Some last-minute resources on schooling

Is it too soon to start talking about back to school? Some are probably counting the days. Australian summer school holidays are coming to an end, as we send our kids back to school in the hottest, most humid month of the year! 

If your child is starting kindergarten or high school for the first time, you will have been preparing for months, and we wish you an excellent start. You are welcome to send us your 'first day' photos, to blogeditor@dsansw.org.au 

These links might give you some last-minute useful hints and resources for your own use, or for your child's school, always with the rider to take care not to overwhelm either yourself or the school with too much information in one go:

Back To School: How to Write your Child’s “Owner’s Manual” for Special Education Teachers

Michael Dorfman, The Friendship Circle, 21st August 2014... The “All About Me” pamphlet will describe your child, what makes him or her tick, triggers, biographical information, and any other details you deem pertinent. This pamphlet allows the school personnel working with your child to get to know him or her quicker and help plan efficiently ...

One Place for Special Needs provides a page of links to pre-written social stories covering a wide range of situations, and a link to articles on writing your own social stories.

Down Syndrome Education International's current weekly posting of 21 'examples of how educational research helps and why it matters' might be of interest to your child's teacher.  Each post addresses a single topic, and is available for delivery online, each week until 21st March 2015 (World Down Syndrome Day).

Five Principles for My Daughter's Teacher
Kevin A Thompson, 12th August 2014
In light of a new school year, here are five principles we hope Ella’s new teacher follows:

• Don’t feel the need to be an expert about Down syndrome, but do take time to learn more ...
• Demand obedience, but give her time to process your commands ...
• Be fair, but keep your expectations high ...
• Help her, but don’t be manipulated by her ...
• Shield her, but don’t smother her ...

Confessions of a Special Needs Parent: The Back to School Terrifies Me

Ellen Stumbo, Hope and Encouragement for the Special Needs Parent, 27th August 2014
Excitement is muddled with fear as a new school-year approaches. I’m ready for some quiet around the house but I have two kids with special needs and the back to school terrifies me ...

Everyone Everyday Program

Disability ACT’s Community Development team, 2014
The Everyone Everyday Disability Awareness Program has been developed by Disability ACT’s Community Development team. It is a comprehensive teaching resource for mainstream primary schools, and focuses on the concept of ‘inclusion’. The program aims to create a cultural shift in community attitudes towards disability. The underlying assumption is that we all benefit when the environments in which we work, live and play are inclusive; and that we all have a role to play in creating inclusive communities ...

This teaching resource won a National Disability Award in November 2014

And the most popular resources link ever on this blog, by a long way, is Visual Aids for Learning - free downloads of Australian produced visual support tools, designed specifically with children with Down syndrome in mind.

Enjoy the last week or so of your holidays!

Positions vacant at Down Syndrome NSW

Down Syndrome NSW has two positions vacant in the Information, Training and Support Team:

1. Adult Life-stage Worker:  We are looking for a person to work with families of adult individuals with Down syndrome through information and advocacy. 

2. New Parents Liason Worker:  We are looking for a person to work with families of young children with Down syndrome through information and advocacy. 

These are part time positions (14 hrs pw) based in Northmead, Sydney.

For further information and an information package please contact Judy Davidson on (02) 9841 4401 or email judy.davidson@dsansw.org.au

Applications close Monday 9/2/15

Note: the closing date for applications has been extended to 16/2/15

Latest additions to 'events' page

These links provide information about events run by organisations other than Down Syndrome NSW that might be of interest to people with Down syndrome, their families, carers and the professionals who support them. They have been added to our 'Other 2015 events' page for ease of reference.

Inclusive Community Education Programme

Sydney Community College - the ICEP is  funded by Aging, Disability and Home Care: Family and Community Services. It is a flexible respite program that aims to give carers a break by providing recreation and leisure courses for adults with a disability. It also aims to give people with a disability an opportunity to build social networks with their peers outside usual service hours.
Courses commence in February 2015 - Sydney city and inner west sites

Enriching Lives for people with disability 
Family Advocacy workshops - Explore typical adult opportunities by considering the individual interests of your family member! We will look at strategies for helping a person with disability to have a good life and provide the advocacy tools to make this happen.
Tuesday 24th February - Friday 27th February 2015 - Newcastle, Ryde, Hurstville and Wollongong 

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2015 float for people with disability
People With Disability Australia, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Northcott and Touching Base have joined forces to have the brightest, most colourful presence of people with disability in the Mardi Gras parade yet! If you would like to participate in the float contact Patty: pattyp@pwd.org.au

Saturday 7th March 2015 - Sydney

ACT National Disability Insurance Scheme 2015 Conference

National Disability Services - as the ACT community transitions to the NDIS, people with disability, their families, carers and supporters are being faced with new processes, new supports, new people and roles, new opportunities and new risks. For people with a disability, their families and carers and service and support organisations.
23 - 24 March 2015 - National Convention Centre, Canberra

Carers NSW 2015 Biennial Conference 
For professionals, disability and other service providers, government representatives and employers working with carers to share strategies, research and innovative approaches in carer support. Call for Abstracts open until 31st January
21 - 22 May 2015 - Sydney Olympic Park

43rd Annual (US) National Down Syndrome Congress Convention 

25th - 28th June 2015 - Phoenix, Arizona

Intellectual Disability and Dementia: workshop for support professionals

Note: the closing date for registrations is tomorrow, 21st January 2015

Click here for the detailed flyer and registration form

21 examples ... #12

Down Syndrome Education International has just posted its twelfth 'example of how educational research helps and why it matters ...' in the series of 21 planned to take us up to World Down Syndrome Day on 21st March 2105.  

Check them out weekly, and pass them on to those in your circle who will benefit from concise, targeted evidence about particular aspects of your child's development. Each link takes you to a single page of information.

Sign up for emails, follow #education21 on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ or check back each week to find out more.

Refreshed

You might have noticed that the blog has new banner photos, a new background and that the text colours have been tweaked a little.  We hope you enjoy the new look.

The update has included a revision of the lists of links to other blogs and websites you will find by scrolling down the right hand column. The online presence of individuals and organisations  is constantly changing, so some of the previous listings remain, others no longer post, and have been removed. These are our recent additions - check them out, there is some very interesting and useful material there.

Use our links, or add them to your reader app. Happy surfing!

Links added to 'Blogs we read'

Links added to 'Websites we consult'

Weekend reading and listening: 17th - 18th January 2015

On Our Daughter’s Ninth Birthday, No Thoughts of Who She ‘Might Have Been’

Amy Julia Becker, Thin Places, 12th January 2015

... For years after Penny’s birth, her birthday hearkened back to that initial day of life. I could remember in my body the weight of fear and sorrow that stood in such stark contrast to the light and life in the little girl in front of me ...

Extra Ordinary (video, 5 m)
David Quinn, 2013
A glimpse into the lives of two young individuals with Down Syndrome living happy and fulfilling lives. With the goal of increased acceptance for the Down syndrome community, this film was created to challenge the associated stigmas. People with Down syndrome can, and do, lead meaningful, happy lives.

How we came to have a son with Down syndrome

Kari Wagner-Peck, Daily Life, 7th january 2015

... When we shared the news of our adoption with friends and family we found out what people really think about kids with Down syndrome. No one said "Hey, awesome you found a kid!" Instead, we heard "Why do you want to do that to yourself?" or "That sounds hard" or "Don't do that, please." ... 

Not a Mistake

Ellen Stumbo, 9th January 2015

I was sitting in the family room watching TV and stroking my pregnant belly when my husband, Andy, walked into the room. Ten minutes before, he had answered a knock at the door. When I looked up and saw his dumbfounded expression, I knew instinctively that something was wrong ... I didn’t know what to say and I certainly didn’t know what to think. Jennifer, the newborn daughter of our dear friends, Bill and Kristin, had Down syndrome ...

Why disabled achievers should be remembered

Tom Shakespeare, BBC News Ouch, 9th January 2015

... A free-thinking poet with visual impairment, a painter with learning difficulties, a sculptor with schizophrenia, a painter with cerebral palsy, that's what I've been talking about on Radio 3's The Essay this week.

Looking beyond the obvious names like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh, I've been exploring some of the more obscure figures from the past and present. For me, the stories are fascinating. But maybe they also offer role models for today's disabled people, whether they have artistic leanings or not ...

Friends of Mine, 2013
Trailer for an award winning documentary, with links for purchase via streaming

Doing Social Justice: Thoughts on Ableist Language and Why It Matters

Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, The Body is Not an Apology, 28th November 2014

... Disability metaphors abound in our culture, and they exist almost entirely as pejoratives. You see something wrong? Compare it to a disabled body or mind: Paralyzed. Lame. Crippled. Schizophrenic. Diseased. Sick. Want to launch an insult? The words are seemingly endless: Deaf. Dumb. Blind. Idiot. Moron. Imbecile. Crazy. Insane. Retard. Lunatic. Psycho. Spaz ...

4 Disability Euphemisms That Need to Bite the Dust
Emily Ladau, Centre for Disability Rights

... While I know some people genuinely embrace words other than “disabled” – even some people who actually have disabilities – I just can’t get on board with that.

Of course, I can’t presume to speak for anyone other than myself, and everyone should have the right to choose how to refer to themselves so long as they don’t impose it upon anyone else. However, when non-disabled people try to dance around the word “disabled” in an effort to be more respectful, I don’t think they realize the hidden ableism behind the euphemisms ...

Summer

Library Thursday: new book review, extract from a well loved book

A Dad's Love: Professor Writes About Son With Down Syndrome

Gary White, The Ledger, 10th January 2015
... "Prior to having Jason, I worshipped at the altar of brains," McGuire said. "I judged people by how smart they were, how quick they were, how clever, and when my son wasn't going to be any of that, that was a hard blow and I had to, in effect, relearn love and love people for who they really are and not for their brains. Jason certainly has taught me that." ...

Gifts 2: How People With Down Syndrome Enrich the World, (Kathryn Lynard Soper, ed, 2009) is a popular book, especially with younger families, available for loan to members from our library. Ellen Stumbo has posted her essay for the book, Not a Mistake, on her blog.

Members' library

The Down Syndrome NSW library catalogue is available to view here.  

• To contact the librarian, ph. 9841 4410, or email library@dsansw.org.au

Does she know?

Many parents worry about whether their child will know/knows that they have Down syndrome, what their understanding of it is, and whether and when they should tell them. In our experience, by the time parents decide to address the issue, many children already have some understanding, regardless of their ability to communicate about it.

In most families today, Down syndrome will be part of everyday conversation, openly acknowledged. Some people with Down syndrome are quite comfortable with the term, and in the knowledge that they have Down syndrome.  Others are more ambivalent, and a few are even hostile to the very idea.

Part of the parental concern is the impact of teasing and other forms of bullying that a child might encounter.

A very wise man with Down syndrome who worked for Down Syndrome NSW for some years, until the late 1990s, spoke simply and eloquently about living with Down syndrome, often speaking with groups of students, and happy to answer their questions.

One of the many important things he taught us, in a conversation that he initiated, was that parents do need to tell their children that they have Down syndrome and that it is okay. He wisely pointed out that if we did not tell them, someone else would, inevitably, and that it might not be done kindly, or in a way that we would wish it to be handled. That had happened to him, and he regretted that his mother (who had died many years before) would not have wanted it to be so.

This thoughtful new blog post, written by Kelle Hampton in the lead up to her daughter, Nella's fifth birthday, addresses some of the nuances around Nella knowing about her own differences:

Speaking in tongues: an almost fifth year birthday, Kelle Hampton, Enjoying the Small Things, 8th January 2015
... Emotional procrastination was my savior the year Nella was born. “You don’t have to think about ten years ahead right now — just love her today.” I still tell myself that and yet things are different now. You eventually have to think about things because your child’s future depends on it. (And, if you’re brand new to this, don’t worry—you’ll be ready sooner than you think.) Some of the things I kept myself from thinking about are happening right now ...

Dr Brian Skotko's research on how people with Down syndrome see themselves:

Skotko, B.G., Levine, S.P., Goldstein, R. (2011). Self-perceptions from People with Down Syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A: 155:2360-2369. 

•   Research article
•   Press release summarising the results

'The Interviewer' - now free online, from Bus Stop Films

What a wonderful way to start the year - Genevieve Clay-Smith's multi-award winning short film, The Interviewer, starring Gerard O'Dwyer, is now available for viewing online.  The film was made in 2012. Thanks, Bus Stop Films.

Made through the Bus Stop Films weekly film making workshops for people with an intellectual disability, this film has found it's way onto screens across the globe. Recently going viral in Europe after being exposed on Arte TV and Winning over 30 awards and screening at over 40 film festivals including Short, Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Cleveland, Flickerfest - this is a little film with a big message.

Thomas Howell gets more than he bargained for at an interview at a prestigious law firm. An insult about his tie, a rendition of Harry Potter, and the chance to change the lives of a father and son.

Bus Stop Films is a pioneering organisation which has a focus on creating inclusion within the film industry. So far Bus Stop has been involved with creating four inclusive films, that have been screened both nationally and internationally ... Bus Stop Films

• Bus Stop Films on Facebook 

2015 events listings

Many of us are back at work this week, including Down Syndrome NSW, with new diaries open and filling quickly. 

Throughout the year, keep abreast of events that might be of interest or use to you and your family through our  two 'events' pages (permanent tabs are located under the banner at the top of this page). Each list is updated regularly:

Down Syndrome NSW events 2015 - our first two events scheduled for 2015 are:

Tee Up! 2015 

Fund raising golf day to support the work of Down Syndrome NSW.
Friday 27th February 2015 - Coast Golf Club, Little Bay

Embracing Succes - a Teacher's Toolkit 

Down Syndrome NSW education conference -  an essential training event for any educator working with a student with Down syndrome. registration available for one or two days.

• Early bird registration closes 30th January 2015

Thursday 26th  and Friday 27th March 2015 - Sydney

Other 2015 events

Here we post links providing information about events run by other organisations (including other Down syndrome organisations) that might be of interest to people with Down syndrome, their families, carers and professionals who support them. Events listed here might be in NSW, in other Australian states/territories, or international.

Reminder about two surveys

Free Stepping Stones Triple P programs for Parents and training for professionals

Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) is a new initiative to support families of children with developmental disabilities. Research has shown the programs help to reduce children’s behavioural and emotional problems, decrease parent stress, and increase parent confidence. 

The Project's My Say surveys, one for parents, and one for professionals, are still open for completion, and registration for the participation:

DSA Surveys - The NDIS and people with Down syndrome

It's not too late to complete one of these surveys, and your information will help DSA and state Down syndrome associations to best support people with Down syndrome and their families as we move into the NDIS. Please take a few minutes to complete an online survey now. Thank you.

Many members of state and territory Down syndrome associations have questions and concerns about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and how it works for people with Down syndrome of all ages. 

To be the best voice we can for the Australian Down syndrome community, we'd like to hear from you about your experiences with the NDIS, or (NDIS/NDIS My Way in WA) so far, and any thoughts, questions and concerns you may have. Your answers will also help DSA and the state and territory associations develop resources and tailor supports to help you, so please provide as much information as you can. 

There are two surveys to choose from: 

1. For people not yet in NDIS 

2. For people already in an NDIS or My Way trial site 

You don't have to be a member of your local association to take part.

Weekend reading and viewing: 10th -11th January 2015

The Most Important Thing I Did After My Son Was Diagnosed With Down Syndrome

Sharon Randall, The Mighty, 7th January 2015
... I know you feel like someone has turned off the lights and left you in a dark room without a door. You went into labor expecting that your growing family would look like all of the other families you know. Now, you’ve found out that your son has Down syndrome, and you feel completely alone ... as quickly as possible and with great urgency, you must search for someone who will travel alongside you on this new road, with an empathy that comes from having been where you find yourself now ...

Look Around (Public Service Announcement)
Paul Chitlik, Writers with Disabilities Committee, 6th January 2015
This PSA was produced by the Writers with Disabilities Committee of the Writers Guild of America to encourage screenwriters to write about people with disabilities.

Thoughts before opening the first report card ever

Sally Felkai, Wide Awake Planet, 29th December 2014

I am about to open my daughter's first report card ever. I am curious about the mix of feelings I have in this moment ... I can already see so much progress since our late September start to the school year and school career. It is that progress that matters. But I do care what the teacher thinks. I do care what the teacher sees. I hope that my girl is seen for who she is and that the professionals can feel the vastness in there ...

What I Saw, Through Tears

Dave Hingsburger, Rolling Around in My Head, 6th January 2015

... We made love a behaviour. And we wrote plans to eliminate that behaviour ...

I don't know how you do it
Gillian Marchenko, Not Alone, 1st January 2015
... I do it because they are my children. I do it because I am their mom.

On good days, I get up in the morning and cut my losses and struggles from yesterday (because when you parent a child with special needs, there are usually daily losses and struggles). I look my kids in the eye, breathe out a prayer, hug them, and hold on a while because they are worth it, and our life is blessed ...

‘Now I See’: Looking back, but without any anger
Fiona Place, The Australian, 30th December 2014

... The atmosphere in the NICu was so different to that of the delivery suite. The focus was no longer on our son’s genetic abnormality, on a tragic outcome, but rather on his health and wellbeing. And pulling up a chair I sat as close as I could to his crib and gently stroked his cheek, and whispered his name, and told him I loved him. Over and over ...

Fiona Place is a member of Down Syndrome NSW. This story was originally published in The Best Australian Stories 2014, edited by Amanda Lohrey.

Hope and Hopefulness: the light is on!

Dave Hingsburger, Rolling Around in My head, 24th December 2014

... this is a seasonal Facebook feature ... As a result of my work with various self advocacy groups, I have a significant number of self advocates 'friended' on Facebook. It has been with a sense of real awe that I've browsed through their Facebook years. The first I looked at was a young man, (anyone under 40 is young to me) with Down syndrome ... There were pictures of him hanging with friends, being with a girlfriend, competing and winning medals at a Special Olympics event ... pictures of him living and loving his life ...

Two Years In: Down Syndrome, Recognition, and Pride

Jisun Lee, Kimchi Latkes, 19th December 2014
... I find myself pondering the word “recognition.” In that moment, was I maybe having a moment of “re” + “cognition”, as in, understanding again? From my completely self-centered parent’s perspective, I can write about the holidays as forever being a time that will remind me of when I “discovered” that my son has Down syndrome. That’s pretty silly though. My son has always had Down syndrome, after all ...

Reading this post might well lead you back to this one, written by Jisun Lee shortly after LP's birth, Tap, tap, tap

Family's passion drove Muncie hotel project
Keith Roysdon, The Star Press, 24th December 2014

... On this drizzly day at the end of October, a few hundred people have gathered in the Horizon Convention Center for the groundbreaking of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, a few yards away at the end of High Street.

Nash, who is 13 years old and has Down syndrome, is called up to the speaker's platform by Mayor Dennis Tyler. As Nash shifts on the stage behind the mayor, eyes are drawn to his buzz cut, his bright blue shirt and his smile.

If Nash fully grasps that all the people here this day are here because of him and, by extension, his mom and dad's dedication to improving the lives of the nation's people with intellectual disabilities, the realization doesn't faze him. He chats amiably with strangers, gives his father a joking "thumbs down" after his time on stage and laughs heartily while posing for pictures ...

Emotional relating (sharing subjective experiences)
Bill Nason, Autism Discussion Page, 2nd January 2015

Emotional processing (Theory of Mind) is the ability to read the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of others. This involves the ability to understand what they are subjectively experiencing, so we can understand how they are acting. We look for the hidden meaning behind what people say and do. We do not take language literally and (we) read between the lines ...

Erin's World glasses frames - Australian distributor

Erin's World glasses frames  are 'a specially designed frame to accommodate the unique facial features of children and adults with Down Syndrome, ' manufactured in the US for Specs4Us. 

Distribution within Australia has now been taken over by Little Optometry, in Queensland, from the previous distributor, Respecs.

Little Optometry Pty Ltd
Suite 4 North Lakes Medical Center
12 North Lakes Dr.
North Lakes, Australia 4509
eyecare@littleoptometry.com.au

07 3491 6786

• You can read the announcement on the Respecs Facebook page, 7th January 2015

Commentary on announcement of welfare cuts and funding the NDIS

The new Minister for Social Services, Scott Morrison, has attracted criticism for his announcement on welfare cuts and funding the NDIS, both for its content and timing at the start of the holidays. Craig Wallace, President of People with Disability Australia, took a different and broader perspective on the new Minister's opportunities for reform, as you will see in the first link:

The Abbott government needs a social services reset. Scott Morrison is the one to do it

Craig Wallace, The Guardian, 30th December 2015
... While some have rushed to judgment about the new minister of social services, based on views about Scott Morrison’s implementation of refugee policy, a heavy hitter determined to make a mark on the domestic front could reset the government’s performance in social services.  Changes in style and substance could be the first step. Paul Keating famously described it as “throwing the switch to vaudeville” as he worked to remake an unpopular persona as a cadaverous number cruncher. Here are some switches that Morrison might throw on welfare, disability and jobs ...

NDIS: Morrison says welfare clampdown needed to fund disability scheme

Oliver Milman, The Guardian, 24th December 2015
... Mary Mallett, the chief executive of the Disability Advocacy Network Australia, said Morrison was “deliberately confusing people” over how welfare spending related to the NDIS.

“They are conflating two issues where there is no connection between them,” she told Guardian Australia. “The NDIS replaces the care and support provided by the states and territories, money that is already being spent. The majority of people who have a significant disability will be on the disability support pension [DSP], but that’s the only relationship to welfare ...

NDIS fully funded, Labor tells Morrison

9 News, 24th December 2015
... Just hours after being sworn in in his new role, Mr Morrison sent tremors through the welfare and disability sector by suggesting the government might need to prune spending on other welfare to pay for the full rollout of the landmark scheme.

The minister went further on Wednesday, telling News Corp that to achieve sustainability of the welfare safety net - "of which the NDIS is the holy grail" - sustainability in other parts of the system was needed ...

Scott Morrison needs to realise the Disability Support Pension actually saves money and lives
El Gibbs, Sydney Morning Herald, 24th December 2015
... Despite the tabloid rhetoric about rorters and bludgers, the rate of people getting the Disability Support Pension (DSP) is falling, with more than half the applications refused. The eligibility criteria have been repeatedly tightened, and the work threshold is now only 15 hours a week. The DSP also recognises that having a disability costs money - for example, if local public transport is not accessible, a taxi may be the only transport alternative. This financial cost has nothing to do with whether a person is on the DSP or another safety net payment; it's because having a disability is expensive ...

NDIS funding: Cry of blackmail at move to slash welfare

Rachel Browne, Sydney Morning Herald, 3rd January 2015

... The disability sector was quick to point out that the Medicare levy was never intended to cover the entire cost of the insurance scheme and that , rather than being a drain on the public purse, the scheme was a revenue raiser with a multitude of economic and social benefits.

Research commissioned by non-government disability peak body, National Disability Services, found that the scheme will increase the country's GDP by between $18-22 billion once it is fully rolled out, as people with disabilities and their family carers enter the workforce. It will also create jobs, with the Treasury estimating the number of disability care worker numbers will have to double to accommodate the needs of the 460,000 people covered under the scheme ...

Adding Fear to Disability
Jenny Macklin, The Australian, 30th December 2015
... The government has two motivations — first, it is intent on destroying Labor’s record when it comes to the NDIS. That doesn’t hurt the fortunes and opportun­ities of people with disability. Far more damaging is its calculated effort to try to scare people with disability, that Australia can’t afford to look after those most in need ... (You might find that this article is behind The Australian's pay-wall)

Peak body funding

Commentary on the defunding of peak disability organisation continues, following its announcement just before Christmas:

Funding Cuts Closes Disability Orgs

ProBono News Australia, 5th January 2015
Peak disability support organisations have been forced to either close their doors or reduce services and retrench staff thanks to Federal Government funding cuts.

CEO of the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), Matthew Wright, said 10 peak organisations run by people with disability will be left with no choice but to either close their doors or reduce services, with seven organisations subject to drastic funding cuts by outgoing Minister for Social Services, Kevin Andrews.

Wright said he had requested an urgent meeting with new Social Services Minister Scott Morrison to discuss the funding cuts.

He said together the disability peak bodies represent over 90 per cent of Australians with disability and 83 per cent of the identified disability groups in Australia ...

• Fears specific disability expertise could be lost after funding cuts - Matthew Wright interviewed on Radio National, 5th January 2015

Funding Cuts Threaten Our Voice

Purple Orange, 5th January 2015

... The defunded agencies provide leadership and voice for many people living with disability and their families, and it is hard to imagine how the views of these important demographics within the disability community will be fully heard and understood in the absence of grass roots agencies ... The apparent budget savings come at an unacceptable cost to the disability community and we urge the Commonwealth Government to reconsider.

National Ethnic Disabilty Alliance, 6th January 2015

Added 9/01/15: Graeme Innes has weighed in today, with this opinion piece in The Guardian:

Were disability advocacy groups too successful? It may explain their funding cuts

Graeme Innes, The Guardian, 9th January 2015

... 200 years of expertise will be lost when the money runs out in three month’s time; expertise that can never be regained. Their 200,000 supporters – people with disabilities who have the greatest need – will be further disadvantaged. The government will lose the benefit of this expert advice on issues as critical as income support for, and economic participation of, people with disabilities.

It’s hard to understand the reason for this funding cut. Is it the lack of importance to this government of expert advice on disability issues? Is it that these organisations were such good value for money that they were achieving too much change too quickly? Is it that the best way to silence government critics is to take away their money? Or is it just that they were collateral damage in the government’s continued cuts? ...

Summer in Australia

Plenty of weighty matters await our attention in 2015, but just before we get into that, here is the first of  photo series that will appear from time to time throughout January, on 'summer', since we are enjoying it here in Australia, right now. 

You are very welcome to send in a photo that fits that theme - someone with Down syndrome enjoying their summer - it is not intended that captions or names will be used.  Email photos to blogeditor@dsansw.org.au any time during January.

Post school literacy teacher position - Down Syndrome Association of Queensland

The Down Syndrome Association of Queensland is seeking a Post School Literacy Teacher, part-time (contract), 1 day per week,  who has a passion for working with students with disabilities. The position will commence in 2015.

Closes 16th January 2014

Details and application procedure here, on Seek.com