The law, which will apply across Great Britain, would ensure equal pay claims on the basis of ethnicity and disability are handled the same as those made by women, who currently have more stringent protections on pay than other groups. The 2010 Equality Act mandates that women and men are entitled to equal pay for equal work.

On Monday, Jacqueline Mckenzie, a lawyer who contributed to the taskforce set up by Labour to develop the new Race Equality Act, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the party’s plans were “a bold step”.

“What we’re not sure about, because we haven’t seen the act, is whether or not it will actually include enforcement penalties and mandatory reporting,” she said. “Because if it doesn’t do that it’s not actually going to make any difference.”

Under Labour’s plans for the Act, the law would be gradually introduced to give employers time to adjust to remunerating all their staff appropriately. Back pay will only be offered to workers from when the law officially comes into play. 

The proposals will take up the “dual discrimination” that some workers face, allowing them to bring a single claim if they believe they have experienced a combination of discriminations — for example, both sexism and racism, or ableism. 

Labour also announced it plans to appoint a Windrush commissioner if it wins the general election to surveil the compensation scheme, and that business groups and unions will be consulted before the law is enshrined. 

Shadow women and equalities secretary, Anneliese Dodds released a statement, saying “It has never been more important to deliver race equality.”

“Inequality has soared under the Tories and too many black, Asian and ethnic minority families are working harder and harder for less and less,” she wrote.

“This is holding back their families and holding back the economy. We are proud of our achievements in government, from the landmark Equality Act [in 2010] to strengthening protections against discrimination. The next Labour government will go further to ensure no matter where you live in the UK, and whatever your background, you can thrive.”

However, Dr Begum believes the proposals are not flawless.

“[The Act] fall short of addressing the formidable scale of inequalities that shape the experiences and opportunities of people of colour,” she said. 

“Committing to address structural racial inequality needs to understand that racism doesn’t simply arise when the system fails – but that racism is actually sewn into the very fabric of the system itself.”

“Labour must use the race equality act as a platform to commit to an ambitious, cross-governmental approach supported with sustained investment addressing the unacceptable – and in some cases worsening – disparities in health, housing, wealth and policing, faced by so many communities of colour.”

Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch is even more sceptical, calling the proposals “a bonanza for dodgy, activist lawyers”.

“[The Act would] set people against each other and see millions wasted on pointless red tape,” she wrote on X. “It is obviously already illegal to pay someone less because of their race.” 

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The review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released last month included welcome recommendations to better support First Nations people, understand culturally diverse concepts of disability and care, and advocacy for LGBTIQ+ people. The review acknowledges women with disability face barriers to access support and efforts to understand their experiences need to be accelerated.

As part of review feedback, key disability organisations said a gender strategy was needed.

Yet the final recommendations remain largely silent on gender, despite overwhelming gender inequality in the NDIS. This was also largely true of the Disability Royal Commission recommendations.

Here’s why change is needed.

To uphold women’s right to safety

More than one-third of women with disability are likely to experience intimate partner violence compared to 21% of women without disability, 15% of men with disability and 7% of men without disability.

The NDIS review places a strong emphasis on “safeguarding” participants and to this end, makes the controversial recommendation to use only registered providers (which some participants say will limit their choice and control). But when it comes to addressing violence and abuse disproportionately experienced by women with disability, the review doesn’t go much further than referencing the previously released disability royal commission recommendations.

Only three out of the 222 disability royal commission recommendations explicitly focus on women. These include the banning of non-therapeutic sterilisation (preventing some women with disability from getting pregnant), plans to develop action plans and adopting nationally consistent disability-inclusive definitions of family and domestic violence.

To support women as participants, as well as carers

Women with disability have significantly lower NDIS participation rates.

Women are also over-represented as carers for people with disability. Half of all NDIS participants are children and nearly 90% of primary carers for children are women.

Women are highly successful advocates for their children. Indeed, women’s advocacy for others has contributed to similar rates of access approval between male and female children up to the age of 14.

Older applicants are encouraged and more likely to advocate for themselves. From age 15, the likelihood of NDIS access is gendered. Male access requests are approved at far higher rates than females and applicants gendered “other”. This gap further widens with age.

To stop reproducing medical bias

NDIS assessments rely on evidence from health-care professionals, which means the NDIS likely reproduces the gender biases of the medical system.

On average, women wait two to five years longer than men to obtain a diagnosis and studies repeatedly find gendered differences in how symptoms are interpreted.

Many chronic conditions experienced predominantly by women can have fluctuating symptoms. The reviews’ attention to the episodic nature of psychosocial disability (when mental illness is severe and disabling) is welcome, but episodic disability needs to be addressed more broadly.

Women are more likely than men to have at least one chronic health condition and are significantly more likely to experience two or more chronic conditions at once.

Chronic health conditions with higher prevalence among women include long COVID, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, lymphoedema, endometriosis and many autoimmune conditions, (such as multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis). These conditions – and others that get worse over time – can significantly escalate without appropriate daily living supports.

The NDIS review recommends doing away with lists of conditions that make people likely to be eligible for support. Instead the focus will be on functional impact. It’s unclear how effective removing such lists will be towards addressing gender inequity.

To close access gaps

State health systems are currently responsible for early intervention and treatment of chronic conditions but the existing framework doesn’t provide daily living supports where a condition leads to disability.

The fresh NDIS review echoes previous reviews that found gaps and ambiguity between the NDIS and health systems. New agreements with states announced prior to the review similarly lack attention to gender, so there is no assurance women trying to access support outside the NDIS won’t continue to face the same barriers.

More detailed data would be a good start

The review reports some 36,500 participants have entered the scheme after initially being found ineligible. The cycle of applying and re-applying is a heavy administrative and emotional burden, disproportionately shouldered by women. Meanwhile, adults with chronic conditions make up over half those who didn’t meet NDIS access requirements. These decisions are likely to have disproportionately impacted women, but again, a gendered breakdown hasn’t been given.

Collecting more detailed data about participants “disaggregated by gender and sexuality” is listed in the review’s recommendations. Many people may be surprised to learn this is not happening already. If the government doesn’t urgently address the NDIS’ gender bias, women will continue to be left behind.

Diana Piantedosi, Honorary Research Fellow (Deakin University), PhD Candidate (La Trobe University), La Trobe University; Lena Molnar, Research Fellow, Newcastle Youth Studies Centre, University of Newcastle; Maya Panisset, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne, and Raelene Wilding, Associate Professor of Sociology, La Trobe University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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The firm says the overrepresentation of workers with disability in the gig economy highlights the need to remove any further delays in introducing minimum standards for these workers, including across pay, penalty rates, superannuation consultation, payment terms, insurance and more. Such minimum standards could also potentially include the right to annual leave, depending on the worker’s situation.

Cassandra Grey, a lawyer in industrial and employment law at Slater and Gordon said enshrining workers’ rights across the gig economy is essential. 

“Gig economy workers can have low bargaining power, low authority over their work and often receive pay at or below the rates of comparable employees, without the security and protection afforded to employees under Australian industrial relations law,” she said. 

“These reforms for gig economy and casual workers would positively impact many vulnerable workers who can face substantial power imbalances up against large digital platform employers and should not be delayed.”

Grey said casual employees also face potential uncertainty of available work, usually without any leave entitlements.

“People with disabilities already face tremendous hurdles in the workforce, including finding suitable employment, accessing reasonable adjustments, prejudicial attitudes of employers, discrimination and wage theft. So it’s disappointing, but unsurprising, that they’re having to turn to the gig economy to make ends meet,” she said. 

Research from the Australian Human Rights Council evidence heard by the Disability Royal Commission found that people with disability were more likely than others to work casual hours and work in the gig economy. Slater and Gordon says these findings mean these workers are also then more likely to be working without minimum standards and secure pay, issues that are becoming more problematic given the rising cost of living, as well as the additional expenses those with disability face in relation to their disability. 

Slater and Gordon’s findings come one month since the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability released its final report on 2 Novermber, which highlighted widespread wage theft from firms hiring workers with disability.

Current reform proposals would see wage theft becoming a criminal offence, prevent employers from paying labour hire employees lower rates of pay than their direct employees, and allow the Fair Work Commission to ensure gig economy workers receive added workplace protections. 

The reforms would also provide greater protection from discrimination for employees who experience family and domestic violence, and make it easier for casual employees to choose to move to permanent employment. 

“The statistics emerging from the Disability Royal Commission of the rates of violence, abuse, and neglect of disabled people in Australia are shocking, and it’s time that family and domestic violence was recognised as a protected attribute in anti-discrimination legislation,” said Grey.

“Stable and secure employment benefits both employees and employers. Employers who underpay workers should be made to pay civil penalties proportionate to the amount of the underpayment.”

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver a national apology to thalidomide survivors and their families today. More than 60 years since the medication had devastating consequences when taken by pregnant women, the apology recognises the government’s role in the tragedy and its enduring impact.

Had the government acted more swiftly to issue public warnings and restrict thalidomide use when concerns were first raised, as many as 20% of Australia’s thalidomide survivors may not have been affected.

Today, protecting pregnant people and the fetus means ensuring there is high quality science to guide medicine use.

What is the thalidomide story?

Thalidomide was developed in the 1950s in Germany. Originally intended for use as a sedative or tranquilliser, by the late 1950s it was soon being widely promoted as a safe and effective treatment for morning sickness in pregnancy.

At the time, it was commonly thought the placenta would act as a barrier to stopping medicines reaching the fetus in the womb. Animal studies showed low toxicity and no tests were done involving pregnant women.

Thalidomide rapidly become available for use around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. The United States famously rejected marketing approval, largely owing to the efforts of pharmacologist Frances Kelsey who was concerned about the paucity of safety data available.

As use increased worldwide, so too did reports of babies being born with distinct birth malformations. Thalidomide embryopathy is characterised by shortening of the arms or legs. But when taken in early pregnancy it can also result in sight or hearing loss, facial paralysis and impact to internal organs.

The first public report linking thalidomide to birth malformations was made by an Australian doctor William McBride in The Lancet journal in 1961. Soon after, the medicine began to be withdrawn from the market. By this time, it was estimated thalidomide led to thousands of miscarriages and deaths of newborns worldwide and left more than 10,000 children with lifelong disability.

A careful comeback

In the last decade thalidomide has made a comeback. Thalidomide is being used in the treatment of certain cancers and other relatively rare conditions such as leprosy. Most recently, it was investigated as a potential treatment for COVID.

While its return may cause anxiety, there are strict controls limiting its use. This includes requiring people who could get pregnant to take regular pregnancy tests and multiple forms of birth control.

Prescribing thalidomide involves careful counselling and discussion of risks involved. Some may prefer to see thalidomide gone forever. For others, it represents a potential life-changing treatment.

Thalidomide changed medicine – for better and worse

The continued availability of thalidomide raises important ethical questions about how we balance the need to make available effective treatments, while ensuring we protect the most vulnerable.

The thalidomide tragedy represents a significant historical turning point in medicines testing and regulatory oversight. There is now much tighter testing of medicines in both animals and humans before they are marketed and closer scrutiny of their potential side-effects.

But there is a dark side. Thalidomide also gave rise to an ongoing hesitancy towards the testing and use of medicines during pregnancy. This has stifled the critical development of new and existing medicines to treat common life-threatening conditions in pregnancy. Globally, many thousands of women and babies die each year from conditions such as preterm birth and pre-eclampsia. Yet, in the last 30 years, only one new medication has been developed specifically for use to treat such complications.

Such hesitancy was most recently demonstrated during the COVID pandemic where pregnant women were excluded from participating in the first vaccination and treatment clinical trials. This led to uncertainty about how to best protect vulnerable pregnant individuals and their children from the effects of COVID, leading to otherwise avoidable deaths.

What’s next?

A national apology represents an important step in the healing process for those affected by thalidomide and an opportunity to reflect on its legacy.

The most important legacy should be one of ensuring we have adequate data to support the safe and effective use of medicines in pregnancy, rather than one of excluding pregnant people from research or using medicines.

This requires greater government investment and support into how we develop, evaluate, monitor and guide medicines use in pregnancy. A coordinated national approach across all sectors to identify, outline and implement strategies could ensure pregnant people have access to the modern medicines they deserve. Otherwise we risk repeating failures of the past and relegating pregnant people to the status of therapeutic orphans.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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That’s why disabilities community organiser Steve Bear created Alvie, the country’s first social platform uniquely designed for people who live with disabilities. The app aims to connect those living with disabilities with like-minded people who share similar life experiences, interests and hobbies, facilitating relationships and enriching friendships. 

For Bear, the app’s central purpose is providing emotional assistance — especially from loneliness. 

“From my experience of working with many children with all kinds of disabilities, I understand that loneliness and isolation is one of the biggest challenges these kids face on a day-to-day, and can lead to lack of personal and social development, as well as an increased risk of mental illness,” he said. 

“Building Alvie was an opportunity to give people with disabilities at any age, a safe space created specifically for them, where they can feel comfortable, accepted for who they are and experience more social interactions that will hopefully form into meaningful friendships.”

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With Alvie, the algorithm has been engineered to match members based on their age, location, interests, and hobbies, and will enable online, one-on-one conversations if both members accept.

“There are so many interests to choose from, including NRL, AFL, movies, cooking, art, PlayStation, X-Box, online gaming, playing cards or even just eating out with friends,” Bear said. 

“Alvie’s aim is to match people with a disability who have similar interests and hobbies, so they can easily connect, make meaningful friendships and make the most out of life.” 

The app also provides assistance with facilitating in person meet-ups, and has several measures installed to prevent bullying, harassment, abuse or misuse of the app. 

With Alvie, all members are required to have an Australian police check before they can be officially registered. The app also allows a support worker, guardian or parent linked to a member’s account.

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“We’re doing everything we can to make it as safe as we can make it,” Bear recently told Pro Bono. 

“A lot of the time the participant, the member of Alvie [is not] aware of what is totally inappropriate, so that’s why it’s not an automatic suspension or deletion of your account, because we’re going to use it also as a tool to help the socialisation and understanding [of] what is appropriate and what is inappropriate at different times,” he said. 

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The app is NDIS friendly, which means the $120 annual membership fee can be claimed through NDIS for NDIS Core funds or Community Participants. You can sign up here. 

Correction: An earlier version of this article named Jerusha Mather as an Ambassador of Alvie. Mather is not an Ambassador of Alvie.

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At just twenty-three, Inaba announced she had qualified for the Bar on October 16, marking the occasion on Instagram with the caption: “Officially, your very own barrister at your service.”

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Inaba spent half a decade studying law at the University of Law Bloomsbury in central London, creating her own Braille materials using lecture notes, and inscriptions from friends and tutors who read aloud to her.

She was also the university’s first black and blind student. 

The UK’s main legal organisations, including the Bar Council, and the Bar Standards Board, confirmed Inaba as the first ever blind and black female barrister. 

In an interview with The Times UK, Inaba said she hopes her trailblazing achievement will pave the way for more people from diverse backgrounds.

“I know I can do this job well, and the more people like me who go through training the easier it will become,” she said. “I know I’m giving hope to others in similar situations.”

“There’s a triple-glazed glass ceiling. I’m not the most common gender or colour, and I have a disability, but by pushing through, I’m easing the burden on the next person like me.”

“It’s been crazy – I still can’t really believe I’ve done it,” she continued. “One day I’ll wake up and realise how amazing this is.” 

“It was hard and I often thought of giving up, but my supportive family gave me courage and strength. I always believed in myself from the start – there’s nothing about me which means this isn’t possible.”

Inaba was born with Bilateral microphthalmia, an eye condition which renders babies with smaller than average eyes. 

After spending her early years in Lewisham, she relocated to Camden with her family before attending mainstream schools in Surrey where education programs for visually impaired students were available. 

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In October 2019, she was hospitalised after successive bouts of fainting. She told the Times UK she was operating on three hours sleep each night for over two years.

“I would sometimes get 45 minutes a day to eat, but often I ate while at my computer,” she explained. “I was spending more time preparing my own learning materials than I was studying.”

“The university had other visually impaired people who used text to speech, but I just can’t work like that. I need to read it physically for myself or I can’t remember it. Everyone is different and has a different work around for various situations.”

“A lot of people registered blind have some vision, so they can sometimes use large print, or some blind people manage well just by listening to text. Braille is expensive to produce because you need a lot of special software and equipment.”

Inaba graduated from a Master of Laws last November. In court, she uses a hand-held Braille keyboard to read and edit documents by hand, enabling her to listen to proceedings.

According to a report from The Bar Council in 2021, less than five per cent of barristers in the UK are black. The report also found that aspiring barristers from ethnic minority backgrounds find it harder to secure apprenticeships compared to their similarly qualified “White British peers”, and that white male barristers earned the highest fee income, women earned less than men, and Black women earned the least.

Treasurer of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, Justice McGowan, said Inaba’s “commitment and tenacity…demonstrate that she will be a great success.”

“Being called to the Bar is a remarkable achievement,” Justice McGowan said. “Being called to the Bar as a blind person is truly remarkable.” 

Inaba plans to apply for pupillage next January — an apprenticeship where new barristers receive their first placement in chambers. 

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The song, Heated, one of sixteen tracks off the 40-year old’s latest album Renaissance contained the lyrics:

“Sp*zin’ on that ass, sp*z on that ass/ Fan me quick, girl, I need my glass.” 

Representatives for the multi-Grammy winner announced they will remove the word from the song. 

“The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” the representatives told  NY Post and Insider. 

“The road to success is always under construction.”

Disability activist Hannah Diviney said she was “rendered speechless” by the singer’s “ignorance” in an Op Ed she penned for Hire Up, later republished in the Guardian. 

Diviney said that despite Beyoncé’s obvious musical ingenuity, it “… doesn’t excuse her use of ableist language – language that gets used and ignored all too often.”

“Language you can be sure I will never ignore, no matter who it comes from or what the circumstances are,” Diviney said.

“It doesn’t excuse the fact that the teams of people involved in making this album somehow missed all the noise the disabled community made only six weeks ago when Lizzo did the same thing.”

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“I’m so tired. Disabled people deserve better. I don’t want to have this conversation again.”

Diviney, Editor In Chief of Missing Perspectives, a publication addressing the marginalisation of women in news, authored a now-viral tweet:

“So @Beyonce used the word ‘spaz’ in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I’ll just keep telling the whole industry to ‘do better’ until ableist slurs disappear from music.” 

The controversial use of the term “sp*z,” derived from the word “spastic,” is a derogatory insult against people with cerebral palsy or the medical condition, spastic paraplegia – a rare inherited disorder causing weakness and stiffness of the leg muscles.

According to US dictionaries, however, including Merriam-Webster, “spaz” is defined as: “lose physical or emotional control.”

Diviney’s tweet referenced her efforts to have the lyrics changed in a song by Lizzo in June this year.

In her song, ‘GRRRLS’, Lizzo’s lyrics went: “Do you see this s**t? I’m a sp*z.”

The 34-year old rapper released a statement of apology on Twitter, promising to erase the word from the song. 

“It’s been brought to my attention that there are [sic] is a harmful word in my song ‘GRRRLS’,” she wrote on Twitter.

“Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally).”

“I’m proud to say there’s a new version of girls with a lyric change. This is the result of me listening and taking action.”

“As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the challenge change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”

In the latest controversy involving Beyoncé however, some black disability activists are criticising the lack of intersectionality regarding the issue.

“The white disabled community needs to confront its racism,” disability lifestyle expert Ola Ojewumi tweeted. 

“As a Black disabled woman, I see how Lizzo, Beyonce, and Black women artists are targeted and accused of ableism. The same criticism is not reserved for white artists who use ableist language.”

“Right now white disabled people are getting paid to write think pieces vilifying the greatest Black millennial performer of our time, Beyonce. Black disabled writers are just sitting here basking in the the irony. Yup, it sounds about white.”

The Washington D.C based activist also responded to Diviney’s Op Ed, tweeting: “This is some bullsh—. There are so many white musicians who’ve used ableist slurs but the only ones being held accountable are Black women singers: Lizzo and Beyoncé. I’m tired of these think pieces that scream white fragility and misogynoir.”

She also followed her response by listing “Hit songs by white musicians w/ableist slurs in the title,” which include: “American Idiot” by Green Day, “Stupid Girls” by Pink, “Crazy” by Britney Spears, and “Schizophrenic”, a 2004 album by American singer-songwriter JC Chasez.

“Where was the outrage then?” Ojewumi asked.

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Thursday morning’s show received a standing ovation for the models and for the designers, in recognition of how this area of fashion has been ignored on runways, by labels and by major department stores for too long.

JAM was founded in 2019 by Emma Clegg and Molly Rogers, two Occupational Therapists and Disability Support Workers who wanted to create an inclusive fashion label designed for people with disability. 

Their pieces aim to make the task of dressing easier for people with physical disabilities while allowing them to practice independence and self-expression. 

“It’s really important that everyone can be in fashion,” another model said, walking the catwalk in a forest green trench coat emblazoned on the back with bold font: “FIX THE SYSTEM, NOT ME. ”Disabled people deserve to have cool outfits, that make them feel sexy and safe at the same time.”

Christina Stephens’ founder Jessie Sadler launched her label in March 2020, with the aim of designing clothes for individuals with a physical or sensory or mental disability where there is a specific functionality that’s required in the garment.

Both labels seek to promote self-expression, independence and dignity by focusing on stylish, inclusive fashion opportunities for everyone, no matter the status of their physical bodies.

At the end of the show, Jessie Sadler made an appearance alongside her co-designer Carol Taylor, waving at the crowd who gave the designers and models an emotional standing ovation. 

Looking around, I saw glazed eyes and people wiping tears from their faces. It was an incredible, inspiring, wholesome showcase for what the world of fashion can look like — one which includes every body.

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For many, it was the first time they had assistance to purchase support which offered help, hope and purpose – a chance to participate in the community. For some, support with physical and mental disability has provided an opportunity to live independently – a chance to gain the skills and confidence to catch a bus or head to the supermarket – things many of us take for granted.  

As CEO of Mind Australia – one of the largest providers of NDIS services for people with a psychosocial disability – I get to see and hear first-hand about the positive impact of these services. 

NDIS funding provides an opportunity for people with serious mental health issues to access psychosocial support – like the kind provided by Mind Australia – which helps them manage daily activities, rebuild and maintain connections, engage with education and employment, and participate fully in the community. These are supports which help people take positive steps in their mental health recovery journey. 

But not all our client’s stories are the same. We continue to hear from our clients with psychosocial disabilities that NDIS packages are increasingly harder to access and we have seen a regular creep in the reduction of their support. 

A quick google of ‘NDIS’ and ‘funding’ reveals a long list of articles about funding cuts and worker shortages. 

The NDIS is in the news again this week as Labor’s disability services spokesman Bill Shorten spoke about the biggest threat to the scheme being “a lack of trust”.  

Shorten was announcing Labor’s plan for the NDIS should it win government in May. He highlighted the difficulties that NDIS clients face and proposed an expansion of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to provide more staff to make important decisions about client packages – something which we welcome. 

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg previously said in May that NDIS funding would continue to grow over the next four years and would “always be fully funded” under a Coalition Government – also a welcome sentiment.  

But the Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously warned that the scheme needs to be made more “sustainable”.  

“The costs of the NDIS are increasing more than was ever contemplated or expected,” he said last year. 

We are seemingly at a cross-roads. Looking at the road ahead, it’s important that we don’t disproportionately focus on the cost of the NDIS to the detriment of the overwhelmingly positive impact and potential it has – not just at the client level but the broader economic level.  

Because universal services are just that. They recognise that people with a disability – mental or physical – deserve a level playing field, an opportunity to participate fully within their community. It’s not about welfare, it’s about participation. It’s not about dependence, it’s about independence. And supporting the NDIS is not just about committing to social justice, it’s about embracing sound economics.  

This discussion about excess levels of expenditure or value for money never seems to raise its head with such prevalence when defence spending is in the spotlight. Why do we seemingly apply more scrutiny to a person seeking a few thousand in disability support today than billions on submarines which won’t be built for years to come? 

We know from campaigns like Teamworks works, that by supporting more than 450,000 Australians with the NDIS, there is a flow-on benefit for all Australians. For every dollar spent on the NDIS, the scheme delivers $2.25 to the Australian economy. In 2020-21 the NDIS will generate $52.4 billion in value to the economy.  

And did you know the NDIS employs 270,000 Australians? A large proportion of those workers are female. At Mind, people who identify as women represent 71 per cent of our frontline workers. 

The original 2011 Productivity Commission report noted the positive economic impact of an NDIS:  

“The benefits of the scheme would significantly outweigh the costs.” 

These strong economic arguments for an NDIS seem to have been lost amongst a sea of articles and commentary which focus solely on the cost of NDIS packages.

NDIS funding is more than just numbers on the bottom line. They impact real people.  

We see our clients’ distress first-hand when their funding applications are declined or suddenly reduced. They tell us this can sometimes happen without explanation. They become despondent and the sense of hopelessness can be all-consuming. 

In one case, a client gave up on an application for supported independent living accommodation after almost a year of waiting. They ended up in insecure housing – living in a caravan – with no mental health support. That obviously has a great personal impact but make no mistake, there is an economic consequence too. 

I highlight these stories, facts and figures not to criticise the NDIA but to highlight its value. We cannot underestimate the importance of a well-funded body which supports Australians to receive the help they need.  

The NDIS remains a great social reform that was driven by people with disability, their families and carers, and the providers who support them. A strong NDIS is crucial for people with disability, the broader community and the economy.   

If we are at a cross-roads, let’s hope we go down the path that looks at the evidence and the impact, not the spin.

Gill Callister is CEO of Mind Australia, a community-based mental health organisation with a long tradition of working with people with serious mental ill-health. She has dedicated her career to improving public policy and service delivery, particularly for vulnerable people in the community. Twitter: @GillCallister 

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Sadler launched her label Christina Stephens in March 2020, stepping away from her job as an energy expert to pursue adaptive fashion options and designs after seeing the difficulty her mother faced firsthand trying to dress without assistance, following a fall in 2017.

She tells Women’s Agenda how she could not find clothes that “didn’t resemble a hospital gown” for her mother.

“The options were underwhelming,” Sadler said. “I didn’t realise adaptive clothing was such a non-existent category.”

Despite one-fifth of Australians living with a disability, Sadler realised there was a scarcity of beautiful, quality, and on-trend fashion available for those requiring adaptive designs.

Ultimately, Sadler wants her adaptive and inclusive clothing label to be seen as ‘mainstream’.

“Christina Stephens as a label has always been about collaboration over competition,” Sadler said. “If we want to see true progress in mainstream fashion, it starts by working as ‘one’.” 

Since 2020, her label has quadrupled its retail revenue and increased its wholesale and drop-shipping revenue by 300 per cent. It now sells on THE ICONIC and will be showcased in May at Afterpay’s Australian Fashion Week (AAFW), as part of the Adaptive Clothing Collective runway show. 

Carol Taylor describes partnering with Sadler as a natural next step for her career. Before becoming a designer, Taylor worked as a lawyer at Taylor Law & Conveyancing, a regional law firm based in Tallebudgera, Queensland. 

On July 9, 2001, Taylor and her husband were driving home after a weekend away in the Blue Mountains near Sydney when the car hit black ice, sending the car rolling. Taylor’s spinal cord was severed, leaving her quadriplegic. 

She continued to do what she loved: painting, creating, and later designing her own clothes.

“I’ve always loved fashion, even from childhood, and sustaining an injury didn’t change that,” Taylor said. “Fashion affects our core sense of identity, confidence, and the way the outside world treats us.” 

“I might be on wheels, but fashion moves me forward.

“That moment I started to wear colour and find, create and make clothing to feel like the person I was pre-injury, it was cathartic. It changed me – and put me on the road to good mental health. That’s how powerful clothing is.”

Taylor has also contributed an essay to We’ve Got This, the first major anthology by parents with disabilities published in Australia earlier this year, where she shared her stories of parenting with a disability. 

Three years ago, Taylor was invited to show her collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival in Brisbane, and this year, joins Sadler’s label as part of the Adaptive Clothing Collective runway show.
 
“I was very much aware of Jessie and the amazing things she was doing,” Taylor said. “In the end we decided collaborating was much better than competing.”

Sadler says her collaboration with Taylor is an evolution of the Christina Stephens label.

“We’ve worked on some completely new, exciting, and thought-provoking pieces,” Sadler said. “Christina Stephens’ classic style is still front and centre of our design philosophy, but now Carol weaves the colour and glamour into our designs our customers have been asking for.

“We’re giving more consideration to people with specific conditions and abilities, so that our designs are universal.”

Taylor added that the designs are eye-opening, unexpected and provocative. “There’s something very special that has been designed for the girl that can’t stand up,” she said.

“I always say to my son – nothing ever changes if everything stays the same. I hope that’s what this collection will do.”

“This is a big market. Retailers like Myer, David Jones need to realise this is a product that’s wanted. People want this. Build it and they will come.”

Sadler will appear on a panel titled ‘Empowering Voices: Fashion’s Cultural Impact on Representation and Inclusion’ at AAFW on May 9, at 4:30pm. Find tickets here. You can also attend the AAFW Adaptive Clothing Collective Show, on 12 May 2022. Find tickets here.

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Being a disabled parent is a rebellious act. Disabled people should have the same right to parent as anyone else, but often when we decide to start a family we are met with judgement and discrimination. We are questioned rather than supported. We have to push up against the medical system, which is particularly problematic for disabled people. And we have to confront how ableist society’s model of parenting is, even in the twenty-first century. Yet, despite all this, we still choose to parent. And we are damn good at it too!

I became a parent six years ago. I’d always had an innate drive to have a family. As a child, I wrote in my diary that one day I would have children. My parents always hoped I’d have children. When I told them about my desire to be a mother, not once did they discourage the idea; they were excited and supportive of me starting my own family one day. 

I have a physical disability, a neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. It affects the way I walk. I fall over regularly and have muscle and sensation loss throughout my body. Lack of circulation creates freezing cold legs on hot summer days, and I am consistently fatigued and in pain.

When I first seriously considered having children, I spoke to my neurologist. I had the hugest smile on my face: at the time I was in love and elated just thinking about the possibility of children. I’ll never forget his stern and unforgiving look in response; he couldn’t hide his disapproval. Silently he wrote notes on his computer as I waited. After what felt like hours, he lifted his head, adjusted his glasses and began to flood me with questions. ‘Have you considered your options? As someone with Charcot-Marie- Tooth, you have a 50 per cent chance of passing on your condition. Have you looked into genetic counselling? We could do a panel blood test again? Do you think you will be able to manage?’ 

I felt like I was crumbling. Shame overcame me. We’re taught to trust medical professionals, so his words really stung. I’m used to discrimination: I’ve had people stop in the street and pray for me. I’ve been stared at and ridiculed. But this was far more insidious: this was someone in a position of authority, someone who I was supposed to trust, suggesting it would be best if I didn’t have a child in case they were like me. It affected me deeply. I can still feel the pain in my chest from that day; it flares again in moments of self-doubt. 

In June 2014, we found out I was pregnant. A rush of adrenaline filled my body and I had a rollercoaster of emotions: fear, uncertainty and excitement. The neurologist’s questions haunted me: how was I going to do this? I grappled with other questions too. Would the pregnancy be too hard on my body? Would people judge me? Could I manage? What if I fell over while holding my baby? At times my head was a whirlwind of anxiety. 

I spent hours searching bookshops for a volume about parenting with disability. I wanted to feel represented, read a story like mine, know it was possible. I needed reassurance, to find a friend on the page saying, ‘Yes, you can do this.’ But there was nothing out there. In all the stacks of parenting books, there were no mums like me. I felt incredibly alone. 

Where were the disabled parents? Why couldn’t I think of any movie or TV show that included a parent with a disability? More than 15 per cent of Australian households have a parent with disability, yet we are nowhere. 

I knew representation mattered – so it became my mission to share the stories of disabled parents, to help other disabled people know they’re not alone, and to show it’s possible. I searched for other disabled people worldwide who were parents, and little by little I felt less isolated. It became an obsession, and I created a pool of people who I could reach out to. It began to feel like a community of sorts, a way for us all to feel connected. The common thread was that we all felt underrepresented and alone in our decision to parent. 

All new parents know the feeling of bringing your baby home and wondering: how the hell do I do this? Parents with disability have an added layer of pressure. Often we feel judged and misunderstood, like the world is watching and waiting for us to make a mistake. Yet because we are already masters at problem solving in daily life, we are perfectly placed to master the art of parenting. 

The parents who share their stories in We’ve Got This are ingenious, creative and adaptive; they constantly have to navigate physical, attitudinal and social barriers within society. They have faced discrimination and they have had their choice and ability to parent questioned. This is especially the case for parents with intellectual disability. What these parents show us, though, is that parenting isn’t black and white. There shouldn’t be a template we all follow to the letter. Parenting as disabled people demands we let go of the ‘standard’ or ‘right’ way to do something; instead, it’s about being creative and flexible – and children are so beautifully open to being adaptive. These stories show us all how rigid the conventional ‘template’ of parenting is, and these parents display an inner strength that any parent would envy and could learn from. 

Parenting with a disability doesn’t look like following a textbook; it looks like love, connection, pride, innovation and adaptability. We’re rebellious, not in a brave, heroic way – more in a bad-arse way! We face so many societal barriers as soon as we decide to parent. I hope by the time you have finished this book, you’ll agree with me that it shouldn’t be this way. I also hope that we will begin to experience a more inclusive world where being a disabled parent is accepted and normalised – where it is no longer a rebellious act, but just another form of parenting. 

I hope that all readers – disabled or not, parents or not – will find something empowering about reading these stories of resistance and rebellion, courage and creativity. And for any disabled person about to dive into the unknown, exciting, terrifying and heart-exploding world of parenting, I want you to know there’s a community of people out there to support you – you’re not alone. I hope this book will help you realise that – like all the parents who share their stories here – you’ve got this!

ELIZA HULL is a contemporary musician, disability advocate and writer based in regional Victoria. She has been published in Growing Up Disabled in Australia and her podcast series on parenting with a disability, We’ve Got This, was one of Radio National’s and ABC Life’s most successful series of all time. She was awarded the Arts Access Australia National Leadership Award in 2021.

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Sixty-five percent of Australian women and girls with disabilities have experienced some sort of violence. They are also twice as likely to experience physical and sexual violence compared to women and girls without disabilities. 

The study, from violence against women and children national prevention agency, Our Watch and Women with Disabilities Victoria, revealed that ableist ideas such as the belief that women and girls with disabilities are ‘vulnerable’, ‘incapable,’ or ‘child-like’, alongside sexist attitudes, are contributing to the high rates of violence and abuse experienced by women and girls with disabilities.  

The study is part of a new 108-page resource, Changing the Landscape, launched today, that showed a combination of gender inequality and ableism exists across all aspects of society, including in the workplace, schools, at medical and disability services, governments and communities. 

Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly believes that changing these confronting figures can only happen if everyone contributes to stopping violence before perpetrators inflict harm on women and girls with disabilities. 

“This is not a problem just for the disability community, it is everyone’s problem, and we all must be part of the solution, to end this pervasive and unacceptable abuse,” she said in a statement. 

“Violence against women and girls with disabilities is not perpetrated by a ‘few bad apples,’ it looks like street harassment, controlling behaviours by paid and unpaid carers, doctors and policy-makers taking away reproductive choices, and institutional violence.” 

“The evidence shows that by addressing sexist and ableist attitudes, practices and structures we can stop violence against women and girls with disabilities before it starts.” 

“It means challenging ableist attitudes, such as the belief women and girls with disabilities need to be protected or excusing a carer’s abuse because they are ‘burnt-out.”  

“It means workplaces championing equality and increasing the number of women with disabilities in leadership roles, schools being accessible and inclusive, and media amplifying the voices and stories of women and girls with disabilities.” 

“This is not just about ending the high rates of violence against women and girls with disabilities, but also about building a society where all women are valued, respected and have equal rights and opportunities,” Kinnersly added. 

“Negative stereotypes, assumptions and attitudes about people with disabilities can directly contribute to, and motivate, the perpetration of violence against this group,” report read. 

2015 Young Australian of the Year, Drisana Levitzke-Gray, told The Daily Liberal she has experienced exclusion due to her deafness and gender.

“At university a lecturer believed that because I was deaf I wasn’t able to read or write English,” the 29-year old said. “I had to reassure them that I was accepted into the course for a reason: I could do the work.” 

The Perth-based disability rights campaigner said that often, people without disabilities believed themselves to have good intentions, but that their pity and assumptions of protection may cause harm. 

“Women with disabilities want to make their own choices, but often they are being made for us.”

Nadia Mattiazzo, CEO of Women with Disabilities Victoria said the resource was created after intensive consultation with people from across the country who shared their stories.    

“Violence and discrimination are huge experiences in our lives,” she said. “That is why our organisation has dedicated attention to preventing them.” 

“It is a reminder how disability and gender discrimination impact every part of this country and take many forms, especially when they combine with colonisation, racism and other forms of discrimination. “ 

She added that her organisation is pleased to be advancing the need for a national focus alongside Our Watch.

“We are hopeful to see government and community service action spring from this resource.”  

The resource is included as a recommendation for the Disability Royal Commission and part of Our Watch’s submission into the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, which is due for release by September 2023. 

In Australia, one in five people have some form of disability. Among the female population, roughly 18 percent have one or more form of disability.

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