Does this happen to disabled people often?
Yes.
Here are some facts and statistics.
The life expectancy of an intellectually disabled person in Australia is 54 years of age.
If you are an intellectually disabled woman, your life expectancy is 49 years of age.
Autistic people are twice as likely to die from accident or injury in preventable deaths.
Here are some facts and statistics.
The life expectancy of an intellectually disabled person in Australia is 54 years of age.
If you are an intellectually disabled woman, your life expectancy is 49 years of age.
Autistic people are twice as likely to die from accident or injury in preventable deaths.
Where and how do disabled people like Ann-Marie die?
Disabled people who die from preventable deaths usually die in institutional settings.
But a house or home can be an institutional setting in the same way as a group home or institution. You can read more about that here.
Other disabled people who die as a result of preventable death, including neglect, include older Australians who die when they do not get the right care and support.
They can die as a result of failure of care by paid or unpaid caregivers, including family members.
You can read about some other cases of neglect and abuse against disabled people here.
But a house or home can be an institutional setting in the same way as a group home or institution. You can read more about that here.
Other disabled people who die as a result of preventable death, including neglect, include older Australians who die when they do not get the right care and support.
They can die as a result of failure of care by paid or unpaid caregivers, including family members.
You can read about some other cases of neglect and abuse against disabled people here.
What is 'safeguarding' and how did it apply to Ann-Marie?
Violence against disabled people can be complicated.
That is because there are a lot of different factors to consider.
The ways we help people be safe is caused 'safeguarding'.
There are three types of safeguarding.
Developmental safeguarding is having people around you who will know when you are missing, hurt or where something is wrong.
Ann-Marie's neighbours said she didn't leave the house for ten years.
According to the disability service agency, she only had one paid carer.
She didn't have close family contacts.
Ann-Marie didn't have enough people around her to notice that she wasn't okay.
Preventative safeguarding is having systems and mechanisms in place to make sure you are safe.
They can be things like police checks or vulnerable persons' checks.
They can be things like audits or oversight bodies to make sure you are okay.
They can be things like plans to keep women safe.
They can be schemes like the Community Visitor Scheme to keep making sure you're all right.
Ann-Marie's support worker had complaints made against her, in 2013, for stealing money under another program.
The support agency didn't apply for a police clearance until nine days after she died - and the State then cleared her.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission registered the agency and they passed their audit as an agency who was 'safe'.
Preventative safeguards are important, but they can and do fail disabled people.
Corrective safeguarding is the term used for systems that can make sure you can get help if you have been abused.
There are a lot of issues for disabled people here.
For example, if you have an intellectual disability and if you are raped, your rapist might not go to jail if you can't testify.
They might get another job in another area, like health, or in another State.
If you don't have a way to complain about your care, then you might not be able to get help.
Or police or court processes might not be accessible to you.
Ann-Marie didn't have access to many other people, so making a complaint would have been very hard.
There are also issues like what legislation a perpetrator can be charged under.
They differ in each state, especially around the definition of family and domestic violence.
These are common issues.
That is because there are a lot of different factors to consider.
The ways we help people be safe is caused 'safeguarding'.
There are three types of safeguarding.
Developmental safeguarding is having people around you who will know when you are missing, hurt or where something is wrong.
Ann-Marie's neighbours said she didn't leave the house for ten years.
According to the disability service agency, she only had one paid carer.
She didn't have close family contacts.
Ann-Marie didn't have enough people around her to notice that she wasn't okay.
Preventative safeguarding is having systems and mechanisms in place to make sure you are safe.
They can be things like police checks or vulnerable persons' checks.
They can be things like audits or oversight bodies to make sure you are okay.
They can be things like plans to keep women safe.
They can be schemes like the Community Visitor Scheme to keep making sure you're all right.
Ann-Marie's support worker had complaints made against her, in 2013, for stealing money under another program.
The support agency didn't apply for a police clearance until nine days after she died - and the State then cleared her.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission registered the agency and they passed their audit as an agency who was 'safe'.
Preventative safeguards are important, but they can and do fail disabled people.
Corrective safeguarding is the term used for systems that can make sure you can get help if you have been abused.
There are a lot of issues for disabled people here.
For example, if you have an intellectual disability and if you are raped, your rapist might not go to jail if you can't testify.
They might get another job in another area, like health, or in another State.
If you don't have a way to complain about your care, then you might not be able to get help.
Or police or court processes might not be accessible to you.
Ann-Marie didn't have access to many other people, so making a complaint would have been very hard.
There are also issues like what legislation a perpetrator can be charged under.
They differ in each state, especially around the definition of family and domestic violence.
These are common issues.
Who is involved in running this campaign?
This is a grassroots campaign by disabled people, family members and violence prevention advocates.
It includes bipartisan support from all levels of government.
We would like to thank Senator Jordon Steele-John for assisting with technical (Zoom) facilitation and Nat Cook, MP, for assisting with vigil coordination.
If you would like to be involved, get a quote from campaign organisers or find out more, please email us at aminuteforannmarie@gmail.com.
It includes bipartisan support from all levels of government.
We would like to thank Senator Jordon Steele-John for assisting with technical (Zoom) facilitation and Nat Cook, MP, for assisting with vigil coordination.
If you would like to be involved, get a quote from campaign organisers or find out more, please email us at aminuteforannmarie@gmail.com.