There’s nothing like the energy of an expo! People wandering the stalls, presentations about the latest and greatest innovations… free chocolate!
Expos are fantastic opportunities to meet potential new clients, catch up with existing clients, and network with industry peers and experts.
But to do an expo well, it requires an investment from you – your time, your energy, and your money.
So, how can you make the most out of your next expo? Sit back with your branded stress ball and grab your promotional pen and notepad… you’ve got questions and we’ve got answers.
It’s easy to get swept up in the prospect of a great expo. You want to be there. You also feel like you need to be there… otherwise, will prospective clients even know you exist?
But before you book that premium space, take a look at your own business. Do you have the capacity to take on new clients right now? When you meet people at the expo, will you be able to talk about an offering that they can get started with in the near future?
There's no point investing in an expo if you can’t get a return on your investment – and it could even be damaging to your business if you get potential clients excited about an opportunity you really can’t offer them.
Look at the target market of the expo. Does it fit with your ideal client? Is the program aimed at children, young people, adults or older people? Is the cost of registering, preparing promotional material, kitting out your stand, and sending you and your team members to staff it really going to deliver bang for your buck?
If so, go for it – but if not (or if you’re not sure), then perhaps it’s time to think twice.
If you’ve decided to become an exhibitor, take time to look at the expo booth offerings and sponsorship packages.
Does your budget allow you to sponsor the event (and get a booth thrown into the partnership package), or can you book a larger booth that might be in a high-traffic area?
Then again, do you need a larger booth? If you don’t have the resources to fill it, it could look alarmingly empty… so if that’s the case, choose something smaller and create your space in style.
Get strategic and work out your key goals for the event, then map your involvement around them.
Most expos will have a guide (printed and online) where exhibitors can promote their businesses. This is another great opportunity to connect with potential clients before, during and after the expo.
If you’re able to include some photos or imagery about your business, do it. But be warned: while it’s tempting to use the beautiful, royalty-free (AKA free) photos that can be found online through the various websites we all know of, that means lots of other people know about them too – and they’re using them. If you and three other exhibitors have all chosen the same photo, suddenly things risk looking pretty impersonal.
You might be able to snap a couple of nice shots with your phone camera or, even better, contract a local photographer to take some photos of you and your clients at work – with your clients’ written permission, of course. Make sure you pay not only for the high-resolution images, but also the rights to continue using them as you wish (e.g., like sharing them with a local newspaper, magazine or blog if you’re running an advertising campaign or putting out a media release down the track).
If you’re a sole operator or part of a small team, chances are the expo team is… you! But for larger outfits, expo organising and booking is usually part of the marketing or promotions team’s work.
When it comes to staffing your booth on the day, consider having some of your client-facing staff on hand to meet with potential customers. It can be really reassuring for new clients to hear about your offering, like support work or occupational therapy, and then be introduced to some of the people who actually spend their days working directly with clients!
Lights, music, balloons – all the usual hype – might not suit an audience with disability. We know flashing lights can trigger some people, music can make it hard to hear or increase sensory input, and balloons can be downright terrifying for anyone with globophobia (that’s a fear of balloons).
Think about your assets and your selling points that capture the work you do. For example, if you’re in the animal-assisted therapy space, of course you’ll be bringing your four-legged assistants to the expo (clearing with organisers first).
If you create visual items like social stories or meal plans, be sure to have them around and on display.
Do you specialise in holidays? Could you create a tiny tropical getaway with sun-lounger chairs, beach towels, a potted palm tree (real or fake), and maybe some kinetic sand?
Whatever you choose, make sure it’s relevant to your work and your offering.
But it doesn’t have to be all singing, all dancing. Even a simple pull-up banner that you can use again and again will quickly tell expo attendees who you are and what you do. Most banner creation companies will have templates you can use to create your own, others allow you to use Canva, and some print companies throw in design for free (or a minimal cost).
If you don’t have your own photos, or your snaps are not quite right for a pull up banner, consider getting them converted into art. Try Etsy or Upwork. And if you need the whole banner designed, Upwork, Freelancer or Fiverr can connect you with a graphic designer. Just make sure you negotiate getting the editable file in the price – in case you want to make changes in the future.
Do you have space to provide a breakout area with bean bags or party games, like giant Connect 4, ring toss, or even some sensory toys? Start playing one of the games and invite anyone walking by to join in! It’s great to create movement, energy and a sense of fun.
Most people love food or a sweet treat! You might consider whether there are individually wrapped snacks or chocolates you can offer (make sure to include the ingredients – and offer them to parents, not kids!), or a healthier choice might be washed pieces of fruit or fruit with peels (mandarins, bananas), arranged in a nice big bowl, so people can take a piece with them.
Little things that surprise, delight and keep people busy are a sure-fire way of enticing people to visit your expo stand and spend some time there, so you can share your work with them.
We understand that expo days can be long and physically demanding. However, if you have the energy and the physical stamina, it’s important to have open and approachable body language.
Nothing says ‘walk on by’ like an exhibitor sat well behind a table, head down, looking at their phone. It’s like you’ve put up a gigantic ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign.
If you’re able to stand, do it! Keep your head up and put a smile on your face. Say hi to people walking past and don’t be afraid to get out from behind your table to wave and welcome people in.
However, remember that not everyone is comfortable chatting – some people prefer to approach, rather than be called in, so make sure you have some takeaway materials for the people who are shy or all expo’d out and not up for a chat. In fact, some expos might consider traffic light badges for people who attend – think about green stickers for ‘happy to chat’, yellow for ‘let me take the lead’ or red for ‘just looking, thanks’.
It’s impossible to remember everything that's said during a discussion, especially in the exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) environment of an expo.
Do you have some flyers? A double-sided A4 flyer allows you to share some really engaging photos and information, and it’s simple to produce those yourself on Canva.
Do you have Plain English or Easy Read translations of your documents, so the 40+ per cent of Australians without functional literacy can access your information?
Do you have the budget for a good reusable shopping bag with your brand on it, so people can carry your information away… and be reminded of you every time they shop?
You don’t need to splash all your cash on branded corporate toys – think strategically about your target market and what might be useful for them. And if all you have to provide are flyers, that’s fine – it’s about connecting and sharing information.
If you’re going down the promotional products route, remember that not everyone will use a USB or wear a baseball cap. But if you want to get eyeballs on your business details, a good tip is that pretty much everyone has a fridge! Have a look at handy fridge magnets (My Plan Manager has some awesome ones!), branded magnetic notepads, photo frame magnets and the like – it means your business name, phone number, and website address are in front of them every time they open the door to the fridge!
That’s just one idea, but you get the gist – think of something inexpensive and simple that pretty much everyone needs or wants, then put your business’ details on it, hand it out, and… hey presto: you’re in the promotions business! And bonus points if you can predict the next big craze in household items, toys and gadgets, so you can get everyone hyped up for your stuff!
Also, when you’re giving away free things, consider having an email sign-up list or ‘more information’ form on hand so people can fill it out and you can stay in touch with them to keep the conversation going. You can have physical forms for people to write on, or you might want to create one on a tablet so you can help them to fill it out.
And, if further encouragement is needed to get people to sign up and open their minds to what it is you’re offering, why not consider a small (or large) competition for people who provide their details to you. Just make sure you follow Australian law on privacy and marketing.
Some expos have different sponsorship options. If every person attending gets a welcome pack or goodie bag, see if there’s an opportunity to get your business name and logo on bags, or if you can pay to add your flyer or toy to the loot.
Other packages include a presentation. If you’ve got a group game, performance with clients, or something that might keep people engaged, it’s worth talking to the expo organisers and seeing if you can value-add.
Sometimes it’s an extra cost to you, but other times it might be free – and if you can fill in if a presenter drops out at the last minute, make that clear to the organisers too.
Expos are a great time to meet peers, make new contacts, and catch up again with those you already know. Make sure you take time to walk around the expo, see what others are offering – noting any great promotional ideas you might like to use next time – and chat with people!
Knowing who else is out there can be helpful when you’re talking to prospective clients – they may be looking for something that’s not quite what you offer, so you can refer them to someone else you know who might be a better match – and other providers should be doing the same for you.
Ever been to a dinner party and had the host clear your plate before you finished, start wiping the table, or even vacuuming while you expected you’d linger and chat? It’s a very clear feeling of being unwelcome.
Emergencies or extenuating circumstances aside, don’t start packing up your stall and leaving before the expo’s over. It makes it look like you just don’t care about the people who are still there – and one of those latecomers could be one of your potential clients!
Did you run an email list competition? Now’s the time to start sending a ‘welcome/thank you/nice to meet you’ email to the people on your list. Remember to identify your business, remind them of how they gave permission to be emailed (your competition at the expo), and ensure they can unsubscribe – to stay in line with the law.
Did you have forms available for prospective clients to fill out? Follow up with a phone call or email – whatever their preferred contact method is. It can be as simple as saying ‘thanks for taking the time to visit’ at the expo and remember to include a link to your website.
Check the inventory of your giveaways and see what resonated with people and anything you’d like to reorder for the next expo.
Thanks for bumping in and out with us on this Expo 101!
Have you ever left an appointment with a therapist, specialist or service provider and wondered: ‘What did we just talk about?’? Or maybe you’ve thought of another excellent question on the way home – only it was too late to ask!
Well wonder no longer.
There’s a technique called ISBAR – a mnemonic (the name for a pattern of letters designed to jog the memory) – which is commonly used in healthcare settings to help doctors and nurses communicate with patients and caregivers. But as healthcare consumers – or clients of disability service providers – we can hack ISBAR and use it to get the most out of our provider appointments!
Let’s break it down.
Introduction/Identify
Situation
Background
Assessment
Recommendation
So, how do you use it?
Introduction/Identify – tell the professional you’re meeting with your name and date of birth (or tell them those details about the person you’re supporting).
Tip: If you’re a caregiver, this is also a great opportunity to introduce the professional to the person you’re supporting, to ensure communication about them is directed to them and they’re always included in the conversation – accidental ableism is still ableism, after all!
Situation – outline your disability and/or health history and diagnoses, why you’re at the appointment, what you want to get out of it, and anything else noteworthy or concerning that’s been happening.
Is this a routine appointment, one you’ve been waiting for, or is it urgent or important?
Try to be specific about your situation and when any issues started or changes were noticed, so the person you’re meeting with knows why the appointment matters to you. If it’s a routine appointment, think about the progress you’ve made since you last caught up, and any milestone events.
Background – this is the time to give a brief history and background, especially if you’re seeing someone new or discussing your needs for the first time.
Whether the appointment relates to disability, health or support needs, try to explain what life’s like from your perspective, what outcomes you’re after, and which strategies you’ve already put in place to address or manage the circumstances that have brought you to the appointment.
Do you have any other disabilities or health conditions that are relevant to what’s happening today? If you do, make sure to share them.
It’s good to be clear with the professional you’re meeting with and to tell them about the support you’re looking for and how they can assist you.
Assessment – it’s really important to talk about anything relevant that you’ve noticed.
Have you seen an improvement or decline in your ability in a particular area? Do you need more support than you did a year ago – or are you feeling more independent these days?
Has there been a deterioration or alteration in your health or disability? Are there new challenges, signs or symptoms you’ve experienced? Does anything improve the situation – or make it worse?
The more you share, the better the person you’re meeting with can support you, so try to be as open as possible.
Recommendation – as the expert in your own life and needs, do you have anything you’d like the professional to consider before a support is recommended or a treatment plan is developed?
What were you hoping to get out of the appointment? Is it a program of supports, a referral to a specialist, a letter of recommendation for assistive technology, or perhaps another appointment to test for a specific symptom? Whatever it is you’re hoping for – tell the professional you’re meeting with and discuss why it’s important to you.
Of course, as laypeople, we can’t just demand medical or allied health interventions and supports – but we can advocate for ourselves and explain why we believe something is important.
And voila – that’s ISBAR! You’re done.
But wait!
Do you have any other questions?
This is where a small notebook or the notes app in your phone or tablet can be handy.
It’s almost impossible to remember everything. It's even less likely your memory will be operating at full capacity if you’re in a stressful situation – and appointments often go hand-in-hand with other stressors like taxi bookings, traffic battles, finding a park, finding the right appointment location, waiting times in waiting rooms… the list goes on.
That’s why, if you know you’ve got an important appointment coming up, any time you think of a question or comment… write it down. Straight away. Don’t delay. Don’t rely on your memory. Grab your notebook or your phone or tablet and write it down.
You could even email it to yourself and/or the person going to the appointment with you, so everyone has a copy (just be sure to search your emails and have all your questions in one place before you go). You can use your questions to help populate your ISBAR or just save them to the end.
Now please, go forth to your next appointment and be empowered!
If you’re applying to join the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), going through a plan review or reassessment, or challenging a National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) decision, it may feel like your voice is lost in swathes of letters and assessments prepared by medical and allied health professionals.
While gathering evidence to support your case, you may wish you could just tell the NDIA what it’s like to live a day in your life. That way, the Agency would understand what it’s like to be you, and recognise the supports you need – right?
Well, there is a way you can share your story – through a statement of lived experience (if you’re a participant) or a carer statement (if you’re a carer of someone with disability).
What you have to say is powerful, and by voicing it, you can strengthen your position and have an impact on the NDIS funding allocated to you or the person you care for.
According to Zena Dyson, a Specialist Support Coordinator at Esteem Care Services, a lived experience statement is a letter from a person to the NDIA explaining what the effects of their disability are and how it impacts their daily life.
“It presents a person’s perspective of their personal situation and evidence of what direct supports they require to live a more supported daily life," says Zena.
“This is helpful when applying for the NDIS, at plan reviews or reassessments, or for a review of an NDIA decision. It provides the NDIA with a step-by-step guide to what you can or can’t do daily due to disability.”
The power of a statement of lived experience shouldn’t be underestimated.
“A statement of lived experience provides evidence for what NDIS supports (and amount of funding) are needed,” says Zena.
“Together with evidence, such as allied health reports and medical diagnosis evidence, it can be crucial evidence to determine the funding received from the NDIA.”
Kristie Findlater – Founder of the Western Sydney Support Coordinators Network, who recently swapped a career in support coordination to work at My Plan Manager – agrees. She says it’s critical to provide a lived experience statement to the NDIA if a current plan is underfunded, or if you’re going into crisis.
“You could be in a position where currently you’re okay, but in a couple of months you’re going into hospital and you have a child who’ll need extra care, which requires more funding,” says Kristie.
“I was working with a participant whose Mum lives with PTSD, severe depression, and a chronic medical condition. She was also caring for her daughter as a sole parent. The NDIA didn’t consider how much support was really needed and, as a result, her plan was underfunded.
“She provided a lived experience statement in a plan reassessment, and the evidence to go with it, and she secured more funding in her daughter’s plan.”
Kristie says a lived experience statement is also important evidence when too little funding is received in a plan.
“A lived experience statement shows you’ve disclosed critical information about your life to the NDIA and have provided the evidence to support it. If you get a plan back with too little funding, you can ask for a reassessment based on the fact that the NDIA hasn’t considered everything provided in your lived experience statement.”
There’s no right or wrong way to write a statement of lived experience. That’s because you and your experiences are unique, so how you write about them will be too.
Whether you’re comfortable writing a formal letter, or prefer communicating through bullet points, here are some basics to consider when crafting your statement of lived experience:
If you feel stuck, you can seek support from a family member, a friend, or your support coordinator (if you have one). You can also take inspiration from these free templates:
Remember, no one knows your experience and the support you need like you do – let your voice shine.
A carer statement is a letter written by a person who cares for an individual with disability. It gives the carer’s perspective of the impact of disability on the individual and those around them.
When writing a carer statement, Kristie recommends being honest.
“A lot of carers try to paint a positive picture to the NDIA, because they’re doing it in front of a person they care for in a planning meeting or in a carer statement that a participant could read,” says Kristie. “But from experience, ‘positive’ doesn’t always paint the full extent of disability and can result in less funding.”
“I had to write carer statements for both my children and culled a lot of information, because I was scared they’d eventually read them. It comes down to what you’re comfortable including and it can be difficult.”
As with a statement of lived experience, there’s no right or wrong way to craft a carer statement. Here are some basics to consider including:
If you’re a carer, you’re likely to be low on free time – so here are some carer statement templates you can adapt to get you started:
Tip #1 If you have physical or mental health issues or conditions that mean you’re not coping, be sure to include them in your statement. Talk about your life, living situation, ability to maintain a home and do day-to-day tasks from the minute you wake up, and how the challenges you experience stop you from getting a job or caring for yourself, or how they’re impacting your mental health.
Tip #2 If you’re a carer, talk about your support networks and your ability to maintain a job if your carer role impacts work. The NDIA assumes every participant has a network to support them – but if that’s not the case, make it clear.
Tip #3 If you’re going into a plan review, write the statement a week or two before the review, because the NDIA wants your statement to be current.
Tip #4 Provide as much evidence as possible to go with your statement – like allied health reports and medical diagnosis evidence. Without this evidence, you won’t have a case.
Tip #5 Break it up. Write your statement in a Word document and add to it over time to make it more manageable and to be sure you’ve covered everything.
Whether you’re a person with disability, or a carer, remember your voice has impact. Only one person can truly tell your story – and that’s you!
We all have war stories about those times when ‘budget’ airfares turned out to be $50 more, shipping costs tipped a ‘cheap’ purchase into a ‘spendy’ one, or a public holiday surcharge added five extra bucks to the price of breakfast at the local cafe.
You’ve experienced it yourself, right?
So you know as well as we do that ‘hidden’ costs can quickly add up and burn a hole in your pocket – and they exist in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) too (think: travel fees on top of the hourly rate for a session with your physio).
Over time, these added charges make a big difference to your NDIS plan funding, and none more so than cancellation fees!
At My Plan Manager, we look at thousands of invoices every week and we see how common cancellation fees are. That’s why we wanted to share a few tips to help you keep them to a minimum.
Before you engage a provider’s services, be sure to check their terms and conditions, especially for information about how they handle cancellations.
According to NDIS Guidelines, providers of disability support worker-related supports can charge 100 per cent of the service fee for cancellations if they’re not made at least seven clear days prior to the scheduled start time of the agreed support. For supports that are not disability support worker-related (like physiotherapy), two clear business days' notice is required.
But – and it’s a big but – providers can only apply a cancellation fee if they can’t fill your appointment with another client or divert their staff member (like a support worker) to another job.
It may sound simple, but an easy way to avoid paying cancellation fees, is to show up to appointments at the scheduled time, and at the agreed meeting place. Of course, that’s easier said than done when unexpected events occur – like illness – or when your support worker cancels their shift and there's no one available to take you to your appointment.
Where it gets even trickier is when a provider cancels, which the NDIS Guidelines say they can do at any time, without penalty – even at the last minute. So, if a support worker cancels on the day of their shift and, for example, you can’t attend an appointment with your Occupational Therapist (OT) as a result, you still have to pay the OT.
That’s where service agreements become vitally important. Here’s why.
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document says:
Importantly, if a provider changes the terms of their cancellation fees after you sign a service agreement, they either need to get your approval first, or cancel the service agreement and issue a new one. They can’t charge you extra fees without your approval.
It’s also worth knowing that if a service agreement you’ve consented to doesn’t comply with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Limits, the agreement is invalid.
Here are a couple of examples of where service agreements do and don’t apply:
#1. A service agreement you consented to stipulates the provider can charge a cancellation fee if you provide less than 24 hours' notice.
The agreement is acceptable because you’ve negotiated cancellation terms that are better than the terms set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
#2. A service agreement you consented to stipulates the provider can charge a cancellation fee if you provide less than 10 days’ notice.
The terms of the agreement exceed the NDIA’s maximum notice for cancellation. Regardless of what the agreement states, you can’t be charged for a short notice cancellation if you provided the required notice.
Cancellation fees are common in the NDIS and knowing your rights and proactively advocating for what you want and need in a provider is vitally important to your NDIS journey. To set expectations, and before consenting to a service agreement, you may want to have a conversation with each provider about their approach to cancellation fees.
To help you to engage the right providers for you, we've created this checklist, which outlines what to know and what to ask.
It’s ok to speak up if you believe a provider has charged you incorrectly. This is your consumer right. You may wish to speak with them first to see if they can put things right or, alternatively, you can ask your support coordinator or local area coordinator to do it for you.
If you think a provider hasn’t charged you correctly, be sure to let us know too, and we can cancel the invoice.
We encourage you to sign up to receive SMS notifications from us. These will alert you to who’s claiming from your plan funding and how much, so you can contact us straight away to query invoices as they’re received. If you don’t currently receive SMS notifications from My Plan Manager, you can switch them on at any time by calling us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
If you can’t resolve billing disputes with a provider, you can also contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 or visit their website at www.ndiscommission.gov.au.
Are you wondering how to spend your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) dollars on things that will get you closer to living the independent life you’re after?
If this sounds like you, read on!
Although it’s less flexible than the Core Supports component of your NDIS plan, your Capacity Building Supports budget can still play a key role in helping you to achieve your goals.
From camps to horse riding, a tablet to an art program – or even training to help you apply for an NDIS funding increase – this package of supports is can help you build your independence without dipping into your personal savings.
Unlike Core Supports funding, the money in your Capacity Building Supports budget can’t be moved across categories. For example, if you want to claim a recreational activity like soccer lessons out of the Increased Social & Community Participation category, then that category needs to be included in your NDIS plan.
Not every category is automatically included in every plan, so talk to your National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or about what can and can’t be added to yours.
Importantly, the supports you claim have to be related to your disability and the goals in your plan, and they need to meet the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria.
Check out our NDIS funding explained resource, which unpacks each NDIS budget (including Capacity Building Supports) and the categories within it. You’ll see there are lots of categories within a Capacity Building Supports budget, and we’ve highlighted a few that might be suitable for you!
Your funding may cover the cost of community participation activities like sports coaching, camps, club registration fees, and art programs.
The Increased Social & Community Participation category may also cover activities like horse riding and kindergym for participants with a specific interest, where cost is a blocker but pursuing their passion with the support of the NDIS could help them to get out and about in their local community.
Increased Social & Community Participation funding may also cover a range of therapists to support you to grow your capacity in different areas. For example, an occupational therapist can provide strategies for use at home, such as developing a morning routine, or they might recommend assistive technology you can use in the kitchen to make cooking easier.
You can also utilise this category to fund approved but less traditional therapies, like art or music therapy, for children and adults with a range of disabilities.
If your disability means you have an increased need to access allied health sessions and other appointments online, to communicate via technology, or to undertake capacity building training remotely, you may be able to use the funding in your Improved Daily Living category to purchase a tablet.
To do this, you’ll need to gain written evidence from your therapist that shows the need for the device is directly related to your disability. There are very specific rules around the evidence required to support the purchase of tablets, so it’s always best to speak with us first to make sure any future claim for reimbursement can be processed.
The NDIS provides more information about assistive technologies here.
If you're concerned that you don't have enough funding in your NDIS plan to meet your support needs, you may be able to use your Improved Daily Living budget for a functional capacity assessment.
Functional capacity assessments are typically conducted by an occupational therapist and can be provided to the NDIA as evidence that you need more support.
This is often useful when your needs have changed. For example, you may need more funding in your Core Supports budget so you can access more support hours.
You can find out more about functional capacity assessments here.
In the current economy and amid the tight rental market, everyone could use a little advice in the area of finance and understanding the complexities of finding a home. Some participants have used their Improved Daily Living funding to claim supports from providers who can assist them to set up a personal budget to keep track of money.
There are also providers who can support you to develop daily planning skills that assist with decision-making and may help you to meet your plan goals by exploring your housing options and finding and keeping a home. They may be able to support you to view rental properties, understand rental agreements or tenancy contracts, and know what questions to ask real estate agents or landlords.
If disability is a barrier to the job market, Finding & Keeping a Job funding may cover the cost of a support worker to assist you with writing a resume, preparing for interviews or developing skills required to gain employment, like computer literacy and administration.
If there’s a goal in your NDIS plan to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but your ability to cook nutritious meals independently is a sticking point, the NDIS may be able to fund supports under the Improved Health & Wellbeing category to assist and teach you in the kitchen. Or it might fund a dietician, so you can learn about nutrition and develop a personalised meal plan, or a personal trainer to help you increase and maintain fitness, strength and ability.
Again, having these supports funded depends on your current budget categories, the goals in your NDIS plan, and whether they meet the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria.
The NDIS doesn’t cover school or university fees, textbooks or other curriculum-based items, but by accessing Improved Learning funding you might be able to cover the cost of supports that enable you to attend and complete your studies.
This might include occupational therapy to help you to develop study skills or supports to assist you with getting to lectures or classes, participating in study groups or contributing to group assignments.
Some of our clients have used funding in the Improved Daily Living category to claim training for parents, carers, and support workers. Examples include training in understanding challenging behaviours, non-verbal communication skills, and supported decision making.
If you have a family member who’s an NDIS participant, check out the relevant disability peak bodies for courses and workshops, or ask your support coordinator or LAC for ideas.
The NDIS can fund up to six hours of shadow shifts to train those supporting NDIS participants with complex needs, including people with limited communication or behaviour support needs, or those who are supported by procedures such as ventilation.
Even if you value independence over everything, as human beings we’re wired and evolved to connect with each other. Relationships are important for growing our sense of self worth and belonging, giving us confidence, and helping us to feel less alone – which is vital for our mental health.
If disability creates a barrier to relationships, you may be able to use the Improved Relationships category funding to see a psychologist, learn how to read socials cues and body language (which comprises more than 50 per cent of all communication), or develop social skills to enjoy having conversations and spending time with other people.
Here’s some more information about the Capacity Building Supports budget – including the different categories within it. And here's our NDIS funding explained resource, which unpacks each NDIS plan budget and the categories within them.
If you have any questions about how to use your NDIS funding, we’re here to help. You can call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday, or email us at [email protected].
We often hear from stressed and overwhelmed members of the disability community who are unsure how to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and exhausted at the prospect of gathering the information and evidence they need to support their application for funding.
If you want a trusted adviser by your side while you navigate your path to NDIS entry, we’ve got you.
That’s why we chatted with Elizabeth Hickey of AFA Support Coordination about the top three roadblocks to joining the Scheme and how to overcome them. Read what Elizabeth has to say below.
To access the NDIS, you’ll need to apply. This can be done verbally or by completing and submitting an access request form.
All NDIS applications require a number of standard documents or information. If you’re already accessing support through Centrelink, you can consent to the NDIA communicating with them and they can confirm details like your address, date of birth, and citizenship status. If you’re not accessing support, or if you don’t consent to the NDIA communicating with Centrelink, you’ll need to provide proof of those things.
You’ll then need to prove that you have a permanent disability – how much information you need to provide will depend on whether your disability is in the NDIS’ List A: Conditions that are likely to meet the disability requirements or List B – Conditions that are likely to result in a permanent impairment, or if it relates to something not listed.
List A outlines conditions the NDIS considers as permanent disabilities, and which are highly likely to be automatically accepted. List B outlines conditions that are permanent, but you need to provide proof that the condition is likely to result in a permanent impairment and impacts on your daily functional ability. The third category is a condition not listed.
For List A conditions, you’ll need to provide a diagnosis and a letter from your treating team outlining the impact. For List B and unlisted conditions, you’ll need the diagnoses and supporting documents from a range of treating professionals and other supports, providing proof of the impact on your daily life, along with confirmation of permanent impairment. For unlisted conditions, you’ll need extensive evidence of the permanent impairment and will likely need to include a functional capacity assessment (find out more about functional capacity assessments here).
It's important that at least one treating professional (like your specialist or regular doctor) completes section 2 of the NDIS application for the treating professional, or provides a letter that covers permanency, treatment (both past and present) to confirm the condition is fully treated and is now at a maintenance phase, and the impact on functional impairment – focusing on mobility, communication, social interaction, learning, self care and self management.
There are a range of places to get the documents needed for an NDIS application. The first place to start is with your regular GP. Typically, a GP will be the best person to assist with completing your access request form or main letter, as they’re going to be the person with a full overview of your condition.
If your condition is primarily treated by another doctor or professional (like a psychologist or psychiatrist) then they may be a good place to start.
For other supporting documents, approaching other treating professionals like physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists is important if you already have a relationship. While not required, you can also request evidence of impact from mainstream services, which can be useful – this may be a school, workplace, or other community service where you have a good relationship with someone who can write a letter explaining the impact of your condition and the support you need to participate in that environment.
The final piece of evidence that can be helpful is an impact statement or a ‘Day in the Life of {add your name here}’. This outlines the impact (within the home) of a condition on both the person and those who support that person. It doesn’t need to be in any specific format – it can be a letter, a timetable that shows what a day looks like and the support provided, or closer to a written report. This doesn’t need to be included but it can help to show impact where you don’t have a lot of other evidence.
Functional capacity assessments are considered by the NDIS as the gold standard for identifying the impact of a condition on daily life. Most of the time a functional capacity assessment isn’t needed for an application – however, where there’s a question on the impact to daily life, they can be useful to assist (this may be for a ‘List B’ condition or for a condition not listed).
A functional capacity assessment is an assessment that allows your therapists to review how well you do your daily activities and what supports you need to be as independent as possible. Depending on your needs, the assessment may review the following areas: self care, daily living tasks, social interactions, emotional management, mobility, financial management and educational/work participation.
Usually, this will be done through conversations and completion of different tools (WHODAS and PEDICAT are examples of tools used). After the assessment, a report will be developed that outlines recommendations for the support a person may need to participate in daily life.
TIP: I’d typically recommend not getting a functional capacity assessment in the first instance for an application to the NDIS as they can cost a lot of money and may not be needed for access. If you don’t gain access to the NDIS initially, it may be worth getting a functional capacity assessment completed.
The top three roadblocks are:
1. The documentation and effort needed to apply
The task of collecting the documentation is daunting and can be confronting. The best way to overcome this is to start.
Find someone to assist you and make a list or find a list online of documents needed, start with the easiest and work your way through.
2. Proving permanency and impact
One of the most frequent knockbacks is around permanency and impact of the condition. Make sure professionals state in documents that the condition is permanent and outline impacts based on the areas of self care, daily living tasks, social interactions, emotional management, mobility, financial management and educational/work participation.
3. Doctors being unwilling to complete paperwork
Many doctors note they don’t know what to do for an NDIS application. To remove this roadblock, ask them to use the NDIS application form – if needed, you can print the professional section out for more than one doctor to use as the basis of their report.
Also, make sure to book a long appointment. If your doctor’s surgery has a nurse, you may also be able to get them to help with filling the form out.
The application process is daunting – and not everyone gets in. Your condition needs to have a substantial impact on your life. It may mean you aren’t eligible now but could be in the future if things deteriorate.
If you’re not successful, there are other supports, and the letter of rejection is an important document to assist moving forward. It can tell you why you weren’t successful – perhaps you hadn’t proven enough of an impact from disability, or perhaps the condition has been fully treated. If you feel this isn’t correct, you can request a review of the decision from the NDIA, and if that’s still unsuccessful, you can apply for a full review through the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Support for this can be accessed through one of the advocacy supports – however, please note this process can be hard and can take time.
The rejection letter is important to keep even if you don’t reapply straight away because it provides proof that you’re not eligible for the NDIS and, as such, that you’re eligible for other supports that people in the Scheme can’t access.
One of these supports is extra services within the health system – including occupational therapy and speech programs, ongoing psychology and mental health support, or access to equipment that typically isn’t available unless you’ve been rejected from the NDIS or your condition is purely medical-based. Other supports include extra services in education or housing.
You may also be able to access further supports through Carer Gateway.
If you have any questions, we’re here to help. You can call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday, or email us at [email protected].
STA is accommodation at a different place to your usual home and is typically provided in a centre or group residence. You can access STA funding (in the right circumstances) for up to 14 days at a time, for a total of 28 days per year.
STA can be used to build your independence (e.g. develop new skills) or strengthen your informal supports by offering you and them respite – the opportunity to take a break, with the aim of maintaining your current living arrangements.
In this article we cover:
You can find more information about STA here.
Despite the name, STA isn’t just about the accommodation, it also involves the support you receive while staying there, including personal care, food and activities you and the STA provider agree to. The activities will vary from provider to provider, so it's important to check that out.
Examples of STA could be:
If you believe your disability means you require non-traditional STA (from a provider offering individual support), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will need evidence to support your request before funding can be approved (in writing).
The NDIS may fund STA if it:
The NDIS doesn’t typically fund STA if it:
If STA isn’t stated in your NDIS plan, but you have enough funding available in your Core Supports budget to ensure your approved supports aren’t affected by spending on STA, you may be able to use it. There are standard rates for STA in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Again, the NDIS can fund up to 28 days of STA per calendar year, which can be used flexibly – but you can’t claim more than 14 days in a row. If you want to access more than that, you’ll need approval from the NDIA.
There are lots of specialised STA providers and the services and supports they offer can be very different, so it’s important you take your time to research what’s available and which STA providers meet your support needs.
If you have a plan manager, you can use non-registered STA providers, but often these options don’t deliver the value you’re after because they don’t include supports – meaning you’ll need to pay extra for those. Be sure you take this into account when you’re comparing prices.
The best and easiest way to use your NDIS funding for STA is with a specialist provider that provides all your accommodation, personal care, meals, and activities. However, you can claim these items separately for the period you’re staying in STA (so, you can source them from more than one provider) if they’re within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Accommodation for support workers can also be covered under STA, but you can't claim accommodation for your informal supports.
STA is not intended for holidays and accessing it with NDIS funding means it must relate to your disability. If you believe the support will help you to achieve your goals, it’s a good idea to have some supporting information that backs that up, just in case you need to show the NDIA why you spent your funds that way.
We’re here to help
If you’re not sure what’s funded under STA, or if you can access it, just ask us. You can email us at [email protected] or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
Updated 31 October 2024
Depending on your disability, and its impact on your daily life, there’s an abundance of support you may be able to access through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), without dipping into your personal savings.
In the NDIS, Core Supports funding is designed to help you with daily activities. While participants typically use it to pay support workers to assist with everyday tasks like household chores or going to appointments, it has the flexibility to cover much more.
This means that, within your Core Supports budget, you can move money from one category to another (with some exceptions that you can find here). While you can’t move funding across your NDIS plan, within the Core Supports ‘bucket’ there’s a great deal of flexibility – if spending aligns with your disability, plan and goals. If you’re not quite sure, just ask your plan manager, support coordinator, NDIA planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC).
Here’s six ways you might be able to spend your Core Supports funding. Read on – then give us a call to see if these might work for you!
Disability can create barriers to everyday tasks like cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, or fixing a broken cupboard, and the cost of hiring a cleaner, gardener or handyman can quickly add up.
The good news is, you can claim these supports out of Core Supports funding if your inability to complete the tasks alone is related to your disability, and if the supports meet the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) reasonable and necessary criteria.
STA is accommodation at a different place to your usual home and is typically provided in a centre or group residence. You can access STA funding (in the right circumstances) for up to 14 days at a time, for a total of 28 days per year.
The cost of your STA – personal care, accommodation, food, and activities you and the provider agree to – may be able to be covered by your Core Supports budget, if you have enough funding in your plan to ensure your approved supports aren't affected by spending on STA.
Supports needs to be delivered by an STA provider, in a traditional STA setting, unless otherwise approved in writing by the NDIA.
STA can be used to build your independence (e.g. develop new skills) or strengthen your informal supports by offering you and them respite – the opportunity to take a break, with the aim of maintaining your current living arrangements.
If you believe your disability means you require non-traditional STA (from a provider offering individual support), the NDIA will need evidence to support your request before funding can be approved (in writing).
You can find more information about STA here and here.
If you have a support worker who assists you with cooking and serving your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and they can’t come in for a while – or if you’re just looking to become a little more independent at home – you may be able to use your Core Supports funding to have meals prepared and delivered to your door.
If meal preparation isn’t specifically written into your NDIS plan, but it meets the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria, it can be claimed from Core Supports funding for 90 days. After that time, you’ll need written approval from an NDIA planner to continue claiming meal preparation, or you might need to submit a change of circumstances or undergo a plan reassessment.
Last year, the NDIS made it easier for participants to access meal preparation support. Find out more here.
If meal preparation isn’t included in your plan but you’re keen to explore your options, give us a call on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday, and we’ll assist you.
Assistive technology is equipment or devices that help you do things you can’t do – or are limited in doing – because of your disability. Using assistive technology can help you to do those tasks more easily or more safely.
There are thousands of products on the market to make your daily life simpler, like adaptive cutlery, non-slip bathmats, laundry and washing line adaptors, and medication management devices. If assistive technology costs less than $1500, it can often be claimed through your Core Supports funding – but check first!
Like all NDIS supports, assistive technology must meet the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria. If you’re not sure if the NDIS will fund a support you want to purchase, here are five questions to help you find out. You can also visit the NDIS website for further advice.
If they help you to participate in everyday activities, you may be able to use your Core Supports funding for a range of disability related health supports.
Specified by the NDIA within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, these supports – while medical in nature – may be funded when they directly relate to disability:
| Support type | What it is | Example/s |
| Dysphagia supports | Supports for participants who have trouble eating, drinking, or swallowing. | Meal management and planning, pumps, tubes, and antibacterial wipes. |
| Respiratory supports | Supports for participants who require support to assist them to breathe. | Coughing assistance machine. |
| Nutrition supports | Supports for participants who require support to enable them to eat. | Liquid nutrition products. |
| Diabetes management supports | Supports for participants who require assistance to manage their diabetes. | Funding for a support worker to be trained in the delivery of blood sugar testing. |
| Continence supports | Supports for participants who need assistance with continence. | Absorbent pads, nappies, wipes. |
| Wound and pressure care supports | Supports for participants who require assistance to manage wounds or ongoing loss of feeling in their body. | Dressings, barrier creams. |
| Podiatry supports | Supports for participants who need assistance to develop and implement a care plan to support their feet, ankles, and lower limbs. | Assistance by a podiatrist to fit custom orthotics. |
| Epilepsy supports | Supports for participants who require help to manage seizures. | Seizure monitoring devices. |
There are a range of supports that may relate to disability but are more appropriately funded by the health system. Some examples include end of life/palliative care, direct care supports accessed within a hospital, and emergency electrical generators.
You may have heard, or even experienced yourself, that the NDIS can sometimes be complex, time-consuming and difficult to understand. This can be true, but at My Plan Manager – your NDIS un-complicator – we’re focused on making the Scheme easier for our clients to navigate, so they can achieve the outcomes they’re after.
Time and again we hear from NDIS participants who are struggling to understand how to get bang for their NDIS buck and feeling unsure about where to find the providers who can support them to build their capacity so they can manage their funding and their lives.
They want expertise to ensure they use their plans well and make every dollar count so they can achieve their goals that much faster.
We’ve listened, and Kinora – our free online community of solutions – has created training to empower NDIS participants to manage their plans and their providers, right from the start of their NDIS journey.
Kinora’s capacity building training will show you how to use and maximise your NDIS plan funding and how to find and engage the right providers for you. The cost of the training is $210, and the great news is it may be funded by your Core Supports budget if it’s in accordance with your plan.
Click here to learn more.
We're here to help
Here’s some more information from us about your Core Supports budget – including the different categories within it. And here's our NDIS funding explained resource, which unpacks each NDIS plan budget and the categories within them.
If you have any questions about how to use your Core Supports (and wider NDIS) funding, we’re here to help. You can call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday, or email us at [email protected].
If you’re anything like most of us, chances are you regularly turn to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) website as a source of truth for all things funding (and beyond!). But what happens when the theory on the page doesn’t match the practice in your life – where do you turn to then?
Take goal setting for example. The NDIS website says: ‘Your goals are not directly linked to your NDIS funding’ – but those with lived experience tell us that getting your goals right can play a big part in securing more money for supports, while getting them wrong can leave you grasping for funding and seeking a plan review pretty quickly.
We chatted to *Kate, a sibling of an NDIS participant, and Elizabeth Hickey, an independent support coordinator and mentor for people in the disability sector, about identifying and articulating well crafted goals that tie directly to the funding you need to deliver the outcomes you’re after.
Kate told us that at the start of her brother's NDIS journey, he and his family didn’t really know what goals were for or how to set them. This meant he wasn’t telling the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) what he wanted out of life, or the things he really needed, and therefore he wasn’t funded for the supports that could build his capacity and help him to thrive. But, once he and his family understood how to set NDIS goals – and how to ask for the supports you need – they put it into practice, and it changed everything.
Here’s the conversation we had with Kate.
In my brother’s early NDIS plans his ‘goals’ were very loosely worded. Really, they were a collection of thoughts and hopes he had for the future, but without any real roadmap of how he planned to get there, the people, tools and services he would need to support him along the way, and the funding he would require to turn those thoughts and hopes into reality.
In his current plan he’s been very clear about what he wants to achieve. For example, he wants to feel happy and well, he wants to be able to better regulate his emotions when he feels distressed, and he would like people to better understand and respond to his needs.
He’s tied the goal I mentioned earlier to a detailed, nitty gritty plan for achieving it – which includes having an up-to-date and effective positive behaviour support plan with identified strategies and supports to guide him, our family, and his formal supports.
He’s been very specific about having access to staff who are trained to support him correctly and who he knows well and trusts with his physical and emotional safety.
Because he lives in supported accommodation, he’s also stated that the staff that support him need to be focused on supporting him alone, and not working with a large group of participants at the same time, because that affects his safety and emotional wellbeing.
To achieve this specific goal, my brother's been up front about the supports and funding he needs. He worked with an occupational therapist who prepared a functional capacity assessment for the NDIA. Then, he asked for funding to access allied health professionals who can work together to develop a positive behaviour support plan and implement it with his formal and informal supports, and a support coordinator to assist him to increase his independence, and to find and engage all the providers he needs.
He also asked for funding so his providers can offer appropriate training to their staff to ensure they are qualified to work with him and meet his needs.
At the start of his NDIS journey, my brother didn’t really know what goals were for in the NDIS, why they were so important, and what the risks were for him if he didn’t have them. No one really helped us to understand that and, as his family, we felt we were flying blind and unable to support him in the way we wanted to.
Then, we stumbled across a great disability advocate, and she changed everything. She worked with him – and with us – to make sure he was front and centre in every discussion about his NDIS plan, and his life.
She took a look at his goals, such as they were, and explained that they didn’t really speak about his desire to grow his independence and build his capacity, and they also didn’t show how he planned to make progress and what he needed to have in place to enable him to do that.
She told us he would have a much better chance of getting the funding he needed if he could demonstrate to the NDIA how his capacity would be built by progressing towards his goals – and how the Agency could measure it. And, of course, if we were able to submit a functional capacity assessment and other reports from a wide range of professionals to support my brother’s case for increased funding.
When we knew that, we went from a place where the goals in my brother’s plan were poorly structured and ineffective, to a place where they’re now the polar opposite. We all worked together with my brother to identify SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based – and everything changed.
The relief for him, and for us, when he finally got an NDIS plan with the funding he needed – in the budget categories he needed it in – was enormous. Finally, he was able to get on with living his life in the way he wants to live it, and we were at ease knowing he had the supports around him to make sure he could do that in a safe and happy way.
Elizabeth Hickey from AFA Support Coordination confirms that NDIS goals do impact plan funding.
“(Goals) provide the framework against which an NDIS plan is structured and how success is measured at review,” said Elizabeth. “Like each NDIS participant is unique, their NDIS plan should be individualised and clearly identify what they will work towards during their NDIS plan and how that will be achieved. A lot of this is articulated in goals.”
Elizabeth said a statement on the NDIS website that says: ‘Your goals are not directly linked to your NDIS funding' is true and reflects the fact that NDIS goals don’t inform planners what funding is needed. However, she said the statement must not be taken to assume that goals have no positive or negative impact on a person’s NDIS plan.
“The more detailed and substantial – and, in some cases, granular – a goal is, the more scope there is to have important elements approved, which may be rejected when the goal is more general,” said Elizabeth.
She said key points to consider included that:
We asked Elizabeth to unpack what a well structured goal looks like and the outcomes it can achieve. Here’s what she said.
Let’s explore this by considering our young friend Jimmy.
Jimmy is 10 years old and has been trying for many years to learn to ride a bike because he ‘just wants to ride to school like everyone else’. He attends the local mainstream school and is focused on making friends and being more active. He has a disability that affects his social, gross and fine motor skills, and his ability to participate in the wider community.
Jimmy and his informal supports have worked with an occupational therapist and physiotherapist who have provided detailed feedback in their reports. They’ve also made recommendations and provided quotes and cost estimates around the funding Jimmy needs to achieve the goal of riding to school like everyone else.
In preparation for the planning meeting, Jimmy’s informal supports are trying to determine the most effective way to write the goal. Here are two options to approach this:
Goal 1 is not to be automatically discounted – it is clear, specific and measurable. However, while this is a great goal to have, it may actually result in less funding being approved.
To achieve this goal (depending on the evidence provided in reports and requests made), the NDIS may fund participation in a learn to ride program and some sessions with an occupational therapist to build the skills to get to and from school.
Goal 2 allows for much more consideration of the various components of the goal – requiring a more nuanced and customised set of supports (with their appropriate funding allocations). It details the specific things assessed independently as necessary to help Jimmy ride a bike to school like his friends. To achieve this, he needs to work on his coordination and participate successfully in a range of physical activities. It also identifies that Jimmy will need to work on his independence and personal safety skills, along with other social skills, so he can do the activities in a community or other setting with a range of people.
Another positive of having a broader goal like Goal 2 is that it will also allow Jimmy to do other things that require many of the same skills – this could include playing team sports, like basketball, or other physical activities. It may also include social development supports that assist with general independence tasks, like packing the dishwasher or mowing the lawn.
To assist in achieving Goal 2 (depending on the evidence provided in reports and requests made), the NDIS may fund a learn to ride program, social and community participation in a social skills program, an occupational therapist to assist with independence and safety skills, and physiotherapy sessions to assist with gross motor skills.
When preparing an NDIS goal, it can seem quite overwhelming. Breaking each goal down into its specific areas – just like we did with Jimmy – actually assists with this preparation by focusing the justification to a single outcome.
In general, here are a few things to remember when setting a goal.
1. The goal should ideally last the length of the plan
When a goal allows room to grow, it will be more flexible and increase opportunities for different methods of implementation.
In Goal 1, once Jimmy is able to ride to and from school, that goal has been achieved.
In Goal 2, not only could Jimmy learn to ride a bike, then learn to get to and from school, but he also can learn the road rules and skills needed to then do that independently, and hopefully go to different locations. But he could also use this goal to participate in therapy to increase independence and safety skills, an after school or school holiday skill building program based around physical activities, or even therapy targeted at active travel skills.
2. A goal should be flexible enough that it can adapt to changing situations
If, for any reason, Jimmy is no longer able to ride to school, Goal 1 is no longer achievable or valid.
Goal 2 allows Jimmy to increase his skills across a range of activities in any location – this allows for changes to situations to occur and the ability for different methods to achieve increases in skills to occur. This goal also allows for Jimmy to have choice and control over the activities he participates in at any given time (he may fall out of love with cycling over winter for instance).
3. The best goals are ones where more than one functional domain is being worked on
There are six NDIS functional domains: mobility, communication, social interaction, self management, learning, and self care.
In Goal 1, the focus is on mobility only. In Goal 2, by aiming to increase coordination, social participation, safety and independence, the goal meets mobility, communication, social interaction, learning, and self care.
4. Goals should reflect the reports and supporting evidence you provide
Make sure you discuss with supports what it is you want to achieve in your next plan before they write your reports, to better align client expectations with support opinions.
For Goal 1, therapy providers could easily support participation in a learn to ride program and leave it at that for a report.
For Goal 2, by discussing options for support and identifying that coordination, safety and independence skills, along with an increase in Jimmy’s social skills, will be needed for him to be able to achieve riding to school like everyone else, Jimmy’s NDIS supports can outline the wide range of supports needed so that a more complete package of funding is provided to help Jimmy achieve this goal.
5. Not all goals may be funded – however the supports needed to offset the impact of a disability on achieving that goal may be
For Goal 1, funding support for a child to participate in a learn to ride program is likely to be appropriate – especially for a 10-year-old like Jimmy. Funding for someone to escort Jimmy to and from school is less likely, as that is typically a parental responsibility.
For Goal 2, funding for support to participate in a learn to ride program – therapy that will assist in increasing safety, independence, and communication – may be appropriate, as may participation in group programs based in the community that are about increasing social skills and community participation.
While your NDIS goal may not directly impact your NDIS budget, if that goal is well written, considers all the supports needed, and is backed by evidence provided by supports in their reports and quotes, then you’re more likely to increase the scope of support provided in your next NDIS plan.
*Kate is a pseudonym to protect her brother’s privacy.
