One person complained their diagnosis of autism seemed to have been done from a questionnaire only and cost them $700. File image. Photo: AFP
A disability advocate and the organisation he works for have been labelled a risk to vulnerable consumers by the Health and Disability Commission which has taken the unusual step of naming them.
The New Zealand Disability Advisory Trust (NZDAT) and Nicholas Stoneman were initially anonymous in a critical report by the commission late last year.
That report raised shortcomings in an autism diagnosis, not engaging respectfully with clients, possible overcharging for services, and failing to address clients' concerns.
One complainant said the Trust charged her $700 for a diagnosis of autism that seemed to have been done from a questionnaire only, the commission's report said.
The accepted diagnosis practice was much more rigorous and the service had therefore failed to provide her with services of an appropriate standard, the report said.
In response to another complaint, Stoneman told the commission the complainer, Mr A, was "a serious narcissistic autistic".
Mr A had been upset when he learned about those comments.
"I am concerned that when Mr Stoneman made these comments, he did not consider how disrespectful they were and how they would affect Mr A," the commission said.
In an decision released on Monday, deputy commissioner Rose Wall said she was now naming Stoneman and the service because they had not carried out any of its recommendations.
"In the circumstances, I consider Mr Stoneman and NZDAT pose a risk to other vulnerable consumers," she said.
RNZ attempted to contact Stone and the Trust but none of the publicly listed numbers or websites were active.
The Trust's email automatically bounced back, signed by Nick Stoneman.
"The NZ Disability Advisory Trust Inc office is now closed for our hard working Disability Service Navigators to have some much needed leave we will do limited email checks over the office closure period," the auto reply said.
The Commission's recommendations had included that the service and Stoneman take further training in autism and dealing clients with autism, improve their process and policies and make apologies to the complainants.
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