When our children are vulnerable with disabilities or are non verbal we live with heartache of what they are going through especially when providers in disabilities are not transparent and do not tell the truth about what happened in day programs, respite or care in any incidents of harm. Each time in two different situations my son had been assaulted by a worker it was covered up it was lied about.

     So I took him out of those places traumatized myself by it all and sick of the lies. Then I had to fight for more funding to get individual workers for him, and yet even after getting those, he came home with another bruise from under his arm from a one on one worker, who said she didnt know how it happened - thats what they all say I remarked to the manager and replaced the worker. It is so hard for parents....you are full of anxiety trying to care for and protect your child from harm. My son has never had bruises from our family all his life, why should he get them from one worker? Why should I let them do that to him? We must make this world safer for our vulnerable ones.
     Add to this the pandemic - I recently found out a worker , was a positive case of the virus, days after they knew, not sure if the organization had hidden it from me at first, they always cover up their tracks, and so had to find a rapid antigen test for my son just in case, who was not symptomatic and would never let someone stick anything up is nose, and has to be sedated to have his teeth cleaned! so I searched for the RAT (rapid antigen test) - but guess what? there were none because everyone else in Sydney had bought them and the government had not supplied enough and apparently did not care just said 'ride the wave' says the government of Australia,  of thousands now being infected throughout Australia, especially NSW, and let everyone worry about their job, their children, and disability children are already so vulnerable, without a test how would they know if they had a case or not? - this added to the already high stress we live under as disability support workers started cancelling the days they were going to work with my son because they had been in contact with someone positive. We parents have to help each other - in disabilities we have to care. If we do not care about each other - other parents - others who do caring - who will? These are hard times all are going through now.
      Parents of disability children live on the edge of the abyss everyday trying to look after and meet their child's needs - along with this is the trauma of a child being assaulted or harmed in a disability classroom, program or respite care and not being able to tell us what happened to him or her and the cold walls of apathy by police and the providers where it occurs who rush to cover their tracks when they are the ones who let it occur or actually did the attacking! We need cctv cameras to give our vulnerable disability children and nonverbal children protection and a voice so that harm can be stopped and perpetrators caught and punished. Sign my petition change.org/disabilitycameras

All the best  - Anndrea Wheatley - mother, advocate, activist
#disabilitylivesmatteroz
#ifjamescouldtalkactiongroup
#cctvcameras4disabilities