At our meeting on Tuesday we welcomed back Mary Butterworth from Developmental Disabilities WA. She has spoken to us before and it was good to find out more about the work she is very involved in.
Mary indicated that they are support network for many families who have someone in that family with an intellectual disability. DDWA provides advocacy support, helps them find their way around the services that are available to them, and assists them to learn more about their rights as a citizen. It can be a very complex world for some people as others don't necessarily understand their needs. There are a number of initiatives that Mary spoke about this morning that keep them busy. They run camps and training sessions for families; they are also assisting organisations who connect with those with a disability to learn how to simplify their paperwork so it is more easily understood. They are also hoping to implement a 'talking forms' programme that allows the called to answer questions verbally rather than having to fill in paperwork.
For this work to happen they do need assistance so if anyone has a few spare dollars that can be put to any of their initiatives they would really appreciate it. More information can be found on their website: www.ddwa.org.au
Thank you Mary for a very informative update on the work that you do.