Disability in Australia

Overview

What's 'biophilic design'? Biophilic design ”incorporates natural elements into the built environment, which can benefit neurodiverse users.” (Apr, World Economic Forum)

How accessible is Melbourne for people with a disability? (2022, The Age)

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Housing

Uneven path to a decent home: Australians with a disability face battle for accessible housing. (2022, the Guardian)

One-size-fits-all model of accessible housing ‘a disaster’ for Australians with disability. “There should be an option for us to stay together as a family and not be forced to relinquish care just because we don’t have the funds to build an accessible house.” (2022, the Guardian)

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Smart glasses that play sounds help people who are blind find objects. (2023, New Scientist)

Impacts of new and emerging assistive technologies for ageing and disabled housing. Exploring smart home assistive technologies.. (2021)

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Response

How COVID-19 public communications is letting down our most vulnerable. (2023)

Predictors of vaccine hesitancy among disability support workers in Australia. A survey showed that 50% of disability support workers were vaccine hesitant. (2022, Disability and Health)

Living with COVID-19 in the time of OMICRON: Escalating risks for people with disability in Australia and recommendations how to address them. (2022, Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health)

Australian vaccine contractor prioritises aged care "NDIS participant vaccine rates remain lower than general population" (2022, the Guardian)

As COVID-19 cases rise, disability advocates say CDC isn't doing enough (2022)

People with disability 'completely overlooked' as Omicron surges (2021)

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Living with COVID-19

Sick and Tired: casting a long shadow. Inquiry into long COVID and repeated COVID infections. (2023, Parliament of Australia)

Covid-related staff shortages in Australian disability sector leave some without vital services (2022, the Guardian)

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‘Nothing unusual’ about blindness non-profit Vision Australia being led by someone who isn’t blind, chair says. The organisation is under pressure from campaigners. (Sep, the Guardian)

By us, for us: A disability messaging guide:

“advocates have an important window of opportunity to reframe conversations about the NDIS and disability supports in ways that centre the strengths of the disability community, demonstrate practical concepts of self determination, create shared values, and share a vision for the future where people with disability live fulfilling and independent lives. The guide provides disability advocates and allies with the narrative tools to advocate for these crucial changes. ” (Apr, Disability Access Network Australia (DANA); Centre for Australian Progress)

Disability-related inequalities in the prevalence of loneliness across the lifespan: trends from Australia, 2003 to 2020:

“From 2003 to 2020, the prevalence of loneliness was greater for people with disability, such that people with disability were 1.5 to 1.9 times more likely to experience loneliness than people without disability. While the prevalence of loneliness decreased for people without disability between 2003 and 2020, the prevalence of loneliness did not decrease for people with disability during this period. Inequalities in loneliness were more substantial for people with intellectual or learning disabilities, psychological disability, and brain injury or stroke.” (Feb, BMC Public Health)

Good practice guidelines for engaging with people with disability “The guidelines are designed to help people working in the government, private and not-for-profit sectors. They provide practical guidance for people who run activities to design, plan, and deliver processes, products, services and policies.” (2023, Analysis & Policy Observatory)

Our understanding of limb difference is changing, and these young Australians are leading the way (2022, ABC News)

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Eco-ableism? Banning Straws’ Impact on Disabled People. “This month, Victoria became the latest Australian state to ban single-use plastics, including straws. While this is a win for the environment and marine life, it will come at a price for social inclusion.” (2023, Mirage)

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Overview

Facilitated communication: Does the 'miracle tool' really help non-verbal people speak? (Oct, BBC)

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Sign Languages

The art of interpreting standup comedy in sign language. (2022, the Guardian)

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Braille

Magic touch: how ‘revolutionary’ changes are making braille better than ever. “Braille has had a revival during the past decade. Technology such as refreshable braille displays has made the script more portable and adaptable, and increasingly braille is being integrated into the community beyond books.” (2023, the Guardian)

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Israel-Palestine Conflict

On the rights of people with disability in Gaza a joint statement. (Aug, WWDA and NEDA )

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Overview

Adaptive musical instruments open up the world for people with disabilities and injuries:

“Modifying how we think about music to embrace people with disability can lead to new creative expressions, even new artforms.” (Aug, ABC News)

The dancers with disability exploring sex and love: ‘Once you open the floodgates, it’s pretty interesting’. (Feb, the Guardian)

'I believe deaf people are the best listeners in the world': Just another day as a deaf music critic. (2023, ABC News)

Seeing the story — just another day working as a blind critic (2023, ABC News)

Communicating about Disability in Australia Insights, Challenges and Opportunities. (2023, Frameworks)

‘I don’t care, I know I look good’: Australian dancer Dan Daw on kink, disability and ‘powerful crip joy’. (2023, the Guardian)

Lara Ricote is comedy’s next big thing. She's also deaf. (2023, SBS News)

Artists unmask disabilities in push to break barriers and challenge attitudes around music in Australia. (2023, ABC News)

Revamped national cultural policy includes a national arts and disability plan. (2023, NME)

From homeless and busking to the main stage: Rodney Bell’s wheelchair dance tours Australia | Dance | The Guardian (2022, the Guardian)

Adaptive fashion for people with disability showcased (2022, SBS News)

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TV and Film

Heartbreak High's Quinni and the importance of autistic representation. “Heartbreak High feels like the representation that autistic women like myself have been seeking for so long.” (Apr, D*List)

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Media

Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing. (Oct, Australian Human Rights Commission)

Five disability-led Australian podcasts that are a must listen. (2023, ABC News)

Vanessa Vlajkovic is a subeditor at ABC News. She's also Deafblind, here's how she does her job. (2023, ABC News)

Representations as Violence: When the News Reports on Homicides of Disabled People. “When such murders are reported in the news, disabled people as full subjects fade away, portrayed as objects of care and suffering; their murders are routinely presented as an understandable if tragic response by ‘overwhelmed’ carers.” (2023, International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy)

Australian advertisers striving for inclusiveness through disability representation. (2022, ABC News)

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Overview

The percentage of Australians with disability has surged in a few years

“According to the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, gathered in 2022, the number of Australians living with a disability increased to 5.5 million or 21.4% of the population. This is a striking increase from 17.7% in 2018, a figure that had remained relatively consistent for two decades (15% in 1998)” (Aug, Phys)

Reasons why the percentage of Australians with disability has surged (Aug, The Conversation)

Australian Bureau of Statistics releases new disability statistics

“As of 2022, there are now 5.5 million Australians with disability 2022. This represents 21.4% of the total population. This is an increase from 4.4 million (17.7% of the population) in 2018. Prevalence of disability is roughly the same for men and women (21.0% for men and 21.8% for women).” (Jul, People with Disability Australia)

New Disability Dashboards released “These dashboards offer a new way to access and understand data and insights about the main disability types represented in the NDIS.” (2022, NDIS)

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Research

Strengthening Research Capacity National Disability Research Partnership plan to strengthen disability research capacity. (Apr, NDRP)

A step closer to inclusive disability research The National Disability Research Partnership Learnings and Recommendations report. (2022, NDRP)

Doing research inclusively: co-production in action “provides practical strategies for every step of the co-design process in research.” (2022)

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Artificial Intelligence

United against algorithms: a primer on disability-led struggles against algorithmic injustice.

“Algorithmic decision-making (ADM) poses urgent concerns regarding the rights and entitlements of people with disability from all walks of life. As ADM systems become increasingly embedded in government decision-making processes, there is a heightened risk of harm, such as unjust denial of benefits or inadequate support, accentuated by the expanding reach of state surveillance.” (Apr, Data Justice Lab)

Australian terrorism prediction tool considered autism a sign of criminality “A tool designed to predict future crime in terrorist offenders considered them at greater risk of offending if they were autistic despite having no empirical basis to do so, an independent report has found.” (2023, the Guardian)

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Online Accessibility

A new playground: the digital lives of young people with disability. (2023, Analysis & Policy Observatory)

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Social Media

Short statured Australians are facing increased online abuse. They're asking for the public's help to stop it.

“Three times in the last few weeks, Samantha Lilly has stumbled across pictures of herself online that she didn't know had been taken. The photos had been posted alongside derogatory captions, attracting dozens of comments from people laughing along and mocking her appearance.” (May, ABC News)

Young people living with disability share experiences and create communities through social media. (2022, ABC News)

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Crisis communication saves lives – but people with disability often aren’t given the message. “Clearer and more comprehensive national legislation requiring the production of accessible information would give people with disability the information they need to stay safe in times of crisis.” (Apr, The Conversation)

Flood Response Failed to Protect Most at Risk. “Human Rights Watch found that New South Wales and local authorities did not provide adequate flood warnings, evacuation, or rescue support, leaving older people, people with disabilities, and those who were pregnant facing life-threatening circumstances with little government assistance.” (2022, Human Rights Watch)

Floods can worsen inequality. Here are 4 ways we can ensure people with disabilities aren't left behind (2022, the Conversation)

Disability sector demands inclusive disaster preparedness (2022, Probono)

Pleas for NSW flood survivors with disability to be prioritised for urgent housing, care. (2022, ABC News)

"I'm about to drown": one phone call Sam Connor received during the recent floods. (2022, Hireup)

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Overview

Disability royal commission says neglect and abuse costs $46 billion a year. Analysis quantifies economic impacts: “The cost of system failures – such as lost productivity due to low employment – was calculated at $27.7 billion. [...] Interpersonal maltreatment – such as violence in the home, sexual violence, child abuse and neglect – was costed at $18.3 billion.” (2023, The Sydney Morning Herald)

The case for philanthropy in disability: “Deloitte Access Economics used HILDA data to examine benefits to health and wellbeing ($57bn), employment ($25.6bn) and education ($1.7bn) if Australia deliberately includes people with disability. This analysis shows that the cumulative inclusion dividend is $84bn per annum.” (2023, Achieve Foundation)

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Financial Inclusion

Accessibility and Inclusion Principles for Banking Services (link to pdf, 2023, Australian Banking Association)

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Social Protection

Disability service fined $1.8m after woman dies from burns suffered during bath. (Apr, 9News)

Accessing Formal Supports in Australia: The Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Women with Disabilities. (2023, Women With Disabilities Australia)

Working together to deliver the NDIS an independent review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme. “People with disability must be at the centre of the NDIS. But more than that, they must be at the centre of a new comprehensive disability support ecosystem.” (2023, Australian Government)

Lifeboat in the ocean: lessons from Australia Debrief exploration on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. (2023, Disability Debrief)

The NDIS Song

“what am I pissed about?
oh can you guess
what makes me scream and shout
it's the ndis” (2023, Nell Tyler Original Song)

Redesigning the NDIS an intersectional perspective on an Australian disability support system, and the need for “radical transformation”. (2023, DANA)

Careless: How the NDIS fails to protect our most vulnerable “This week's Four Corners exposes criminals, opportunists and registered providers who have been busted exploiting loopholes to overcharge and defraud the NDIS.” (2023, ABC News)

Clinic associated with cult that teaches that people with disability are experiencing 'karma' receives thousands in NDIS funds. (2023, ABC News)

Public Advocate leaves woman with dementia without heart monitor for 18 months. “The state controls her mother’s life. Katelyn’s fighting desperately to get it back.” (2023, ABC News)

Disability assessments and the algorithmic veil: lessons from the abandoned ‘independent assessments’ proposal for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. “This article concludes by asking what a rights-based disability assessment looks like, while critically examining the limits of a narrow focus on disability assessment methodology.” (2023, Australian Journal of Human Rights)

The government says NDIS supports should be ‘evidence-based’ – but can they be? (2023, The Conversation)

NDIS Review – Have your say: a snapshot of what we’ve heard so far. (2023, NDIS Review)

NDIS participants 'kidnapped' and financially abused in boarding homes for people with disability, report finds. For example ‘being "coaxed" into changing accommodation and service providers "through offers of fast-food 'treats' like KFC and McDonalds".’ (2023, ABC News)

NDIS must focus on ‘outcomes, not just providing services’ (2023, Nation)

Suggesting NDIS cuts to pay for expensive submarines is the latest attack on disabled people. “The last few weeks have seen an intensification of the predicted pre-federal budget attacks on the NDIS, with a wide range of articles and interviews being published, and the conservative social media in full agreement. These pieces are often shared alongside disgusting slurs against disabled people.” (2023, the Guardian)

“There’s been no apology for a mistake that nearly killed me.” The disability community speaks out on Robodebt. (2023, Hireup)

Disability services need to employ more people with lived experience. “New research from the University of Sydney finds almost a quarter of Australian disability services do not employ any people with disability, and 20% employ less than three people with disability.” (2023, Phys Org)

NDIS funding isn't just a one-way street – it helps participants secure work and give back to the economy. “I was disabled enough to actually qualify for the Paralympics, but not disabled enough to qualify for any assistance on the NDIS” (2022, ABC News)

Two-year wait for a wheelchair: inquiry hears of difficulty accessing NDIS for remote Indigenous communities (2022, the Guardian)

Hackers Steal a ‘Very Large’ Batch of Private Data from Australia’s Disability Scheme: “this kind of data breach puts vulnerable people at serious risk of identity theft, fraud, and scams,” (2022, Vice)

Two directors of care provider charged with criminal neglect over death of Ann Marie Smith. (2022, the Guardian)

When is a condition 'chronic' and when is it a 'disability'? The definition can determine the support you get (2022, the Conversation)

Concern millions of Australians with disability not on the NDIS have been 'forgotten' (2022, ABC News)

National Disability Insurance Agency scrutinised woman’s social media posts to challenge her eligibility for the scheme (2022, the Guardian)

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Overview

Government allowed private organisation to hand out more than half a billion dollars of public money:

“A childcare operator was given the power to allocate more than half a billion dollars in federal funding set aside from 2016 to 2023 for children with disabilities, without any public record of how the money was spent.” (Nov, ABC)

Hannah's son was put in a box at school. She's one of many parents calling out the practice:

“The widespread use of 'restrictive practices' in Australian schools is leaving children with disability traumatised and their parents exasperated. Some teachers are also appalled by what they've seen.” (Oct, SBS News)

Funding for Australian school students with disabilities ‘woefully inadequate’ “A new national survey of 15,000 principals and teachers reports that just 11% of principals feel they have sufficient resources to support the educational needs of students with disabilities.” (May, the Guardian)

How can segregated special schools still be a choice? (2023, Centre for Inclusive Education)

‘A form of discrimination’: Australia’s school system accused of failing neurodiverse kids. (2023, the Guardian)

Special schools should be abolished “Educators are pushing for special schools to be scrapped and for all students to be educated together, regardless of their abilities.” (2023, Herald Sun)

What we should all know about authentic inclusive classrooms (2022, EduResearch Matters)

Why do students with disability go to 'special schools' when research tells us they do better in the mainstream system? (2022, the Conversation)

Experts slam ‘culture of low expectations’ surrounding kids with disability, ‘routinely being let down by a widespread lack of support across both mainstream and specialist schools.’ (2022, The Educator)

Push for special schools to be phased out under inclusive education plan (2022, SMH)

‘Devastating impact’: Rise in proportion of disabled students expelled from Victorian government schools during COVID pandemic. “We expect it to be worse this year,” she said. “Every time students have gone back to school following a lockdown period, we have seen both formal and informal exclusions increase.” (2022, The Age)

Could a national body for ‘Scientists with Disabilities’ level the playing field? (2022, Women's Agenda)

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Higher Education

Students living with a disability are falling behind at university due to lack of accessible, flexible study options. (2023, ABC News)

Barriers facing disabled activism at university: ‘Disability is often relegated to “second-class” status in student activism. More effort, listening and discernment is needed from other activists to build a genuinely inclusive student movement.’ (2022, Honi Soit)

Women with disabilities 'underestimated' as battle for equality in science careers heats up. (2022, ABC News)

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Australian Disability Enterprises can pay workers a fraction of the minimum wage. What place do they have in today's society? “Today, approximately 20,000 people with disability work in about 600 ADEs across the country.” (Sep, ABC News)

How Australia’s biggest brands made disability visible. A coalition of the country’s most well-known brands have swapped out key scenes in their commercials to include people with disabilities. (2023, Shots)

Research reveals employer attitudes to disability. “The survey of Australian Network on Disability’s 400 member organisations, including some of the country’s biggest corporations, major universities, and government departments, found 68 per cent do not have targets for the employment of people with disability.” (2023, Pro Bono)

Many Australian bosses believe disabled staff faking impairment. (2023, Daily Telegraph)

Australia is lagging when it comes to employing people with disability – “it will need to take affirmative action.” (2023, The Conversation)

Royal Commission report finds Disability Employment Services (DES) program failed to provide appropriate support. (2023, Royal Commission) Further reaction on the Guardian.

(Under)valuing lived experience in the disability workforce: “this study examined the ways in which lived experience was described as an asset in disability workforce recruitment.” (2022, Australian Journal of Social Issues)

Employment and mental health for people with and without disability. The beneficial mental health effects of part- or full-time employment were larger for disabled people. (2022, Population Health)

'The gap is widening': disability advocates say not all Australians are enjoying equal employment opportunities. (2022, SBS News)

Low staff turnover, high loyalty and productivity gains: the business benefits of hiring people with intellectual disability (2022, the Conversation)

People with disability working for legal pay as low as $2.27 an hour, inquiry hears (2022, the Guardian)

Increasing board and executive representation (2022, Australian Network on Disability)

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Calls to make period products more accessible for blind and vision impaired people. (Jun, ABC News)

‘They treat you like an it’: people with intellectual disability on seeing medical professionals. (2023, The Conversation)

Developing self-report disability questions for a voluntary patient registration form for general practice in Australia (2023, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health)

Access to general practice for people with intellectual disability in Australia: a systematic scoping review. (2022)

Hospitals only note a person's intellectual disability 20% of the time – so they don't adjust their care. “Potentially avoidable deaths (from conditions that could have been prevented through individualised care or treatment, like viral pneumonia, asthma, or diabetes) are more than twice as likely in people with intellectual disability.” (2022, the Conversation)

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Remembering Stella Young a statue of Stella in her hometown, Stawell. “I am not a snowflake. I am not a sweet, infantilising symbol of fragility and life. I am a strong, fierce, flawed adult woman. I plan to remain that way, in life and in death.” (2023, Northern Grampians Shire Council)

Remembering Stella Young a webpage dedicated to her life and memory. (2023)

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Overview

Small changes could bridge communication and cultural gaps for people from refugee backgrounds who need disability support. (2022, the Conversation)

The association between chronic pain and pre-and-post migration experiences in resettled humanitarian refugee women residing in Australia. “Chronic pain was reported in 45% (n = 139) of women, and among these a further 66% (n = 120) also reported having a long-term disability or health condition that had lasted 12 months.” (2022, BMC Public Health)

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Migration

Tackling the barriers that face migrant children with disability a report reveals “the obstacles facing migrant and refugee children with disability and their carers, and the way they impact their wellbeing.” (Oct, Flinders University)

'You're not welcome here': Australia accused of discriminating against disabled migrants (Jul, BBC)

A migration review could close some disability discrimination loopholes A review of the threshold which is “used to refuse visas if an applicant or their child has a health condition or disability likely to incur “a significant cost to the Australian community” to treat or support.” (2023, The Conversation)

Calls for changes to migration laws as families shown the door due to high medical costs. (2023, ABC News)

Perth family facing deportation as son's Down syndrome diagnosis deemed taxpayer burden. (2023, ABC News)

Cairns family facing deportation “After living in Australia for more than a decade, a Korean couple is facing deportation because their son, who was born here, has autism.” (2022, 9 News)

Bangladeshi refugee describes 'humiliating' treatment because of disability while detained on Nauru. (2022, SBS News)

Migrants with disability are discriminated against with 'impossible' health requirements, advocacy groups say. “We're working with a young man who came to Australia as an asylum seeker and had a stroke. The federal government supports him to live in a nursing home, but they won’t allow him access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme to receive the support he needs to live a good life in the community.” (2022, SBS News)

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Overview

Better, safer, more sustainable: How to reform NDIS housing and support. About 43,500 are living in group homes, “with average costs per resident of more than $350,000”:

“There are better and cheaper alternatives to group homes, but they are not widely available, in part because NDIS policies are too rigid and its funding too inflexible. Other countries, including the UK, the US, and Canada, have successfully reformed disability housing and introduced new living arrangements which offer people greater choice and a more individualised approach.” (Sep, Grattan Institute)

The disability paradox:

“I could go around all day with a support worker and be safe and supported. And I could continually scout ahead to locate the limited places that are accessible and go only there. But I don’t want to be confined to my own little lifeboat. I want my community to be open to all and inclusive. I want to get bogged at a beach in my wheelchair and know people will help. I want to push into a crowded, heaving mosh pit and join the other dancers.” (2023, the Guardian)

The number of reports of unauthorised restrictive practices to the NDIS is up five-fold in three years, to 1.4 million. (2023, ABC News)

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Conditions in Institutions

Listening to People with Intellectual Disability about Institutions “This article provides a model of inclusive research for turning the harms of past institutionalisation into an educational and reparative experience.” (2023, International Journal of Disability and Social Justice)

People with disabilities in group homes are suffering shocking abuse. New housing models could prevent harm. “This latest report shows 17,000 Australians living in group homes are too frequently subjected to sexual misconduct, coercion, serious injury, abuse and neglect.” (2023, The Conversation) See also the lack of independent monitoring of group homes (The Guardian).

Damning aged care audit reveals abuse and neglect of residents across the country. (2022, the Guardian)

Sites of conscience redressing disability institutional violence (2022, Incarceration)

Victorian government seizes control of supported care homes over abuse, ‘uninhabitable conditions’ (2022, SMH)

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Indigenous people with disabilities face racism and ableism. ‘I coined the term “racial-ableism” to capture the intersectionality of these experiences at the cultural interface.’ (2022, the Conversation)

The I Am, Movement designs 'culturally safe' education resources for Indigenous children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. (2022, ABC News)

From employment barriers to food insecurity, the challenges of the pandemic have only intensified for First Nations Australians with disabilities (2022, Minority Rights Group International)

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‘Volunteering has made a big impact on my career’: The ABC’s disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella shares her story. (2023, The Australian Volunteers Program)

Measuring disability equity – why the disability policy marker matters. “In 2021, 18% of Australia’s bilateral official development assistance (ODA) was identified as disability inclusive” (2023, Dev Policy Blog)

Re-establishing DFAT’s leadership on disability equity and rights How the OECD-DAC Disability Marker Can Help (2023, CBM Australia)

Beyond a seat at the table: towards disability equity in Asia-Pacific. Reflections on the role for Australian development strategy. (2023, DevPolicy Blog)

Important day for Australia in leaving no-one behind in development program (2022, CBM Australia)

Profile of Jane Edge, CEO of CBM Australia (2022, Probono Australia)

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At 14, Sam has the mental capacity of a five-year-old. So what’s she doing in a Queensland police cell? “Across the state, teenagers born with severe intellectual disabilities branded young repeat offenders are being locked up in adult watch houses. Here are their stories” (Jul, the Guardian)

Australian Teen Locked in Solitary Confinement for 500 Days. “Imagine being locked alone in a tiny cell for over 20 hours a day and for more than 500 days over a 744-day period. That is how Michael (not his real name), an Aboriginal teenager with an intellectual disability, spent most of his time in pretrial detention in the Townsville youth prison in Queensland, Australia.” (2023, Human Rights Watch)

Detainees with disabilities in 'spiral of hopelessness' “People with disabilities in the criminal justice system feel like they exist in a "black hole" after an international torture prevention body cancelled a visit to Australia.” (2023, ABC News)

Young people with a disability are overrepresented in the youth justice system. A study in New South Wales shows that "Factors such as age of initial engagement with disability-related services, remoteness of residence, and frequency of child protection contact were strongly associated with the likelihood of a young person with disability having criminal justice contact before the age of 18". (2023, NSW BOSCAR)

Report outlines framework for supported decision-making for people with cognitive disability. (2023, Royal Commission)

Report examines pathways leading children with disability from child protection into the justice system. (2023)

Trapped, stripped of assets, and silenced. And it’s all perfectly legal: a photo-essay feature on challenging public guardianship. (2022, ABC News)

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Dementia Awareness: A Waste of Time?

“It is important we call them out the ‘awareness’ campaigns for what they are – that is, they are ‘marketing campaigns’ – as they are primarily fundraisers for the charities. To date, they have made no difference to our lives.” (Sep, Kate Swaffer)

Disabled writers imagine a healthier world an essay exploring disabled collaboration. (Sep, The Conversation)

Wrong-doing, truth-telling, burden-bearing: The ethics of parading disability for unpromised justice. (Aug, ABC News)

Khadija Gbla is now out of the disability closet and feels more powerful than ever. “It took me 34 years to be able to have the space, the opportunity, the safety to give that to myself and say I am disabled.” (2023, ABC News)

Nobody I’ve been locked up with in a psychiatric hospital felt ‘proud’ of their illness. “But the sickest people I’ve ever known – myself included – have had almost no part in this opening up, as if we’re suffering from a different condition altogether.” (2023, the Guardian)

As a disabled woman, my self-portraits help me reclaim my body. (2023, ABC News)

Ableism and disablism – how to spot them and how we can all do better. (2023, The Conversation)

My talking, flameless stove How my talking induction stove gave me the confidence to cook. (2023, ABC News)

Women with disability already battle stereotypes. I can't afford to be an angry, brown woman, too. (2022, ABC News)

Re-Frame 2022 a TV show showcasing “stories from all around the country highlighting perspectives from people with disability” (2022, ABC)

Reflections between Australia and Indonesia on how #MeToo gave me a vocabulary to claim disability rights “my reaction to unsolicited help formed the crux of my dilemma. I felt torn between the need to keep myself safe, and the pressure to meet society’s expectations that I would welcome help.” (2022, Unbias the News)

Forming body image as a blind person “When I was younger, I trusted other people's perceptions of my appearance more than my own.” (2022, ABC News)

Special Issue on Writing Disability in Australia (2022, Australian Literary Studies)

The Disability Pandemic:

”I lived in two worlds during COVID. One that suddenly got more open and inclusive, where I was asked to talk at events, on television, to Senate committees. I pasted lipstick on, and calmed my frizzy hair, adjusting a badly fitting shirt, so I could tell the world that disabled people needed help. Then I would scrub it all off, limp to the kitchen and face the anxiety swarm about there being no food.” (2022, Meanjin)

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Diagnostic labels may increase our empathy for people in distress. But there are downsides too:

“We found the presence of labels increases empathy and concern for those affected, but also pessimism about their capacity to recover. Essentially, diagnostic labels appear to be a mixed blessing when used at the less severe end of the distress spectrum.” (Aug, The Conversation)

Australia is getting a new digital mental health service. Will it help? Here’s what the evidence says:

“Low-intensity psychological interventions can work in Australia, but they can’t replace the bigger, more urgent reform our mental health system needs. More care for some people isn’t enough; we need better mental health for everyone.” (May, The Conversation)

Police should not be involved in mental health incidents. “They can escalate the situation and mental distress, according to new research for the first time led by Australians with lived experience.” (2023, the Guardian)

In mental health units, women are drugged up, dehydrated and retraumatised. “Some say they're leaving facilities in a worse condition than when they arrived, having reported sexual assault or discrimination. Many report being administered high dosages of medication without any support on release, while some say they were even denied adequate water.” (2023, ABC News)

People living inside our mental health system must not be left outside its reform. “For too long, people with lived experience of mental health have been excluded from policy discussions,” (2023, Independent Australia)

As Australia’s human rights record comes under scrutiny, here is a missing piece in mental health reforms. (2023, Croakey Health Media)

Mental distress is much worse for people with disabilities, and many health professionals don't know how to help.

“Someone may present to a disability-specific health service, and be turned away due to a co-occuring mental health difficulty. They might then present to a mental health service and be turned away due to having a disability.” (2022, the Conversation)

More than 1,200 people are detained indefinitely with no criminal conviction. “People detained indefinitely without conviction are most commonly those who are found unfit to plead after being charged with a criminal offence, or who are found not guilty because of a mental impairment.” See more in how advocates have responded. (2022, the Guardian)

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Overview

Queensland train fleet becomes inclusive and accessible for all.

“The Queensland Government invested more than $335 million into the upgrade of the entire South East Queensland train fleet, in response to a 2018 Commission of Inquiry which found the trains were seriously flawed and not disability compliant.” (Jul, Rail Express)

Introducing Australia’s new wave of accessible beaches (2023, The Independent)

Abrolhos Islands upgrades make paradise more accessible for tourists (2023, ABC News)

Tasmanian man died after his wheelchair tumbled down an embankment when he got sick of waiting for a taxi. (2023, ABC News)

New national Fitness to Drive standards are 'discriminatory' and 'humiliating' for autistic drivers, psychologists say. (2023, ABC News)

Study shines light on impact of beach accessibility (2023, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland)

Australia misses 20-year public transport accessibility target as many train and tram networks fail people with disabilities. One source estimated “at best 50 per cent compliance to [accessible public transport] standards”. (2023, ABC News)

Left behind: the fight for accessible public transport in Victoria | Victoria | The Guardian (2022, the Guardian)

Web Guide for Disability Access to Australian Beaches (2022, Accessible Beaches)

‘We’re not a priority’: people with disabilities wait up to three hours for transport in regional Queensland. (2022, the Guardian)

‘You can make money out of us’ the disabled people demanding more accessible travel and tourism (2021, the Guardian)

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Air Travel

Qantas criticised over disability policies after 'appalling' treatment of artist (Apr, ABC News)

Adelaide Airport settles dispute with former disability discrimination commissioner over a "humiliating and distressing" experience with security screening and his assistance dog. (Jan, ABC News)

Australia’s airlines and airports urged to improve treatment of travellers with disabilities. (2023, the Guardian)

‘This was indignity’: passenger with disability left without wheelchair at Sydney airport. (2022, the Guardian)

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Getting it wrong on disability rights “Despite legal measures, as the evidence gathered by the Disability Royal Commission and elsewhere shows, recognition of the rights of disabled people lags behind that of many other marginalised groups.” (Sep, 360)

‘It’s the only disease where you’re not supported to fight for your life’: why Kate Swaffer is demanding dementia rights. (Sep, the Guardian)

Australian Capital Territory Disability Strategy “the government’s commitment to a community that welcomes and values the more than 80,000 people with disability who live in Canberra.” (ACT Government)

Analysing the recommendations of the Royal Commission on a Disability Rights Act (2023, Disability Advocacy Network Australia)

Our vision for an inclusive Australia Royal Commission report, providing “222 recommendations on how to improve laws, policies, structures and practices to ensure a more inclusive and just society that supports the independence of people with disability and their right to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.” (2023, Royal Commission) See reaction in the Guardian.

Use of forced restraint and restrictive practices against people with disability violates international human rights. A report highlights concerns about their expanding use in “disability, mental health, education, aged care, justice and other sectors.” (2023, University of Melbourne)

Australia’s disability strategy 2021–2031 outcomes framework: first annual report (2023, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)

Australia’s disability strategy 2021–2031 (2021, APO)

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Scott Morrison: Australia PM faces backlash over 'blessed' disability remark (2022, BBC)

This Election, We Need to Vote for Disability Rights — Here’s How (2022, The Latch)

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‘Sex work is decriminalised – and my time with Samuel is subsidised by the government’: “Susan is paraplegic and Samuel is her support worker – it’s just that his support comes in the shape of four-hour sessions in a motel room” (Jun, the Guardian)

Parents with disability face discrimination in child protection systems a report finds that “parents with disability are over-represented as subjects of child protection allegations, investigations and proceedings.” (2023, Disability Royal Commission)

Meet Melanie and Chayse: The disabled woman and her sex worker. (2023, BBC)

Resource will help reduce prejudice against parents with intellectual disability (2022, University of Sydney)

We've Got This: Stories by Disabled Parents edited by Eliza Hull. (2022, Scribe Publications)

"I am on a mission to make dating more accessible and inclusive." (2022, Women's Agenda)

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Discovering Para-Sport Opportunities Just Became Easier The Start Line, a site for “information, guidance and opportunities for Para-athletes to begin or continue their Para-sport journey”. (Aug, Paralympics Australia)

Paralympic uniform featuring accessibility modifications launched at Australian Fashion Week (May, ABC News)

Ellie Cole was told she wasn't 'disabled enough’ to represent Paralympians. Here’s her response. (2023, MamaMia)

Paralympics Australia announces new plan for Para-sport to Brisbane 2032 and beyond. “Paralympics Australia (PA) has called out the inequity in funding and support for the Para-sport system” (2023, ABC News)

‘It makes you think about things’: Australian Rules Football’s uncomfortable truth with brain trauma (2023, Brisbane Times)

‘I am who I am’: how a blind Kurdish refugee became an Australian sporting superstar. (2022, the Guardian)

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Deaf women are twice as likely to experience domestic violence than hearing women. How perpetrators weaponise disability: “40% of Australian women with a disability have experienced physical violence after the age of 15 (compared with 26% of women without a disability).” (Jul, The Conversation)

Disability rights groups 'devastated' by government's Royal Commission response. Following an investigation into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability: “Of the 172 recommendations responded to by the government, just 13 were accepted in full.” (Jul, SBS News)

Australia’s disability royal commission has faced near media silence – and left politicians unaccountable. (2022, the Guardian)

‘They yell at you’: woman with dwarfism reveals ‘deeply offensive’ abuse received in public. (2022, the Guardian)

‘Devastating’: woman with a disability met with disbelief after sexual assault, royal commission hears. (2022, the Guardian)

Changing the landscape: a national resource to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities (2022, Our Watch)

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