Natalie Deng is Capacity Building and Support Officer, working for Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW (MDAA), City and Inner West office. Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW promote, protect and secure the rights and interests of people with disability and their family and carers.
Transcript Available
James: Hello everyone, welcome to the Speak My Language program. Here you will hear people from diverse cultural communities share and discuss their stories of living well with disability. My name is Huaijian and I work for the Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW, Australia. In our interviews, we will hear from people with disability from multicultural communities and learn how they use their own skills and community resources to live a good life. We share their personal experiences, practical tips and thoughts. We will also invite community guests to introduce accessible places, activities and opportunities in the community. Due to language and cultural differences, it is not easy for some people from multicultural backgrounds to fit into Australian society, especially for people with disability. They may encounter some barriers in life and social interactions that require assistance. There is an organisation in Australia called the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW. Its aim is to protect the rights and interests of people with disability, help them solve their problems and better integrate into Australian society. We are delighted to have Natalie here with us today. She works as a Capacity Building Support Officer with the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW. She's here to introduce for us the services and support their association provides for people with disability. Hello Natalie, welcome to our program.
Natalie: Thank you James, I'm very happy to speak on this program.
James: Could you first tell us a bit more about the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW?
Natalie: Sure. I work for the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW. It is a peak body that primarily serves people with disabilities, as well as their families and carers. We mainly focus on people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Our organisation has been in existence for 26 years. We are committed to making sure that people with disabilities and those from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds have fair access to both government and non-government services. Our advocacy services focus on capacity building and empowering people with disabilities to exercise their rights and engage in communities. Our work is people-centred. We excel at listening to people with disabilities and understanding their needs. We are committed to building their personal capacity. We develop plans that reflect individual goals.
James: Could you tell us more about the specific activities and services your association offers to people with disabilities?
Natalie: Our association provides a wide range of services and programs. Our main projects focus on building personal independence and developing capability. One of our key projects is Community Voices, which is a project run by volunteers. They come from diverse cultural backgrounds and are living with disabilities, and their families and carers are willing to participate in the project. We primarily train them in public speaking skills to boost their confidence and self-esteem. They share their experiences to raise awareness of the cultural diversities of people with disability. We also have the Network of Women with Disability. The network provides a space for women with disability to connect, build friendships and support each other. We also have the Seniors Staying Connected program, which helps the elderly become familiar with modern information technology, such as how to use iPads, mobile phones and social media to stay connected, communicate and navigate websites like myGov and Service NSW. It actually helps them with their daily lives too. They can use these advanced IT technologies for shopping, personal communication, and more.
James: How do you help them build independence?
Natalie: Our association helps people with disability by supporting their rights. We encourage them to speak up for their needs, desires and rights. We listen to their concerns and issues and work with them to solve their problems. We encourage them to make their own decisions. We support them in decision-making, rather than deciding for them. We'll also offer information sessions in the near future. By bringing everyone together through this kind of sessions, we facilitate their communication. We also hope to invite experts from government and non-governmental organisations to come to these sessions and engage in meaningful discussions and share experiences.
James: That’s great. What do clients say about your activities and projects?
Natalie: They are usually very interested in our projects and activities and give us very good feedback. This is because we focus on providing information that is closely related to their lives. Secondly, we also received a lot of emails, text messages and phone calls. They told us that they were very happy that our services helped them overcome challenges in life. For example, one of our colleagues assisted a client in quickly obtaining approval for disability support pension and securing public housing, which was a significant help to their life. In Wollongong, someone from Armenia came our organisation MDAA for help. They were very happy with our help because it enabled them to deal with their problems more confidently. We have many more similar stories. Usually the feedback we receive is very positive.
James: Could you share more stories of people with disability who have benefited from your services and support?
Natalie: Sure. I'd like to say that the reason why we are able to help people with disability isn't just because of our compassion but also because we are industry leaders. We have all undergone thorough cultural training as well as professional training, enabling us to provide professional services. For example, for our Chinese community, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a new topic. This kind of service doesn't exist within China's system, so it is a foreign concept to many. Some clients come to us and ask how we can help them access the NDIS because they are unsure of their eligibility. What we do is to help them analyse their current situation, help them collect evidence and medical history from doctors and therapists, such as speech therapists. We will then support them in submitting the evidence to the NDIS, the government agency. NDIS then make an assessment based on the evidence, and some people eventually receive NDIS funding. With this funding, they can better manage their lives and treatments, knowing that they have financial support. Also, for example, some people in the Chinese community find it difficult to deal with Centrelink because of language and cultural barriers. They always feel that they have difficulties speaking to authority figures. In this case, they can come to us and we will help communicate their needs and present evidence to Centrelink. Frequently, our cases are successful and they manage to claim Centrelink benefits and disability pensions, among others. There are countless examples. But, it's important for everyone to know that our organisation, the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW, has assisted many in the Chinese community, not only in cases regarding government and non-government departments. We can also help if you are treated unfairly or discriminated against somewhere. You can come to us, and we can assist you with lodging complaints, advocate on your behalf, and support you during meetings. You will be able to express your feelings and explain why such treatment is unfair. We know that people may not feel confident when speaking up alone. With the support of a professional like us by your side, you will feel much more confident. You'll be able to firmly stand up for your rights. This is our core mission - protecting everyone’s rights.
James: Excellent. I'd like to add to what Natalie mentioned about NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Centrelink is Australia's social welfare contact centre. Natalie, I know that you are a non-profit charity organisation. Do you have any experiences or suggestions in terms of communicating and working with people with disability that you can share with other charities and clients?
Natalie: When we start interacting with clients, James, we listen carefully to their concerns and identify where the problems lie through listening. Then we analyse it with the client, and finally we support them in deciding how they want to proceed. While doing this, we consider the client's language, cultural background, and societal biases to provide tailored support. The client will feel safe and respected during communication, which helps them achieve their goals. We acknowledge that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, we tailor our services based on individual needs. For example, if a client needs help in Chinese, we will send a Chinese-speaking staff to help them. If a client comes from an Islamic background, and especially if it's a female client who prefers help from a female advocate, we will arrange for a female advocate to help her. By giving clients the right to choose in this way, we can better fulfill their needs.
James: Excellent. If our listeners want to learn more about the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association, how can they access this information? Do you charge for your services?
Natalie: That’s a great question. There are many ways to access our services. The first is to visit our website: www.mdaa.org.au. We understand that some people might prefer to use social media, and MDAA has social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. The account name is @mdaaofficial. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram. There is another way. For people who are hard of hearing or speech, they can use the National Relay Service and Telecommunication Typewriter (TTY) services to contact us. The most direct way is to call us. Our Sydney number is 9891 6400; or if you're calling from other states, prefix it with 02. For landlines, there’s a toll-free number: 1800 629 072. If you need an interpreter, you can call the interpreting service first and ask to connect to 9891 6400. Our services are free because we are funded by the Australian government to help people with disability from multicultural backgrounds advocate and protect their rights. You can use our services multiple times. Whenever you face issues in life, you can contact us and tell us what the problem is, because we have a better understanding of the entire government system and the social environment in Australia. We will guide you step by step towards your goal. If we cannot solve your problem, say it's a legal matter that's beyond our scope, we will not turn you away; we will refer you to the appropriate legal aid services or community legal centres to resolve your problem. You may not know that these services exist, and it's through us that you'd learn about and get connected to many services that can support you in achieving your goals.
James: Some of our listeners live in other states and territories. If they want to find a multicultural disability advocacy association like yours in their local area, what would you recommend to them?
Natalie: If you live in a different state, it may be difficult to use our service because they are for people in New South Wales. However, similar services of the same nature are available in every state. You can find them through a website search. This website is the Disability Advocacy Finder, at disabilityadvocacyfinder.dss.gov.au/disability/ndap/. It's a disability gateway service through which you can find many services. You can also find similar services in the state you live in. If you find it difficult to go online, perhaps due to lack of internet access or not having a computer, you can call 1800 643 787. Another way is to call us. We will search online to identify the most suitable services and recommend three options for you, so that you will have more confidence. If you feel that using the internet or making calls in English is challenging, you can call us, as we speak Chinese. We will provide you with relevant information, phone numbers, and websites, which will save you a lot of time.
James: Thank you Natalie for sharing the information with us today. I believe that many people with disability will contact MDAA directly if they need help. Thanks.
Natalie: Thank you, James.
James: If you have enjoyed our program, please visit our website at speakmylanguage.com.au. You will be able to get more information there. Please also recommend our program to your friends. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. We hope you can help us continue this meaningful conversation across Australia and even around the world. Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW is proud to deliver the Speak My Language program in New South Wales. Speak My Language is funded by the Australian Department of Social Services and delivered nationally through a partnership of the Ethnic and Multicultural Communities’ Councils and Multicultural Councils in all states and territories around Australia. Our national broadcast partners are SBS and NEMBC.
