I’m in my 20s but had to spend four months in aged care because there was 'nowhere else to go'

Kirrilly Hayward writes I’m in my 20s but had to spend four months in aged care because there was 'nowhere else to go'.

People with a disability or a mental illness and their families have not had sufficient access to the services, programs and funding necessary for fully independent inclusion in society.

For a person with a disability to participate in the community, in many circumstances, equipment and organisational assistance is needed.

There are many aspects to the inclusion of people with a disability in society and their ability to have a full and meaningful life: social engagement, meaningful participation, education, employment and general activities of one's life and the availability and funding for necessary specialised health care.

The most important aspect is the right to have choice and control over one's life. An issue I am particularly passionate about is the right to appropriate living standards and housing.

Emphasis Mine

The problem with austerity is that it is prejudiced against people with disabilities. They need the greatest assistance, but have the least voice. They are the pariahs of society.

As times get tougher, people lose their empathy as they concentrate on their own problems.

And the ideological basis of Capitalism, individualism, precludes the disabled because they need support from society in order to participate in it. In other words, individual self-expression requires a society.