Raising awareness of Disability Royal Commission

By Lachlan Ellis

You might not be aware there’s a Disability Royal Commission going on right now, or what exactly the Commission is looking into – but free sessions running locally this month can help fill you in.

Hosted by Grampians disAbility Advocacy (GdA), two community information sessions will be held in Daylesford on May 24, and in Bacchus Marsh on May 26.

The sessions will run attendees through the ongoing ‘Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability’, and GdA hopes to see many people from the disabled community submit their experiences to the Commission.

GdA Advocate Sherree Unwin, who is coordinating the information sessions, said the ideal outcome for the Commission would be “significant reform”.

“People with disabilities are still excluded from places they should not be excluded from. They are still employed with a sub-par wage, taught in schools that don’t allow for different learning. We need to treat people with disabilities better, we need to use a human rights model,” Ms Unwin told the Moorabool News.

“We would love for people to come and enjoy an afternoon tea and have a chat with us, learn about how we can potentially help them, and learn how they can tell their story safely, if that’s what they decide.”

The sessions have been planned in response to a lack of awareness around the Disability Royal Commission, and will feature five speakers: Ms Unwin, GdA’s Indigenous advocate, Michelle Bowler from Your Story Legal Support, Jo Sullivan from Blue Knot, and Mohamed Mustafa from the Disability Royal Commission.

“We want to hear from people who have experienced mistreatment in the past, but also from those who have been well supported – the Commission is open to recommendations as well as stories about mistreatment,” Ms Unwin said.

“We would love to hear more stories from people with disabilities, people who work in the disability system, people who support people with disabilities and people who have witnessed something. The Commission has incredibly broad subject and no one is limited.”

To read the full story – Simply click on the following link

https://issuu.com/themooraboolnews/docs/mn_2022-05-17/10

in the 17 May 2022 edition
OR
pick up a paper around your town.