Sarah’s tip the balance story

Before the NDIS I was lucky to have funding from ADHC. There was a lot of flexibility and choice to what I could use my funding for. Choices were not limited and the service provider would always listen to me

The State funded my costs:

  • To attend and speak at conferences both within Australia, New Zealand and Internationally
  • Education costs for textbooks and learner support

Since transitioning to the NDIS the flexibility has not been the same and I have not been able to do what I could do before the NDIS. Decisions are not made with NDIS participants and people with disabilities. The NDIS is not fair for everyone and some people are funded for things that others aren’t funded for.

In the future I would like to see:

  • Gaps minimised between mainstream services and the NDIS this includes employment, education, housing, transport and the justice system
  • More flexibility for people to choose what they want to use their NDIS funding for not only the flexibility of being able to move funding from core support to capacity building and vice versa
  • Greater choice and control for people to choose what they want to do
  • People will be able to see a draft plan before their plan is approved to make sure everything is correct and there are no mistakes
  • Planners and Local Area Coordinators have more understanding of the different types of disabilities and that NDIS participants will be able to choose who develops their NDIS plan
  • Planners and Local Area Coordinators will seek approval from participants before going ahead with approving plans
  • NDIS participants and people with disabilities who apply for a review of their NDIS plan will be able to have an open discussion with NDIA reviewers and the overall decision is a collaborative decision that both the NDIA and NDIS participants/people with disabilities agree on