Kerrie Duff Consulting

22/07/2025

13/07/2025

I often think RSD is more common than we realise! It is real, and it can affect us in many ways.

If you have a page or article which is linked to RSD, please pop it in the comments!

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'In a Nutshell' is series designed to help you if you are new to the autistic community, and would like to know more about some of the language used.

These posts are NOT meant to be 'everything you need to know about...'

They are for people to look at and think 'I always wondered what that was', and to act as a starting point for further research themselves if it's something which resonates with them.

It is also a place for other pages to share their own resources if it is relevant.

If you disagree with something here, please remember that I am one person, and these are my interpretations based on my own experiences, and being part of the autistic community for several years. I am happy to consider updating any resources if things are presented to me in a non-confrontational way.

This is an ongoing project which will be constantly evolving with help of the autistic community.

(Text reads: What is RSD?
- RSD stands for Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.
-Someone with RSD can become very triggered if they think they have done something wrong, or if they think they are being criticised /rejected.
- Signs of RSD may include:
*feeling unable to try something new in case it is 'wrong'.
*low self esteem; keeping away from other people.
*having angry or emotional episodes.
*finding it hard to trust other people.
*expecting too much of yourself; feeling like a failure.
*problems with friendships and relationships.

This is part of the In A Nutshell series. Text is on a mint green background, with light grey text boxes. There is a picture of a small nut in its shell, and there are chestnut leaves drifting around the page.))

13/07/2025

09/07/2025

'..From 19 May 2025, the NDIS introduced major changes to how funding is delivered in new and reassessed plans. Instead of receiving their full budget upfront, participants’ funding will now be released for claiming in installments called ‘funding periods’...

This change was introduced with little clear or accessible communication. Many participants and their supporters [incl many providers] were left feeling confused, anxious, and unprepared. ..'

This joint statement from EAC and DRO's seeks:
12 month plan funding periods as the default, with given shorter funding periods where participants or there is a history of inappropriate overspending.
Processes to timely responses to changing needs and risk.
Transparent and accessible process for participants to provide feedback to the Agency, with clear mechanisms to track how the feedback is acknowledged, considered, and acted upon.
Commitment to clear, accessible information for all participants before any further changes occur

Joint Statement on New NDIS Funding Periods – from Every Australian Counts and Disability Rights Organisations

09/07/2025

Felting is still possible when your hands don't have a lot of strength, or no longer behave quite as they used to.
This short clip from Wendy Bailye of The Felt Studio shows 3 different methods which I certainly plan to use in my felt work in future.

If you have weak hands or wrists, then these easy techniques for layout will ease your pain!

02/07/2025

Spot on.

When it comes to NDIS, so much emphasis is on capacity-building.

26/06/2025

Due to recent NDIA changes, the travel rate therapists can bill for has been halved, with only 18 days’ notice.

This decision may have a significant (and negative) impact on both clients and small providers .... which affects choice and control: a corner stone of the NDIS scheme.

From 1 July 2025 many therapists may have to adjust the areas they viably service.

In other words, the option of a physio or OT travelling to participants' homes for in-person appointments will decrease. This means, that when Lucy was previously recovering from her surgery unable to be left alone for months, we wouldn't have been able to continue with our physiotherapy from home. The Physio or Therapy assistant home visit for continuity was invaluable. Otherwise my husband or I would have had to skip the sessions.

I wonder if NDIA has considered how many participants will no longer access the therapy needed to live a good life, with the associated costs like the flow on to more pressures on hospitals/ support needed at home/in the community due to decreased flexibility/muscle tone etc, not to mention the effect on health, sanity. Not everyone has access to TUSS vouchers/or support to be driven places/transport built into their plans.

The mind boggles at some decisions. Agreed, costings need to be sustainable, that’s a given. However there are surely other ways to establish better processes, fairer reviews, and direct support for people with disability.

26/06/2025

“Any increase in cost of the NDIS will translate very quickly into strong economic gains, through high levels of increased employment and local level economic activity dispersed throughout local communities”. Page 4.

“The direct benefit of the NDIS is likely to exceed the value of expenditure markedly… This is particularly the case during an economic downturn. Research strongly supports the conclusion that health expenditure has the greatest impact during times of economic
decline… and consequently any decision to reduce NDIS funding would be contrary to historical evidence supporting such expenditure during times of economic instability... As the Productivity Commission 2011 report states very clearly, “(t)he bottom line is that benefits of the NDIS would significantly exceed the additional costs of the scheme.” (p941)” Page 19.

6 days until the changes kick in on July 1.

Please see the linktree in my bio that has links to petitions, where you can find who the parliamentary member is for your electorate and their contact details: linktr.ee/whalesharktherapy

Quotes from the report, “False Economy: The economic benefits of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the consequences of government cost-cutting” by Per Capita for National Disability Services, published November 2021: https://percapita.org.au/our_work/false-economy-the-economic-benefits-of-the-ndis-and-the-consequences-of-government-cost-cutting/

Image description: A dark blue/ green background of the ocean underwater. White text on top saying, “Any increase in cost of the NDIS will translate very quickly into strong economic gains, through high levels of increased employment and local level economic activity dispersed throughout local communities. More information in the caption.”

26/06/2025

21/06/2025

Robin Williams quietly insisted that every film set he worked on include a specific clause: a minimum of ten people from the local homeless community had to be hired as part of the crew. This condition wasn’t added for show, nor did Robin ever discuss it publicly. Directors and producers later confirmed that it was a silent, consistent demand throughout his career. Whoopi Goldberg once said, “He didn’t want applause for helping. He wanted action.” Over the span of his work, it’s estimated that approximately 1,520 homeless individuals were given paid opportunities because of Robin’s behind-the-scenes efforts.

His bond with the homeless community began in San Francisco during his early days performing stand-up in the 1970s. At a time when he was just scraping by, doing sets in small clubs and sleeping on friends' couches, Robin often found comfort talking to people living on the streets. There were nights when he’d sit on the sidewalk outside comedy clubs, sharing stories and jokes with people who had nowhere to go. That experience never left him. When his career skyrocketed, he carried that empathy into every movie set he stepped onto, from "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987) to "Dead Poets Society" (1989), and "The Fisher King" (1991), a film where he even portrayed a homeless man grappling with trauma and loss.

On several productions, crew members who had once been homeless themselves later revealed that their jobs came because of Robin’s clause. Thomas King, who worked as a lighting assistant on "Patch Adams" (1998), recalled being given his first chance on that very set. Years later, he found out the opportunity existed only because Robin had required it in his contract. “You got this job because Robin insisted you be here,” a production assistant once told him. That single opportunity changed the direction of Thomas’s life.

Robin’s outreach wasn’t only professional. He frequently visited homeless shelters without alerting the press. At a facility in Chicago, staff remembered how he came in one evening wearing a hoodie and baseball cap, sat down with residents, and listened quietly. “He asked about their lives, what made them laugh, what kept them going. He never once talked about himself unless they asked,” said one shelter worker. His ability to make each person feel seen and heard left an impression that staff still talked about years later.

In New York, a transitional housing program received anonymous donations for nearly four years. They later traced the source to a fund established under a pseudonym, eventually learning through hand-signed notes addressed simply “From a friend” that Robin had been the donor. One letter read, “Use this to make someone’s tomorrow feel possible.”

In Los Angeles, a young woman named Carla landed her first job in television as a production assistant on "The Crazy Ones" (2013–2014). Two weeks before, she had met Robin at a community shelter dinner, where she spoke briefly about her dream of working behind the scenes in television. He didn’t hand her a business card or make a promise. He quietly made a call. “He remembered me,” she said. “That one short conversation became my doorway into this industry.”

Even during massive productions like "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993) and "Jumanji" (1995), Robin made sure his clause was upheld. He didn’t make grand announcements about it. He simply asked, and because of his status, studios listened. A crew coordinator once remarked that Robin’s request was “never loud, never pushy. It came through a note, or an assistant, but it always came.”

He believed that dignity wasn’t something to be handed out with conditions. It was something everyone deserved access to, and he used every ounce of his influence to make that belief real on the sets he worked on and the lives he touched.