NSW,
Australia — 15 people with physical
disabilities from the Northern Beaches, were
asked to leave Parliament House today because
they were deemed to be demonstrating.
They were there as part of
a parliamentary presence, a quiet dignified
regular event, organised by the Physical
Disability Council of NSW aimed to give people
with disabilities access to democracy and to
highlight the needs of people with physical
disabilities in NSW.
As these people with
disabilities had high support needs and little
or no speech they had attached small signs (no
larger than an A4 size piece of paper) to their
wheelchairs and were wearing spotted bandanas
and arm bands. It is for this that they were
deemed to be demonstrating. Not exactly
placards!
How else are people with
high support needs meant to communicate in a
society that would prefer to ignore their
existence? How else are people with high support
needs meant to communicate and participate when
they have poorly funded support services and
programs?
Democracy in NSW is not
available to all its citizens:
- The public gallery at
Parliament House is inaccessible. People who
use wheelchairs used to be able to view
parliament, one at a time only, on the floor
near the Speaker. The time allowed was
dependent upon the number of wheelchair users
wishing to view parliamentary process. This
access has now gone. Instead people who use
wheelchairs are now rotated through to a side
gallery with very limited vision. Again
access is time limited through the limitation
of numbers.
- People without
disabilities can go to view parliament at any
time. It is preferred that people with
disabilities do not attend parliament - this
creates too much inconvenience.
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