The Commission’s second hearing is all about accommodation

The spotlight will be on all service providers who focus on accommodation. And rightly so.

disabilityroyalcommissionupdate
November 25, 2019

At Aruma (formerly House with No Steps and The Tipping Foundation), we believe that the Disability Royal Commission is Australia’s opportunity to raise the bar much higher when it comes to valuing and including people with a disability in our society.

The Commission held its first public hearing in Townsville earlier this month. The subject of the hearing was education. 14 witnesses gave evidence of their experience of the education system.

A lot things were raised, and it was clear that everyone in the room – and wider Australia – agrees that we need a fair education system. Inclusion is key.

The second public hearing is will take place from Monday 2 December through to Friday 6 December in Melbourne. You’ll be able to watch it live here.

This hearing is looking at accommodation for people with disability in Victoria and is particularly interested in the experiences of people who have lived or are currently living in ‘group homes’.

While we have not been called to testify at this hearing, we’re very aware that the spotlight will be on all service providers who focus on accommodation. And rightly so.

We currently support well over a thousand people living in 378 Supported Independent Living homes across eastern Australia. Supported Independent Living is one of our core services.

As we approach this second hearing, here is our promise to you: our customers, families and carers.

While we do all we can to encourage staff, customers, family members, community members, and advocates to speak up about any issue that concerns them, we don’t claim to be perfect. No organisation can.

We promise to stay vigilant. We promise to always listen, and to strive to rectify any concerns you raise. And lastly, we promise to never sweep any of your concerns under the carpet. That goes against everything we stand for.

Please remember, there are a few ways you can raise issues or concerns with us:

Andrew Richardson
CEO, Aruma