Why disability is not a popular topic?

This is a common sense issue I share my lifestyle experiences about my disabilities and how the society treats me. My voice and the others' voices who have disabilities are not usually being heard in the mainstream media. Why people with disabilities have highest suicide rates in the world? (Disabled World, 2014).

Because we are different. Our behaviour, speech, reactions, thoughts and perspectives are different to the 'norm'. The mainstream society influence is not inclusive of having the diversity of perspectives. That why disability topic is easily forgotten in our daily topics especially within social networks, the parliament/congress and our media articles. One thing I determine this a truth of why people with disabilities are not usually confident to speak out sharing their experiences and perspectives. This is because the mainstream society and media in general is not confident to share communication with the disabled people.

Why we not including subtitles in the films? Why buildings doesn't have accessible ramps for wheelchairs and mobility scooters? Why the parliament is not considering a reform for social license for the businesses to hire people with disabilities? Why the media have no intentions to share personal perspectives of what having a disability means for the person?

There are so many questions among the topic of disability. Other 'diversity' themes basing on gender, same sex marriage and that are always been discussed in everyday life. This seems the world is forgetting about the more important part of our life is the handicapped population. Over 1 billion people on our beautiful planet have a disability (UN WHO, 2016). Why we don't talk about this? This is something I have learned so much is COMMUNICATION. This is what I observed in the past year among the conversations with my friends and the community groups I involve in. Speaking about communication strategies, the issues and solutions around rarely mentioned. This influence continues the segregation of the disabled individuals and communities away from the society and communities.

I am not going to blame the other awareness identity organisations that who dominates the conversations, but it about how the society sees. The mainstream media always pick up easily of debatable and criticised topics basing on beliefs. The ideologies of religions and other faiths focus on same-sex marriage, the refugees and women's participation in the society. From my perspective, this is NOT a most important discussion/topic of general life. I see the disability, the chronic and mental illnesses issues are highly important than worrying about other issues. It about improving the accessibility, awareness and communication for our building inclusive communities. The society designed for people with disabilities, chronic and mental illnesses means also inclusive for other identities and who are not disabled.

For example, build an accessible ramp for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Does this mean able-bodied people can't use them? Well, think hard. There are NO laws saying that the non-disabled people can't use these accessible ramps. What about captioning of television shows, films and meetings? People speaking in your own language is very accessible for the captioning because the deaf people speak the same language. You can read them if you want? Again, its inclusive for everyone.

We need to build a community, society and globe that supports people with disabilities, chronic and mental health illnesses. The design suits for everyone who is also able-bodied. This perspective is easy, and encouraging for inclusive community development. If we don't design the world that is inclusive, the debate of women's rights, same-sex marriage and so on will never be resolved. There is a correlation between disability awareness and communication awareness (IDRS 2009). Why this is a correlation? If we try to understand the different aspects of the person, like a type of disability. It all about through communication. Understanding the awareness means you will learn new about the communication strategies. This will go onto other awareness especially women's rights, same-sex marriage, the refugees and that because people in these identities also have disabilities too.

In aforesaid words, if we build a sustainable community that designs for people with disabilities. Like social housing. A affordable, accessible and inclusive destination. This will be accessible for other vulnerable people especially for homeless, cultural and low income earners. The sustainability around this platform of inclusive community also means accessible for able-bodied people. Access paths, community services, shopping, sports and other points of interests are all inclusive.

I demand the politics to build a reform for people with disabilities, chronic and mental health illness speaking their experiences in the parliament. We need a true leadership basing on experiences and knowledge rather than a leadership on others experiences. We have seen the ministers of disabilities and community development solely based on no experiences. Yet still, Australia ranks last in OECD countries in disability lifestyle.

Feelings being on the spectrum

Being on Autism Spectrum is very challenging because it is so difficult to maintain conversations, understanding people's boundaries, knowing what is 'right' or 'wrong' and the key asks of relationships/friendships. The social rules and communication objectives is very assuming and seen as negative.

I have been through workshops about understanding the rules of different relationships. Most of them are just incredibly different for me to understand when and which are the right classifications. My language ability to this has also affected. I have missed a lot of language skills when I grew up because no one understood what was wrong with me at younger age.

It is also very frustrating, stressful and tiring for a person on the Autism Spectrum to figure things out what is right because he/she is trying to find something that he/she wanted to do. For instance, want to hang out with a group of friends, or wanting to go on a date etc. The person on the spectrum does not realise the key areas from the other people do not understand what I may have missed. Like, what kind of relationship are we having?

The conversations part is another challenge because the social rules are diverse and being mixed bag due to different cultures, and various backgrounds. This adds further pressure on my ability to interact and hang out with people that I always wanted. Likewise many people on the spectrum are seen as 'negative' but also seen as 'positively talented' due to intelligence in science and modern world. The key areas of social and communication is immature and pragmatic.
The downside of having Autism is the non-clinical anxiety and depression because the various impacts on making people uncomfortable is not seen from the perspective of autistic person. This leads to socially exclusive or antisocial behaviour. The pressure between the autistic and the non-autistic person is the perspective difference. The written rules are not mirrored from each others, hence one party will feel uncomfortable while the other party doesn't understand why he/she feeling uncomfortable.

This comes lost in translation due to passive communication from the society about wanting to learn the difference between two perspectives. This is a sign of social segregation where the assumptions are being made. This places stigma on autistic people where they are seen unemployable, undateable or unfriendly.

Why I want an investigation for Employment Services?

Why I want an investigation for Employment Services?

I have been a client to Epic Assist, the employment service via Centrelink’s DES provider since February this year, and recently been with Max Employment during the year of 2013 and 2014. My purpose to be with them is to get a job because of my struggle to find employment despite writing several applications in time finding volunteer, temp roles and internships.

Employment agencies are meant to help their clients to get a job? Or it just their jobs to help their applications? I have no outcomes from any employment agencies I have been with. It is very frustrating for such qualified and experienced young adult with disabilities. Writing applications can be time consuming, emotionally draining and feeling marginalised. High number of rejections, at the same time of very slow process of help from the employment agencies there no results would help me to gain further career experience.

I see that employment agencies are also job seekers before they land their own jobs. They are there to get paid to have clients, then do nothing much about it. They sit at their computer screens all day emailing, phone calling like a marketer, they don’t provide results for people like in my situation. I find having employment agencies, especially linked with Centrelink without having successful results is such a waste of taxpayers’ money. I feel ashamed to be a client wasting someone’s taxpayer money because I didn’t get a job through them.

Why employment agents want to do their jobs? It because they want to sit there and get paid, not having an achievable results for their clients. Most of the available jobs through them are at lower class level. You can explain why we have massive youth and disability unemployment percentages here in Queensland, and in Australia. This is because the employers/recruiters have higher power than employment services to hire someone.

People who are young and disabled are easily marginalised and stigmatised by the mainstream society because the way what they expect they get is different. Getting a job at McDonald’s, or a café is not a career pathway for talented, intelligent and highly qualified young people. People with disabilities are also vulnerable at this level too. Employment agencies, especially the DES providers do not have enough outcomes to achieve the disabled people to get employed. Why? Again, it’s the employers’ power of who to recruit for the roles.

In my experience, all employment agents I have been through told me they only help me to apply jobs. Nothing else. They also told me they don’t find me a job, or get the network to help me to find a potential employer. This made me thinking what is the purpose employment services is trying to do here? They are just to make money because these agents applied jobs who were once in same situations as many vulnerable people were. I have written several and several hundreds of job applications independently for years. I only achieved one job interview more recently. I did this application on my own, without help from the employment agent.

So applying jobs and being with an employment agency it does not prove any different results. I still get rejected, since the fact I said my agents doesn’t have a power of an employer/recruiter to hire someone. The results still ineffective for a job seeker who is having trouble to find a secured employment, especially in long-term.

I demand to serious federal investigation of the employment agencies across the country because of their ineffective results and achievements to their clients, including myself. I am extremely frustrated and angry at how they treat their clients. Are we, as clients, being a dollar sign to the agencies? 

Written by Mathew Townsend. An advocate for Sustainable Development and Diversity Inclusion

Recognising Autism

Have you ever heard of Autism? This article will you get an idea what Autism is. There is a range of spectrum from mild to severe in terms of diagnosis. Having Autism doesn't mean they cannot do everything. High functioning Autism, new term from 'Asperger's Syndrome' is a highest diagnosis of the Autism spectrum in the world.

Many days I learned more about myself, it helps my family and friends to learn more about myself too. The action of perspectives is easily challenging for someone on the spectrum. For those who couldn't understand the perspective usually assumptive or actively seeking clarification.

These are some of the things that I learned myself personally on a high functioning side of the spectrum. These points are useful to seek clarification or identify someone who would be on the spectrum. May you may if you are a natural systemiser:

• You may prefer your own company to being with others or being in a crowd
• You may be drawn towards intelligent people or those with which you have a common interest or hobby
• You may really dislike areas of confrontation, especially where there is an authority figure
• You may like routine and react if it has to be changed
• You may have very high principles and dislike it if others seem to break the rules
• You may have a very keen sense of fair play
• You many feel very comfortable with written instructions, preferring them to verbal
• You may sometimes feel overloaded with emotional input and feel like retreating for a while
• You may sometimes avoid doing things that need doing as it can feel overwhelming
• You may have a diagnosis of dyspraxia or dyslexia
• You might feel a bit socially isolated as though you don’t ‘fit in’ somehow
• You may notice difficulty with eye contact…too much or too little
• You may get really angry sometimes and go into ‘melt down’ or system overload when things get too much
• You may have allergies like asthma or eczema that are related to stress
• You may react inappropriately in some situations, perhaps crying instead of laughing
• You may have a quirky sense of humour, perhaps enjoying practical jokes
• You may have exceptional talent in areas like computing, music, art or design
• You may have a very good memory for detail
• You may collect facts or figures
• You may collect and display as part of a hobby or interest
• You may take people literally
• It may be difficult to imagine something or imagine being in someone else’s shoes
• You might think of yourself as a straight line thinker or thinking in binary
• You may have trouble discussing emotions or emotional issues
• You may have a high pain threshold or be oversensitive to noise or touch
• You may have had a feeling of not fitting in at school or felt bullied
• Being in a social setting may feel exhausting
• You may have difficulty on the telephone, not being sure when it is your turn to speak
• You may have a love of music and react strongly to it

I hope this is very helpful for you :)