Interpreting Justice
Every year, deaf Australians are involuntarily excused from jury service. Chloe Potvin looks at the potential for future law reform that would allow deaf Australians to serve on a jury.
Disability – Page 3
Policy Progress: How does Australia’s NDIS fare?
Coming into force this July, the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act continues to occupy a great deal of the media’s attention. With an emotive introduction to Parliament by Prime Minister Gillard and rare bi-partisan support, the question circling many Australian households is: what is the NDIS? Isabella Royce answers this question and others in her discussion of disability support schemes in Australia and the UK.
Pushing the Limits
By Sarah Barton. This article is part of our April and May focus on Art and Human Rights. In 2001 my good friend and colleague Greg Dee was appointed Station Manager at Channel 31, the community television station in Melbourne. The station has a licence to broadcast programs that are representative of diverse communities across Melbourne […]
Where’s the Money? Arts Access Responds to the Government’s Creative Australia Policy
The Federal Government’s Creative Australia Policy was recently released by the outgoing Arts Minister Simon Crean, who came under fire for the use of the word “tolerance” in relation to people with a disability. This line has since been taken out but Arts Access Victoria has responded with dismay at the policy, not just for […]
Through Deaf Eyes
Earlier this year, five deaf writers presented Through Deaf Eyes at the Melbourne Writers Festival, a unique performance featuring deaf writers telling their stories in Auslan. Developed and directed by the deaf community, this groundbreaking work turns the tables and challenges the conventions, as Auslan interpreters translate this beautifully expressive language back to the audience. […]
The Arts, Disability and Discrimination – a Personal Reflection
By Jess Kapuscinski Evans. I’ve been involved in the arts since I was a child, performing in teenage choirs and theatre groups just like many other kids my age. Unlike everyone else, I use a wheelchair full-time and need assistance with most tasks of so-called daily living. I have since gone on to have a […]
Silent Witness: Supporting people with intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system (part II)
By Karen Akehurst. PART II The basis of criminal law is intent and this is where the law often betrays people with intellectual disability. It was our common experience to find that a person had either been deliberately set up to commit an offence by someone else, or to find that they were indeed guilty […]
Silent Witness: Supporting people with intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system (Part I)
By Karen Akehurst PART I Very few people develop greater insight into the machinations of the Australian criminal justice system than the invisible support worker. My experience as Co-ordinator for a specialist legal support service for people with intellectual disabilities in the NSW criminal justice system was like watching a real life game of snakes […]
Web Accessibility: Supporting People with Disabilities
By Dr Scott Hollier. This article is part of our October focus on Disability Rights. The Australian Government has been working hard over the past two years to ensure that all federal and most state government websites meet the minimal Level “A” requirement of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 by the end of this […]
Autism: the disability of this century
By Shae Courtney. This article is part of our October focus on Disability Rights. Read more about this topic here. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the fastest growing disability in the Western world, yet there is no known cure and treating it is an ongoing scientific battle. Prevalence of ASD currently affects one in 90 children in […]
The Involuntary Detention of People with Intellectual Disabilities
By Professor Bernadette McSherry. This article is part of our October focus on Disability Rights. Read more about this topic here. People with severe mental and intellectual disabilities have traditionally had decisions made for them about where they should live, what medical treatment they should have and how their money should be spent. The era of institutionalisation […]
Interview with Viktoria Modesta
Viktoria Modesta is a British model, singer/songwriter and amputee who played the role of the ice queen in the closing ceremony of the London Paralympic Games. David Donaldson talked to her about disability, her career and the Paralympics. Right Now: I read that you’re from Daugavpils, Latvia, and that medical negligence when you were young […]