Wal

Wal, in his mid-30s, is autistic and has bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Growing up, he experienced years of abuse from his stepfather. Looking back he wishes he’d had better medical attention at the time.

‘I remember again having massive mood swings during childhood as well as the ADHD medication disagreed with me … Picking up on the autism and bipolar at an earlier age would have helped me during my schooling years as well as growing up. Maybe I wouldn’t have been abused as much,’ he said.

Wal receives a Disability Support Pension and funding from the NDIS. He lives in a government housing commission unit and is grateful for the stability this has provided. However, it is not on the ground floor, so he will have to move because of a degenerative spinal condition that means eventually he will need a wheelchair.

So far, Wal’s spinal condition has been diagnosed by his podiatrist, physiotherapist and exercise physiologist, but not yet by a medical specialist. Without a specialist’s diagnosis, Wal cannot access support from the NDIS for his physical needs.

Wal has also had difficulty accessing support from state health services, especially for issues related to his mental health. He has sought help to manage aspects of his bipolar disorder several times, including during times of crisis. Each time state health has told him that because he has autism, which is managed by his NDIS funding, he is not eligible for support.

Wal told the Royal Commission that this has been a pattern in his efforts to access support. The NDIA tells him that intervention in relation to his bipolar disorder has to be provided by the state. State health says he needs to access it through the NDIS. State health has also refused to provide Wal with other care, such as dental treatment that he urgently needs.

Wal has made a formal complaint to the state’s health regulatory commission, hoping it will make state health meet its responsibilities.

Wal has also had difficulties with his NDIS plans, made worse in some instances by state health not providing documents the NDIA has requested.

‘I’ve been told by clinicians … I will never get the documentation that is required for the NDIA and that there is no accountability for anyone. You can make as many complaints as you want but nobody is going to hold them accountable,’ he said.

‘There’s just no accountability in the disability sector unfortunately. I’ve seen this with disability organisations like support workers, organisations like when somebody is unwell, they’ll just leave saying there’s no such thing as duty of care, we don’t care, it’s not our responsibility. Doctors, hospitals are saying there’s no such thing as duty of care – you’re a grown arse male, go find your own supports. Which is not a safe thing to do when people are unstable or having crises.’

Wal said that causes real problems for people like him who have no support network.

‘I don’t have a carer or guardian, I don’t need one most of the time, but I have no emergency contact if my mental capacity gets affected. I’m expected to still make my own decisions, which can leave me in financial or other strife … Most people with disability don’t have carers or guardians. They’re purely reliant on family members and some people like myself don’t even have family members to help them out.’

Wal wants to see more accountability in the sector, including the NDIA. Its decisions don’t only affect taxpayers, he said. ‘They’re also affecting people’s lives severely and they just don’t seem to care.’