What is the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, known as the NDIS, is Australia’s national scheme for people with disability. It provides funding directly to eligible people with disability so they can access NDIS supports that relate to their disability and help them in everyday life.
The NDIS is run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The NDIS is the scheme that provides funding to eligible people with disability, while the NDIA is the organisation responsible for administering the scheme.
The NDIS provides funding to eligible people with disability to support goals such as spending more time with family and friends, increasing independence, accessing new skills, finding or keeping work, volunteering in the community, and improving quality of life.
It also connects people with disability to services in their community, whether or not they become NDIS participants. These connections can include (but not limited to) doctors, community groups, sporting clubs, support groups, and information about supports provided by state and territory governments.
The scheme supports more than 500,000 Australians with disability to access the services and supports they need. This includes approximately 80,000 children with developmental delay, with early support intended to improve outcomes across their lives.
Who is the NDIS for?
The NDIS is for eligible Australians who have a permanent and significant disability, or who meet the early intervention requirements. A permanent disability means the disability is likely to be lifelong, while a significant disability means it has a substantial impact on the person’s ability to complete everyday activities.
Not every person with disability will be eligible for the NDIS. A person must meet the relevant age, residence and disability or early intervention requirements before they can become a participant and receive an NDIS plan.
Children younger than 9 with disability or developmental delay may be supported through the NDIS early childhood approach. The early childhood approach can help families access supports early, including where a child has developmental concerns and may not yet have a diagnosis.
What does the NDIS fund?
The NDIS funds reasonable and necessary supports that relate to a person’s disability and help them pursue the goals in their plan. NDIS funding is not general income support; it’s funding for approved disability-related supports that meet NDIS criteria and are in line with your plan.
You can read more about reasonable and necessary supports in our blog post Understanding Reasonable & Necessary Supports.
NDIS supports can help you complete daily living activities, build independence and skills, access assistive technology, purchase equipment, complete home or vehicle modifications, and pay for some capital supports such as Specialist Disability Accommodation (where the participant is eligible).
The NDIS only funds supports that meet the NDIS funding criteria. This means supports need to:
Be related to disability
Help you pursue goals
Support participation
Represent value for money
Be effective and beneficial
Take account of informal and mainstream supports
Be an NDIS support (under current rules)
The NDIS doesn’t replace supports that should be otherwise provided by mainstream or community services. For example; health, education, housing, transport, employment, and other government systems still have their own responsibilities for services and reasonable adjustments.
You can read more about this on our blog post Mainstream & Community Supports.
Who Helps Deliver the NDIS?
The NDIS is delivered across Australia with the support of partners in the community. These are community-based organisations that help people understand the NDIS, connect with services and supports, and navigate local options.
There are different types of NDIS partners.
Local Area Coordinators support people aged 9 to 64 to understand the NDIS, connect with mainstream and community services, and use an NDIS plan where the person becomes a participant.
Early childhood partners support children younger than 9 and their families understand developmental concerns, connect with community and mainstream supports, access early supports where appropriate, and apply to the NDIS if the family chooses to do so.
NDIS partners can support people with disability even if they aren’t eligible for the NDIS. This can include community connections, information about mainstream services, and help finding local supports that may assist with participation and independence.
Participants
If you are eligible for the NDIS and become a participant, you receive an individual NDIS plan. Your plan includes information about you, your goals, your funded NDIS supports, and the mainstream and community supports that may also help you pursue your goals.
Your goals might relate to communication, daily living, independence, social participation, work, study, friendships, or other areas of life. Your goals help people guide planning conversations, but funding decisions are still made according to NDIS rules and the reasonable and necessary criteria.
Once you have an NDIS plan, you can work with service providers to access the supports included in your plan. Providers may include:
Allied health professionals (such as):
Occupational therapists
Speech pathologists
Physiotherapists
Support workers
Plan managers
Support coordinators
Assistive technology (AT) providers
Other NDIS providers
The NDIS is a national disability scheme that provides funding to eligible people with disability. It also helps connect people with disability to community and mainstream supports. The NDIS is designed to support independence, participation, skills, everyday living, and quality of life, but does so within clear eligibility and funding criteria.
Understanding what the NDIS is and who it’s for will help you know where to start and who to contact for the right kind of help and support.
Get the Support You Need with Purple Leopard Plan Management
At Purple Leopard, we’re here to help participants to navigate the complexities of the NDIS. Contact us today to learn how we can support you in getting the most out of your NDIS plan!
For more information on your NDIS Access Request visit: ndis.gov.au
Or Call the NDIS
For Participants: 1800 800 110
For Providers: 1300 311 675
