We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the harmful impacts the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill will have on Australians with disability.
We all support protection against discrimination on the ground of religion and of religious freedom as essential to any thriving democracy, but this must not be allowed at the expense of the rights and dignity of others.
Lish Fejer
It's been a week since Dylan Alcott was awarded Australian of the Year, and he was clear in his acceptance speech; people with a disabilities deserve to be included in all facets of life; including being loved.
Jodi Rodgers is a Sexologist Counsellor at Birds and Bees and assists the participants of ABC TV's Love On The Spectrum find love.
She agrees with Dylan, lets stop dismissing the importance of finding love.
Al Campbell
A fellow author recently alerted me to their inclusion of an autistic character in their upcoming debut. This very sweet young writer felt the need to be open with me, given I have two sons on the spectrum and that autism is outside their lived experience. This writer also let me know that they would completely understand if, on account of this depiction, I chose not to read their book.
The Department of Home Affairs issued a tender seeking research into:
What role, if any, neurodiversity (and autism spectrum disorder [ASD] in particular) plays in the context of radicalisation to violent extremism?
See https://www.avert.net.au/call-for-proposals-neurodiversity or the link below.
Add this to the list of evidence of the government's "war on autism" - see
The average waiting time for a child neurodevelopmental assessment in the public system has blown out beyond two years at several services across Greater Sydney, while other services have slashed their waiting lists by tightening the eligibility criteria.
The long waiting times mean children miss out on crucial early intervention for developmental delays or neurodivergent conditions such as autism, or that paediatricians “fudge” a diagnosis to get the child the help they need.
In late 2019, about a year after I was diagnosed with autism, a media storm descended on then 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, accusing her of not smiling enough during an impassioned speech at the UN climate action summit. She was there, tirelessly campaigning against fossil fuel profiteers who are actively destroying the planet, which, of course, would’ve been a hoot. Most famously, conservative commentator Andrew Bolt labelled her “mentally ill” and “deeply disturbed”.
While the promise of ice cream is often enough to coax most kids into rolling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated, for some children in our community - particularly those on the autism spectrum - vaccinations, or even conducting a PCR or rapid test can be especially challenging.
Chris Coombes
When chatting with colleagues, planners, or even looking at NDIS resources such as the “Would we fund it” page, you might come away with the impression that the NDIS doesn’t fund a specific support, that it’s forbidden. For example, someone might tell you, “the NDIS does not fund chiropractic”, or “the NDIS does not fund support worker hours for anyone under seven, or psychology for someone in prison without a release date, or yachts, yoga, spaceships, sex toys,” or… whatever. But the NDIS Act is silent on the specific supports that it won’t fund.
On Christmas Eve, the NDIS published its consultation outcome for young autistic children: see https://ndis.gov.au/community/we-listened/interventions-children-autism-spectrum-consultation-summary-report
Basically, the result of consultation was that:
CYHY is an 8 year old boy who has autism, social communication disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and ADHD.
CYHY’s mother requested that he be provided with an assistance dog from Smart Pups Assistance Dogs for Special Needs Children Inc. in exchange for a “donation” of $20,000 to be funded under the NDIS.
The NDIA rejected this support, and his mother appealed the decision at the AAT.
This week the AAT overturned this decision, finding that the support of an assistance dog is reasonable and necessary.
They said:
