Provide an accessible, open and genuine space for women with disabilities in the ACT to contribute their voice to the shaping of policy, service provision and broader community relations;
Provide targeted feedback and real life stories to government, policy makers, service providers and the community about the lived experience of women with disabilities in the ACT and how to better meet their needs and;
Collect qualitative, grassroots feedback directly from women with disabilities in the ACT with a focus on what is working effectively, what is in need of improvement and identifying practical and innovative measures which can be implemented to more appropriately cater to the needs of women with disabilities in the ACT.
You can read the report from this consultation below.
Women With Disabilities ACT believes that the ACT needs a strong, well-resourced body to oversee the protection of human rights in the Territory. It is a matter of pride for the Territory to have enacted the first statutory ‘bill of rights’ in Australia with the passing of the Human Rights Act in 2004. It is imperative that it is therefore able to carry out this role effectively.
In July 2014, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) [the Agency] opened its doors to the Canberra public charged with the responsibility of introducing the Australian Capital Territory trial of the ambitious and exciting new National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) [the Scheme]. The nationwide scheme, being implemented at a number of trial sites around the country was highly anticipated; promising a complete makeover of current disability services so that all eligible people living with a disability could be better off under the NDIS.
As people eligible for the NDIS and service providers began registering with the Agency, and individuals began to transition to the Scheme there was obviously going to be rapid and major changes to both the sector and individual lives. At this time, WWDACT began hearing anecdotal stories from women and service providers about their experiences with the NDIA’s initial activity.
On March 27th, 2015 an article appeared in the Canberra Times, “Bureaucratic ‘gobbledygook’ fuels National Disability Insurance Scheme”. The article briefly outlined many of the matters voiced at a public hearing before the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the NDIS. Most of the issues raised were directly related to the implementation of the NDIS by the NDIA rather than the scheme itself. This was a catalyst for WWDACT to begin an exploratory research study with women with a disability who had engaged with the NDIA and hear their experience first-hand.
The information provided by the women will be used as a platform to guide further research in this area as the NDIS expands and matures. It will also be fed back to the NDIA to inform their practices and understanding of the lived experiences of women. “Over time, we will find new and better ways of providing support, by building on what works well and learning from the lived experience of people with disability”.
This budget submission will focus on three (3) key areas. These include: – Social Support Networks – Gendered Disaggregation of data – Housing WWDACT wishes to highlight these areas as the most significant pertaining to women with disabilities in the ACT for the financial year of 2015 – 2016.
