QPPD – a great place to start for inspiration and guidance

It has been around since the early 1980s and provides brilliant resources to support families who want to ensure their sons and daughters have a good life embedded in the fabric of their local communities.

While it is a Queensland organisation, anyone can join and many of the resources on their inspirational website are free and equally applicable to families living in other states.

QPPD vigorously defends justice and rights for people with disabilities by exposing exclusionary practices, speaking out against injustices and promoting people with disabilities as respected, valued and participating members of society.

QPPD was established in 1981 and, during the eighties, received a number of grants to support advocacy ventures by parents. Their advocacy covered issues including family support and respite, education, quality lifestyles for adults and guardianship.

In the formative years QPPD developed contacts around the state and maintained energy from parent to parent connections and by bringing families together to share experiences, stories and strategies in their search for better lives for sons and daughters. In 1990, the organisation was successful in obtaining funding under the Disability Services Act from the Commonwealth Government, for parents to continue to do statewide systems advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities.

Over the years QPPD has continued to develop a wide network of families and friends across Queensland who remain in contact with the organisation. As well as personally supporting one another, these families take up issues collectively on behalf of sons, daughters and others, speaking out about injustices and promoting people with disabilities as respected, valued and participating members of society.

Of particular interest is their new ‘Transition’ website: http://www.qppd.org/transition/index.html

‘Transition’ is targeted to the support of young people with disability leaving school so that they will participate in the same range of opportunities and choices as all young people.

“Our Mission is to advocate for the development and execution of strategies aimed at a systemic level to ensure that young people with disability can pursue their chosen goals through work, further education, leisure and social activities, enjoyment of relationships, travel and an independent lifestyle,” QPPD said.

The site features a free downloadable booklet ‘Handy hints for parents of students with disability leaving school’.

The handy hints booklet has been created to encourage and inspire young people with disability and their families to plan for great futures that are typical of everyday young Australians. The aim is to provide information that will help them to have high expectations, plan wisely and expect more than just what is on offer and to develop their own advocacy efforts which will add impetus to the change expected and required from all sectors.

The advice throughout the booklet is sensible, achievable, and promotes thinking ‘outside the box’ and dreaming big, such as: “Think about what your son or daughter likes, what they’re good at, their personality, not just what you think they can ‘get in to’.”

In the section ‘Tips for obtaining work experience’, it suggests considering your child’s strengths and interests: “When considering the types of experiences your son or daughter would like to sample, first suggest areas he or she likes or in which he or she has shown some interest or talent.

“Don’t limit this only to subject areas from school. It may be that he or she has a special interest in a sport, animal care or has a talent for labelling or sorting. Combine talents with interests.

“Use your contacts. If you know someone with a business or work site, ask them if they could create a role that could use the student’s skills.

“Talk to businesses or work sites associated with your school community. Consider work sites within the school, such as the library, canteen or grounds staff. Consider a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship.

“Work experience will also be very important for your son or daughter’s future, longer-term employment options.

“For example, if you are unable to obtain Post School Options funding your son or daughter may be able to continue doing work experience with the same employer. This can have great potential for paid employment.”

There is also a wonderful section on ‘Employment – working in the world’ which talks about the many employment options for people with a disability, from a ‘regular’ job to options with more support.

“Consider employers in your community, or even a family business, to help your son or daughter get a start.

“The ideal for work is if your son or daughter is doing something they enjoy and are good at, learning new skills and meeting people in an environment that’s supportive but also stimulating.

“While the support for school students is often provided by specific aides, in open employment the support may be offered and freely given by co-workers or the employer.”

Options to consider include:

• open employment (a job);
• supported open employment, where a support service helps the employee with training and workplace support;
• apprenticeships and traineeships;
• business services (previously known as sheltered workshops);
• voluntary work;
• ongoing work experience or workplace training. (It may be possible for the employer to receive wage subsidies or incentives for employing people whose disabilities impact on their productivity. Centrelink or the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) will have information about this.)

The booklet also has sections on continuing education options like university and TAFE, structured timelines to help you plan for the outcomes you want to achieve, choosing a good support service and the pitfalls to avoid, gleaned from parents who have trodden the path before you.

For more information contact QPPD at PO Box 470 Paddington QLD 4064; Phone: (07) 3368 3055, 1800 805 184; email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Visit the website at: www.qppd.org