About a quarter of Tasmania's population identify as living with a disability, however only about 10,000 people are expected to benefit from the National Disability Insurance Scheme by mid-2019.
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A statewide pilot project aimed at establishing a collective voice on the interests and issues affecting Tasmanians living with a disability has been launched.
Disability Voices Tasmania will engage with people living with a disability, their families, carers and support services, to determine what training and resources would give people better choice and control over their lives.
The project's launch coincided with the public consultation of draft terms of reference for a royal commission into the mistreatment of people with disabilities, which opened last week.
Fiona Strahan, a short-statured woman and DVT's project officer, said it was time Tasmania led the discussion on how to ensure the voices of people with a disability were heard.
"If we are going to have a system based on equal access and opportunity, then we need to resolve the issues of the past and then look at how we shift from just participation to contribution," she said.
"This can be the hardest nut to crack.
"What we are seeing now, more broadly with the royal commission, is a maturing of state and national discussions, led by disability organisations.
"I think we as a society are much more aware of it, particularly the impact of abuse."
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Geraldine Robertson, an autistic woman and the past chairwoman of Autism Tasmania, said Tasmania needed an independent voice.
"One of the biggest issues in Tasmania is that we don't have a united, independent voice for people with a disability," she said.
"We have organisations that represent us, but we are talking about many different groups including parents and professionals, and many different sub-groups.
"We often find that once the final opinion filters through, the voice of the person with the disability gets lost."
Funded by the Department of Communities, Ms Strahan said the project aimed to engage with as many people as possible.
"We are asking people with disability to come together to identify our common issues and discuss how we can best raise them with government, service providers and broader community," she said.
People with a disability and their allies are encouraged to share their views through a survey available here.
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Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
