Centrepay

[Angel]

Good grief, Kathryn, do you know anyone in Australia who is genuinely disabled and receiving the DSP? or their carer? Then you might know how incredibly difficult it is to meet the criteria. You might also discover how incredibly hard an uphill battle it is to receive adequate treatments and services. The community has a plethora of services to support families affected by Cancer, but that's about as far as the help goes. We face enough discrimination from the wider public without getting it from our friends and colleagues, such as here on this community. If you don't know what autism is, take a look on Channel 9's Current Affairs website from a few weeks ago and see how awful life is for a family experiencing this disorder. And in case you think the single mother should have a husband, go find him. Last time I was involved in supporting families affected by autism, 70% of fathers flew the coup.

Anyone who has been conscious for the past year would have noticed the Federal Govt cracking down on DSP recipients who claim to have a "bad back". We take offence at your statements because they are both ill-informed and come across as suggesting everyone on a pension is rorting. Go back and read your first few posts in this thread.

 

[kathryn d]

Good grief, Kathryn, do you know anyone in Australia who is genuinely disabled and receiving the DSP? or their carer? Then you might know how incredibly difficult it is to meet the criteria. You might also discover how incredibly hard an uphill battle it is to receive adequate treatments and services. The community has a plethora of services to support families affected by Cancer, but that's about as far as the help goes. We face enough discrimination from the wider public without getting it from our friends and colleagues, such as here on this community. If you don't know what autism is, take a look on Channel 9's Current Affairs website from a few weeks ago and see how awful life is for a family experiencing this disorder. And in case you think the single mother should have a husband, go find him. Last time I was involved in supporting families affected by autism, 70% of fathers flew the coup.

Anyone who has been conscious for the past year would have noticed the Federal Govt cracking down on DSP recipients who claim to have a "bad back". We take offence at your statements because they are both ill-informed and come across as suggesting everyone on a pension is rorting. Go back and read your first few posts in this thread.

With all due respect Angel, I do know what autism can look like.Just because someone is diagnosed, doesn't mean they can't hold a job.
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Se...Management/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=66015
When I was growing up, a person would know maybe one or two people who would be considered disabled, but now they seem to be popping out of the woodwork.Why? I'd suggest because there is a payment involved.

No, I don't personally know anyone in Australia who is claiming to be disabled.
I know people who have ailments and still work.

Maybe it is more of how we are raised and the work ethic.

In Canada, I worked with a woman who had custody of her autistic grandson.She and her husband worked fulltime.(sadly, the grandson died 3 weeks ago, age 5)

Obviously it isn't too hard to get disability, as you have heard from others on this thread, who are able to collect and still have 'cash' jobs.


EDIT: I'd be curious, if the system was set up a different way, what the result would be. If anyone who is disabled, is required to go to a 'care facilty' since it might be more cost effective. This would allow families to bring home loved ones during weekends,holidays, and vacations. If the numbers go down?

My baby sister was born disabled, and they wanted my parents to institutionalize her, and they refused. She lived with us until she died and they received no extra government benefits.

 

[Angel]

Employment
A small percentage of high-functioning adults are able to work successfully in mainstream jobs, although frequently far below their actual level of skills and qualification. Employers should take advantage of the individual's strengths and abilities. In A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, the authors describe three employment possibilities: competitive, supported, and secure or sheltered.

Competitive employment is the most independent, with no offered support in the work environment. Some have even managed self-employment. Individuals with Asperger Syndrome may be successful in careers that require focus on details but have limited social interaction with colleagues, such as computer sciences. Supported employment is a system of support that allows individuals to have paid employment within the community, sometimes as part of a mobile crew, or in a job specifically developed for the person. In secure or sheltered employment, an individual is guaranteed a job in a facility-based setting. Individuals in secure settings generally also receive work skills and behavior training.
The Internet has often been said to be a good means of communication since it is almost devoid of the non-verbal cues that people with ASDs find hard to socially engage. To locate employment options, begin by contacting agencies that may be of help, such as state employment offices, social services offices, mental health departments, and disability-specific organizations.



That is a direct quote from the article you linked to, Kathryn. I challenge you to find my son a job, any job. He has a drivers licence but no car.

The conditions: he has a sleep disorder and relies on medication to both get him to sleep and then to wake up. This will affect what time of day or night he can work.

He has several allergies which meant he left his last place of employment after six months as a cleaner in an unventilated place. The job made him sicker than he already was.

He is emotionally attached to his house and cannot leave home at this time. We are working on that. He is partly dependant on me, his carer. It will have to be in a location that he can catch a bus to or walk to. The last bus home from the city is 9pm.


Off you go.....

 

[kathryn d]

Employment
A small percentage of high-functioning adults are able to work successfully in mainstream jobs, although frequently far below their actual level of skills and qualification. Employers should take advantage of the individual's strengths and abilities. In A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, the authors describe three employment possibilities: competitive, supported, and secure or sheltered.

Competitive employment is the most independent, with no offered support in the work environment. Some have even managed self-employment. Individuals with Asperger Syndrome may be successful in careers that require focus on details but have limited social interaction with colleagues, such as computer sciences. Supported employment is a system of support that allows individuals to have paid employment within the community, sometimes as part of a mobile crew, or in a job specifically developed for the person. In secure or sheltered employment, an individual is guaranteed a job in a facility-based setting. Individuals in secure settings generally also receive work skills and behavior training.
The Internet has often been said to be a good means of communication since it is almost devoid of the non-verbal cues that people with ASDs find hard to socially engage. To locate employment options, begin by contacting agencies that may be of help, such as state employment offices, social services offices, mental health departments, and disability-specific organizations.



That is a direct quote from the article you linked to, Kathryn. I challenge you to find my son a job, any job. He has a drivers licence but no car.

The conditions: he has a sleep disorder and relies on medication to both get him to sleep and then to wake up. This will affect what time of day or night he can work.

He has several allergies which meant he left his last place of employment after six months as a cleaner in an unventilated place. The job made him sicker than he already was.

He is emotionally attached to his house and cannot leave home at this time. We are working on that. He is partly dependant on me, his carer. It will have to be in a location that he can catch a bus to or walk to. The last bus home from the city is 9pm.


Off you go.....

I don't think you and I are disagreeing.

Obviously if your son is truly disabled...like I have continously said..he deserves a disability payment.

In a more general sense, if someone is able to drive a car, take buses independantly, and other things, there are probably jobs that cater to this type of issue.
....who knows, I could be wrong...I've been told I've been wrong before

 

[Nemo30]

With all due respect Angel, I do know what autism can look like.Just because someone is diagnosed, doesn't mean they can't hold a job.

You are right, a diagnosis by itself doesnt mean someone on the Autism spectrum cant hold a job.

But that doesn't mean that Autism should be disregarded as a reason to be granted a disability pension. A person should be assessed on an individual level by a person qualified to make a decision about whether someone is fit to work or not.

I know two people on the Autism spectrum -

1 - my husband has Aspergers. He has two degrees and is extremely intelligent. He has worked every day of his adult life and would never dream of accessing welfare, nor does he need to.

2. My friends 16yo son. He has Autism and is profoundly disabled. He goes to a special school. His prospects for independent living are low.

No one is saying that just because someone has an illness they need to access welfare - that would be ridiculous. But it should be there for people who genuinely need it and the medical profession are in the best place to make that decision.

 

[Angel]

I don't think you and I are disagreeing.

Obviously if your son is truly disabled...like I have continously said..he deserves a disability payment.

In a more general sense, if someone is able to drive a car, take buses independantly, and other things, there are probably jobs that cater to this type of issue.
....who knows, I could be wrong...I've been told I've been wrong before

OK< all is forgiven.

For what it's worth, we were sent application forms to go onto DSP a month before his 16th birthday as was the norm that many years ago. Apparently he wouldn't have qualified but we didn't know that at the time. I was outraged that the govt would assume a school kid goes onto a pension. The official theory was that students with disabilities were supposed to leave school at 16 and go onto a pension??? His cousin who has Cerebal Palsy and has quadriplegia is a straight A student with a degree, and used to get sent letters from CL every so often asking if she is cured yet or not. We never gave it another thought (the DSP application) until he was in his 20s, after TAFE and finding a job without the aid of a DEA, and his first paying job didn't work out. The employer arranged for Centrelink to go through the process of putting him onto DSP.

He wants to find another job now. In November he started approaching local DE agencies who told him they cant help him unless he has a job number from Centrelink. It is now March and they are still passing the buck from each other and he still isn't able to access a Disability Employment Agency who has successful experience placing Aspies. CL did try sending him to a service that assists deaf people, he didn't go to the first interview as it was the day of the cyclone and their office was closed. He has tried to sort it himself and will be following up again this week.... Hence my comments to Geoff about requiring a Centrelink Number.

 

[kathryn d]

OK< all is forgiven.

For what it's worth, we were sent application forms to go onto DSP a month before his 16th birthday as was the norm that many years ago. Apparently he wouldn't have qualified but we didn't know that at the time. I was outraged that the govt would assume a school kid goes onto a pension. The official theory was that students with disabilities were supposed to leave school at 16 and go onto a pension??? His cousin who has Cerebal Palsy and has quadriplegia is a straight A student with a degree, and used to get sent letters from CL every so often asking if she is cured yet or not. We never gave it another thought (the DSP application) until he was in his 20s, after TAFE and finding a job without the aid of a DEA, and his first paying job didn't work out. The employer arranged for Centrelink to go through the process of putting him onto DSP.

He wants to find another job now. In November he started approaching local DE agencies who told him they cant help him unless he has a job number from Centrelink. It is now March and they are still passing the buck from each other and he still isn't able to access a Disability Employment Agency who has successful experience placing Aspies. CL did try sending him to a service that assists deaf people, he didn't go to the first interview as it was the day of the cyclone and their office was closed. He has tried to sort it himself and will be following up again this week.... Hence my comments to Geoff about requiring a Centrelink Number.

Seems the government/ employers are also in a hurry to add people to a pension.
Not very encouraging, from a taxpayers point of view, is it?

 

[Crabnet]

Seems the government/ employers are also in a hurry to add people to a pension.
Not very encouraging, from a taxpayers point of view, is it?

Well the DSP for a single person under 18 living at home is $338.40 per fortnight.
Far cheaper than if they were sent to an institution. That's why the "Government" have programs to support young people who need care to be able to stay in the Community and attend "normal" schools if possible. Although according to their activists it's not enough.

 

[Ed Barton]

So much fuss about people with disabilities when the govt pays out far more to support families with able bodied kids.

 

[kathryn d]

So much fuss about people with disabilities when the govt pays out far more to support families with able bodied kids.

well, let's come up with solutions for this one too, shall we?

Here's one of mine:
Single mums collecting welfare-they get a job instead, and child care payments be reimbursed (up to a limit) They could also find a single mum to live with them, and provide them free housing in exchange for babysitting duties.Or they could provide childcare in their homes for other families.(like I did when my kids were little)

your turn

 

[kathryn d]

So much fuss about people with disabilities when the govt pays out far more to support families with able bodied kids.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...welfare-payments/story-fn7x8me2-1226346312473

I just came across this...so it is hopeful things will improve.

 

[Crabnet]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...welfare-payments/story-fn7x8me2-1226346312473

I just came across this...so it is hopeful things will improve.

They've changed the existing 13-week restriction on overseas travel down to 6 weeks before pension entitlements are affected.
The other measure moves some people on Parenting Payments to Newstart Allowance.

 

[Ed Barton]

well, let's come up with solutions for this one too, shall we?

Here's one of mine:
Single mums collecting welfare-they get a job instead, and child care payments be reimbursed (up to a limit) They could also find a single mum to live with them, and provide them free housing in exchange for babysitting duties.Or they could provide childcare in their homes for other families.(like I did when my kids were little)

your turn

Get rid of (or severely means test) the baby bonus and family tax benefits.