Developmental Disability Council of W.A

About

Development Disability WA

Story

As the peak advocacy organisation in WA for people with intellectual and other developmental disability and their families, Developmental Disability WA welcomes membership from people who have an interest in advancing the rights and needs of people with disability and their families.

Developmental Disability WA began in 1986 as an organisation supported by Activ. Our purpose was to provide a representative voice for a number of organisations which were providing services to people with developmental disabilities and their families.

The organisations found that they had in common a number of concerns, issues and interests relating to the support, services and opportunities available to people with disability, in particular people with high support needs.

At the time the organisation was named the Australian Association for Mental Retardation and in 1988 was renamed to Developmental Disability Council, or DDC.

In 2014 Developmental Disability WA launched a new name and new logo, with 'council' no longer part of the day to day trading name, to better reflect the strong outward focus on our membership rather than on us as a 'council'.

Our new logo defines clearly our purpose - our work to advance advocacy, policy and community, for and with people with intellectual and other developmental disability and their families, and the people who support them.

Mission

Are you coming to our Sundowner on Friday 13 March?

Click to open and read registration details

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13 February 2015:

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will next week release a discussion paper outlining a proposed national safeguards framework.

The paper calls for input on topics such as managing risk, registering staff and service providers, and handling complaints. More....

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11 February 2015:

BREAKING NEWS..........

Senator Siewert's motion for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the abuse and neglect of people with disability has been passed in the Senate.

The Community Affairs References Committee will hold an inquiry and report by 24 June 2015 on:

Violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability in institutional and residential settings.

Read more here...

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11 February 2015:

Inclusion Australia, formerly National Council on Intellectual Disability (NCID) has renewed calls for a national inquiry into abuse and neglect of people with disability. Developmental Disability WA is the WA member of Inclusion Australia, and supports this, and the calls today, from WA Senator Rachel Siewert in Parliament in Canberra, for an inquiry.

Read more.....

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Register for new events in February 2015:

* Employment
* Education

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Mental Impaired Accused Justice Coalition

Watch a short YouTube video which has been produced showing some of the proceedings at the Aboriginal Disability Justice Campaign/First Peoples Disability Network National Summit: A Line in the Sand which was held in Melbourne in November 2014.

Click on the image to watch the YouTube

Read more about DDWA's work as part of the Mental Impaired Accused Justice Coalition.

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Click on the image above to open and read the Autism Parents Handbook

Hard copies of this handbook are available from:

Developmental Disability WA - City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi St, West Perth, Ph 9420 7203. We can post a hard copy to individual DDWA members.
Autism West - 41 Broadway, Nedlands, Ph: 6389 1833.
Kalparrin – Princess Margaret Hospital, Level 4, Hay St Building, Subiaco, Ph: 9340 8094.
Activ – 327 Cambridge St, Wembley, Ph: 9387 0555.

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NEWS: Senate Standing Committee - Community Affairs References Committee

Inquiry into: Adequacy of existing residential care arrangements available for young people with severe physical, mental or intellectual disabilities in Australia. Read more....

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NEWS: $12.4 additional HACC funding in WA

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NEWS: COAG Disability Reform Council

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NEWS: Looking at abuse and neglect

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NEWS: Mental Impaired Accused Justice

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February and March 2015

Preparing for Employment workshops

Following the success of our series of workshops Preparing for Employment, another three will be held early 2015 - Padbury, Mandurah and Busselton - more information here: February and March.

We are planning more of the Preparing for Employment workshops in other areas in 2015, so please keep checking back in to see where, when, and what else is planned for 2015.

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Click on the image to find out more about Disability Advocacy Network Australia's (DANA) 12 Days of Advocacy campaign

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November 2014: Positive Behaviour Framework Update

The most recent Positive Behaviour Framework forum took place on 26 June 2014 at Technology Park in Bentley and was attended by more than 100 people. To read the update, training calendar for 2015 and more, find out more...

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Adult recruits are wanted by Curtin University researchers who are looking at

- pedestrian safety in shared traffic spaces

- the factors which help make employment a success for adults 18-35 with high functioning Autism or Aspergers syndrome.

Find out more.....

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10th and 12 November We were pleased to have Professor Mike Kerr present on intellectual disability in relation to mental health and epilepsy. Professor Kerr has kindly made available a resource which is a brief summary of his presentation - Mental Health and intellectual and developmental disability: holistic, client-



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Click on the image to open and read our October newsletter



Developmental Disability WA Members Access area has new information. Click here to go to the Members Section

Do you have your membership login and password? Membership to DDWA is free for individuals and family members - contact us for more information about your membership or your access to our members area on this website.

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From the Learners Permit to the License.....

Independent Living Centre has released a webinar for First Time Drivers with a Disability. This webinar has been edited and re-uploaded with captions to improve its accessibility. This webinar covers the steps people with disability or a medical condition are required to take to get their license; how the ILC Occupational Therapy Driver Assessment service can provide assistance; and how grant assistance is available to assist with this process. View the webinar here: FIRST TIME DRIVERS WITH A DISABILITY WEBINAR

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SIDE BY SIDE

Here is a short video about Side by Side which is designed by families for families with someone who has challenging behaviour.

CLICK
TO START VIEWING:

Read more about Side by Side.

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10 September - Curtin University is looking for parents of children with a disability aged between 3-8 years of age to participate in a brief 2 hour Stepping Stones Triple P Parent Discussion Group focused on teaching parents how to encourage their child to follow instructions. Read more...

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Are you part of a support group that would like to be listed on our website so others can contact you? Click here to view the current list, which we are building on each week.... or go to useful links for other contacts

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Health Information: Earlier this year Developmental Disability WA and Curtin University hosted Health Advocacy: A Forum for Parents and Families Seeking Better Health Outcomes for People with Developmental Disabilities. A series of workshops and seminars in the following days looked at a range of issues in the health sphere - you can read the presentations here: Health 2014

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Developmental Disability WA is a not-for-profit organisation which has been a leader in the disability sector for over 25 years.

As the peak advocacy organisation in WA for people with intellectual and other developmental disability and their families, Developmental Disability WA welcomes membership from people who have an interest in advancing the rights and needs of people with disability and their families.


Developmental Disability WA began in 1986 as an organisation supported by Activ. Our purpose was to provide a representative voice for a number of organisations which were providing services to people with developmental disabilities and their families. The organisations found that they had in common a number of concerns, issues and interests relating to the support, services and opportunities available to people with disability, in particular people with high support needs. At the time the organisation was named the Australian Association for Mental Retardation and in 1988 was renamed to Developmental Disability Council, or DDC.

In 2014 Developmental Disability WA launched a new name and new logo, with 'council' no longer part of the day to day trading name, to better reflect the strong outward focus on our membership rather than on us as a 'council'.

Our new logo defines clearly our purpose - our work to advance advocacy, policy and community, for and with people with intellectual and other developmental disability and their families, and the people who support them.



OUR VISION

People with developmental disabilities and their families live their lives their way.



OUR PURPOSE

DDWA creates lasting positive change by:

supporting people with developmental disability and their families to have a strong voice
partnering with others to develop more connected and inclusive communities, and
influencing government and other decision makers



OUR VALUES

People are the experts in their own lives and have the right to self-determination and contribution.

Developmental Disability WA's members and constituents determine the priorities for change. We have our finger on the pulse of the issues that are important to people with developmental disability and their families.

We are most effective and influential when we combine our voices, stories and knowledge.

"DDWA is a not-for-profit organisation supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families since 1985. We offer free membership to people who have an interest in advancing the rights and needs of people with disability and provide online information and resources across a range of key areas for people in Western Australia with developmental and intellectual disability. DDWA is also registered to provide NDIS Independent Support Coordination."