ADACAS - ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service

03/03/2026

Many disabilities aren’t visible. When someone tells you that you ‘seem fine’, they may refuse workplace adjustments, reduce your support, or dismiss your concerns.

Invisible disabilities can include neurological, cognitive, and neurodevelopmental conditions, sensory and processing differences, and chronic health conditions. These conditions can affect the way you experience daily life, even when others can’t see the impact.

If you feel your rights are being ignored at work or in the services you access, ADACAS can support you.

Our advocacy may include:
• supporting you in meetings and helping prepare documentation
• framing requests about rights and reasonable adjustments
• respectfully challenging assumptions
• ensuring communication is accurate and fully considers your circumstances

You don’t have to disclose more than you’re comfortable with just to receive fair treatment. Respectful, rights-based conversations are possible, and ADACAS can walk alongside you through the process.

02/03/2026

If you've been told that you don’t meet the criteria for NDIS support, the decision might seem final, but it’s not always the case. We receive referrals from people with disability and those experiencing mental ill-health, whose situations have deteriorated to the point where they’re unsure how to manage their daily routines without proper, funded support.

These vulnerable individuals are expected to explain their situations in writing and in meetings, often multiple times, complete applications, provide supporting evidence, and continue managing their daily lives, all while facing the major challenges that first led them to seek assistance.

If your application for NDIS support has been rejected, there are still options to explore. You can:
· ask for the written reasons behind the decision
· request a review
· find out what was missing
· provide new supporting documents

In many cases, internal review processes, external complaints bodies, or escalation pathways are not clearly outlined in the initial response. Access should be based on need and criteria that can be reasonably applied, taking into account the broad capabilities of applicants. If your situation seems to have been assessed without considering your full circumstances, ADACAS can help.

We offer free, independent, and confidential advocacy for people with disability, those experiencing mental ill-health, older people, and their carers in the ACT and in NSW across Illawarra Shoalhaven, Southern NSW, and Murrumbidgee Local Health Districts.

26/02/2026

When our aged care advocates from ADACAS recently spoke with members of the Murrumbidgee Canberra Rotary Club, one story stood out. After a hospital discharge and approval for a Home Care Package (now called the Support At Home Program), a family received a 15-page document outlining fees, means testing and requests for financial disclosures. It felt daunting and they were unsure about the disclosures and uncomfortable about the financial assessment, so they chose not to proceed.

The aged care system is complex, especially when you are dealing with the processes for the first time, and official correspondence can be dense and difficult to interpret. ADACAS can step in to simplify and explain documents, outline your options, and help people weigh up their choices without pressure.

Our role is to ensure individuals understand their rights and can make informed decisions that suit their circumstances.

If you or someone you know feels overwhelmed by aged care processes, you can refer them to ADACAS for free, independent and confidential advocacy support. We can help ensure you don’t miss out on approved services simply because the paperwork feels unmanageable.

Find out more about our aged care advocacy here: https://adacas.org.au/services/aged-care/

25/02/2026

People with sensory sensitivities may experience heightened or diminished responses to sensory input such as sound, light, touch, smell, or movement. These sensitivities can be overwhelming and impact daily life, making environments like busy shops, loud classrooms, or bright lights feel challenging to navigate. Common in individuals with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder, sensory sensitivities vary widely from person to person.

Supporting someone with sensory sensitivities involves recognising their unique triggers, respecting their boundaries, and creating more inclusive spaces that reduce distress and promote calm. Simple workplace modifications can create an inclusive and supportive environment for people with sensory sensitivities.

These could include:
✅ providing noise-cancelling headphones
✅ offering quiet workspaces or private offices
✅ using softer lighting or allowing natural light
✅ permitting flexible dress codes to avoid uncomfortable fabrics
✅ allowing flexible schedules or remote work to help employees manage sensory overload

Clear communication about expectations and written instructions can also support individuals with sensory processing differences and help them thrive and contribute effectively in the workplace.

If you would like to find out more about making your workplace more inclusive and accessible, subscribe to our newsletter or find out more about the Employer Confidence Program:
https://adacas.org.au/services/employer-confidence-program/

25/02/2026

The health and well-being of people with disability is being affected by the inability to find or keep stable, accessible housing that meets their needs. Unstable or unsuitable housing can trigger a domino effect in support: missed appointments, disrupted services, greater dependence on crisis responses, and reduced independence.

Last year, ADACAS saw a 51% rise in advocacy cases related to housing for people with disability. When housing and support planning are misaligned, it impacts real lives.

The difficulties and stress of finding stable, accessible housing are made worse by the shortage of universally designed accommodation for those with the highest support needs. Long waiting lists for accessible housing and barriers in the mainstream market, including some landlords' reluctance to adapt properties for accessibility, remains a problem. People with disability face limited choices about where they live and who they live with, and often do not feel supported to explore options that would best suit them.

The social model of disability needs to remain a key focus as we look at infrastructure and services and ensure timely access to advocacy, so people with disability can be heard and supported as they juggle housing stress and service gaps. At ADACAS, our independent advocacy helps people discuss their housing and living goals, reinforcing their connection to health and well-being outcomes.

24/02/2026

ADACAS will be at the Canberra Community Aged Care Expo tomorrow, and if you’re starting to navigate aged care systems, we hope to see you there, too.

Stop by ADACAS’s stall for useful resources and info to help you explore your aged care options and protect your rights. We are up to date on what the new Aged Care Act, the Statement of Rights, and the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards mean for you, following recent reforms. Our advocacy is free, confidential and independent.

Canberra Community Aged Care Expo
Ainslie Football Club, 52 Wakefield Ave, Ainslie
Wednesday, 25 February | 10am–1pm

Secure your free tickets here:
https://events.humanitix.com/canberra-community-aged-care-expo

23/02/2026

Community Corner offers a weekly drop-in space, rotating across the Libraries ACT network where you can connect directly with trusted local organisations and services without appointments or referrals. This fantastic community initiative allows you to access valuable information and resources in the familiar environment of your local library.

This week, we’re setting up at Woden Library alongside Volunteering Act, COTA ACT, and ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability.

If you’re navigating My Aged Care, the NDIS, or caring responsibilities, you don’t have to manage the complexity alone. We’ll listen to you and support you in taking practical steps using a person-centred approach. Our team lives locally and understands the systems you’re dealing with.

Woden Library
Corner of Furzer & Corinna Streets, Phillip
Thursday, 26 February
10.15am – 12.00pm

ADACAS provides free, independent, and confidential advocacy for people with disability, people experiencing mental ill-health, and older people and their carers across the ACT and parts of NSW.

Community Corner runs throughout 2026. Drop in when you need us.

Find out more about Community Corner and the 2026 timetable here: https://www.library.act.gov.au/whats-new/whats-new-items/january-2026/community-corner-2026

20/02/2026

ADACAS is an independent support service for the National Redress Scheme across the ACT and parts of NSW. Our trauma-informed advocacy focuses on the person, not the paperwork. We can explain each step in plain language, clarify eligibility, connect people with counselling supports, and help prepare statements only when someone feels ready.

This week, we met with Knowmore Legal Service, a national organisation that provides free, independent legal advice to people accessing the National Redress Scheme and financial counselling related to payments received from the National Redress Scheme and other associated schemes. We discussed our shared goal of helping survivors find the support they need and empowering them to make decisions that keep them in control of their own story, at their own pace.

The National Redress Scheme was created to acknowledge the suffering endured by people who experienced child sexual abuse in an institutional setting and to hold institutions accountable for that abuse. Eligible applicants may be offered financial redress, counselling and psychological support, and a direct personal response from the responsible institution.
This process can bring up memories and grief, but it can also reveal strength.
The chance to be heard matters.
Unlike ADACAS’s other advocacy for people with disability, those experiencing mental ill-health, older people and their carers, this support is available to the wider community.

Advocacy in these complex scenarios means ensuring people are well-informed and not left to handle the complexities alone.
The National Redress Scheme applications close at the end of June, 2027, so there is still plenty of time to seek available support before submitting.
You can contact us, with no pressure to proceed until you’re ready.
ADACAS’s advocacy is free, independent and confidential.
https://adacas.org.au/services/abuse-and-redress/

19/02/2026

ADACAS will be at The Aged Care Events Community Canberra Community Aged Care Expo, an event designed to help older Australians plan, prepare, and make informed decisions about their future.

The expo gathers a wide range of practical and relevant services and information for older people, including in-home care and residential aged care options, mobility aids and health services, financial planning and future planning support, and information about healthy ageing and understanding your rights.

If you have questions about aged care, recent system changes, or your rights, we encourage you to visit the ADACAS booth.

Our team can talk with you about:
✅ Changes under the new Aged Care Act and what they may mean for you
✅ How the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and Statement of Rights protect your way of life, dignity, and life experience
✅ What to do if you’re not being heard in home or residential care
✅ Free, independent advocacy and how it works
✅ Navigating My Aged Care and accessing services with confidence

Our advocacy is free and independent.
We're here to support you, not providers, if you need help raising concerns or understanding your options.

Tickets are free!
Canberra Community Aged Care Expo
Ainslie Football Club
52 Wakefield Ave, Ainslie ACT 2602
Wednesday, 25 February
10am – 1pm
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/canberra-community-aged-care-expo

Stop by for a chat.
No pressure, just information and support.

18/02/2026

Most discussions about the new Aged Care Act focus on compliance, but it is interesting to consider the cultural shift protected by the new Aged Care Act 2024’s accompanying Statement of Rights and the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

The legislated Statement of Rights sets a standard for aged care that is rights-based rather than service-based. This means that providers are legally obliged to recognise and respect each person’s identity, culture, language, sexuality, spirituality, and life experience. Care must be culturally safe. These principles are enforceable obligations.

A person receiving care can reasonably expect to:
✅ communicate in their preferred language, including access to interpreters where needed
✅ practise cultural, spiritual, and religious activities
✅ receive food consistent with their cultural or religious requirements
✅ express their identity without fear of discrimination or judgment

Aged care has traditionally been shaped by organisational processes, but now there is a shift towards accountability where providers must demonstrate how they uphold and respect each person’s rights, not just how they undertake tasks.

Aged care staff are required to deliver care with cultural safety, show genuine engagement with diverse communities, and ensure dignity and respect for identity, as actual outcomes. For older Australians and their families, speaking up when these standards aren’t met isn’t complaining, it’s exercising a protected right.

ADACAS conducts weekly ‘advocacy help desks’ in residential aged care homes across the Canberra area to help older people understand their rights and ensure they are upheld, and that their wishes are heard.

Please contact us to find out whether we’re coming to your residential aged care home or for a referral to our services.
Our advocacy is free, independent and confidential.
www.adacas.org.au or phone 02 6242 5060

17/02/2026

We welcome Minister Stephen-Smith's support for this ACT Government initiative to provide a consistent way for people with disability to identify their access needs in the Digital Health Record.

As people can voluntarily update their Digital Health Record, we encourage people with disability to register their needs via the MyDHR app or seek support to help them include the information that is important to them.

Read the full Media Release here:

The ACT Government has introduced a new, consistent way for people with disability to identify their access needs in the Digital Health Record (DHR).

17/02/2026

At a recent presentation for Giralang Kaleen Men’s Shed in Canberra, a simple but important question was raised:
“What is advocacy, and what do you actually do?”

For ADACAS, advocacy means standing alongside older people, individuals with disability, those experiencing mental ill health, and their carers to ensure their rights are understood, respected, and upheld. In practical terms, advocacy can involve:

✅ explaining rights under aged care, disability, and mental health frameworks
✅ supporting someone to raise a concern or complaint
✅ attending meetings to ensure a person’s perspective is heard
✅ helping to navigate services and decisions that affect their daily lives.

Our advocacy is free, independent, and confidential. It is also guided by the person’s needs and preferences on how they want to live their lives, with the individual remaining at the centre of every decision.

For ADACAS, building strong partnerships with local community organisations, including local branches of the Australian Men's Shed Association, is essential to creating trusted spaces where people can ask questions directly and learn about their rights and options.

Advocacy, at its core, is about fairness, dignity, and informed choice.
We walk alongside people to make sure no one has to face complex systems alone.
Please contact us to find out how we can help you: www.adacas.org.au.