10406 – Individual submission

People with disabilities applying for the NDIS don’t know what documentation they need and who to see to gain that document to be eligible for the NDIS. The NDIA do not let people with disabilities know who to see and what information is needed. Many people who are not eligible for the NDIS will have no access to services and with Ability Links closing this makes it very hard as there are only advocacy services. People with Disabilities who need help and can’t get any services don’t know which services to contact as all the services only help people with disabilities who have an NDIS plan. It is a great idea to have the word participant for people who receive an NDIS package yet participants are people who have voice, choice, control and flexibility to choose what they do with their NDIS funding. At present people with disabilities who have an NDIS package don’t feel like a participant because they cannot move funding around, there are services and things that ADHC previously funded that the NDIS does not fund, there are gaps between mainstream services and the NDIS, service providers who are NDIS registered do not deliver services participants ask for and participants are having to do what the service providers fund instead of service providers supporting people with disabilities with what they want to do. Until changes are made to the NDIS to make it work better and properly the way it is meant to work it is not fair to use the word participant under the NDIS for people with Disabilities who receive an NDIS package when all people with disabilities are doing is going to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to fight for their rights and to fight for what they need in their NDIS plans and to have their goals supported. While Ability Links focuses on people with disabilities, people with disabilities are participants with Ability Links as Ability Links listens to people and supports people with disabilities with what they ask for without any questions and Ability Links puts in 110% effort in their work. Anything you ask Ability Links to do they do it without any questions and contacts people with disabilities who are participants with Ability Links within a reasonable time frame from when people with disabilities call and does not keep people with disabilities waiting for a return call. While the NDIA keeps people with disabilities waiting, and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for a return call from the region. For people with disabilities to be an NDIS participant there needs to be a lot of changes made for people who receive an NDIS package to feel more of a participant. Many people with disabilities feel more like a number than a participant. It is 6 years since the NDIS rolled out and replaced the state system and since people with disabilities have transferred from the state system to the NDIS many people with disabilities are worse off and disadvantaged as the NDIS will not fund what people with disabilities were previously funded for by ADHC.