kenny66Senior Contributor
Where are we on the pecking oder?
I have been reading a whole lot written about mental illness, disability,and other discrimination over the last month. From all this material it makes you wonder where we with MI fit.
The Minister for Social Services, who by the way is opening some World Congress of Families conference in Melbourne I think soon (this is a homophobic-anti womens right to choose far right group that praises the Russian Government for its antii gay persecution) has been attacking the majority of DSP welfare recipients with MI as not needing support because their illness is "episodic" and they should be able to work between the episodes.
This shows a great deal of insight into how MI works!!!! I also read the new impairment tables for people with MI which is being implemented now.
To get the DSP based on mental illness you i have to be virtually institutionalized and completely non functioning. This is totally removed from the original purpose of the DSP which was to assist us financially so that we could eat, pay rent and take part as a member of society because we couldn't work and had little or no assets. Well, what about working between those episodes?
The unemployment rate has climbed up to 6.5% and rising. Youth unemployment is about 17% and rising. There are almost no effective strategies to place people with mental illness in the work place, even if there were jobs available.
Leave aside regional Australia, where the unemployment rate is through the roof, the general availability of jobs for MI people is at historic lows. MI people are competing against a young demographic of job seekers who are perceived to have no "complications" in being employed and are cheap to employ and train, due to government subsidies.
Included in this are a large group of other discriminated against disabled people. Add to this people discriminated against because of Age, Aboriginality and a whole lot of other reasons.
So people with MI are not only competing against the non ill workforce but a large group of other disabled and disadvantaged groups as well, all with their own financial and work demands, which seem to get more sympathetic air play and attention than those suffering M!.
It seems to me that these various disadvantaged groups, are out their pitching for their own groups interests, often at the disadvantage of people with MI who pretty well get no good press and even less dollars. Media, has been vicious in their portrayal of DSP recipients with MI.
I am still trying to find some concrete practical strategies which actually forward the interests of people with MI. I am still looking!!!!!!
