Publicly snubbed as co-chair of the NDIS Senate committee last week, and people are asking, WHY?
Not surprising, Senator Jordon Steele took to social media to express his frustration over the decision to appoint a non-disabled person as the NDIS deputy chair position last week.
“Last night, there was a contest for the Deputy Chair of the NDIS Senate Committee. Disappointingly, the major parties joined together to uphold the status quo and elect Sen. Hollie Hughes instead of centering the lived experience of a disabled person. Let’s talk about it.”
Senator Jordon Steel went on to share his frustration over the Governments lack of commitment. Excluding the lived experience is frustrating.
“It’s really disappointing that the major parties united together to uphold a status quo which excludes disabled people and uphold the convention that as a government person chairs one of these committees and an opposition person deputy chair is more important than elevating lived experience at this important time”
The NDIS CEO position remains unfilled along with several board and chair positions. A priority now is to fill these remaining positions with disabled representatives.
Liberal Senator, Hollie Hughes has been appointed the Deputy chair of the NDIS. Senator Hughes has an autistic son and has been well received among some carers. Senator Hughes has been a staunch advocate for those she sees as severally autistic.
Backlash over Senator Hughes new appointment.
However, the news of her new appointment has not been well received among some autistic advocacy groups. With some calling out her language and attitudes to those autistics who she perceives as high functioning. Senator Hughes has called out some high-functioning autistic advocates as having a “Woke Agenda.” In an effort to confirm that they do not fully represent the entire autistic community. And that they are classified as “Aspergers” rather than classic autism.
Chloe Hayden is among the growing number of advocates sharing their frustration about Sen Hughes’s recent appointment. Hayden shared her disappointment via Facebook;
“Hollie Hughes was elected as deputy chair of the NDIS, both major parties choosing to elect her, instead of electing the one actual disabled candidate, therefore excluding disabled people from conversations that we need to be centred in once again”
“She believes that we need to include a ‘head circumference check’ in autism assessments, and has expressed her disdain for the autistic community and accused ‘high functioning autistics’ as ‘not being autistic enough’, levelling accusations of a ‘woke agenda’, and questioning the identity of so called autistic voices”
While others took to TikTok to voice their viewpoint.
@Phoebe. Sharmilla went on to describe her frustration;
“Dear Australian Government, in the words of famous Autistic advocate Greta Thunberg, HOW DARE YOU. You have elected Hollie Hughes as both the deputy chair of the NDIS and the Chair of the select committee on Autism and this is terrifying”
We welcome your views, please share them either through the comments or via our website.
Read more about Australia’s first autism Minister.
