My new book

6 and ½ years on a dung-hill; life in Specialist Disability Accommodation

In this book I propose to include edited versions of posts I have made to On Line Opinion (OLO) (www.onlineopinion.com.au), John Menadue, ProBono, The Conversation, DesignForAll, and my personal blog.

My aim in this book is to affirm vital principles that need to be better understood and implemented if the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is going to be of benefit and fulfil its mandate; so that care doesn’t become careless.

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My need for invidualised support

My concern is serious. It is about Yooralla’s dismissal of my need for individualised care. I am a 56-year-old male with a double degree, a Master of Arts and a PhD from Melbourne University. So why am I still treated as, for lack of a better term, an idiot? This is especially evident from the way Yooralla treats me. It does not take me and the form of care that I need into consideration.

I got access to the NDIS!

Good news! I am finally able to transition into the NDIS! With a plan that is specifically tailored to my needs, I will finally be able to experience some choice and control in my life.

It has been a long and strenuous journey to reach this outcome, and I have only been honest in all accounts; and in the midst of still attempting to defy the one size fits all policy approach to individual disabilities that prevails in this shared support accommodation facility. Standardising in this field will create the improper pursuit of human rights and result in chaos, something I have experienced a lot of in my daily life here.

My NDIS plan covers a lot of areas that my ISP did not, such as assistive technology, transport, home modifications, and other core supports. I would like to especially thank Daniel Rose from DHHS, for highlighting my situation and needs to relevant parties and finding new avenues to help me, by drawing my attention to alternate living arrangements. This is a tremendous weight off my chest, as I will now be able to focus on the things that truly matter to me.

This was all done with the help of my brilliant and lovely academic support worker, Christina Irugalbandara.

I Respond to the Minister of Social Services

Before I begin, I want to point out that my support provider was witness to a document I signed, regarding  DHHS and my personal information. Any information about me should be not be disclosed to any parties, except on my approval.

Here is a letter I received in response to a blog post I had made on 8 April, which was posed as an open letter to the NDIS. In the blog post, I talked about my urgent need to get out of my current living situation.

Did I Deserve 7 Years of This Imprisonment?

The below is written to give an acknowledgement to professor Martin Delatycki and doctor Louis Corben for their expertise in the medical conclusions of Friedreich Ataxia.

“Dr Peter Gibilisco was diagnosed with Friedreich ataxia at the age of 14 years. He is now 55 years old.  Friedreich ataxia is a rare, progressive neurological condition. The main symptoms of the condition include initial unsteadiness in walking, fatigue, sleep disturbance, incoordination of the upper limbs, reduced balance, reduced hearing, difficulty speaking and significant heart involvement. The affected person eventually loses their capacity to walk and becomes dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. In addition they increasingly require assistance with most personal care tasks as the disease progresses. To date there is no known cure for this life-shortening, devastatingly progressive and debilitating condition.

Furthering Mutual Respect: Some Thoughts on Giving Sexuality its Due and Friedreich’s Ataxia

 Introduction:

I want to discuss a disorder that afflicts me. Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) will eventually leave the person afflicted with severe socioeconomic and medical restrictions. And because of this many people with FA are constantly subjected to stereotypes, as losers. We are unfairly harassed, and our abnormal features and functions as a result of the disability doesn’t make our life any easier. Believe me. My experience is that many people – it doesn’t matter what walk of life – believe they know best for an FA suffered and will then apply the stereotype to tell them what they can and can’t do.

Does this sound fair to you?

Disability is a Human Trait

To have empathy concerning people with disabilities is the possible key to the social inclusiveness for many people with severe disabilities; this must be based on the pragmatic education of equitable logic. Empathy is the ability to understand and immerse in another person’s perspective.  For example, what we believe or think may not be the same as what really is.

So then, why is empathy so poorly understood, and frequently misunderstood?