VALID Podcast

On the 25th of February, I met up with some people at the 2020 VALiD Having a Say Conference. One of the great things about this conference is that it has different themes every year and this year it was “A Good Life…Are we there yet?”.During my time at the conference I recorded some interviews with members of the Our Voice committee which is an official committee of the Inclusion Australia.Our Voice committee provides advice to the Board on issues that are important to people with intellectual disability, including things like, strategic DECISIONS and policymaking.The members I spoke with were Justin Storen, Heather Forsynth, Bek Touzou, Kalena Bos, and Allycia Staples.During our conversation I was asking them to share their thoughts on the following topics· What does Our Voice committee do?· What does Self-advocacy mean to them?· What does it mean to be a strong self-advocate?· Speaking up, why is it important?I also caught up with Judy Huett and Sonia Hume who were Australian delegates with disabilities who went to the UN Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities in September 2019 in Geneva.It was fantastic hearing about their experience

Having a chat about different advocacy styles and approaches.

John McKenna discusses with Miranda Bruyniks about how the National Disability Insurance Scheme - Quality and Safeguards Commission is travelling.Some of the topics discussedLearning more about the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission... How the Commission is getting the word out there...Early trends on the types of complaints that are being reported...How the NDIS Code of Conduct is important for Services Providers...The Commission has stronger compliance power than other previous complaints bodies...Confusing with pricing structure with some Services Providers...

During the conversation with Olivia Petty, we discussed Why this role was developed by Victoria PoliceHow Victoria Police differentiate between Mental Health Issues & Intellectual Disability (ID) Current relationship between Victoria Police and People with ID Issues currently for Victoria Police when working with People with IDThe difference between criminal behaviour & people with behaviours of concern

When we hear ‘Stay Safe’, many of us may remember hearing these words when we were young. Of course, close friends and family will always give us the reminder, “Hey, stay safe!” In this episode, John McKenna talks with Jon Slingsby from VALID, who is involved in a project that concentrates on the importance of people with intellectual disability feeling safe, with the key message: Abuse & Neglect is not okay! During the interview, we look at the different types of abuse, such as financial abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse & sexual abuse. We also discuss the powerful videos that have been developed by VALID as part of the Staying Safe project. These videos cover what is abuse & neglect by showing examples, how to get help, and how to help others remain safe from abuse & neglect. The videos can be found on VALID’s website, at https://www.valid.org.au/staying-safe-workshop For more information about VALID, visit https://www.valid.org.au/

John McKenna from VALID interviews Professor Gerard Quinn, from the National University of Ireland, who is acknowledged as a world leading authority on international disability law. Gerard was instrumental in developing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.He was recently invited to Australia in March 2019 by Deakin University to do a series of presentations. John & Gerard discuss how other countries are looking at topics such as guardianship, supported decision making, and how other countries are also looking closely at the development of our National Disability Insurance Scheme.For more information on VALID, please visit www.valid.org.au

Many Victorians who are involved in disability and in particular have interacted with the Department of Health and Human Services will most likely be very familiar with the name Arthur Rogers. For those who haven’t heard of Arthur, he has held leadership roles within the Victorian Government in disability, social housing, and is currently the Victorian Disability Services Commissioner.If you’ve ever had a chance to meet with Arthur, I’m sure you will agree he is a strong advocate for independent choice and the inclusion of people with a disability.John McKenna from VALID sat down with Arthur at VALID’s Having A Say Conference in February 2019. During John's interview with Arthur, he reflected on a personal level about what he’s seen and how the disability landscape has evolved.Arthur and John covered the National Disability Insurance Scheme; the impacts of institutions on people’s lives; and his thoughts on the importance of self-advocacy – looking back and looking forward.For more information about VALID, please visit www.valid.org.au

John McKenna, host of the VALID Podcast, is chatting with Robert Martin, who was over from New Zealand attending the 20th anniversary of the VALID Having A Say Conference, which took place in February 2019.Robert is the first person with an intellectual disability to sit on a United Nations Committee. His role on the UN Committee is to monitor State Parties implementation of the Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities.Robert led the charge to close institutions in New Zealand and took the fight all around the world. For more information about VALID, the website is www.valid.org.au