Disabilities Policy

Principles

1. All people should have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of civil, political, social, economic and cultural life, regardless of their differing abilities.

2. There are a variety of medical, societal and environmental reasons why peoples’ individual abilities differ.  Disability arises when society fails to accommodate these differences and creates or fails to remove barriers to equitable access for all. 

3. People with abilities differing from the commonplace are disabled by social, economic and physical barriers that remove the opportunity for them to fully participate in some or all of these aspects of life.

4. The Greens NSW value the diversity in abilities among individuals and the diversity of contributions that people who are disabled make to our society, and believe our society is greatly diminished without the contributions, insights and benefit of people who are thus disabled.

5. It is the role of government to seek to dismantle disabling barriers in order to ensure that all people have the same rights and opportunities made available to them. The empowerment of people disabled by lack of equitable access to take control of their own lives is a basic human right and as such demands adequate funding and support from all levels of government.

6. Greens NSW policies reflect this commitment to valuing diversity and address specific initiatives to remove disabling barriers in each policy area.

7. It is a primary responsibility of governments to not only ensure equality of opportunity but to provide funding to work towards equality of outcome in areas of education, health, housing, mobility, employment and sporting, cultural and social engagement.

8. Carers play an important part in supporting people with differing abilities and have a vital role in helping them to achieve a higher quality of life.

Goals

The Greens NSW will ensure that people of differing abilities have:

9. A well funded and resourced operational service sector to meet their needs;

10. Access to adequate support services to enable them to participate fully in schools and society;

11. The opportunity to actively participate in the development of policy and the planning and delivery of services;

12. Access to well-funded and resourced health services including provision of research funding and traditional and alternative treatment options.;

13. The right, where appropriate, to choose where, when and how to utilise the most appropriate medical, support or advocacy service that best meets their needs;

14. The right to access the most suitable accommodation option that best meets their individual needs;

15. The right to be free from discrimination, exploitation, neglect and abuse;

16. The right to actively participate in civic and political life, including contesting elections and holding public office;

17. The right to publicly dissent, protest and organise themselves in defence of their rights;

18. Involvement in all levels of decision and policy making across society, including in services for people who are disabled;

19. A program to promote public awareness and attitudinal change by removing structural barriers and inequality of access to education, training and employment; and

20. Cultural and linguistic barriers to access to support and services removed.

Detail

The NSW Greens will:

21. Increase funding to ensure that all people with disabilities have access to a range of high quality, age-appropriate, community care and accommodation options to enable them to live as independently as desired or as possible;

22. Urgently expand respite care services and facilities, in-home and emergency support and crisis accommodation;

23. Reform existing relevant legislation to ensure adequate protection of people with disabilities via monitoring, investigative powers and enforcement;

24. Develop and promote appropriate alternatives to the use of coercive measures and restraint in disability services;

25. Ensure that the special needs of disabled people from differing cultures are met;

26. Determine the needs of people of all ages with chronic illness (through working with people with disabilities and chronic illness) and develop more appropriate ways of providing and coordinating services to ensure these needs are met;

27. Provide specialist services where needed, including counsellors, and recreational and social services and programs;

28. Provide, without cost and in a timely manner, equipment, facilities and support personnel to ensure people are able to participate in all aspects of community life, regardless of their differing abilities;

29. Ensure equitable and integrated community access, including the provision and maintenance of ramps, rails, toilets, information and communications systems and appropriate public and private transport options;

30. Ensure that people with disabilities have access to affordable and accessible communications technology and services that are appropriate to their needs;

31. Create and enforce standards of access to public spaces, public and private buildings, and public and private transport and recognise community access as an essential human right;

32. Ensure that state government transport services are adequate to allow freedom of movement and independence;

33. Provide sufficient resources to ensure appropriate case management and integration into childcare and school education of
children who are disabled;

34. Provide adequately resourced pathways that support school leavers with disabilities to make the transition from school into meaningful employment, educational and vocational programs or other community-based activities;

35. Expand funding to labour market programs for people with disabilities and the development of a program of affirmative action for employment of people with disabilities;

36. Enhance provision of infrastructure and interpersonal support for people in jobs;

37. Provide further training, development and personal support to staff working in disability services and adopt workforce measures to increase the professional mix of staff;

38. Substantially increase pay and improve conditions and career structures for providers of services for people with disabilities, fully funded from public revenues;

39. Provide parents, partners, relatives and friends who act as carers with eligibility for registration as carers and adequate support, including income and respite;

40. Advocate for the rights of people who are disabled at all levels of government and across society;

41. Strengthen disability advocacy services; and

42. Fund community education programs to promote public awareness and attitudinal change.