Office of the Public AdvocateOPA has long been concerned about how to best support members of the Victorian Koori community who have a disability and may come under guardianship or need its other services.
A small group of OPA Advocate Guardians managed the project and met with Deaf Indigenous Community Consultancy founder, Jody Barney, to discuss ideas, themes and issues. Consultant Tracey Evans was engaged to review information, ideas and draft the guide.
The draft was provided to the Aboriginal Community Elders Service and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission for comment. An OPA representative at Balit Narrum providing a Koori perspective to the disability sector provided the group with progressive advice.
Some information in the guide is drawn from Working with Aboriginal People and Communities – A Practice Resource, published by the NSW Department of Community Services in 2009.
This guide aims to help improve services to anyone who identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent in this state by explaining key cultural practices, traditions, history and sensitivities.
It may well find a broader audience and others are welcome to use and benefit from it by also helping to improve their services to Aboriginals in Victoria or elsewhere.
