In 2024 I tried to get some state based (aka non NDIS) disability supports. It was a complete joke. Not only was there an extensive wait list but you also had to be rich enough to pay for them.
Yes, it was subsidised, cheaper than “market rate”, but that is NOT financial accessibility given the generally high overlap between disability and poverty.
What would be absolutely brilliant for me right now is to have support worker do my grocery shopping FOR me. But no. They want to “capacity build” you. So what could they offer?
They would only (maybe) give you someone to go with you, not for you.
Given I can’t walk without issues right now, how is an inaccessible support considered giving me support?
And even if you got that support it was meant to be a stop gap while they teach you how to shop online. Online groceries are not the same as in person. Less selection, no end of day discounts etc. Remember, human rights means that people with a disability are supposed to have equal opportunity in society.
Limited selection of products and shops while paying fees for the “luxury” is not equal.
I am the person with the disability, not the organisation, not the state, not the support worker. This means I know my needs better than you do. I do not need to be capacity built. The only way you can capacity build me is to cure ME/CFS, but unfortunately we’ve got decades of calling a physical illness a psychological problem to overcome before we get any real medical research. It won’t happen in my lifetime.
In my opinion capacity building is a very ancient and out of date way to look at disability. It should be available as an option where it is relevant for individuals, but making it the default, the basis of all supports, is incredibly ignorant. Many many disabled people know HOW to do things, but our disabilities have … wait for it …. DISABLED US … we just cannot do the thing anymore.
I know how to do grocery shopping. I cannot do it anymore. This is not a complex concept.
Support organisations need to stop centering what their perception of disability needs are and listen to the person. Again, this should not be a wild concept.
The only place I have seen the problems with capacity building (and related issues) mentioned is in Emerge’s submission to the government on general supports, which is really good and I highly recommend that everyone reads.
I don’t even get any disability supports and I fucking hate all of them. What chance do I have in maintaining my quality of life?
