first job was to be given a hose with cold water and to hose down 12 men who were lined up against a brick wall," he said.

From the late 1970s, institutions started to be dismantled and replaced with group homes; a new, cost-effective housing model where several people could live together while receiving 24-hour support.

And while they were meant to act as a stepping stone to help people transition into the community, several experts said the homes effectively became "the end of the road".

Witness Jane Rosengrave, who spent decades living in institutions and group homes, said there was no practical difference between the two, describing group homes as "mini-institutions".

Jane Rosengrave smiles with her arm around another woman's shoulders as she leaves the disability royal commission. Jane Rosengrave told the commission that she felt "free as a bird" after she found her own home outside an institution.(ABC News)

Another expert said the homes, like the institutions before them, were acting as "containment services".

Victoria's health and human services department told the inquiry there was a major shortage of accommodation where people with disabilities could live and receive support.

The department admitted the lack of supply meant people were making decisions based on "what's available rather than what they would like".

One witness said she entered a group home after being left with no other choice: "This drastic life change was a result of me not being able to get support any other way after my stroke."

Some group home residents are subjected to treatment the wider community would not accept

The commission has been hearing about the physical and chemical restraints used on residents in group homes. 

Some residents are locked in rooms, others are strapped down, while others are force-fed medication.

The mother of one woman, who is non-verbal, talked about how her daughter's nose was held when she was forced to take medication.

The law allows these practices, but there's evidence they're being used in questionable ways — such as to control, contain or punish residents.

One witness said her daughter was segregated from other group home residents as retribution for behaviours out of her control, including her incontinence and inability to tie shoelaces.

Monash University criminologist Claire Spivakovsky summed the situation up like this: 

"When we give someone medication forcefully against their will, we strap them down and we hold them down, when we lock them in rooms, that is violence and abuse." 

Criminologist Dr Claire Spivakovsky works on a computer. Criminologist Dr Claire Spivakovsky gave evidence about people being given medication against their will.(Supplied)

Another expert said group home residents were "categorised as somehow fit for treatment that's not acceptable for other people".

Victoria's disability services commissioner said the culture inside some group homes made staff think it was OK to treat residents badly.

Although no one knows exactly how widespread these practices are, one researcher said restraints were being used at a "concerning rate".

There's help if you're affected by the royal commission:

  • National Counselling and Referral Service 1800 421 468 or 02 6146 1468offers support and help to tell your story
  • If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, call via 133 677
  • If you require an interpreter, call 131 450 and ask for connection to the National Counselling and Referral Service line

For more assistance

Disturbing acts of violence and abuse are occurring in some group homes

The commission heard stories of neglect in care leading to abuse, sexual assault and long-term injury.

In one case, a mother described staff in her daughter's regional group home downplaying a burn to her daughter's body. 

Only later did the mother discover her daughter was being flown to a Melbourne hospital for treatment, where she contracted an infection and nearly died.

In another case, a woman was placed in a group home with three male residents where she was repeatedly physically assaulted. 

The woman's mother told the inquiry that her daughter was then moved into a new home where staff would punish her for even the most minor infractions — such as failing to tie her shoelaces, even though her disabilities made that difficult for her to do. 

After making a freedom of information request, the mother discovered staff had been keeping a "punishment chart".

"I can't believe what my daughter had been subjected to," she said.

The CEO of one of Victoria's biggest disability service providers, Yooralla, answered questions about a series of sexual assaults of several residents between 2011 and 2012 and 2014 and 2015. 

The perpetrator has been jailed for 18 years but the trauma for some of those residents has continued. 

A picture of a woman speaking to an ABC microphone, dressed in a jacket. Yooralla chief executive Sherene Devanesen was asked about what had been done since some residents were assaulted.(ABC News: Zalika Rizmal)

Sherene Devanesen said that only one resident received an apology and compensation because she was the only one who took legal action. 

That same resident remained in the room where the rape occurred eight years after the crime.

It's difficult to hold on to good, skilled staff

Many people with disabilities and their families who gave evidence at the inquiry this week spoke of the increasing casualisation of the workforce.

Witnesses told of a high staff turnover which leads to people having to constantly learn about each resident's needs and required support.

Ms Devanesen told the commission "it's a challenge to move casual staff onto permanent contracts because many see it as an entry-level job".

The inquiry heard that growth and promotion in the field was limited and the role of a support worker needed to be better valued.

Victoria's Public Advocate, Colleen Pearce, said support workers were among the lowest-paid workers in our society, comparing the workforce challenges to the aged-care sector.

Victoria's Public Advocate, Colleen Pearce, at her desk. Victoria's Public Advocate, Colleen Pearce, says casualisation and a high staff turnover are affecting the quality of care in the disability sector.(ABC News: Michael Barnett)

Dr Pearce also said increasing casualisation and high turnover had a direct connection to the quality of care.

"We know where we have a stable workforce … we are likely to see less abuse," she said.

Some group homes deny residents the ability to make basic choices

The commission heard there was an inherent power imbalance in group homes.

Decisions are often made based on available resources, rather than what's best for the residents.

The United Nations stipulates that people have the right to choose where and with whom they live.

To make an informed choice, people in group homes may need the opportunity to try more than one.

Professor Christine Bigby, an expert in social inclusion from Latrobe University, told the commission: "Part of what's necessary in talking about choice for [people with intellectual disabilities] is give them the experiences of living in other places and watching how they respond to that." 

But international human rights expert Professor Rosemary Kayess, from the University of New South Wales, said that was not always possible in Australia.

"It's almost a false choice," she said.

"There's a lack of affordable and accessible stock of mainstream housing."

And Sarah Forbes from Victoria's Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability told the inquiry that residents with disabilities were often not included in fundamental decisions about their own lives.

"You don't choose who you live with, you don't choose often where you live, you don't choose the staff that come into your home or who sleep overnight or who touch your body to provide personal care," she said.

"People with disabilities also have experiences of attempting to exercise their rights and not being respected or in fact being retaliated against or laughed at for doing that."

It's not all bad

The inquiry heard that with good quality support, group homes can be successful.

One mother talked about how her daughter had been in several group homes. 

She described a good group home where support workers "care about my daughter, treat her like a person and speak about her in positive terms".

Another mother described having regular meetings with house staff and that whenever she raised concerns, support workers listened to her.

No-one is denying there have been horrific stories of abuse, neglect and violence occurring in some group homes.

But Professor Bigby warned against demonising the model entirely.

She said for some people, being in a group works: "Some people want to live with others

https://www.google.com.au/amp/amp.abc.net.au/article/11774816

 

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20 minutes ago, பிரபா சிதம்பரநாதன் said:

"It's almost a false choice," she said.

"There's a lack of affordable and accessible stock of mainstream housing."

பொருளாதார ரீதியாக வளர்ந்த நாடுகளில் கூட இன்னும் மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகளின் அன்றாட பிரச்சனைகளுக்கு தீர்வு இல்லாத நிலையில் தாயகம் உட்பட பொருளாதார ரீதியாக வளர்ந்துவரும் நாடுகளில் இதை யாரும் பிரச்சனையாகவே பார்க்காத துர்ப்பாக்கிய நிலை உள்ளது.   

ஒரு ஒரு மனிதாபிமான பிரச்சனையா இல்லை சமூக பிரச்னையா இல்லை பொருளாதார பிரச்சனையா இல்லை அரசியல் பிரச்சனையா என பார்த்தால் எல்லாமும் சேர்ந்த கலந்த ஒரு சிக்கலான பிரச்சனை. சகல தரப்புக்களும் இணைந்தே தீர்வை நோக்கி நகரவேண்டும். 

ஆககுறைந்தது பாடசாலைகளில் இந்த சமூகம் பற்றிய ஒரு விழிப்புணர்வை ஊட்டி, ஒரு சிறந்த சமூகத்தை வளப்படுத்தலாம்.  

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  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்
29 minutes ago, ampanai said:

பொருளாதார ரீதியாக வளர்ந்த நாடுகளில் கூட இன்னும் மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகளின் அன்றாட பிரச்சனைகளுக்கு தீர்வு இல்லாத நிலையில் தாயகம் உட்பட பொருளாதார ரீதியாக வளர்ந்துவரும் நாடுகளில் இதை யாரும் பிரச்சனையாகவே பார்க்காத துர்ப்பாக்கிய நிலை உள்ளது.   

ஒரு ஒரு மனிதாபிமான பிரச்சனையா இல்லை சமூக பிரச்னையா இல்லை பொருளாதார பிரச்சனையா இல்லை அரசியல் பிரச்சனையா என பார்த்தால் எல்லாமும் சேர்ந்த கலந்த ஒரு சிக்கலான பிரச்சனை. சகல தரப்புக்களும் இணைந்தே தீர்வை நோக்கி நகரவேண்டும். 

ஆககுறைந்தது பாடசாலைகளில் இந்த சமூகம் பற்றிய ஒரு விழிப்புணர்வை ஊட்டி, ஒரு சிறந்த சமூகத்தை வளப்படுத்தலாம்.  

ABC வானொலியில் Jane Rosengraveவினது பேட்டியை கேட்ட பொழுது நினைத்தேன், மனிதாபிமானம் அற்ற ஒரு சமூகத்தை நாங்கள் வளர்த்து கொண்டு வருகிறோமோ என்று.

உண்மைதான், விழிப்புணர்வு நடவடிக்கைகள் மூலமே சில காரியங்களை சாதிக்க முடியும்.

அதே போல விழிப்புணர்வு, மனிதாபிமானம், .  என்பது பாடசாலைகளிலிருந்து மட்டுமல்ல, வீட்டிலிருந்தும் வரவேண்டும், 

 

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4 minutes ago, பிரபா சிதம்பரநாதன் said:

அதே போல விழிப்புணர்வு, மனிதாபிமானம், .  என்பது பாடசாலைகளிலிருந்து மட்டுமல்ல, வீட்டிலிருந்தும் வரவேண்டும், 

உண்மை. எங்கள் வீட்டில் பாடசாலை செல்லும் பிள்ளைகளிடம் இருந்து விழிப்புணர்வு வீட்டிற்கு வருவதையும் கண்டுள்ளேன்  🙂 

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