With elections looming this year and with accessibility to vote further challenged by COVID-19, PDA is interested to hear about issues that you have personally faced in previous elections – whether at a polling station, early voting centre, via telephone, postal or AEC voting.
We encourage you all to participate in our short survey so that we can ensure that all members of the community have equal access to the political process.
Let me take you back in time to the middle of 2021, and please forgive me with timeline, I am old, and I sometimes forget things.
By the end of May, all the reports were lodged with the NDIA by my OT and PM. I then had to wait while they were looked at, dissected, discussed, and according to the Delegate, LOST. You can imagine how that went down with me. I wasn’t impressed at all. My OT had to upload the Complex Home Modification Request (CHM) again, adding yet more wait time.
In the middle of October, yes, five months later, I received a phone call from yet another Delegate telling me that I needed to upload the OT CHM again, as they “couldn’t find it on the system” Well, you can imagine how that went down with me, so I insisted that the Delegate send me this request by email in accordance with my NDIS File stating that I only want contact by email.
The email arrived, and I immediately replied to it, stating that I knew that the document was on the system, and I called the Delegate out. I also copied my reply to NDIA CEO Martin Hoffman, NDIA WA State Manager Ed Duncan and his Associate Manager Nathan Hills.
Now bear in mind, this has been ongoing now for 2.3 years. About 30 minutes later I received a phone call from Ed Duncan, wanting to know what was going on. I explained the situation to him, an lo and behold, 6 hours later a new plan dropped into my email, complete with all the funding required to complete the home modifications.
The build began in early November, with me and my wife moving into the backroom of our son’s house for the next 2.5 months.
I had to modify a few things with the design and placement of things as we went along, but overall, I now have a fully accessible house, complete with wide doorways throughout, ramps to the front and back doors, completely redesigned bathroom and laundry, new carport and a fully electric gate to access the back of the house.
As I close out this chapter, I implore you to keep on with gaining access to funding for home modifications. Stick to your plan, research, and know what you want, but mostly, don’t take no for an answer. YOU’VE GOT THIS.
BEFORE PHOTO
DURING PHOTOS
I will follow this up with a VLOG walk through to show the final product.
Stay tuned and stay safe.
So you’ve managed to get hold of rapid antigen test and you’ve tested positive for COVID.
So what do you do now?
IMMEDIATELY ISOLATE.
Call the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080 for information about how to look after yourself when you are sick with COVID-19.
DO NOT CALL 000 for an ambulance UNLESS YOU NEED EMERGENCY SERVICES. Resources are being unnecessarily stretched with a reported half of ambulance call-outs being made by COVID-19 patients not requiring emergency services.
Most people with COVID experience no symptoms (asymptomatic) or mild symptoms which can be managed with over-the-counter medication. Rest, drink lots of water and eat well.
However, please call 000 immediately if you develop severe symptoms such as:
difficulty breathing
oxygen levels less than 92% (when tested with a pulse oximeter)
blue lips or face
pain or pressure in the chest
cold and clammy, or pale and mottled, skin
fainting or collapsing
being confused
becoming difficult to wake up
little or no urine output
coughing up blood.
For help on a State/territory basis (including information, resources and links for more support for people with COVID-19, including when you can leave isolation), go to:
SA – https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/conditions/infectious+diseases/covid-19/testing+and+tracing/information+about+a+positive+result+for+covid-19
TAS – https://www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/keeping-yourself-safe/information-for-positive-cases
You can also find translated information about testing positive for COVID-19 in over 60 languages by going to https://www.health.gov.au/resources/translated/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-people-who-test-positive-for-covid-19-or-are-close-contacts-other-languages
If you think that you may have COVID symptoms or suspect that you may have been exposed to COVID, please do not enter pharmacies, supermarkets or other retail outlets.
Instead please go to a testing clinic or have a family member/friend get you a test and deliver it safely to you.
With rapid antigen tests stocks becoming more readily available at supermarkets and pharmacies in the coming days and weeks, access to home testing will improve.
PDA recently held its AGM, with elections held for the Executive Board positions.
It is with great excitement that we introduce the new PDA Executive Team:
Andrew Fairbairn – President Talia Spooner-Stewart – Vice President Sharon Boyce – Vice President Tim Harte – Treasurer
With such a strong leadership team at its helm, PDA’s future continues to shine bright as it continues to represent and support Australia’s physical disability community.
PDA would also like to thank, recognise and celebrate three incredible outgoing Board Members who have been instrumental in growing and moving forward our organisation:
Liz Reid has completed three successful terms as PDA President and now sits as NT Associate Director. She has played an outstanding role in growing PDA’s presence, recognition and reputation as an important, necessary and valued representative disability organisation on the Australian disability landscape.
Jonathan Shar who did an outstanding job as PDA Treasurer and NSW PDA Director.
Kathryn Lyons who has stepped down from her role as QLD Associate Director.
Both Kathryn and Jonathan have been instrumental as both founding and committee members in the establishment of PDA’s Youth Network and we are grateful that they will continue to be driving forces in its growth.
PDA has big plans moving forwards and looks forward to having its Board and Members play a role in its mission to enable every Australian living with a physical disability to realise their full potential.
Following elections at our recent AGM, we are proud to introduce PDA’s NSW Director Mark Pietsch.
Mark has a a long history of advocacy and lobbying, assisting and leading projects at a grass roots level through to intergovernmental relations.
As a person with a movement disorder, steps are not his friend. As a person who relies on a mix of assistive technology, he strongly pushes for greater consultation with people with physical disabilities in regards to the design of home and living supports funded through the NDIS.
He prides himself on listening, although he is not afraid to speak up for those who struggle to do so themselves.
Mark personally describes himself as “an absolute nerd when it comes to legislation and policy”. With experience in lobbying for change at a ministerial level, his success has been notable in relation to employment supports in the NDIS to assist participants in self-employment and the open market.
He also enjoys collaborating and sharing resources to address equity issues in society.
His personal and business mission is to highlight the abilities of all people and to actively work to reduce barriers faced by the disability community through education, support and connection to resources to assist bridging the equity gap faced by our community.
His values are reflected in the small organisation that he leads, which stands by the mantra and primary values of “integrity, creativity, diversity, community and commitment”.
We are excited to have Mark join the PDA Team and look forward to working with him to make a positive contribution to the Australian physical disability community.
Please join us in welcoming Mark.
Have you registered to join PDA’s AGM this Saturday via Zoom?
We’d love you to join us to hear what we’ve been up to, what our plans are moving forwards and just to be part of the conversation.
PDA Members are invited and encouraged to attend.
It’ll be held via Zoom so, no matter where you are, all you need is a phone or an internet connection and a mobile, laptop, tablet or computer.
3:00pm Sydney/Melbourne/Hobart/Canberra 2:30pm Adelaide 2:00pm Brisbane 1:30pm Darwin 12:00pm Perth
1800 732 674
