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A newsletter for people
interested in issues relevant to people from a NESB with
disability and their families and carers. Produced by the
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW (MDAA).
If you have any queries,
questions, comments or any other contributions please
contact us by email (mdaa@mdaa.org.au)
or phone (02) 9891 6400.
Welcome to
2007
Thank you for subscribing to NESB and
Disability News. We try to provide relevant and interesting
information. Please give us feedback, so we can make this as
relevant as possible for your work and interests.
NEW at
MDAA:
New
committee and amended constitution at MDAA
Following our November AGM we have
a newly elected Committee as well as an amended
constitution. The MDAA Committee members are: Ace
Boncato, Ordinary Member; Alberto Castillo, Ordinary
Member; Clara Barton, Ordinary Member; David Abello, Vice
Chairperson; Dulia Mandinic, Ordinary Member; George
Buxbaum, Treasurer; Kareemaki Orake, Ordinary Member;
Milanka Zivanovic, Chairperson; Pusparanee Mcintosh,
Secretary; Rachel Lazarov, Ordinary Member; Rajni
Chandran, Ordinary Member;Tony Shoushani, Ordinary
Member.
Members also voted for a new look
plain English constitution. It retains all the important
provisions of the previous version but is much more
accessible. You
can check it out on our website.
MDAA welcomes new
staff
In December and January, new staff
joined MDAA. Joyce Van Akkeren is our new Trainer/
Community Development Worker and Ather Pervaiz is our
Community Links Worker.
Job vacancies at
MDAA
We are recruiting individual
advocates in Sydney and Griffith and an assistant
director in Sydney. Applications close 9 February so
hurry and check our website for details if you would like
to apply.
We are also recruiting a community
development worker for the NSW Network of Women with
Disability. Applications close 23 February. The job ad
and application details are at the end of this
newsletter.
Housing and
support for people with disability: conference 31
May
Shelter NSW and MDAA are co-hosting
a 1-day conference on housing and support for people with
disability, on 31 May in Sydney. Confirmed speakers
include Chris Glennen, Eddie Bartnick, Trudy Van Dam,
Belinda Epstein-Frisch, Simone Finch, and Joseph
Connellan. The focus is on good news stories and new
directions. Planning is well advanced so for details see
the webpage for this event on the Shelter NSW website
www.shelternsw.org.au
Accessing and
Providing Information to People from NESB with Disability
Thanks to everyone who responded to
our discussion paper. The paper is still on our website
for anyone who hasn’t already seen it.
We are organising a forum at the
end of February to develop an action plan. We hope to
develop a bit of an action plan which we that want to
distribute widely to get as many people as possible
involved.
mdaa cultural
abilities news
Accommodation
support for people from CALD backgrounds with
intellectual disability
The Department of Ageing,
Disability and Home Care (DADHC) has engaged mdaa
cultural abilities to provide advice on, and assist in
the development of, new innovative and flexible
accommodation support models for people with an
intellectual disability from culturally and linguistic
diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
As part of the 2005/06 budget, the
NSW Government made a commitment to trial new models of
accommodation support. Stronger Together, the NSW
Government’s 10 year plan for disability services
reinforced this commitment to develop innovative
accommodation and support models. New models of support
will be trialled for people with an intellectual
disability from CALD backgrounds, Indigenous communities
and Intentional communities. Total funding of $2.4
million over two years is available for this series of
trials.
Once the new models are designed
DADHC will develop detailed service specifications and
will run a tender valued at $760,000 to trial the CALD
models. The project will be piloted in the South West
Sydney Local Planning Area in the DADHC Metropolitan
South Region.
We are developing a discussion
paper which will include response forms for people with
disability and family members, and for service providers
and other people interested in this issue. The paper
should be available on MDAA’s website soon and we
encourage you to contribute your suggestions and
ideas.
New 2007 training
information out now!!!
In 2006 we delivered tailor made
training to many groups and agencies. In line with
demand, this year’s flier focuses on our ability to
provide tailor made services and training, to meet the
needs of your agency and your staff, and respond to your
particular issues and concerns.
We have also scheduled several
workshops throughout 2007: Making your services
accessible to people from a NESB; Promoting to and
networking with ethnic Communities; and Working
Cross-culturally (CHCCS405A).
We sent a copy of ‘Training
2007’ in the January mailout to all NSW HACC and DSP
services. If you don’t have a copy please email or
call and we’ll send you one. Otherwise, to check the
dates please read ‘Training 2007’ on our
website http://www.mdaa.org.au/training.html
The first course is on 1 March.
NSW News
DADHC’s
CALD Reference Group is up and running
The reference group will provide
advice on the implementation of DADHC’s policy and
initiatives for people from culturally and linguistically
diverse (CALD) backgrounds, set out in DADHC’s
CALD Strategy 2005-2008. It will also provide
feedback on the impact of programs for people from CALD
backgrounds and provide regular updates on good practice
and new developments to improve the evidence base and
quality of DADHC’s program and policy initiatives
for people from CALD backgrounds.
The reference group is chaired by
Diana Qian (NEDA’s Executive Officer) and includes
representatives from community organisations including
MDAA.
Education
Legislation Amendment Act 2006
These amendments to the Education
Act came into operation on 4 December 2006, except for
Part 5A which is about ‘health and safety risks at
schools arising from student behaviour’. MDAA joined
other disability advocacy organisations, particularly
Family Advocacy, in lobbying against the provisions of
Part 5A because we believe they would lead to
discrimination against students with disability. Part 5A
gives schools the authority to obtain information from
various agencies about students whose behaviour is
regarded as posing a risk to safety at school. It also
authorises the Director-General of Education to direct a
student whose behaviour poses a risk to attend a
particular government school.
The Minister is now consulting
widely on guidelines for applying the provisions of Part
5A before it comes into operation.
Commonwealth
News
NEW
Ministers
The Prime Minister has appointed
Kevin Andrews as the new minister for Immigration and
Citizenship and Joe Hockey as the new minister for
Employment and Workplace Relations. The existing
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs will
become the Department of Immigration and Citizenship
(DIC??). In announcing these changes the Prime Minister
said:
“…Kevin Andrews
will be appointed to the vacant position of Minister
for Immigration. I intend to rename the Department of
Immigration and Multicultural Affairs as the
Department of Immigration and Citizenship in
recognition of the obvious fact, and obvious belief on
the part of the entire Australian community, that
immigration should lead to citizenship. The whole
purpose of immigration is to recruit more people to
the broader Australian family. Kevin Andrews will take
over that responsibility and his current portfolio of
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations will
be assumed by the Honourable Joe Hockey, who is
currently the Minister for Human Services…”
Senator Nigel Scullion, Senator for
the Northern Territory is replacing the Honourable John
Cobb MP in the portfolio of Minister for Community
Services.
Health Check to
benefit people with intellectual Disability
The Assistant Minister for Health
and Ageing, the Hon Christopher Pyne, MP announced
yesterday a new Medicare rebate for people with an
intellectual disability who have an annual health
assessment is to be introduced by the Australian
Government. The Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing,
Christopher Pyne, said the new item recognised that
people with an intellectual disability had complex health
needs that were difficult to adequately assess because of
the patient’s inability to recognise and communicate
symptoms.
Mr Pyne said there were an
estimated 80,000 Australians with an intellectual
disability who would be eligible under the new item, at a
cost of around $11 million over four years. “Current
GP items available under Medicare do not allow sufficient
time for the complex needs of people with an intellectual
disability,” he said. “As a result, evidence
suggests that around 40 per cent of medical conditions
remain undiagnosed and that only half of the diagnosed
conditions are appropriately treated. “The new
Medicare item will provide a structured clinical
framework for GPs to assess a patient’s overall
health and plan for their long term care. “The item
will allow GPs to spend extra time with intellectually
disabled patients that will result in a more
comprehensive care plan involving the GP and other allied
health professionals to prevent the onset of chronic
disease. “The new item is expected to be available
to patients in July 2007.
Congratulations to the NSW Council
for Intellectual Disability, who have lobbied on this
issue consistently and persistently for many
years.
Worldview
Romanian
NGOs Protest Use of World Bank Funds to Support
"Dormitories" for Disabled Persons
To: Mr. Calin Popescu
Tariceanu
Prime Minister of Romania
Dear Mr. Prime
Minister,
We are writing to you to
express our profound concern about, and disagreement
with, the disconnect between the National Strategy for
the Protection, Integration and Social Inclusion of
People with Disabilities for 2005-2013, approved by
Government Decision No. 1175/September 29, 2005 and some
recently announced Government plans regarding the reform
of social protection services.
Specifically, we would
draw your attention to the following two issues: First,
the Government has expressed its intention to construct
ten (10) new institutions using financing in the form of
a loan obtained by Romania from the World Bank for social
inclusion (agreement signed July 4, 2006). The plan is to
use 7.5€ million to construct ten institutions for fifty
residents. The implementation of this plan would
represent a gross violation of the human right of each of
the future residents to social inclusion. The
construction of such congregate care facilities also
contradicts the recommendations of the European
Commission.
Using the same funds, the
Government could purchase one-hundred fifty (150) 4-room
apartments in different cities. If this were
accomplished, six hundred (600) persons with disabilities
could live in the community with appropriate support,
without being condemned to the segregation, isolation and
discrimination which would be the result of relocating
them to institutions with capacity for 50 people each. It
is important to point out that there is capacity among
civil society organizations in Romania to provide
appropriate community-based support to people who are
relocated from institutions to community-based programs.
Pentru Voi, among other organizations, continues to be at
the government’s disposal to discuss how we can
collaborate to ensure the social inclusion and the
respect for human rights of people with disabilities.
There is no need to start from zero. In Romania there are
existing models of best practice in community-based care,
which can be replicated at the national level.
The second cause for
serious concern relates to the Regional Operational
Programme 2007-2013. This plan was prepared by the
Ministry of European Integration and was submitted to the
European Commission for approval. In this plan, in
Priority Axis 3.2.2 entitled ‘Improvement of Social
Infrastructure’, the Ministry states that "the key
areas of intervention [are] . . . Rehabilitation/
modernization and equipment of social services
infrastructure." Articulated in this fashion the
Programme will not permit the financing and development
of new community based social services. On the contrary,
it would only permit the rehabilitation of old and
existing institutions which have 20% or more damage. The
condition of these institutions was the very reason
Romania was criticized and condemned by the international
media and by many international organizations which
advocate for the human rights of people with
disabilities. Mr. Prime Minister, investment in the
renovation of these institutions would be an extremely
poor investment. The plan must be to close these
institutions and to begin investment in the development
of the community-based alternatives to them. Central to
this argument is that while life in an institution can be
made more comfortable, it can never be made into freedom
and participation. The only means to reach real freedom
and participation for people with disabilities is to
invest in the community-based alternatives.
Pentru Voi Foundation in
Timisoara provides community-based services for adults
with intellectual disabilities and promotes their human
rights. Together with Inclusion Romania, The National
Federation of People with Intellectual Disabilities, we
organized a national conference with the theme of
promoting community living for people with intellectual
disabilities. In attendance were representatives of
several prominent and active Romanian Non-Governmental
Organizations in the disability field, representatives
from international organizations, and representatives
from the European Commission Directorate General for
Employment, Social Affairs and Equal
Opportunities.
During this conference,
all in attendance discussed and appreciated the efforts
of the Romanian Government to reform the social
protection system for people with disabilities. In fact,
the National Strategy for the Protection, Integration and
Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities for
2005-2013, approved by Government Decision No.
1175/September 29, 2005, represented a great step forward
in promoting disability issues based on a respect for
human rights, and it is in line with European legislation
and the United Nations Convention regarding the Rights of
People with Disabilities. The Convention will be adopted
at the end of this year by the United Nations General
Assembly, and Romania is expected to be a signatory to
the Convention. On the same time, participants have
expressed the need that developing community living will
be adopted as national priority for Romania.
We respectfully request
that the Government take urgent and immediate action
ensure that European funds are not spent on programs
which will have the effect of violating the human rights
of people with disabilities. Until now, the development
of community services was blocked because of lack of
funds. Now, starting with 2007, you have the unique
opportunity to reform the system with the structural
funds.
Specifically, we call on
you to urge the government to modify the language and the
implementation of major intervention domain 3.2.2 of the
Operational Programme 2007-2013 so that rather than
invest in unsustainable institutions, the Government can
finance and develop new community based social services
in accordance with the National Strategy of
2005.
We also respectfully
request that before taking action regarding the use of
the 7.5€ million loan obtained from the World Bank for
social inclusion, the Government consult with NGOs that
represent the interests of persons with disabilities. If
this happens, it will be clear that the only way forward
is to develop alternatives to institutions rather than to
invest significant amounts of money in archaic
institutions.
We look forward to
hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Emanuela Leampar
President Inclusion Romania
Laila Onu
Director “Pentru Voi” Foundation
Source
www.disabilityworld.org
Multicultural
Disability Advocacy Association of NSW (MDAA)
NSW Network of Women with
Disability Community Development Worker
MDAA, the leading
advocacy agency for people from a non-English speaking
background (NESB) with disability and their families in
NSW, seeks applications for an exciting Community
Development position, funded until 30 June 2008.
The project: is a
partnership initiative between the NSW Network of Women
with Disability (the Network), the Physical Disability
Council of NSW (PDCN) and MDAA. The project will focus on
growing and developing the Network across NSW and
facilitating ownership of the Network by women with
disability. It will also facilitate opportunities to
develop and utilise the skills of women with disability
who are members of the Network across NSW; to identify
and pursue strategies to enhance the rights of women with
disability; to promote participation in the community by
women with disability. The project will facilitate
opportunities for women with disability to learn and
develop skills in leadership; working with small groups;
project development and management; lobbying and systemic
advocacy; and training.
Project worker position:
SACS Grade 3, up to 30 hours per week, salary packaging
available. The project worker will be employed by MDAA
and located at MDAA’s office in Harris Park, Sydney.
Essential criteria:
understanding and commitment to the rights, expectations
and needs of women with disability; demonstrated
experience in empowering communities; demonstrated
expertise in identifying community issues, strengths and
opportunities; demonstrated ability to co-ordinate
multiple tasks and achieve results within defined time
frames; demonstrated communication skills including the
capacity to communicate and work with people from diverse
backgrounds and life experiences; proven ability to
generate reports and written documents; understanding of
and commitment to the principles of equal employment
opportunity; and experience in the use of computers,
including word processing, databases and
email.
This position is
available for women only.
MDAA is an equal
employment opportunity and affirmative action employer.
This means that all things being equal, we will employ a
woman from NESB with disability and will consider job
sharing and flexible working arrangements.
For an information
package call Judith or Luis on (02) 9891 6400.
For enquiries about the job call Sharon on (02) 9891
6400.
Applications must give
examples to show how the applicant fulfils each of the
selection criteria.
Send application to:
Confidential, Barbel Winter, Executive Director, MDAA, PO
Box 9381, Harris Park, NSW 2150.
Applications close: 23 February 2007
________________________________________
Barbel Winter
Executive Director
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW
PO BOX 9381
Harris Park, NSW 2150
Australia
ph: + 61 (0)2 9891 6400
www.mdaa.org.au
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