Advocacy for you
What is advocacy?
Policy and Advocacy has been the core element of the work SCIA since the beginning.
SCIA was established in 1967 by four men with quadriplegia, located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, who recognised that there wasn’t any accommodation services to support people with acquired spinal cord injuries after their hospital stay and successfully advocated for greater accessible accommodation.
Advocacy can be defined as speaking, acting or writing on behalf of the interest of marginalised individuals or groups.
SCIA offers a range of advocacy services. We seek to build a community of strong voices, and we offer individual advocacy to people of all disabilities.
How advocacy can support you?
What is Systemic & Representative Advocacy
Systemic Advocacy speaks up and out about important systemic issues such as the Disability Royal Commission, the NDIS Review, Inequity between my Aged Care and the NDIS and many other matters. We work in partnership with likeminded disability organisations, contribute to advisory groups and in government inquiries and we respond to calls for submissions.
Representative Advocacy works together in an active advocacy community, sharing relevant information with our community and speaking up about issues raised by you. We have a committed advisory group regular online forums and local face-to-face gatherings across NSW.
When you get involved in representative advocacy, you are also learning about self-advocacy. Learning how to speak up with others about things that matter to you. And even better, you are doing it in a community.
How to Get Involved & Our Campaign Work
Our Systemic & Representative Advocacy team works in collaboration with our Advocacy Advisory Group to help shed light on advocacy issues that affect our members.
Read about our latest campaigns, as we aim to raise awareness, influence decisions and mobilise support. Find out how you can be involved in our campaign work or join one of our Advocacy Community Networks.
Local Advocacy Community Networks
Meet Our Advocacy Advisory Group
Policy Briefings & Submissions
Our Systemic & Representative team is committed to speaking up on issues that are important to our members. Through consultation with our members, broader community and Advocacy Advisory Group we have prioritised key Policy Areas.
Read our current Policy Briefings, submissions and information covering the issues of critical importance to SCIA’s membership and to share from a lived-experience perspective.
Learn How to Take Action
Self-advocacy is crucial for people with disabilities, as it empowers them to speak up for their rights and needs – ensuring the voices of people with disabilities are valued and respected.
By participating in self-advocacy, you actively participate in decisions that affect your life, or the life of a loved one.
Our advocacy team has put together resources to help you take action with your local council and on issues such as social housing, as well as accessing exercise therapy through the NDIS.
Forums & Workshops
Our Representative Advocacy team hold regular Online Network Forums and Workshops to provide you with information about the disability space and empower you to take action.
Navigate below to learn about what’s going on in spinal cord injury research, NDIS legislative changes, Disability Royal Commission, accessible air travel and much more.
If you have a topic suggestion, or if you would like more information about our Forums and Workshops, please contact our Advocacy team below.
FAQs from Policy and Advocacy's NDIS Workshops - Part Three
Online Network Forum Compensation and the NDIS - March 2023
What is Individual Advocacy
Our Individual Advocacy team is based in Sydney and Northern Rivers, New South Wales.
SCIA is funded to provide individual advocacy and support people with all disabilities, their families and carers. This service is free to consumers.
We advocate can provide short to medium term non-legal, issue-based advocacy support to people with disability who have been treated unfairly, and who wish to make a formal complaint or need representation and support.
Some reasons why you may need an advocacy service are:
- Discrimination
- Physical violence and abuse
- Not being listened to
- Financial exploitation
Our Individual Advocates listen to the person with disability, so they can accurately reflect their views and act fairly on their behalf.
Contact our Individual Advocacy team today.
How our Individual Advocates can help
We provide targeted one-on-one Individual Advocacy support for people with all disabilities to those who may be experiencing difficulty in areas such as:
- Access to housing and accommodation
- Accessing suitable transport
- Getting access and eligibility to income support or employment services.
- Centrelink related issues
- Service provision complaints
- Discrimination and rights in supported employment
Our team of advocates help people navigate complex processes to address your issues and pursue better outcomes. We provide assistance for people with all disabilities and neurological conditions across New South Wales.
If you are unsure, one-on-one advocacy can help in the following ways:
- Speaking on behalf of a person in meeting and on the phone
- Directly deal with a landlord and services on your behalf (this may be regarding rent arrears, or a dispute with your service providers, abuse or neglect)
- Providing information and developing a plan of action in partnership with that person
- Assistance with preparing guardianship and financial management applications to the Guardianship Tribunal and non-legal representation at Guardianship Tribunal Hearings
- Supporting an individual to make a formal complaint involving disability discrimination against your employer or school. For example, assisting by lodging a complaint to the Human Rights Commission or Anti-Discrimination Board.
- Support with dealing with the Department of Department of Communities and Justice
Our Individual Advocates provide training in Self Advocacy to groups of people with disability. Learn about how to make decisions and speak up for yourself with our expert advocate team.
What is Family Advocacy
Our advocates support families and assist with advocating on behalf of their family members.
Family members are often the advocates on behalf of someone who has a disability but may not be physically or emotionally able to advocate for themselves. That's where our advocacy team can help.
At times, families need the assistance of an advocate to help them navigate the intricacies of issues related to:
We encourage families to self advocate but we understand that this is not always possible. We support family members by providing resources and give them the most up-to-date information to help family advocates feel empowered to take the position as advocate on behalf of their child, adult child, spouse or other types of family members.
What is NDIS Appeals Advocacy
Our NDIS Appeals team assists people with disabilities and family members in the Greater Sydney and Northern Rivers region of New South Wales who need support going through the Administrative Review Tribunal.
The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) reviews decisions made by Australian Government agencies, departments and ministers.
ART can review a range of areas including, but not limited to, decisions made by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
Before our team can assist please make sure that you have lodged your application online. There is no charge to apply at the ART if the person applying has a disability for an External Merits Review.
Click the button to learn more information about how to prepared for an ART, and how we can assist or fill in the form and a member of our team will get in touch with you shortly.
Contact our Advocacy Team Today
Want to know more?
If you want to get involved in a campaign, attend an event or if you need support from any of our Advocacy teams, please fill in our form and we will get in touch with you shortly.
Advocacy Community Network
Morning Tea
Coffee Club
Illawarra Peer & Family Support Partnership Day
Community Social Lunch
Advocacy Community Network
Community Social Lunch
Representative Advocacy Online Network Forum
Community Social Lunch
Social Community BBQ
NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards Nominations
Advocacy assists woman with her first NDIS planning meeting
Advocacy team changes future decisions of NDIS Appeals
NDIS Appeals team assists family to receive increased supports
Online Network Forum with Duncan Wallace from SpinalCure Australia - September 7, 2022
SpinalCordInjuriesAu September 13, 2022 5:13 pm