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What can we expect from the new chair of the NDIA Kurt Fearnley?
Our friend Dr George Taleporos sat down with the new Chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency, Kurt Fearnley, for his latest episode of Reasonable and Necessary. He finds out why Kurt took on the job, and what we can expect from his leadership of the Agency.
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Is your organisation returning to face-to-face meetings? You need to read this…
Lockdowns have lifted – and some disability organisations are moving back to face-to-face meetings, and interstate travel. The pandemic is not over. People with disability are still at risk of serious health complications and death – even with some protections from vaccines. And apart from that – we cannot now or ever forget the enormous gains mainstream society has made in online accessibility over the last couple of years. Our friend Dr George Taleporos has some important advice for these organisations based on his recent personal experience.
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Goodbye Mum, I’ll be okay
“Like most parents, my mum wanted to know that I was okay. But unlike most parents, her middle-aged son needs round-the-clock support from others, to stay alive.” Our good friend Dr George Taleporos has an important message for NDIS decision-makers, following the recent death of his Mother. “When we say the NDIS is for 450,000 Australians with disabilities – we are leaving out millions of family members who rely on the scheme to provide them with the assurance that their loved ones are going to be okay when they die.”
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Planning for life with COVID – getting some answers on what people with disabilities need to know to stay safe
As Australia opens up despite ongoing COVID community transmission, people with disabilities need to work through some complex questions. One of these questions hits our friend Dr George Taleporos a bit too close to home – so he got some answers to share with all of us in his new series of Reasonable and Necessary.
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An Open letter to Minister for the NDIS Stuart Robert
Dr George Taleporos thought long and hard about accepting the NDIA’s invitation to take part in the pilot of the new NDIS assessment process. He understands why everyone is concerned about the introduction of these new compulsory assessments and all the changes to the NDIS planning process. But in the end he hoped he could make a difference by providing detailed feedback about what the process was like. But now with the assessment complete George has a message for the Minister for the NDIS. And that message is stop – and come and talk to us about what should come next.
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Choice and control, advocacy and relationships – keys to addressing abuse and neglect
This year we learned of the horrific and tragic death of Ann Marie Smith. Her death prompted a police investigation (which is still ongoing), the creation of a taskforce in South Australia and a review into the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission by the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS.
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New SDA rules are a win for participants and for the NDIS
There have been some great changes recently to the rules about Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). We know it can be hard to stay on top of everything that is happening so we have asked our good friend and resident SDA expert Dr George Taleporos to explain it all for us.
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The Federal Court decision to fund sexual supports – and what it means for for all NDIS participants
Last week, the Federal Court of Australia sent a clear message to the National Disability Insurance Agency. And that message was – if an NDIS participant needs a support because of their disability, the NDIS must fund it.
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Disability, health and the coronavirus: Why action is urgently needed
We all have stories to share about when the medical system has let us down. But people with disabilities have more than the average person.
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Housing for people with disabilities: what needs to happen
Today our good friend Dr George Taleporos will give evidence to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability at their hearings in Melbourne.
We asked Dr George what he planned to tell the Commission – and what he thinks needs to change when it comes to housing for people with disability.
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It’s time to get young people out of nursing homes
Last week the Royal Commission on Aged Care released their interim report. The report was long and there was a lot to take in, so we asked our good friend George Taleporos at the Summer Foundation to cast his eye over it and tell us what we needed to know.
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Are we getting action – or just more talk?
At the end of last week the Federal Minister for Social Services Paul Fletcher announced a new government action plan to get young people out of aged care.
So what is in the plan, what does it have to do with the NDIS – and what will it mean for young people currently trapped in facilities around the country?
George Taleporos from the Summer Foundation explains it all for us.
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Disability advocates alarmed as the NDIA breaks its silence on disability housing
You may have missed it last week with all the fuss about the government’s decision to walk away from the increase to the Medicare Levy to fund the NDIS, but the National Disability Insurance Agency finally broke its silence on the future direction of disability housing in the NDIS.
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Choice and Control Under Threat: Victoria must listen to people with disability and stay true to the principles of the NDIS
Choice and control is one of the fundamental principles of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. We must be vigilant to ensure that this important principle is not lost in the rollout.
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Calling Out Ableism in the Media: Stop Being So Offensive To Disabled People
This weekend’s Good Weekend featured the story “Parenting an intellectually disabled child: life forever on duty” about Alex Browne a 22-year-old man with an intellectual disability. It showed that not much has changed when it comes to improving media representation of people with disabilities in this country. But listen up journos, it’s not okay to degrade people with disabilities and represent us as burdens, just because you think it makes a good story.
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People get ready… as the NDIS becomes a reality
Up until now, for many of us living with disabilities or caring for someone with a disability, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been something that we have only advocated for and dreamt about. But on 1 July, the NDIS moved from trial phase to full rollout and for thousands of Australians, the advocacy will finally pay off and it will be time to turn those dreams into reality. Here is some advice on what you need to do to get NDIS ready.
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For some, the long cold wait is over
The signing of bilateral agreements this week between the Commonwealth and Australia’s largest states, Victoria and New South Wales, was a historic moment for people with disabilities and our families and carers. Not only was it a demonstration of how politicians can work together to achieve something good, but it also means that for at least 200,000 Australians, we finally have certainty about our lives and our futures.
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Any delays in the NDIS will not serve people with disabilities
As final negotiations are occurring between the States and the Federal Government around the timing of the rollout of the NDIS, we are approaching a critical time for people with disabilities. It is concerning that a number of prominent voices have been calling for a delay to the full roll-out when they do not represent people with disabilities and may have vested interests.
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