People have the right to expect to be cared for in a home of their choosing, in their community of choice.

The disability system in Australia is very crisis driven and has a long way to go before it catches up to the more enlightened system in place in the UK, but even here funding is available for people to continue to live at home with parents or significant others (with support staff to assist) or to live out of home, without being in institutional care.

It is an absolute tragedy that supposedly one of the most forward-thinking and rights-driven nations of the world should treat members of its community in such a short-sighted, barbaric manner. It beggars belief.

Personally I see one of the issues as being “disability” rarely makes it high on the political agenda.

There has recently been a labor party national conference in Australia. Topics covered included Climate Change, Gay Marraige, :”Green” jobs, overseas trade – all very important I'm sure.

Meanwhile people with a disability, their families and carers are in crisis and it never hits the radar.

It's just not “hip” to talk disability and I have been wracking my brains to find someway to make this issue appeal to the masses.

If people who want same-sex marriages can get almost the whole country talking about this issue, and get it high up on the national agenda, then surely we can do the same for disability? Currently we are much too quiet, too divided (by distance, by exhaustion, by shame) and much to easy to sweep under the carpet in the hope we'll go away.

Raising the political profile of disability issues, getting goverments and communities talking about this – in the pub, in the queue at the bank, with your friends over coffee – is the only way I think there will ever be any change. It needs the whole of the community to be aware – regardless of their opinion, masses of people having an opinion would be a giant leap forward.

Without the backing and actions of goverment nothing happens, and without the mobilisation (no pun inteneded!) of those involved to bring this to the forefront of politicians thinking, the government has nothing to back; and no need to seek it out as there are plenty more groups lobbying for government attention.

If anyone has any ideas about how we could raise our political profile (regardless of country of origin or political persuasion) it would be great if you could share them here.

People have the right to expect to be cared for in a home of their choosing, in their community of choice.

The disability system in Australia is very crisis driven and has a long way to go before it catches up to the more enlightened system in place in the UK, but even here funding is available for people to continue to live at home with parents or significant others (with support staff to assist) or to live out of home, without being in institutional care.

It is an absolute tragedy that supposedly one of the most forward-thinking and rights-driven nations of the world should treat members of its community in such a short-sighted, barbaric manner. It beggars belief.

Personally I see one of the issues as being “disability” rarely makes it high on the political agenda.

There has recently been a labor party national conference in Australia. Topics covered included Climate Change, Gay Marraige, :”Green” jobs, overseas trade – all very important I'm sure.

Meanwhile people with a disability, their families and carers are in crisis and it never hits the radar.

It's just not “hip” to talk disability and I have been wracking my brains to find someway to make this issue appeal to the masses.

If people who want same-sex marriages can get almost the whole country talking about this issue, and get it high up on the national agenda, then surely we can do the same for disability? Currently we are much too quiet, too divided (by distance, by exhaustion, by shame) and much to easy to sweep under the carpet in the hope we'll go away.

Raising the political profile of disability issues, getting goverments and communities talking about this – in the pub, in the queue at the bank, with your friends over coffee – is the only way I think there will ever be any change. It needs the whole of the community to be aware – regardless of their opinion, masses of people having an opinion would be a giant leap forward.

Without the backing and actions of goverment nothing happens, and without the mobilisation (no pun inteneded!) of those involved to bring this to the forefront of politicians thinking, the government has nothing to back; and no need to seek it out as there are plenty more groups lobbying for government attention.

If anyone has any ideas about how we could raise our political profile (regardless of country of origin or political persuasion) it would be great if you could share them here.

Do you know about and are you in touch with ADAPT?

http://www.adapt.org/

I am absolutely sure they would be up for being involved in this, if they are not already aware of it…