There are serious and complex difficulties facing people with disabilities, their families and the staff and organisations providing support. The focus on disability and the national conversation that has come to the fore in recent times is welcome. 

Download the National Federation's Canvass Card on Election 2024 

The issues are not new to people with lived experience as they struggle to access their rights - to live in the community with supports as equal citizens, and to reach their full potential as children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

A good framework of policy and legislation has been put in place. There is now an opportunity to address the issues in people's lives comprehensively in the Programme for Government - through implementation and action.

- So what are these key issues, and most importantly what solutions are needed?

For people with intellectual disabilities and autism:
>Many don’t have the supports needed to live in their own home, or access to a plan for those supports in the future.
>It is harder to get a job, many people with disabilities would like to work with the right supports.
>Employers need the right supports to give people with disabilities a job.
>It is harder to get healthcare in the community for people who get supports from a disability service.

For families:
> There are well documented challenges to access timely diagnosis or early intervention to support children to reach their full potential.
> Parents don’t see their sons or daughters having the same opportunities as their other adult children to live in their own home, to be included in life, to have support to get employment and education.
> Parents have told us that they can’t rest easy without knowing that there is a plan for their son or daughter’s future – they don’t know where they will live and who will provide support when they can no longer do so.
> Many are struggling to access a break or respite when needed.

For organisations providing services and supports
> Many are experiencing a crisis of sustainability.
> Increasing costs are not being fully funded, leaving many organisations in deficit or struggling to provide the quality of service people need.
> Examples of rising costs include the changing needs of the people supported; regulatory requirements; pay costs; and inflation.
> Underfunding of rising costs is de-stabilising the capacity of services to meet the urgent needs and rights of people with intellectual disabilities and autism.

Across the country, voters with intellectual disabilities; their families, organisations, and staff, have been sharing a canvass card developed by National Federation member organisations to outline for candidates the key difficulties, and the actions needed to solve the issues.

It is essential that these issues become a central priority in the negotiations for the Programme for Government and implemented as a priority.
#GE2024 #PrioritiseDisability