”Blessed beyond measure”: Mum takes aim at PM over problematic comments

With less than a month until voters take to the polls for the federal election, calls have been made to rectify issues concerning the NDIS.

All abilities advocate refuses to end fight until there is change

With less than a month until voters take to the polls for the federal election, calls have been made to rectify issues concerning the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Joshua Marshall, who worked as a nurse for 15 years, said his biggest lesson came when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The Toowoomba man, who is now a wheelchair user, dedicates his life to advocating for people living with disabilities.

“I was a nurse for 15 years and in education for five, and I thought I understood it until I got into a wheelchair and then I realised how little I knew,” Mr Marshall said.

“You can’t possibly get it until you get it.”

Josh Marshall. Picture: Rhylea Millar

Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently made headlines when he said he was “blessed” to have two children without disabilities as it meant he did not have to deal with the NDIS, at the election debate.

The statement, which garnered widespread criticism, was in response to the mother of a four-year-old boy who lives with autism and relies heavily on the NDIS.

Mr Marshall said while he believed the comment was missing its full context, people living with disabilities were segregated from the rest of the community due to the current law, policy and practice frameworks in place.

“If our top man is segregating through his attitudes and thought processes, it’s going to flow down to society,” Mr Marshall said.

“I think it’s time we see our major parties start to stand up and take responsibility for what they say they’re doing … give a voice to our whole society and not just who you want to give a voice to.”

The disability advocate said although society was moving in the right direction, he believed there was a long way to go and more funding for the NDIS would assist.

“We now have the access to premises standards, the NDIS, a lot of agency in this country that allows better participation but it’s not yet optimal,” Mr Marshall said.

“Disability and the amount of adjustments you need to make to your own life is expensive, whether it’s cabs or cleaning or paying someone to mow the yard.

“Yes, the NDIS helps but not absolutely.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Tim Hunter.

In addition to the NDIS, Mr Marshall said society’s attitude adjustments were also key in the fight to combat segregation and allow for equality.

He said the federal government should implement mandatory disability awareness training in the workplace and improve housing, transport and employment options.

“People with disabilities are very often unable to choose any other options but the special and segregated options that have been set for them,” he said.

“There’s either no other choices, the choices are limited or the choices are being made by other people.

“I’m not going to give up, and I will continue pushing this until we see a change.”

Mr Morrison previously said there was no “cookie cutter approach” to managing the NDIS, but the government was committed to fully funding and improving it.

“It’s a difficult scheme to manage,” he said.

“Because every single person who has a disability is different … you need to tailor the programs to each and every single individual.

“It is a scheme that is still building and it still has faults.

“It’s expensive, it’s more expensive than Medicare, but I believe it’s worth investing in.”

Alina and Josh Marshall at the Business DisABILITY Awards night in Toowoomba.

‘Blessed beyond measure’: Mum takes aim at PM over problematic comments

A loving mum has hit back at Prime Minister Scott Morrison, after he recently said he was “blessed” to have two children without disabilities.

The problematic statement came during the federal election campaign on Wednesday night.

Toowoomba woman Toni Mitchell, whose 21-year-old son Joshy, lives with disabilities, said the comment was “insulting” to the entire community.

Toni Mitchell and her son Joshy Mitchell, Friday, April 22, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“ (Mr Morrison’s) remarks weren’t the biggest problem we face, but they are an indication of how the wider population views people with disabilities,” Ms Mitchell said.

“If you don’t have a disability and you don’t walk this life, you can’t really understand how much that hurts.

“In a million different ways, you hear this every day – when you try to do something and you’re told no, when you try to enter a building and you can’t, when you have to fight for funding … it says you’re less than, and disability is a negative.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attends the first leaders' debate of the 2022 federal election campaign at the Gabba in Brisbane on April 20, 2022. (Photo by Jason Edwards / various sources / AFP)

During the Covid-19 lockdown, Ms Mitchell began writing messages of hope or jokes on a blackboard outside her house, to keep spirits high, but after the PM’s comments surfaced, she couldn’t stay silent.

Writing the message in chalk, the blackboard currently reads “I am blessed beyond measure by my child who has a disability.”

“When I saw what our prime minister said I was incensed – he should be setting an example for everyone else,” she said.

“For people with disabilities and their families, it is a lot of hard work and when they are sick, there’s a lot of heartache, but at the same time, they are a huge blessing … my son brings so much beauty and joy into our world … I wouldn’t change him for anything.”

The passionate advocate said while progress had been made, a lot more work was needed, especially with the NDIS and funding.

Toni Mitchell and her son Joshy Mitchell, Friday, April 22, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Mr Morrison attempted to clear his comments up on Thursday morning.

“I think people would appreciate that I would have had no such intention of suggesting that anything other than every child is a blessing is true,” he said.

“Every child is precious, and a blessing to every parent.

“I don’t think anyone would seriously think that I had intended anything different to that. I deeply apologise for any offence it caused.”