A disability advocacy group believes the use of restraints against disabled people is still a “daily occurrence” as a former support worker in Canberra came forward to share her horror at being told to tie up a severely intellectually disabled woman with ropes for 30 minutes at a time. “I am not a monster, but that role turned me into one,” the former worker said. Canberra-based Advocacy for Inclusion chief executive officer Christina Ryan said the use of restraints against disabled people had to be made illegal and a shift made in thinking across society that it was somehow excusable for people with disabilities to be treated in that way. “It should be illegal to do this and it should be seen for what it is, a form of abuse. It’s violence and it’s unacceptable,” she said. Ms Ryan has also asked why the federal government has not yet implemented a royal commission into violence, abuse and neglect of people with disability despite a Senate committee calling for just that in November last year. By contrast, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had implemented a royal commission into abuse of juvenile detainees within 12 hours of a Four Corners expose last week of the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in the Northern Territory. The former disability support worker, who did not wish to be named, said she was prompted to come forward and breach client confidentiality after being moved by the Four Corners report and separate revelations of abuse against aged care residents. “I feel horrible about this, but in light of the abuse happening in juvenile detention centres, I think it is critical that I tell this story on behalf of young people with intellectual disabilities who are abused in this way,” the woman said. The worker said it was the client’s mother who directed her to restrain the woman with her hands tied high above her head. The ropes were attached to the roof and “like something you would get in Bunnings”. “I was asked to tie it particularly tightly, while she screamed and cried and exhibited signs of distress. I was then asked to leave her there for around 30 minutes while I cleaned the house. After 30 minutes, I would assist her to shower, and she would cower in the corner crying and screaming. If I assisted her to wash she would, understandably, lash out,” the woman said. The worker believed the mother – “a wonderful woman pushed to the absolute edge of carer stress” – was in an untenable situation, and her agency could offer no real support. The alleged abuse occurred in mid-2014 around the time the National Disability Insurance Scheme was being introduced in the ACT. It is unknown if the abuse is still happening as the worker left the sector and the agency involved, Kincare, would not comment on the specific case due to privacy concerns. “However, as a general matter, Kincare can say that its policy is that physical restraint or confinement of a person is never an appropriate response to any client or situation. Kincare staff are instructed never to restrain a person and Kincare would not condone a staff member doing so in any circumstances,” a statement read.
