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All the latest news, blogs, campaign information and media releases from People with Disability Australia, keeping you up to date with everything that is happening with the Disability Royal Commission.

Our Voice
Photograph of Issy Hay, a smiling young, white person with a purple fringe, leaf earrings, a nose ring and a plaid blazer. They are in an office environment with yellow post its on the wall.

Accessible education should be the norm, not the alternative

I don’t think I will ever be able to describe what it meant to me, the first time a teacher asked “What can I do to make this easier for you, to support you?”. That should be the norm, writes Issy Hay.

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Our Voice
An empty classroom with a blackboard and desks lining each side. There is teacher's desk at the front of the class and a map of the wall to the right.

The adventures of the boy who was told he’d never speak

For Year 7, I started at a little school in the NSW outback with an enrolment of 150 students from K-12. At first, there were no problems, then things started to go wrong, writes William McIntosh.

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Our Voice
Pink and red, white and blue pill capsules on a pink textured surface.

Bad medication

A bad experience with medication can leave lasting trauma and close us off to truly helpful and positive use later, writes Ashley Waite.

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Our Voice
A bare, drab room with a small window, peeling paint and a hospital wheelchair.

Visits to the hospital

Pippin Latham writes about their experiences visiting hospitals.

Content warning: Mentions of suicidal ideation and descriptions of restrictive practices.

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Our Voice
Photograph of Heidi Everett, a middle-aged white woman with a bright smile, wearing a red vest and scarf. Behind her is a brick wall.

I used to know, and love, my mind

Heidi Everett writes about “Psychotropic medication, behaviour support and behaviours of concern”.

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Our Voice
Three face masks hanging from the dashboard of a car.

Supporting our support workers

Interacting with people while infected with COVID-19 may become unavoidable if the person has no alternative arrangements. For many disabled people, isolation is not an option, writes Claudia Forsberg.

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Our Voice
A white metal sign, with rust around the edges, hanging on a wood wall, reading

Welcome to my world

Disabled people are not employed to speak for ourselves. We are rarely in leadership positions which allow us to drive the debate about what disabled people need during natural disasters. The truth is, we are being ignored, as usual, despite the efforts of some...

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Our Voice
Black stencil art of a medical mask and the word

When the Government asked people to wear masks, there was no consideration given to those who are hard of hearing

There is a shared frustration, a sense of déjà vu, among people with disabilities, every time we have to remind people to be more considerate of our needs. How many times must it be said: ‘Nothing about us, without us?’ writes Charbel Zada.

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Our Voice
A white woman wearing a wool jumper, beanie, glasses and a black face mask, sits on a front porch with a box of groceries, holding up packets of toilet rolls.

Challenge rejected! 5 isolation challenges of a COVID-19 high-risker

I am bursting to talk about what my friends and I need during the pandemic. However, the opportunities for me to speak out have been fewer than usual and I am being shouted down for my views more loudly, writes Charlie Park.

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Our Voice
Protective medical mask on yellow background surrounded with colourful pills and a thermometer.

We are not disposable – disability and the health system during COVID-19

For many disabled people, hospitals are already traumatic places where we are spoken over, invalidated and dehumanised, writes Vanamali Hermans.

Content Warning: This blog post contains descriptions of medical violence, trauma, ableism and death.

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People with Disability Australia

Senior Manager Media and Communications

Mobile: 0491 034 479