Disability Advocacy

Disability Advocacy is acting, speaking or writing to promote, protect and defend the human rights of people with disability. Disability includes impairments of physical, sensory or mental functions which may affect undertaking activities or participating in community life.

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is an independent third party which investigates complaints about discrimination and human rights breaches.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (the DDA) makes it against the law to treat you unfairly because of your disability. You are also covered if you had a disability in the past, may develop a disability in the future or if people think you have a disability. People who are relatives, friends and carers of people with a disability are also protected by the DDA. 

 
QAI is an independent advocacy organisation advocating for the protection and advancement of the needs, rights and lives of people with disability in Queensland.  We advocate for systems change through campaigns and submissions directed at attitudinal, law and policy reform. We also provide help to individuals through our three advocacy practices.

National Disability Peak Organisations

• Australian Centre for Disability Law 
• Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
• Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia
• Blind Citizens Australia
• Brain Injury Australia 
• Children and Young People with Disability Australia
• Deaf Australia
• Deafness Forum of Australia  
• Disability Advocacy Network Australia
• First Peoples Disability Network
• Human Rights Council of Australia
• Intellectual Disability Rights Service
• Mental Health Australia
• Inclusion Australia 
• National Ethnic Disability Alliance
• People with Disability Australia
• Physical Disability Australia
• Short Statured People of Australia
• The Autistic Self Advocacy Network of Australia
  and New Zealand 
• Women With Disabilities Australia  

Commonwealth Ombudsman – Working with people with disability

The Ombudsman’s office can help people with disability sort out problems with Australian Government agencies.

This includes programs that are specifically for people with disability including:

• the National Disability Insurance Scheme
• the Disability Support Pension
• Disability Employment Services

We also take complaints about mainstream Australian Government programs that are delivered to or for people with disability. Some of the most common complaints to our office are about Centrelink payments, child support, Medicare, Australia Post and immigration.