Public Rally 2009

On November 13th, Black Friday, we parents of RASAID took our six-year-long private fight with politicians and bureaucrats public.

Our call to action read:

'For the past six years, we have been lobbying and negotiating with the NSW state government for a specifically designed residential cluster of homes. Despite bipartisan support from politicians at all levels of government, and encouragement from bureaucrats and the general public, we are no closer to securing a certain future for our sons and daughters.'

'We call upon the NSW government to:

• Immediately approve and build the proposed cluster development for our adult children and to provide recurrent funding for their ongoing care;
• Legislate for the rights of people with dependent disabilities to have supported accommodation by the age of 25 years;
• Abandon the Vacancy Management Policy which breaks down communities and families, and prevents any future planning for individuals with dependent disabilities;
• Support the federal government’s initiative of introducing the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which will provide funding for disability services in the future.'

Teresa Russell, a friend of RASAID, acted as MC for the rally. She said:

'These families are reluctant public protesters. They have more strength, courage, endurance and optimism in the face of adversity than the rest of us, because they have to. They’ve spent decades caring for their moderately or severely intellectually disabled, as well as often physically disabled sons and daughters.

RASAID families bucked the trend when their children were diagnosed with profound disabilities at birth or in the first few years of life some 24 to 50 years ago. They took their children home and have brought them up in loving families, saving the government at least 3.2 million man-hours of care. The parents are in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and yes – even late 80’s and are unable to continue.

They’ve been lobbying the government to build a cluster of homes in the Ryde area so they can transition their adult children into suitable accommodation before they themselves die, or before they hit the crisis that they are all limping towards.

If a society must be judged by the way in which it treats its most disadvantaged members, then the fact that this rally has had to be called means that we, and the governments we have elected, have failed.'

The speakers were:

Lyn Allen - founder and vice president of RASAID – and mother of Dean (Lyn's speech transcript).

Jenny Rollo – president of RASAID and mother of David (Jenny's speech transcript).

Estelle Shields – a prolific and feisty letter writer, member of RASAID and mother of Daniel (Estelle's speech transcript).

Sarah – one of the adult children of RASAID who wants to move into this cluster of homes, once it is built.

Katrina Clark – An active member of the Association for Children with a Disability NSW and author of a 2006 discussion paper called, Supported Accommodation for all who need it: A reality, not a dream.

Mary-Lou Carter – who ran for the Carers’ Alliance party at the last federal election; and

Andrew Constance – State member for Bega and shadow Minister for Ageing and Disability Services in the NSW parliament.

We won’t be silenced. We will continue with our public campaign to pressure the government until they build our sons and daughters a suitable place to live so that we can retire and die in peace.