Submission to the 
Productivity Commission Enquiry into a 
Disability Care and Support Scheme

My name is Cam West.
I have been invited to give you an overview of the group I work with, Scope Community Educators, and our recommendations for the Productivity Commission’s Enquiry into a long term Disability Care and Support Scheme.

I was diagnosed with 
Cerebral Palsy when I 
was 6 months old, so I know what it’s like to have a disability.  I want other people with disabilities to know they are NOT ALONE. 

I know that you have all met plenty of people with disabilities, and you will have heard plenty of stories about how tough life can be. And it is really hard work.
Our group would like to tell you a little about how we have worked to get to where we are today.  You will find a summary of our recommendations for a Disability Care and Support Scheme at the end of this submission.

Now I’d like to introduce you to some of the people in Scope’s Community Educators, who open other people’s minds to what it’s like to live with a disability. Our group has two teams, Scope Young Ambassadors (S.Y.A) and the Disability Educators Group (D.E.G).

The following people are current members of Scope Young Ambassadors and the Disability Educators Group.  Some of these presenters have attached individual submissions for your consideration.

Scope Young Ambassadors and the Disability Educators Group share a common goal: we want to create a more welcoming and accessible world for people with disabilities. 

We are employees of Scope, who are paid a real wage, for a real job.  

The Disability Educators Group provides inclusiveness training to disability services staff, to Government Departments, and to a wide range of corporate and community organisations.

Scope Young Ambassadors educates young people in primary and secondary schools, and reaches them when they are most open to changing attitudes. During 2009, over 3250 students participated in the program.

Lyn would like to share with you a piece on her work with Scope Young Ambassadors in primary schools.

(Please view SYA Primary School DVD attached in document sleeve) 

From our shared experience of living and working in the community, we have listed our priorities for a new Disability Care and Support Scheme.
The scheme must achieve:

•	Empowerment of individuals with a disability within their community;
•	Breakdown of social barriers;
•	Promotion of universal access;
•	Funding for financial independence and employment;
•	Recognition of entitlement to a better “Quality of Life” for all people.
We have attached our individual reflections on these issues for your consideration. 

In Conclusion….
We as a group would ask the commission to accept both our group and individual submissions in the spirit of: 
“Seeing the Person – Not the Disability”