There are around 4.3 million Australians who have an inability. Inside the following five years, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will give more than $22 billion in financing a year to an expected 500,000 Australians who have extremely durable and critical incapacity. For some individuals, it will be whenever they first get the inability support they need.

NDIS – What does it mean?

• National: The NDIS is being introduced progressively across all states and territories.
• Disability: The NDIS provides support to eligible people with intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive and psychosocial disability. Early intervention supports can also be provided for eligible people with disability or children with developmental delay.
• Insurance: The NDIS gives all Australians peace of mind if they, their child or loved one is born with or acquires a permanent and significant disability, they will get the support they need.
• Scheme: The NDIS is not a welfare system. The NDIS is designed to help people get the support they need so their skills and independence improve over time.

Reference : NDIS

NDIS key words

• Permanent and significant disability: A permanent disability means your disability is likely to be lifelong. A significant disability has a substantial impact on your ability to complete everyday activities.
• Supports and services: Assistance or products that help a person in their daily life and help them participate in the community and reach their goals.
• Early intervention: Providing support to a person, either a child or an adult, as early as possible to reduce the impacts of disability or developmental delay and to build their skills and independence.

The NDIS provides funding to eligible people based on their individual needs.

What types of supports are funded?

The types of supports that the NDIS may fund for participants include:

• daily personal activities
• transport to enable participation in community, social, economic and daily life activities
• workplace help to allow a participant to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labour market
• therapeutic supports including behaviour support
• help with household tasks to allow the participant to maintain their home environment
• help to a participant by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training
• home modification design and construction
• mobility equipment, and
• vehicle modifications.

There are some kinds of supports that will not be funded or provided by the NDIS

The NDIS Act and the rules made under the NDIS Act also tell us which supports will not be funded by the NDIS.

The NDIS cannot fund a support that is:

• the responsibility of another government system or community service
• not related to a person’s disability
• relates to day-to-day living costs that are not related to a participant’s support needs, or
• is likely to cause harm to the participant or pose a risk to others.

Reference –    Supports funded by the NDIS – https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/supports-funded-ndis

For More info on NDIS please visit www.ndis.gov.au