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Lawyers urged to fight for disability rights
A lawyer-turned-doctor has spoken out about how legal professionals can help drive disability rights in Australia.
Adrian Suljanovic
Dr Dinesh Palipana sat down with host Jerome Doraisamy of The Lawyers Weekly Show to talk about the inspiring journey that led to his staunch advocacy for disadvantaged and vulnerable people in society and how the law should be utilised to help them.
“I was in a dark, scary world where I felt like a ghost, just floating through it, not really seeing happiness and just seeing other people live their lives,” Dr Palipana said.
He continued by reflecting on his newfound appreciation for the legal profession after experiencing a car accident that left him quadriplegic in 2010. Dr Palipana spoke on the physical and social challenges of his disability and his realisation that since society’s foundations are based on the law, and how the law is crucial in protecting the rights of vulnerable individuals.
“Today, I work with the disability royal commission as a senior adviser, and it has been one of the greatest things that I’ve done because I just think the law is such a powerful thing, and it helps us fight for people,” he said.
Dr Palipana talked about the opportunities he was faced with in the years following his recovery from the accident, and the potential impact he could have. He mentioned that his injury would be “worth it” if his story inspired other lawyers to go out and fight for people who needed help, just as he received during his recovery.
On the topic of his advocacy work, Dr Palipana spoke of his initial frustration with the rates of employment and education for people with disabilities, believing that they should not be left out of the conversation on those matters. His aim is to create equal opportunities for people to “pursue their dreams and to contribute to society and be a part of this community”.
“As a society, we have a responsibility to create an equitable platform for everyone to make an effort.
“I think that pretty much sums it up and that an equitable platform is about creating employment opportunities, education opportunities, making sure everyone has access to healthcare,” he said.
Dr Palipana praised the Queensland legal community on their work surrounding disability issues, describing the processes these lawyers and law students are taking to have these issues addressed, including bringing these issues to the attention of employers, discussing various issues via LinkedIn, and even some lawyers structuring their practices around disability.
“There are just people who want to help,” he said. “A hero is someone who does things for another person or others without any expectation of personal gain while taking on personal and professional risk to help another.”
Dr Palipana believes that there is a growing movement in the legal profession and that lawyers need to understand the power the law possesses to affect the lives of many people in a positive way.
The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Dr Dinesh Palipana, click below:
