Yvette
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
‘[People] with disabilities are completely discriminated against and largely go unsupported, especially if they fall between the income gaps due to being married and having a family − in my case, four teenage children.’
Yvette wrote to the Royal Commission about the need for changes to the NDIS to effectively support and assist people with disability and those who care for them.
‘I have been unsupported … for many years and are still fighting for proper support.’
Yvette lives with a number of complex and debilitating conditions and PTSD.
She told us she was born to a young mother during the forced adoption era in the 1970s. The woman who adopted her abused her physically and emotionally.
Yvette is an NDIS participant due to the chronic illnesses she suffers as the result of her trauma. The NDIS has consistently challenged the permanency of her conditions, despite her doctors and specialists clearly stating that her conditions are ‘permanent, deteriorating and genetic in linkage’.
Yvette says the NDIS has denied her the psychological support she desperately needs, and that when an internal NDIS review affirmed its decision to deny her further support, she attempted to take her life.
‘My psychologist has been absolutely essential in the management of my conditions and not being able to receive adequate funding for her treatment is a massive setback for my progress and overall mental health.
‘My doctors, including my psychologist of seven years, are absolutely appalled at how my case has been treated and that I have been denied services and equipment essential for my quality of life.’
Yvette believes that the Australian government needs to be held accountable for the harm caused by its policies during the forced adoption era.
She urges Australian politicians to do more to assist people with disability who are suffering.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.