ACT NDIS Awareness Package Element 6: Access and Equity This element talks about fairness in access to services for some groups of people.

Agenda –Access and Equity  Introduction  Key issues  What is equity  People who may not be treated fairly  How can workers reduce unfairness?  What does this mean for our clients and consumers?  Where can I get more information ?

What are the issues I need to know about?  Some people have a harder time than others getting access to disability support services.  These people might not be connected with disability support services now and might not be on any lists that are provided to the NDIA.  They might not get contacted about the NDIS.  You can help people get a fair go by thinking about equity and access, and making an extra effort to refer people who may be missing out to the NDIA.

What is equity?  Equity is about treating people fairly.  Sometimes people don’t get a fair go at services that other people are getting.  Sometimes a person’s life or environment make it harder for services to get to them or for them to get to services.  Unfairness may happen because:  people are not referred to support services, even though they have disability  people are not offered support in a way that matches their culture or the way they live  people think that services will not help them because their life has taught them that this can happen  services do not see that someone has an extra disadvantage and do not make the extra effort to help them get access

Who is at risk of being treated unfairly?  People at risk of being treated unfairly in Australia include:  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians  People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds  People living with mental illness  Women  People living in isolated or rural areas  People who have been in prison  People who are homeless  People who are socioeconomically disadvantaged

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians  While some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are comfortable working with non-Indigenous workers, others aren’t  Some non-Indigenous workers may worry they are doing the wrong thing. Some things that seem to get in the way include not understanding:  Different cultural views of disability  The relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to the land  Feeling shame about having a disability or needing services  Rules about how men and women, and people who are related can interact  Eye contact and the right way to ask for information  All these can be sorted out. Workers need to understand these cultural differences and how supports can be offered

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds  People with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse background might think differently about disability  Different cultures have different ways of viewing disability  This might shape how people from a particular culture think about disability services and the NDIS  Complex terms and slang may be hard to understand for people whose first language is not English, and they may prefer translators  Workers may need extra information about how to work with a person from a particular cultural background to feel more confident they are providing a culturally competent service

Women  Women with disability experience violence more often  More women are classified as disabled but women with disabilities are less likely to receive service support than disabled men  Women with disability are likely to be poorer and less likely to be employed

Women (continued)  Women with disability from ethnic or indigenous communities are more likely to have to contend with inequity  The NDIS is a chance for workers to check whether women with disability are experiencing unfairness  You can check whether women have been identified as having a disability and if they have been referred to the supports they need

People living with mental illness  People living with mental illness can experience inequity in access to:  Mainstream health and welfare services  Housing  Employment  Insurance  Fear of stigma and discrimination can stop people from seeking help early

People living with mental illness (continued)  Not all people living with mental illness will be eligible for the NDIS, but those that are eligible may not know they are  You can check if people have found out if they are eligible and are getting the support they need

How can we reduce unfairness?  You might need to be alert to unfairness and think - is this person in one of these groups which might be treated unfairly?  You might want to talk with your co-workers about fairness and what changes you can make in your own work to increase fairness  If you think a person has been treated unfairly or is not getting access to services, you might:  talk with the person about the NDIS and how it works  refer the person to an advocacy service to  refer the person to the NDIA  with permission, contact a service the person feels comfortable with to help them

What does this mean for our clients and consumers? (Discussion Points)  Do we know of people who might not be getting a fair go?  Are there changes that we can make in our own work to increase fairness?  Do we know where to refer people to help them get fair access to services?  Do we think we can answer the questions our clients and consumers might ask us about access?

Where can I get more information on equity?  The Mental Health Recovery Framework The Mental Health Recovery Framework  ACT Mental Health Consumer Network ACT Mental Health Consumer Network  Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT  National Ethnic Disability Alliance National Ethnic Disability Alliance  Women with Disability Australia Women with Disability Australia  Women and Inclusion report Women and Inclusion report  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with disability Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with disability  First People’s Disability Network Australia First People’s Disability Network Australia  Working with people in contact with the justice system: Participants or just policed?Participants or just policed?