a life more ordinary what does it mean lets unpack disability jargon
This is the first
thing we need to know is what is an ordinary life as we have content creators
and YouTubers as a legitimate career option these days, we are also seeing
that lives are mostly lived online and people who choose to on their weekends
go hiking, canoeing or fishing are called extreme, I know that there is such a
thing as extreme hiking where you go long distances with very little prep and
the city version is to go urban exploring ( generally at night or in abandoned palaces
to find interesting things.
In Australia we don’t have much scope for extreme hiking due
to the heat and cold but long distance is definitely a thing, but we then get
to what is an ordinary life when it comes to disability and this is straight from
the NDIS website, about life more ordinary,
and how they use it to decide support’s and this then goes into we need
to know what is a disability.
“An ordinary life is a life
where you have the same opportunities as people without a disability. An
ordinary life is typical or usual for everyone in modern-day Australia. It’s a
life where you can pursue your potential and participate in society on an equal
basis with others.
Ordinary life will be different
for different people. We are all different and come from different cultures and
backgrounds. We each have our values, experiences, beliefs and goals.
But some common things can
improve the quality of our lives and help us participate equally. These are the
things, such as the following, that make up an ordinary life:
- Positive relationships – with families
and informal support networks.
- Individual autonomy – being free and
independent, and having the same opportunities as people without
disability.
- Active involvement in decision-making –
including the ability to make meaningful decisions, and exercise choice
and control.
- Using your strengths in ways that provide
a challenge and enjoyment.
- A sense of belonging – to our families,
friendship networks, communities, workplaces and society.
- Active involvement and contribution to
society and your community.
An ‘ordinary life’ in the
context of the NDIS involves supporting you to:
- have and maintain good relationships.
- belong and participate in your community.
- be involved in making choices about your
own life.
One way we can help you have an
ordinary life is to support you in accessing mainstream, community or informal support
wherever possible. These are the usual supports that everyone in the community
uses.
When we fund reasonable and
necessary support under the NDIS, we need to make sure they meet the NDIS funding criteria.
When we apply the NDIS funding criteria and make
decisions about reasonable and necessary supports, we’re guided by the
principles in the law for the NDIS. We also consider how the support will best
help you to live an ordinary life.”
We see that it means many different things to different
people and that can be, depending on culture, age, and ability this is where
the NDIS steps in depending on the severity of your condition or disability and
I am confused as to why ADHD isn’t on the list as it is considered a health
condition, not a disability but most people with a very disabling form of ADHD
do need support or they do end up interacting with the criminal justice system.
It is not on the list of primary
conditions to qualify for the NDIS as it
is considered a health condition and that it can be treated or managed with medications
or talk therapies but I know that sometimes that isn’t enough to stop bad
decisions and this means that people with ADHD are more likely to have bad
relationships with others and need the support that they can’t access to stop
them making bad decisions.
But this is
for people with a disability means having age-appropriate care, not being stuck
in a hospital or other clinical environment that isn’t conducive to having an ordinary
life, such as attending a Day centre, working or studying, or gaining life skills
through a live-in live skills college such as steps colleges that teach life
skills to people with disabilities.
I know in
the past I have been down on day centres but it is just a matter of finding the
one that suits you and your needs for someone who has sensory issues a big loud
day centre with music and a house café might not be for you, but a community centre
type day centre where you can drop in and do activities at your own pace might be
more your thing, so don’t rule them out.
Now with work, it can be a trickier subject as
you need to consider the impact of your disability, on what type of work you
can do, we need to be honest with ourselves around this as well, but thinking
about what you like and can do you could work with a support worker to help you
to find a job that suits you and to take you to it. I am seeing a lot of people with a disability
turn to the internet to do content creation since they can do it on their terms
as there is still a lot of disability stigma around what people can and can’t
do if they have a disability.
We are also
seeing “Group homes” becoming Sil houses to Support independent living and this
being that they are much more centred around the people who live in them rather
than structured blocks of time and have more medical models.
A Group
home was the precursor to a SIL home and could at times be challenging places
to live in due to the combination of clients and their needs, as they could be very behavioural at times
with negative behaviours that at times may not have been managed well, we also
see that it was managed on a very strict
time schedule, so we see that this transition to supported independent living,
where the focus is on independence and not structure. So, teaching life skills
and abilities,
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