Roundtable discussions about how people with disabilities are not being taken seriously by the Criminal Justice System are being held across Australia over the next several months.
Graeme Innes, the country's Disability Discrimination Commissioner, stated that there have been numerous examples in recent years, about how people who have disabilities are not treated equally when dealing with the criminal system.
Ms. Margie Charlesworth, Vice President of Women with Disabilities, has been on the record as stating that she felt her voice wasn't considered ""valid"" because people dismissed what she was saying when they could not immediately understand what she was saying. Charlesworth lives with cerebral palsy.
The roundtable discussions are just one facet to Australia's drive toward equality. Innes said, Things we would like to see include changes to the evidence legislation, and improved levels of respect and communication between the police and members of the disabled community."