Watch and listen here as our own Maxine Drake talks about the valuable work that we do here at DDWA with Sandra of Blooming Supports, producer of “Beyond Labels” podcast (May 2024).
Maxine is one of our advocates at DDWA. In this video, she talks about our foundations being a non-government organisation established by parents of people with intellectual disability. Max speaks about our primary focus that is supporting families and people with intellectual disability in various aspects of their lives. She also discusses DDWA’s role in providing resources, information and support; parent and carer training; and advocating for the needs of people with disabilities to the government.
In this episode: Maxine Drake, advocate at DDWA, talks about advocacy and how DDWA helps people with intellectual disability and families to stand up for their rights and needs - another amazing conversation that could help many.
Here, Max highlights DDWA’s person-centred approach, where support is tailored to the needs of both the person with disability and their family. She explains how DDWA emphasises empowerment through information and advocacy, aiming to improve the lives of families by addressing their specific needs. Maxine also discusses DDWA’s involvement in education advocacy, particularly in ensuring that schools accommodate neurodiverse students as well as students with developmental and intellectual disability.
Additionally, Max talks about how DDWA assists families navigating complex systems such as the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) by providing guidance and support. DDWA also assists families with guardianship orders (and questions about guardianship) and the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).
Despite limited funding, DDWA assists families navigating systems like the NDIS and WA Education, offering guidance and support through resources online and advocacy for accessibility, accommodation, and inclusion.
Maxine says she’s always told by families that our website is fantastic!- Our website is rich with resources — It’s a fabulous website. It’s written in an accessible way – often written by families, critiqued by families, and easier to read because of the way it’s set up. And you’ll find information about events on the website as well. We hold parent/carer training sessions and training workshops for industry sector professionals. We’ve always been a bit of a groundbreaking organisation, leading the way with instructional events on how to make Easy Read materials and offering training to professionals so that they can support people with communication disability (complex communication needs) and their use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Maxine encourages families to reach out to DDWA through various channels, including phone and email, assuring confidentiality and adherence to privacy standards. She emphasises the importance of feedback in improving the organisation’s services and ensuring that families receive the support they need.
CONTACT US
City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi Street
West Perth
WA 6005
(08) 9420 7203
ddwa@ddwa.org.au
