The AFDO Essay Is Australia's National Voice For Disability.

Context

The Australian Federation of Disability Organizations (AFDO) is the cross-disability representative firm, along with the national voice that represents people having a disability within Australia. The vision of this organisation is achieving a community where all people having a disability could participate in every aspect of cultural, political, and social life (LI et al. 2019). For achieving the vision as well as the mission, the organisation provides policy advice along with representation to the organisations as well as the government on the matters which impact people’s lives having a disability (Jinjing et al. 2019). This organisation also works in informing along with educating all general communities about disability along with working in developing a community where all people having a disability could participate in every aspect of cultural, political, economic, and social life. It consists of genuine participation within mainstream community life, economic along with social participation, an opportunity in contributing to as many valued citizens, and the development of valued as well as respectful relationships.

AFDO is composed of the member organisations working together in contributing to the plan of national policy along with addressing issues which impact people’s lives having a disability within Australia. Disability specific firms play a crucial role in information’s provision along with peer support to all people having disabilities. Such a role keeps these people connected closely to the major root communities. There is a peak organisation for every community that uses the voice for advocating on the issues (Mrva-Montoya 2020). In addition, AFDO is a forum where such views are gathered along with coordination for ensuring that government is over issues impacting every people having a disability within Australia. The mission of AFDO is using all strengths of the member-based firms for harnessing all collective powers to unite people having a disability for changing the society into a community where all are equal. The strategic objectives of AFDO are representing all united voices of the members along with the national initiatives as well as policy debate, enhancing the reputation, respect, and profile for AFDO through the members, and building sustainability along with the capacity of AFDO (Unit 2019). Other strategic objectives of AFDO include fostering strong collaboration along with engagement between the stakeholders and the members and enhancing AFDO’s connection along with influencing the initiatives of international initiatives through engagement, advocacy, and policy.

State of the arts

The mission of the team is creating a mobile application for all disabled people in Australia. The app would be simple to use along with flexible, such that AFDO personnel could add content that is needed. AFDO expects all people having disabilities along with their organisation would be consulted during the process of rollout that includes any reform of any National Disability Agreement (Murfitt et al. 2018). AFDO, along with all national members, need appropriate funding for undertaking the systematic national advocacy for all disabled people. Whilst the strategies along with aims of the documents are supported; however, there is little financial and other relevant commitment at the government levels, along with it lacks every agreed outcome measure for ensuring that the objects are progressively reached. The primary deliverable under this strategy has been implementation as well as the rollout of NDIS. The mainstream service systems like courts, schools, hospitals, and child protection systems have a responsibility in meeting every need of the disabled people using such services (Alexander et al. 2018). The disabled people are caught between removal or reduction of a few services along with disability support’s limited availability from the mainstream services. These people need a commitment to all continued access to the services along with support for ensuring these people remain well.

Strategic Objectives

Several disabled people use as well as access computers in several ways. Assistive technologies are used by a few of them for doing so. It depends upon the individual preferences as well as needs. Assistive technologies describe the software, equipment, and devices which help all disable people live much more independently (Maker et al. 2020). In addition, rehabilitative technology could help improve or restore function in disabled people. The aim of involving accessibility within e-learning is ensuring that every opportunity offered by the paradigm of e-learning is guaranteed to all that includes disabled people. However, acknowledging accessibility within e-learning is the primary issue vouching in promoting along with ensuring e-inclusion of disabled people (Gurd, Lim and Schuler 2018). In addition, it bears all potential in eradicating the barriers witnessed by disabled students to access online digital resources. Providing access to e-learning ensures that disabled people could use all resources regardless of technological as well as environmental constraints, along with allowing all individual preferences and learning styles in being accommodated. A side of this match is learning resources’ description.

AFDO requests for the application, which helps them in easily accessing the purpose training for individuals or firms, which includes the training of disability awareness along with learning all about NDIS, and view all tools which could access all pre-recorded videos of the modules directly (Smith-Merry et al. 2022). In addition, a few of the functions of this application include payment tools with the use of single payment as required. This app is created for AFDO for promoting their training on disability awareness along with the fee for the service offerings. This application would be dynamic. This app would be free to download, and the participants would learn about this NIDS along with getting training on disability awareness (St Guillaume 2020). This application would include a model overview, pre-recorded videos of all modules, and online training sessions using Zoom. The cost of the online training session would be billed after that event. In addition, after viewing the pre-recorded videos of these modules, the participants could complete some questions for earning a certificate for participation which could be sent or downloaded. However, this instruction would cost $30-$50 for every module through the institution bank or directly from Credit Card or PayPal.

The training would be for the individuals or the firms, and it would include modules about NDIS and financial literacy for disabled people self-managing all NDIS plans. The participants would be able to read the overview of all modules and make bookings through this app for an online training session using Zoom or an in-person workshop (Harpur and Blanck 2020). However, a fee needs to be paid that would be invoiced after those events. The participants would be able in accessing every pre-recorded video of the modules, which they could watch at any time, along with answering some questions for receiving the participation certificates. It could be emailed to that participant or could be downloaded. However, there would be a little fee for such kind of training session. For all self-paced videos of online training in this app, the participants would receive a certificate for participation. These are different to the sessions of online training delivered by the facilitator using Zoom.

Creating a Mobile Application for Disabled People in Australia

The goal is creating an application for all disabled people that would help them learn information through this mobile app. The app needs to be simple to use along with could be updated easily by the AFDO staff for adding content to it. Hence, this app is dynamic. This app would be utilised for promoting as well as highlighting the training for disability awareness along with the fee for offerings of the services (Hadley and Goggin 2019). Access to all resources would be also provided for all practical aspects. These modules would be about NDIS along with other related services. There is a link back to this website as well as contact details. There would be a quiz option available for all self-paced online videos of training in this app for receiving a certificate for participation. Regarding the online training as well as in-person workshops, the participants would receive the certificates after these sessions from the AFDO staff.

API would provide the set of functions which allow the top of the application in interacting with every other software component without any need to write down the overall code for any function. It provides the service to all other software that makes things much easier for developing this app. While developing this app, API integrates different features as well as backend functionalities with backend APIs. FastAPI is used as the platform of the backend API provided for ensuring better quality, reliability, and security of all services (Dendle, Buys and Vine 2021). This API is based upon REST API for the addition of the functionalities as well as features to this app. This API also allows for adding machine learning to this app for many tasks. This app would be much more productive if machine learning was implemented in this app. The process of application development is easy as well as efficient as the maximum amount of work is done with the use of API. Python programming is used for this FastAPI, which makes this easy in producing this app faster (Kraft, Jeske and Bayerlein 2019). MySQL is used as the database, and Raspberry Pi is used as the server for this app.

On analyzing the primary functionality of the app by research as well as comparisons with some similar apps, it could be concluded that several methods would be applied for the development of the app due to the nature of being the most applicable for this purpose.

• Online learning platform:Australian Federation of Disability Organizations
• Group forums:Australian Human Rights Commission
• Donation:National Disability Insurance Scheme

While researching several technologies, the most appropriate software which is compatible with the primary functions are:

• Online learning platform:Python is the most appropriate option for the code editor along with Zoom to conduct the online training sessions.
• Group forum:JavaScript is the most appropriate option to create the group forum.
• Donation:PayPal is the most appropriate option for secure payment transactions.

References

Alexander, J., Ford, J., Raghavendra, P. and Clark, J., 2018. Nature and extent of on-the-job training for employees with an intellectual disability: a pilot study. Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 5(2), pp.138-148.

Dendle, K., Buys, L. and Vine, D., 2021. Online focus groups: National focus groups with diverse older adults. SAGE Publications Ltd.

Gurd, B., Lim, C. and Schuler, E., 2018. Adapting to person-centred care: Changes in caring organisations in the australian disability sector. In Hybridity in the governance and delivery of public services. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Hadley, B. and Goggin, G., 2019. The NDIS and disability arts in Australia: Opportunities and challenges. Australasian Drama Studies, (74), pp.9-38.

Harpur, P. and Blanck, P., 2020. Gig workers with disabilities: opportunities, challenges, and regulatory response. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 30(4), pp.511-520.

Jinjing, L.I., BROWN, L., LA, H.A., MIRANTI, R. and VIDYATTAMA, Y., 2019. Inequalities In Standards Of Living: Evidence For Improved Income Support For People With Disability.

Kraft, C., Jeske, D. and Bayerlein, L., 2019. Seeking diversity? Consider virtual internships. Strategic HR Review.

LI, J., BROWN, L., LA, H., MIRANTI, R., VIDYATTAMA, Y. and AT, N., 2019. REPORT PREPARED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION OF DISABILITY ORGANISATIONS.

Maker, Y., Callahan, A., McSherry, B., Paterson, J.M., Brophy, L. and Arstein-Kerslake, A., 2020. Enhancing access and support for water customers with cognitive disabilities.

Mrva-Montoya, A., 2020. Producing Accessible Books in Australia: A Snapshot.

Murfitt, K., Crosbie, J., Zammit, J. and Williams, G., 2018. Employer engagement in disability employment: A missing link for small to medium organisations–a review of the literature. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 48(3), pp.417-431.

Smith-Merry, J., O’Donovan, M.A., Dew, A., Hemsley, B., Imms, C., Carey, G., Darcy, S., Ellem, K., Gallego, G., Gilroy, J. and Guastella, A., 2022. The Future of Disability Research in Australia: Protocol for a Multiphase Research Agenda–Setting Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 11(1), p.e31126.

St Guillaume, L., 2020. Newstart, poverty, disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Unit, DRA, 2019. How to be disability inclusive.