Rights for people with disability in the Act

Section 4 of the Act sets out the principles that give people with disability the right to:

• respect for their worth and dignity as individuals
• participate in, and contribute to, social and economic life and should be supported to develop and enhance their skills and experience,
• realise their physical, social, sexual, reproductive, emotional and intellectual capacities
• make decisions, as other members of the community do, that affect their lives (including decisions involving risk) to the full extent of their capacity to so and to be supported in making those decisions if they want or require support
• respect for their cultural and linguistic diversity, age, gender, sexual orientation and religious beliefs
• have their privacy and confidentiality respected
• live free from neglect, abuse and exploitation
• access information in a way that is appropriate for their disability and cultural background, and enables them to make informed choices
• pursue complaints, as other members of the community do
• have acknowledgement of, and respect for, the crucial role of families, carers and other significant persons in the lives of people with disability, and the importance of preserving relationships with families and carers and other significant persons
• have respect for the needs of children with disability as they mature, and their rights as equal members of the community
• respect for the changing abilities, strengths, goals and needs of people with disability as they age.

Rights for specific groups of people with disability

Section 5 of the Act sets out more principles that recognise the needs of particular groups of people with disability. These include:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• minority cultural and linguistic groups
• women
• children.

Ensuring the right people follow the principles

Section 6 tells service providers and other organisations, whose work fits under the Act, to follow these principles. This includes government agencies who must prepare disability inclusion action plans.

Question 2:

Do the general principles in section 4 and section 5 of the Act sufficiently cover the principles guiding modern practice and policy for people with disability?

Are there additional principles that you think should be added here or some that should be removed?