Public Address | Cafe | Access: Murder – it’s not OK.

Sacha

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 08:30:35 +1200

Murderer Donella Knox released on parole after counselling to understand her own mindset and with conditions including not publicly commenting.

Rosemary McDonald

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 19:34:48 +1200

Chuckling going on in the whare...

A couple of years ago we made a complaint via an advocate about the "services" rendered by our local NASC.

After some exchanges (surprising what they're willing to put in an email ;-) ) we had a meeting up at the Hospital twixt us…

Sacha

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 13:20:45 +1200

an early warning score system, that collated information from hospitals, GPs, disability support services, school attendance records, and Oranga Tamariki records

Inter-departmental information sharing has that promise as well as lots of risks. The ' social investment' approach relies on it.

'declined service'
The Health and Disability Commission has tried…

Rosemary McDonald

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 13:27:42 +1200

You might have the money for high quality chocolate but there are no specialty chocolate shops in the region where you live.

Marks suggests an early warning score system as a measure to prevent further deaths...

Another preventative solution could be an early warning score system, that collated information from…

Sacha

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 16:31:47 +1200

I can't find the full report

Certainly not on the DHB's website, but then I guess it may have too much personal detail to be released in full anyway.

Hilary Stace

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 12:56:37 +1200

Thanks Rosemary and Sacha. I can't find the full report – maybe it hasn't been publicly released yet. A friend of mine also has an adult with a large care package but says it is like chocolate. You might have the money for high quality chocolate but there are no…

Sacha

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 12:26:25 +1200

Until as a society we learn to value all our citizens including those with disability

Which will only happen when leaders invest in that education process. Show us the money.

Rosemary McDonald

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 10:11:39 +1200

Hilary.

Your original post pretty much says it all and I'm fairly sure those who commented are still of the same mind.

So, I'll just do an update and link to these....
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018654266/warning-of-further-deaths-without-caregiver-boost

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/362093/report-findings-after-ruby-knox-s-death-released

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/105553241/review-prompted-by-ruby-knox-murder-blasts-nzs-disability-care

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12091213

But I will quote Dr Rosemary Marks...

"I remind you that governments allocate resources…

Kumara Republic

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 20:08:24 +1300

When I was at high school, my folks thought it was a good idea at the time to tiger-parent a quasi-autistic kid to success, partly because it worked for my siblings, and partly because ASD was still poorly understood in those days. They've since seen the error of their ways,…

Hilary Stace

Sat, 18 Feb 2017 21:27:34 +1300

Dunedin has recently hosted a really good research project about intellectual disability and the law, with an aim of educating the judiciary. Just a pity that it didn't appear to include autism, if this report is any indication.

Sacha

Sat, 18 Feb 2017 17:13:46 +1300

People with autism do not become premeditated killers.

No shit. #grrrr

Judge Nicholas Davidson said Merritt’s disorder had impacted his life and was connected to the murder of Ms Ross.

"References to the mild end of the ASD spectrum shouldn’t, in my view, trivialise your impairment," he said.

"You do…

Hilary Stace

Sat, 18 Feb 2017 15:37:10 +1300

The language about autism and the diagnosis itself in this report of the Dunedin murder are both worrying and probably inaccurate. People with autism do not become premeditated killers. Similarly with school shooters etc – it is becoming acceptable to ascribe autism. But I would suspect an alternative condition.

The…

Angela Hart

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 13:36:34 +1300

This will have to become an election issue.

It should.
Establishing the causes and the manners of enablement of historic abuses in state run institutions should allow us to avoid those causes and conditions in the present and the future. We now have state funded institutions rather than state run…

Hilary Stace

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 12:38:45 +1300

Good. The movement towards an inquiry into historic abuse is gathering steam. I think I wrote about it a couple of years ago as it is one of my ongoing research interests – those disabled children sent away from their families and those disabled people in the back rooms of…

Rosemary McDonald

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 12:06:24 +1300

I totally get what you are pointing out. That killing a disabled person is no less acceptable than killing an infant, because they require there caregivers time and energy.

But it’s also important to consider the mitigating factors in the mental health of the murderer in all sentences. Like when…

Rosemary McDonald

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 12:02:53 +1300

Ministry of Health sees no responsibility to improve services!

Absolutely typical, and as Sacha says...disgusting.

Ministry disability support services group manager Toni Atkinson said there were many autistic people who did not need disability support.

There was no need to improve training for carers, and autism support was not under-resourced,…

william blake

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 11:59:23 +1300

Thanks Hilary, this needs to be said as it is true.

Steven the obvious mitigating factor is the failure of support for the Mother but then in mitigation of the support services, we have a limit on resources because of free market ideas of health care floating around at government…

Hilary Stace

Sun, 12 Feb 2017 21:58:41 +1300

One of Greg O'Connor's first tweets after setting up his @GregOhariu twitter account was about the Knox case. It will be good to have him as a politician who is informed about the issues from personal and professional experience. Worth watching.

WaterDragon

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 10:53:17 +1300

Nice piece Hilary.
To add to what you pointed out about disabled people across the whole range of impairment being at greatly increased risk, the NZ post-census Disability Survey points out that most disabled people have two or more impairments, and one disabled person in 3 has unmet health needs-…

Sacha

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 09:56:58 +1300

Ministry disability support services group manager Toni Atkinson said there were many autistic people who did not need disability support.

There was no need to improve training for carers, and autism support was not under-resourced, she said.

What a disgusting attitude. Families and advocates must just be making it all…

Hilary Stace

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 07:59:46 +1300

Ministry of Health sees no responsibility to improve services!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/89179500/Autism-NZ-calls-for-respite-care-overhaul-after-Donella-Knox-case

Hilary Stace

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 19:14:45 +1300

Coincidentally, my friend Robyn Hunt wrote this for the Spin Off http://thespinoff.co.nz/society/09-02-2017/on-donella-knox-her-disabled-daughter-and-the-so-called-mercy-killing/

Russell Brown

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 17:06:58 +1300

A statement from the Autistic Collective.

NO EXCUSING THE MURDER OF AUTISTICS!

Ruby Knox, a young autistic woman, was murdered last year by Donella Knox, her own mother, and recently her supporters have been asking for Donella’s early release on ‘compassionate’ grounds.

The Autistic Collective however, feel that the central…

Katharine Moody

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 14:49:17 +1300

Thanks Hilary – the historical account in your post is uplifting in the sense that a precious life tragically and needlessly lost at least spurned action in NZ – but soul destroying at the same time, as if anything, it seems to me we have gone backwards in both policy…

mark taslov

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 14:45:39 +1300

so they become known as real people, with interests and personalities.

Some great suggestions outlined here Hilary, and very well put.

Hilary Stace

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 14:21:32 +1300

I focus on autism but disabled people with so called 'complex needs' usually have lots of labels, and these can change over time. The stresses remain the same.

Fraser Gardyne

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 13:52:52 +1300

Well written Hilary, it's so easy to automatically side with a stressed parent rather than looking deeper. Our autistic citizens and others in society with mental and physical challenges deserve better.

Public Address

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 13:52:52 +1300

Discussion from blog post.