The National Disability Insurance Scheme is known as NDIS. It is basically the legislation that was passed by the government to set up the Scheme to support people with a disability.

The National Disability Agency is known as NDIA. It is the government organization which makes the NDIS happen. NDIA employs a range of staff to support people with a disability and their families to plan for their life and provides the funding to support this to happen.

A grassroots campaign was at the heart of the creation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). People with disability, community organisations, advocates and governments worked hard to make disability reform a reality.

The NDIS was legislated in 2013. It moved through trial and transition to full Scheme rollout across Australia by 2020. The NDIS now supports more than half a million adults and children with disability. Many of these people are receiving supports for the first time.

To receive funding through the NDIS you need to meet certain requirements. These are summarised below:

• You live in Australia and are an Australian Citizen, Permanent resident or hold a protected special category visa
• You are aged between 0-65 (although already enrolled participants, once they turn 65, can choose either to continue with the NDIS or transfer to the aged care support system available to all Australians over that age)
• You have a disability that is permanent or likely to be permanent which has an impact on your functional capacity to communicate, interact socially, move safely around your home and the community or manage your personal care or affairs (banking, bill paying etc.)

Supports that will not be funded are those that are:

• likely to cause harm to the individual or pose a risk to others
• unrelated to the individual’s disability
• duplicate other supports provided under alternative funding
• part of day-to-day living expenses incurred by the general public and not related to disability support needs (e.g., rent, groceries, household bills)
• related in any way to income replacement

You can also contact the National Disability Insurance Agency directly on 1800 800 110 or call United NT Disability Services on 08 7924 7095.

Will the NDIS effect my Disability Support Pension or Carers Payment?

The Disability Support pension along with other income supports and payments such as Carer Payment, Carer Supplement, Carer allowance and Child Disability Assistance Payment are entirely separate to the NDIS and will not be affected if you are eligible for the NDIS.

A Support Coordinator works with individuals to formalise a support plan and help them to engage different supports. The aim of a Support Coordinator is to build capacity in different individuals, such as students, the elderly, those with a disability or people with mental health issues.

For families and carers

The role of families and carers is often essential in supporting people with disabilities to realise their goals, so it is important to include them indiscussions about supports.

All reasonable and necessary disability care, equipment and support services will be funded through the NDIS. Generally, the supports and services that will be provided, if eligible, need to assist you to:

• work towards achieving your goals
• become as independent as possible
• develop skills for day-to-day living
• participate in the community
• work and earn money

In practice this means providing support, as and if required, in areas including:

• mobility
• communication
• self-care and self-management
• social interactions
• learning
• building skills and capacity for social and economic participation

• How To - What is an Individualised Living Option? – YouTube
• Communicating with your provider (youtube.com)
• How To - What is a service agreement? (youtube.com)
• How To - Starting my NDIS plan (youtube.com)
• How To - NDIS Employment Research: Finding a job for the school leaver (youtube.com)
• How To - NDIS Employment Research: Keeping a Job (youtube.com)