Disability Rights and Awareness

One in 5 Australians has a disability. Although this figure represents a significant portion of Australia’s population, many struggle against direct and indirect discrimination in the form of barriers to basic assistance, services and social inclusion. This book provides an overview of the major disability groups (physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological, etc) and their core activity restrictions. It also explores the promotion of awareness and understanding; rights and protection under the Disability Discrimination Act; Australia’s inadequate disability support system and the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme; the role of carers and families; accessibility issues; education rights for disabled students; employment of people with disabilities; and legal ethics issues including genetic screening, sterilisation and ‘wrongful life’ cases.

Chapter 1: Disability Services and Support

Chapter 2: Disability Discrimination and Rights Issues

Glossary; Fast Facts; Web Links; Index

Fast facts:

• The number of people with disability doubled between 1981 and 2003, to reach an estimated 3.9 million Australians.
• 20% of the Australian population, or more than 3 million people, have one or more disabilities; this proportion is increasing, in particular with the ageing of the population.
• Almost every Australian has cared, or is caring, for a family member with a disability, or knows of a family doing so.
• People with disabilities and their families, friends and carers reported daily instances of being segregated, excluded, marginalised and ignored. At best they reported being treated as different. At worst they reported experiencing exclusion and abuse, and being the subject of fear, ignorance and prejudice.
• Under the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, discrimination against disabled people is illegal.
• Compared to Australians without disability, people with disability are more likely to live in poverty, to have fewer educational qualifications, to be out of work and experience inequality.
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol were adopted at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 13 December 2006, and entered into force internationally on 3 May 2008.
• All new buildings will be required to have adequate disabled access under new broad standards aimed at evening things up for the disabled community.
• It is not always possible for children with disabilities to attend mainstream schools. It may be too hard for some mainstream schools to make the necessary adjustments for students with particular disabilities.