Australia has always been a sought-after destination for immigrants, consistently increasing immigration over the past decade.
In the 2022-2023 period, 790,670 people obtained permanent visas, and 620,480 individuals became Australian citizens.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Immigrants coming to Australia are from diverse nations including India, Bhutan, Nepal, the Philippines, Vietnam, various African countries, and China. In addition to this self-immigration, Australia has aided humanitarian entrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Myanmar.
With the entry of new residents, there comes an obligation under the NDIS to recognise and address the needs of the CaLD communities regarding their disabilities. Language barriers are an obvious challenge, but equally important are the cultural beliefs and attitudes towards disabilities within CALD communities.
In some cultures, there's a stigma associated with disabilities, often stemming from beliefs that the impairment is self-inflicted, a result of family wrongdoing, magic, or ancestral sins. Disabilities may also be viewed as individual conditions, not genetic predisposition, often eliciting feelings of pity or sympathy.
Also, individuals with disabilities in some cultures may be shielded from the outside world by their families, confined to institutions, or restricted from full community participation due to resource limitations such as lack of adaptive equipment, accessible transportation, and support services. Disabilities can be seen as unwelcome within some cultures.
There are moves in different nations for acceptance of people living with disabilities striving for positive changes often by endorsing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Advocates for individuals with disabilities have been pushing for inclusive participation across society. China, for example passed several acts in their constitution from 1982 onwards providing general protection to people living with disabilities. There are also now organisations within China for the deaf, blind, physically handicapped, intellectual disabilities and people living with mental health.
It's important to recognise that the concept of disability spans a spectrum of physical, psychosocial, sensory, neurological, and intellectual impairments, which are differently understood even within communities. Societal perceptions of disability may differ significantly among smaller communities, sometimes being unfamiliar to certain cultural groups.
From our LAC experience files: an older CaLD lady with early onset dementia, who was being cared for by her son and daughter-in-law. When they applied to the NDIS, we explored the possibility of finding staff who would align with their cultural norms. However, they were hesitant to accept these supports because they feared social repercussions within their Australian community. The son expressed concern that his mother would face ostracism and gossip. Consequently, he preferred support from outside their community, but language barriers made this challenging. Facing these obstacles, the son attempted to use his mother's NDIS funding to hire his wife as the support worker. However, this request was denied by the NDIS, despite having statements and reports from allied health in his mother’s life, outlining the cultural issues. As a result, the daughter-in-law continued to care for her mother-in-law, and the NDIS core supports funding remained unused.
Talking to another mother from a (CaLD) background who was seeking NDIS support for her autistic son was enlightening. She shared that neither her nor her husband's family accepted the diagnosis; in fact, they blamed her for bearing a son with problems. Consequently, her husband left the family home, initiated divorce proceedings, and returned to their country of origin, leaving her and her son alone in a new country without any support. Despite facing these challenges, the woman showed remarkable strength. She managed to adapt to her new life, successfully gained access to the NDIS for her son, and began making progress through NDIS supports to develop strategies for his well-being. |
In response to the growing (CaLD) communities in Australia, the NDIS has collaborated on an action plan tailored to address particular needs. The co-design process involved participation from over 800 individuals with disabilities from CaLD backgrounds, along with their families, carers, advocacy groups, and service providers.
The action plan emphasises six key priorities:
Infrastructure: Enhancing systems and processes to better accommodate the needs of CaLD participants.
Staff capability: Empowering staff with the necessary skills to effectively address the cultural requirements of participants.
Accessible communications: Ensuring information dissemination aligns with the preferred communication methods of CaLD communities.
Markets: Supporting NDIS providers in delivering services that meet the cultural expectations of CaLD participants, families, and carers.
Data: Utilising data insights to enhance services tailored to CaLD participants.
Outreach: Extending support and services to educate and engage with CaLD communities that have yet to access the NDIS.
This is seen as step into the right direction as there are barriers to the CaLD communities accessing the NDIS, understanding their funding and finding supports that can work within their cultural specifics.
In our post Benefits of a diverse workforce - we also mentioned that having support staff from CaLD communities, can greatly enhance your potential to work with diverse communities that make up Australia.
If you would like to read the full NDIS plan, please hit the link below:
We wish you well, as always
The Lama Care Team
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