news Aleisha Larsen with her sister Belinda Kelly, who is a participant in the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Photo: Jamie Wicks
REALISING BELINDA’S DREAMS
NDIS nears nationwide roll-out
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n 1 July, three years after the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was first piloted in the Hunter, the scheme will commence its nationwide roll-out. Cessnock, Singleton, Port Stephens, and other parts of the Hunter where the scheme was not previously accessible as part of the trial, will be the next to gain access, along with the Central Coast and parts of Sydney. It is anticipated the NDIS will be fully operational in New South Wales by July 2018. At the same time, other states will go through a similar, staggered roll-out, except in Western Australia, where the Perth trial is being extended to 30 June 2017 while a full-scheme approach is finalised. By 2019, the whole of Australia will have access to the NDIS, providing support to some 460,000 people under the age of 65 with disabilities. The NDIS is Australia’s flagship disability care scheme, introduced by the Gillard government in 2013. It replaced an ad-hoc system of disability funding and support services, administered by state and federal government agencies, including Ageing, Disability and Home Care. The scheme launched in July 2013 across four trial sites in Australia – the Hunter (Newcastle), Tasmania, South Australia, and the Barwon region of Victoria.
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Progressively it was introduced at trial sites in all states, and expanded in the Hunter to include Lake Macquarie and Maitland. The scheme, administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency, is designed to provide people with a permanent and significant disability with the necessary supports they need to live the life they want. Care is tailored, and, because each client is individually funded, they have choice and control over what they want to spend their funding on. The NDIS pays for “reasonable and necessary” supports – that is, things that are related to a person’s disability and required for them to achieve their goals. This includes everything from equipment to therapy to travel arrangements and social activities. To gain access to the scheme, a person needs to meet the disability, age and residence requirements. However, once they gain access, assistance is not means tested, and has no impact on disability income support payments. Existing clients of a state or federal disability service automatically transition to the scheme, while those who are not currently receiving any support, and want to, can apply. For more information on the NDIS, phone 1800 800 110 or go to ndis.gov.au. - Georgia Osland
Shopping, swimming and lunching are an integral part of 28-year-old Belinda Kelly’s life. And, thanks to the NDIS, she doesn’t have to miss out on any of these things. Belinda has cerebral palsy and lives in a group home in Argenton run by disability care provider Life Without Barriers. She was among the first to transition to the NDIS in 2013 as part of the Hunter trial. Belinda’s sister, Aleisha Larsen, said there was an abundance of support available for Belinda to do all the things she wanted to do, including social activities and travel to her regular swimming sessions in Raymond Terrace. “There’s so many opportunities for her now,” she said. “At first, some people might be overwhelmed because they’ve never had these supports and they don’t know what to do with them. [The scheme] has been so beneficial to Bel and our family.” Life Without Barriers Hunter Operations Manager Leanne Millard said 90% of the organisation’s clients in the area had transitioned to the scheme, with more to follow. “What’s been marvelous for me is watching people whose lives have changed dramatically, particularly around [access to] therapy and equipment,” she said. “Overall, the benefits [of the scheme] are amazing.” - Georgia Osland