a cultural epidemic of neglect
19 May 2020
I cried listening to this interview this morning... not because it was new or even substantial information, but it reminded me that the violence in the disability care sector is not commonly known, not talked about. Our suffering barely exists in the social consciousness, unless a horrific event can be seen as an isolated tragedy, and not as a sign of a cultural epidemic of neglect. The underlying message is that our lives are felt to be less worthwhile and can be dismissed. To be honest, it feels really awful. Extreme rage and devastation sits in my tummy.
NOTE: This is a portion of the interview, and I transcribed this myself, some of this may not be word for word - some conjunctions may have been missed. You can listen to the full interview here: https://www.abc.net.au/.../horrific-death-of.../12262476
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Fran Kelly: The South Australian police, who have known about this for some weeks, paint a very disturbing and distressing picture of Anne-Marie Smith’s care. They say the fridge wasn’t working, There was no nutritional food in the house, the chair she was sat in, basically had affectively become her toilet. How is it possible in Australia, at this time, that a person could be treated like this with such basic care not provided?
Jordon Steele-John: … this situation, as a disabled person and an advocate, fills me with grief and anger, which is compounded by the knowledge that it is not a unique situation… Anne-Marie’s death which, I should make clear, is being** investigated as a manslaughter**… it was entirely preventable. And right now, as we talk to each other, there are most likely hundreds if not thousands of Australians who are suffering as she suffered.
FK: So, are you saying this is not an extreme case? Well obviously, it is an extreme case, but that this is not an outlier?
JSJ: No not at all. It is many things; it is horrific and many must be held accountable for it but it is not unique. We know that these types of systemic, cultural and systems failures that saw Anne-Marie isolated, neglected, abused, are happening all over the country… hundreds of disabled people lose their lives in similar circumstances each year… and we know this because the litany of state-based reports, Inquiry findings and colonial reports formed the basis of the **nearly decade-long** campaign for the royal commission, so I think what is important here, is that we not allow this situation to be blamed on one individual and swept under the carpet, and that we examine all of the actors involved, and make sure that we investigate it thoroughly.