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

2. 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 ?

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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?

14. 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?