IDA Magazine Vol 40 Iss 3 (Sep 2019)

KATIE’S JOURNEY – BEFORE THE NDIS
AND HOW IT’S HELPED CHANGE HER LIFE
Victoria Tucker
Key points
● ● The NDIS can change people’s lives if the individual and their family members/
carers are properly supported to access and manage their package from the NDIS.
● ● There are too many barriers for people with intellectual, cognitive and learning
disabilities to access the NDIS, and in particular marginalised groups such as people
from CALD or ATSI backgrounds or people with complex needs.
● ● People with intellectual, cognitive or learning disabilities who have experienced
sexual, physical and emotional abuse and/or domestic and family violence and have
CALD/ATSI background or other marginalised groups may have never received
disability funding in their lifetime, and therefore have never had to negotiate a
disability service system.
● ● Outreach social work community services are not being funded to provide transition
support to the NDIS.
● ● The NDIS is slow to respond and support people with complex needs and/or family
or friends in any kind of crisis.
● ● If people are given a package, they are rarely funded adequately, for example people
in marginalised groups often require significant levels of support coordination to
facilitate engagement with services and to fully utilise their package.
● ● Individual and systems advocacy services are overwhelmed with NDIS reviews and
appeals, and there is no support available to respond to people with complex needs
experiencing one or multiple systems abuses.
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