Do you want to do something that’s almost guaranteed to improve your mental health?
You don’t need any money right now and you can start immediately… pretty much as soon as you read the next sentence.
It’s planning a holiday!
It doesn’t have to be a big holiday – though, if someone wanted to invite us on an international trip, like the Grand Tours of Europe of old, we’d find it hard to say no – it could literally be a staycation in in an undiscovered area of your home town.
But here’s the magic – it’s the anticipation of planning a trip that gives us such a boost.
Whether it’s thinking about what you’ll do, who’ll you go with, or what you’re going to eat (ahem, surely that’s not just us!)… planning the trip and looking forward to it is one HUGE part of the joy of travel.
So, let’s get those endorphins sparking now as we set off with our ultimate guide to planning your next holiday. And we’re talking everything… the journey AND the destination. So buckle up!
This is great to ensure you catch the travel bug – check out what other travellers are recommending!
We love Have Wheelchair Will Travel, founded by former travel consultant Julie, whose son Braeden is a wheelchair user and non-verbal. Julie has a great focus on accessible accommodation, tips and tricks for long haul flights and how to plan your perfect trip (while also being prepared for the mishaps of travel).
Another excellent source of travel inspiration is Flynn Rigby, founder of Everybody deserves a holiday, which focuses on travelling when you have an invisible disability. Flynn, who’s non-verbal and on the autism spectrum, loves planning and taking holidays and sharing his experience of tourism with an invisible disability – but no mobility access needs.
If you’re looking for comprehensive accessible tips for the United States and beyond (like Egypt, India, the Caribbean, Europe and more), you’re going to love the award-winning Curb Free with Cory Lee. Cory, a wheelchair user, has travel tips, inspiring interviews and itineraries galore!
The saying goes, if you can’t afford travel insurance, then you can’t afford to travel. Also, some countries – like the United Arab Emirates and Singapore – won’t allow you to enter unless you have travel insurance.
When you’re overseas, the Australian Government won’t pay medical bills or other costs, including medical repatriation flights back to Australia, if things go wrong.
The Government’s Smart Traveller website has general information about travel insurance, while Compare Travel Insurance offers a disabilities guide.
You don’t have to declare your disability, but it’s probably a wise choice to be up front about it. This is because of the term ‘pre-existing condition’.
While you may not consider disability to be a condition, in the eyes of insurance it can be considered as such. Some disabilities would be automatically covered with no extra cost, some are conditions to declare that you can have insured for an extra fee, and some will be excluded from travel insurance. In short: it pays to ask.
For more information, read Smart Traveller’s travel insurance buying guide.
There’s no one size, fits all when it comes to insurance. Make sure you check with your travel agent or travel insurer about the items and services you need, like:
There are places around the world with some viruses which can be life threatening – for example, yellow fever, which is endemic in parts of Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Some countries won’t allow you to enter without evidence of a yellow fever vaccination, or you may have to be vaccinated on arrival.
That’s why it’s best to do your research and meet with your GP or a travel doctor about recommended vaccinations for you. Find out more here.
And, of course, while we take a holiday, our health doesn’t. Talk to your GP about your general health and anything you can do to maintain your health while travelling or prevent any negative changes to a chronic health condition.
Do you have different access needs? Organisations like Accessible Accommodation can connect you with holiday properties around Australia that meet your needs.
Push Adventures, a travel consultancy founded by wheelchair user Scott Crowley and his wife Clair, has partnered with Big Heart Travel Agency for a focus on accessible travel. You can find out more about that here.
And these are just two of many… just Google ‘accessible travel agent’ and you’ll find loads of choices.
No matter where you are in your travel planning journey, make sure you keep all your receipts to make any National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIDS) claims easier! Remember, if you’re plan managed you can claim from both registered and unregistered providers (and plan management doesn’t cost you anything!). If you’re interested in becoming plan managed, you can talk to us to find out more. Just give us a call on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
Depending on your NDIS plan, your budget, goals and personal circumstances, you may be able to claim some of the costs associated with accessible travel and the supports you need in order to take a break. It’s best to speak with your plan manager, support coordinator or the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to find out more.
You can also check out our article – Get away: using NDIS funding for a holiday.
By road, air or sea
Are you staying local to your town, city, state or territory? Is the open road calling your name? Then a road trip is perfect!
And have you considered camping or staying in a cabin in one of Australia’s National Parks? Don’t be fooled – there are loads of accessible options in our great outdoors.
If you’re travelling further afield or overseas, then of course a flight could be in the mix.
Or does the lure of the high seas appeal? Cruising is perfect for when you want to visit multiple destinations… but unpack only once! Or perhaps you’re planning to live it up on board the ship, with the journey itself being the true holiday appeal.
Things to consider:
If you’re a wheelchair user or you use mobility aids, you could be forgiven for thinking that National Parks aren’t for you. Well, they can be – if you want them to!
Check out the National Parks website for each state and territory to explore parks with wheelchair accessibility.
Some sites also offer information about wheelchair accessible accommodation, wheelchair accessible fishing spots, and accessible canoe launch sites. You can also research social media for information on park visits, find virtual reality park tours, discover the go-to spots for wheelchair accessible cave visits, or find out where to grab an all-terrain mobility wheelchair.
Below are some websites and pages to get you started:
Along with the anticipation, being as prepared as possible means you’ll be able to be more confident.
The Australian Government has information about security screening at airports for people with specific needs, including people who use mobility aids or prosthetics, people who are vision or hearing impaired, and people who need to travel with medical equipment or medication.
At the airport
Not every disability is visible and, sometimes, it can be helpful if people know and understand you have a disability and might need more time, patience and support. This is especially true when you’re at the airport!
You might want to consider using a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. Recognised at airports in Australia and around the world the Hidden Disabilities Sunflowers makes sure those in the know are aware that you might need some extra support.
Also, keep an eye out (or search before your trip) as some airports have special features. We love Adelaide Airport’s official Facility Dog, Elmo, a very good boy who’s there to provide support and receive pats from nervous travellers, and the world’s first Recombobulation Area in Milwaukee in the United States, where people can put themselves back together after passing through airport security.
Do you need assistance throughout a flight? That could be with mealtime management, taking medication, using the aircraft toilet, orientation, communicating with flight crew – the list goes on. If so, you can apply for a Qantas Carer Concession card through People with Disability Australia.
The card offers discounts on your ticket and discounts for your carer. There’s a fee to apply and it lasts for three years.
If you’re blind or vision impaired and you have a current Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card with blind entitlement, or a current travel pass for Person with Vision Impairment issued by a state or territory authority, then you don’t need to apply for a separate Qantas Carer Concession Card.
Virgin Australia also has a range of services to support people with disability, including a Disability Concession Fare. Find more information in their Guest Accessibility Plan or their website.
What if you need a support worker while on holiday?
While you’re travelling, you may need to bring along a support worker to provide you with assistance, and their invoices for direct support time might be able to be claimed from your NDIS budget.
If you need intermittent direct support during travel time, you should negotiate this with your provider (especially in the event of long haul travel, as this could add up to a very large invoice).
You may wish to explore hiring a local support worker who lives in your holiday destination, which may be more economical than paying for a one to travel with you.
You might be able to use your NDIS plan outside of Australia for up to six weeks, and the NDIA may extend this (find information here), but it’s best to speak with your plan manager, support coordinator or the NDIA before making any plans or incurring any expenses.
What about when you’re on the ground? Public transport is one of the cheapest, most interesting, and greenest ways to see a place – with the added bonus of feeling like a local!
This is a great guide to accessible public transport in Australia.
Your National Companion Card is an invaluable resource! Using it means you pay for your own entry or ticket, and your support worker or carer can attend with you for free.
Your state or territory-issued Companion Card is valid around Australia at venues and with tourism operators that recognise it.
You can find more information, including how to apply, here.
If you opt for a tour, a company that specialises in accessibility will lead you on the flattest, smoothest, shortest tour routes.
Before you take a tour or hire a guide, ask these questions:
Anyone travelling needs to take as much care with their medications as they do with their money and passports. Don’t pack them in checked luggage, and don’t leave them lying in the open in your hotel room. And always make sure you’ve got enough medicine to last you an extra day or two, just in case your travel home is delayed.
It’s recommended that you keep a list with the names of any essential medicines you take, and their dosages, so you can try to replace them if needed. If you take a brand name medication, write down the generic name too. Even better: try to find out the name of the medicine in the language of the destination you’re travelling to.
Keep your medications in their original packaging where possible and consider travelling with a hard copy, printed letter from your doctor or specialist (on their treating rooms’ letterhead) explaining what your medications are and what they are for.
If you’re going to be travelling solo, you should let others know your daily itinerary. Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back, then stick to your schedule. Keep a mobile phone on you at all times and ensure you have roaming activated.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has a list of ‘Before You Go’ recommendations.
This doesn’t mean exhausting yourself during every moment of your holiday – even the trip of a lifetime will have some down days or times when things don’t go to plan. And sometimes, it’s the moments where things go wrong that turn into memorable, happy accidents where we do something we weren’t planning to do!
So, make the most of your time away, enjoy some rest days, see new things and… have a happy holiday!
We know that being a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant can be life changing. After all, the NDIS has transformed the disability space in Australia.
But your journey through the Scheme – from checking whether you’re eligible to your eventual review – isn’t always straightforward.
At My Plan Manager, we’re here for you and all the twists and turns that might come your way. Because, just like no two people with disability are the same, nor will two people have identical NDIS experiences.
However, there are some common milestones, which is why we’ve mapped out some of the key points on your journey and signposted what to look out for on your way!
The NDIS has a big impact on participants’ lives, so it’s not surprising that the process of applying for, and being accepted into, the Scheme can be complex and time consuming.
But it doesn’t need to be overwhelming – and to help you on the way, we’ve broken the NDIS journey into five key milestones that you may encounter.
This is when you, your family members or support people will contact the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and begin the process of applying for you to become a participant in the Scheme.
The NDIA has lists of disability diagnoses that are likely to be automatically accepted as needing NDIS support. Click here to learn more.
There are also lists of conditions that are likely to result in a person being permanently impaired, and thus also eligible for the Scheme. Here’s what they are.
Anyone can apply to join the NDIS, but you must have evidence of how your disability impacts on your functional capacity, which is your ability to live your day-to-day life. This could be the way your disability impacts you physically (e.g., if you have a wheelchair, mobility aid etc) or it might be a different impact entirely (e.g., if you have an intellectual disability that means you need support to live independently and complete everyday tasks, like cooking, shopping or leaving the house).
What you need to do to apply: Fill out an NDIS Access Request Form or phone the NDIA on 1800 800 110.
Extra information to supply: Do you have allied health professionals or other providers you’re already working with? Ask them to fill out Section 2 of the NDIS Access Request Form.
They may also be able to report on your functional capacity and this could be provided to the NDIA as an assessment, a letter or a report. It’s vital that evidence about your functional capacity is included in the information you supply to support your application, and everything you give to the NDIA should be factual and share what daily life is like for you.
What you need to do before and during your planning meeting: Once the NDIA has accepted your application, you’ll officially be a participant in the NDIS. You, your family members and/or supporters will meet with an NDIA planner or your Local Area Coordinator (LAC). Together, you’ll discuss what your life looks like now and what your hopes and dreams are for the future – and these plans will become your NDIS goals.
As the saying goes, a goal without a plan is just a wish – so make sure to really consider what it is you want to achieve, and the supports you’ll need to do that. Click here for advice on goal setting.
Your goals will be part of your plan (and your budget will be aligned to them) and they’ll become guiding lights for you and the professionals you work with, as they report how their expertise is supporting you to work towards achieving your goals.
Some goals will be a one-off, some will be long term and may be carried over a series of plans, and others might be about maintaining and protecting a skill you already have.
Extra information to supply: Your goals are hyper-personal and are there to guide you to live the life you want to live. Think big and get creative about the areas of your life you’d like to expand and celebrate.
You could consider:
Goals are at the heart of your NDIS plan and because they’re so important, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to design them. Kinora, My Plan Manager’s free online community for people with disability and their supporters, gets it. Here’s eight prompts from Kinora for brainstorming the best goals for you.
And let’s be real – while your NDIS plan is based around your goals, there’s not a person on the planet that’s smashing their goals every single day, and neither should you! Life has peaks and troughs. So just remember to zoom out and look at the big picture now and then, to ensure your NDIS supports are still in alignment with your goals.
What to expect at your implementation meeting: Implementation meetings are held with your LAC within 28 days of your plan being completed. They’re not compulsory, but they come highly recommended for participants who are joining the Scheme for the first time.
This is your chance to ask questions about your plan, your funding, and how you can and can’t use it. And, if you have any concerns or worries about your plan, the implementation meeting is a good time to raise them.
During the meeting you’ll also learn how to find the best service providers to work alongside you and how to set up service agreements and bookings. You can find a list of NDIS registered providers here.
Remember – think beyond the disability sector when it comes to your supports. You
might be able to access extra supports, including community and mainstream supports, by thinking outside the box!
What you need to do: Assessments aren’t compulsory, but they’re highly recommended. Held every three months, they are a review designed to see how everything is tracking with your plan. You can do this yourself, or you might wish to review your plan with your LAC or an advocate, or even reach out to your providers.
Why assessments can be useful: A bit like the way a goal without a plan is just a wish, without regular reviews there is a danger you could find yourself going off course with your plan. Conducting a review four times a year helps to keep you on track. It’s a chance to look at:
What you need to do: Be prepared to hear from the NDIA about six weeks before the end of your plan is due. This way, you can make sure you’re prepared for your plan reassessment.
If you or your supporters haven’t had any contact with the NDIA it’s important to be proactive and contact the Agency on 1800 800 110.
Be prepared: This is a really important time to ensure your next plan includes everything you need to ensure you have the support you require. You might look at setting some new goals and at revising the ones you currently have.
It’s also time to request and collect detailed reports from your providers about the work you’ve been completing together and how it’s contributed to your goal progression. Reports should be personalised to you and your journey, and include sufficient detail to support your requests.
The NDIA has this information for providers about how to support you with reporting. It’s worth a read to know what the NDIA is looking for – and you might want to share the link with your providers.
Wherever you are on your NDIS journey, you have the opportunity for small wins, big wins and radical change. Dream big! Fill your team with the right people and the sky’s the limit.
Earlier, we mentioned Kinora, our online community for Australians with disability. Designed to help people with disability and their supporters to connect with peers, NDIS experts, disability sector professionals and service providers, Kinora has loads of free, accessible content to support participants in understanding the NDIS and how to best navigate the Scheme.
It’s a community filled with answers to commonly shared questions and concerns – and there’s strength in numbers, right? Check Kinora out today!
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is complex, so no matter where you are on your NDIS journey, you’re bound to have questions that you need reliable answers to. We know this because – as NDIS plan management experts – we receive questions from our clients every day.
On this page we’ve shared our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the NDIS, in case they’re on your mind too.
To make them easier to unpack, we’ve sorted them by these common topics:
Of course, if you have a burning question (or two or three!) that’s not answered here, help is on hand. You can visit the FAQ section of our website or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday. You can also email our NDIS plan management experts at [email protected].
Does plan management cost me anything?
No, it doesn’t! Being plan managed means there’s no out of pocket cost to you. That’s because plan management fees are paid from a specific type of funding within your NDIS plan.
It’s a benefit of the NDIS that participants can be supported by a plan manager without having to use the funds set out for their other supports, so if you’d like to engage a plan manager you just need to ask the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to include funding for plan management in your plan.
Does My Plan Manager release funds directly to my providers and to me?
A lot of people think we hold cash and release funds directly to our clients and providers for items approved by the NDIS, but this isn’t true.
We follow a specific process to get invoices and reimbursements paid – a process that protects our clients, their providers, us and the Scheme. You can read more about that here.
What can I spend my NDIS funding on?
You must spend your funding on the supports set out in your NDIS plan. The NDIA usually describes supports flexibly, so you have more choice in how you use your funding.
For example, your plan may describe a support as ‘$5000 of therapy’. This means you can choose what type of therapy you buy with this funding. You could use $3000 for occupational therapy, and the remaining $2000 for physiotherapy, or you might spend the full amount on one support type.
Other funding in your plan may be fixed. For example, your plan may say you need to buy specific supports or use specific providers with your funding. If so, you must use your funding in the way it’s described in your plan.
Can NDIS funding pay for expenses like rent, medication, courses or a car?
The NDIS can’t fund day-to-day living costs that everyone has to pay – costs that aren’t caused by or resulting from disability support needs.
Vehicles aren’t typically disability-related supports because people need vehicles whether or not they have a disability, which is why the NDIS won’t fund cars (although it may fund modification of vehicles if that’s required).
Similarly, the NDIS won’t fund rent for the majority of participants. However, some NDIS participants may apply for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) or Supported Independent Living (SIL) funding. An NDIA planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) will help you to establish whether you qualify for SDA or SIL or, in some cases, for both.
The NDIS won’t fund medicine which sits inside the Australian health system, but you may want to speak to your NDIA planner or LAC about approval of supports that are similar to those covered by the health system, but which are needed due to disability.
The NDIS will typically fund a requested support if it’s related to your disability needs and also meets the below funding criteria:
You can find out more about the NDIS reasonable and necessary criteria here.
Can NDIS funding be used in school?
The NDIS won’t fund school fees, textbooks or other curriculum-based items. However, it can fund extra support needed at school due to disability. These are supports that are not primarily related to your education and learning, and that are beyond what the school is responsible for. For more information, click here.
Do I have to tell a provider I’m paying with NDIS funding?
Not at all! You can negotiate and lock in a provider’s rates up front before telling them you’re an NDIS participant.
I’m having trouble finding service providers in my area. What can I do?
You can look further afield but be sure to consider provider travel fees. Providers can charge a participant’s NDIS budget for the cost of travel when they:
If a provider who comes to you – like a mobile physiotherapist – charges the maximum hourly rate under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, adding travel to that cost can quickly add up. You can try negotiating a reduction (or elimination) of travel charges to counter this.
If you live in a community where it’s difficult to access good, local providers at a fair price, the NDIS recently introduced Coordinated Funding Proposals (CFPs) to help participants attract specialist providers to underserviced communities. You can find more information about CFPs here.
Can I buy items and claim them from my NDIS funding afterwards?
Yes, you can purchase items out of pocket and submit an invoice or receipt for reimbursement. If you’re not sure if the NDIS will fund an item or a support you want to purchase, here are five questions to ask that may help you to find out.
I’m running out of funding. What do I do?
Call us. Our team has a detailed knowledge of the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits and can support you to use your funding flexibly when it’s running low.
You should also get in touch with your LAC or support coordinator as soon as you feel your funding is getting low.
How do I get things paid for?
Submitting an invoice or a reimbursement to My Plan Manager is easy.
Your providers can send their invoices directly to us (email or via our provider portal), you can email their invoices to us once you receive them, or you can submit an invoice or claim for reimbursement via our client portal and/or mobile app. You can download the app via the App Store or Google Play.
For those using email – to assist with prompt processing, please forward your invoices and receipts directly to our Accounts team via [email protected].
If you’re a My Plan Manager client, and you’re seeking reimbursement, please be sure to include ‘Reimbursement’ in the subject line of your email and make sure we have your up-to-date bank account details on file so we can pay you.
Providers wanting prompt payment should attach a compliant invoice as a PDF. Find out more about invoice payments here. Providers can also use our invoice template to assist with submitting a compliant invoice.
How do I maintain my assistive technology and what happens if it needs repairs?
Here’s everything you need to know about assistive technology repairs, directly from the NDIS.
How long do I need to keep invoices and receipts once I’ve submitted them for processing?
The requirements for keeping invoices and receipts vary depending on how you choose to manage your NDIS plan.
If you’re self managed, you need to keep records of invoices and receipts for five years to show you’ve paid for your supports and used your funding in line with your NDIS plan.
If you’re plan managed, your plan manager is responsible for keeping records on your behalf. As an added bonus, if you’re a My Plan Manager client and you use our client portal or mobile app, you can log in at any time and view any of your invoices.
If you’re Agency managed, the NDIA will store records on your behalf.
I think a provider has claimed from my NDIS plan when they weren’t supposed to. What can I do?
If you use the My Plan Manager client portal and/or mobile app, or you’ve opted to receive SMS notifications from us, you can see who’s claiming from your plan and how much, and you can contact us to query invoices if they don’t look quite right.
If you haven’t elected to receive SMS notifications, 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 suspect someone is doing the wrong thing with your NDIS funding you can report suspicious behaviour by calling the NDIS Fraud Reporting and Scams Helpline on 1800 650 717 or by emailing [email protected].
Do I have to pay for my support worker’s meals?
No, you’re not responsible for covering the cost of your support worker’s meals – including when you dine out together. That’s because each person is responsible for their own food expenses, and the NDIS doesn’t cover your meals or theirs.
If a one-on-one visit with your support worker is going to extend through a regular meal time, you might like to speak with them in advance to let them know your dining preference. Doing this will give your support worker the opportunity to plan ahead by either packing a meal or bringing money to purchase one.
My support worker is going to support me to attend a concert. Do I need to pay for their ticket?
For events, the National Companion Card (if you have one) may cover the cost of a support worker’s ticket. The National Companion Card enables eligible people with disability who require support to participate at venues and activities without incurring the cost of a second ticket for their companion. Click here for more information.
What are the rules of provider travel?
Providers can charge a participant’s NDIS budget for the cost of travel when they:
When a provider charges the maximum hourly rate under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, adding travel to that cost can quickly add up. That’s why it’s good to consider local providers if and when you can. You can try negotiating a reduction (or elimination) of travel charges, or you might like to visit providers at their premises.
Are unregistered providers ‘riskier’ to use?
Registered providers are verified by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and bound by the NDIS Practice Standards, which means they’re heavily regulated, compliant with NDIA requirements, and providers of verified, quality services.
However, getting NDIS-registered takes time and is costly, which is often a hurdle for smaller businesses, so they choose not to register – even though they may provide a high quality service that suits their clients and is completely covered by the Scheme.
You have choice and control over your providers, and you can decide whether a registered or unregistered provider is going to best meet your needs. Remember that only plan managed and self managed NDIS participants can use unregistered providers!
How do I find the providers I need, including a good support coordinator?
On way you can find the providers you need is by searching the NDIS Provider Finder or by accessing the myplace portal.
You can also connect to trusted providers in Kinora, an online community created by My Plan Manager to help people with disability and their supporters to connect with peers, NDIS experts, disability sector professionals and service providers.
Other ways to find providers include searching free online directories such as Clickability, Disability Support Guide, Karista, and My Care Space, and seeking word of mouth recommendations from your networks.
We’ve created this checklist of what to know and ask to help you engage the right providers (and avoid those who aren’t the right fit).
Can I delete information from a provider’s report?
Redacting (deleting) information from a provider’s report isn’t allowed. That’s because the provider is the owner of the report, even though it’s about you, and even if you’ve paid for it.
If a provider has made a mistake in their report, you can ask them to correct it, and if you don’t agree with their assessment, be sure to ask what they can do to make the changes you need.
If they don’t agree to change the report, you can write your own statement that highlights your differing views and why you believe the assessment isn’t accurate. Then submit that statement with their report to the NDIA.
Can my relatives be NDIS support workers or support coordinators?
Generally, the NDIA will only fund family members to provide supports in exceptional circumstances, like when:
The NDIA will consider the circumstances of each case and any wishes expressed by the participant, and also take into account what it is reasonable to expect others to provide.
The NDIA will not fund a family member to provide personal care or community access supports unless all other options to identify a suitable provider of supports have been exhausted.
Do I need to put service agreements in place with my providers?
Not at all! Having service agreements with your providers is optional, but they are recommended.
When you provide us with signed service agreements, we can set aside funding for the supports you’ve agreed to receive, to give you confidence and certainty that funding is there each time you need it.
When I get a new plan, do current providers need me to sign a new service agreement?
Yes – if there’s a new program of support. A program of support is an agreement between you and a provider that shows the supports you’ll receive.
I’m not happy with the service delivered by one of my providers. Can I end our service agreement?
Yes, you can, but you may have to pay a cancellation fee if it’s stipulated in the service agreement. You may also need to give the provider some time to cancel their services, which is called a notice – or cancellation – period. We recommend checking the terms and conditions, especially for appointment cancellations and cessation of services, before you sign a service agreement.
Before looking to cancel a service agreement, you may want to talk with your current provider and ask them if they can change their supports to meet your needs and preferences.
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits sets out the conditions for providers to claim cancellation fees.
Do I have to sign a service agreement if I don’t agree with information in it? How enforceable is it?
You don’t have to sign a service agreement. But, if you want to sign it but you don’t agree with the information in it, you can talk with your provider about changing it.
Service agreements are covered by Australian Consumer Law and are enforceable by law if the promised services in it aren’t provided.
How do I pay for Short Term Accommodation (STA)?
The 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.
If STA isn’t stated in your NDIS plan, but you have funding available in your Core Supports budget, you may be able to use it to cover STA – if it ticks the boxes in the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary funding criteria. In short, the criteria states that the purchased supports (in this case, STA) must relate to your disability, provide value for money, and be effective and beneficial.
Accommodation for support workers can also be covered under STA. However, if you instead have your informal supports staying with you – people like parents, siblings or friends – you can only claim your share of the accommodation.
For more information, we’ve unpacked everything you need to know about STA and respite care here.
Whose responsibility is it to find, or assist with finding, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) housing?
If you need help finding SDA vacancies or would like to discuss if an SDA vacancy is suitable for you, talk to your NDIA planner, LAC or support coordinator. You should check that the dwelling meets your needs before committing to a service agreement.
The NDIS also has an SDA finder that can help you to search for accommodation vacancies that match your needs. If SDA has been included in your NDIS plan, the SDA building type and location will usually need to align with your plan.
I’m confused by what my NDIS plan means. Who can help?
You can contact your LAC or support coordinator, or speak to us.
Can I ask for a different NDIA planner if a planning meeting didn’t go well?
No, but you can ask for a review if you’re unhappy about a decision the NDIA made when developing your plan. A review means that an NDIA staff member who wasn’t involved in the development of your plan will have a look to decide if the decision was right.
You can ask for a review for a range of reasons, including what supports are included in your plan, how much they’re funded for, and even how your funding is managed. The important thing to remember is that you need to request a review within three months of the date you received a copy of your plan.
If you’d like a new planner because you’re unhappy with the planner you have, you can lodge a complaint with the NDIA.
To gain more plan funding/keep my current funding, the NDIA has asked me to provide reports and assessments, which cost a lot of money. What can I do?
You can claim the cost of reports and assessments from your Improved Daily Living budget if you already have an NDIS plan.
I’m coming up for a plan reassessment – what do I need?
You may need to provide reports or assessments from some of your providers for your plan reassessment meeting. This is to show how your supports and services are helping you work towards your goals.
Reports and assessments can also make recommendations for supports and services you might need in the future. Your early childhood partner, LAC, support coordinator or NDIA planner will discuss this with you, or you may want to ask them yourself.
For more information and tips for preparing for a plan reassessment, click here.
My child is a participant in the NDIS and they’re turning 18. What do I need to do?
When a child turns 18, they legally become an adult and the NDIA encourages adults to be involved in making their own decisions. If they aren’t ready to, or can’t, a person appointed as a ‘nominee’ can act on their behalf or make some decisions for them. This can be part of a plan to transition towards independence.
If you think your child will need a nominee when they turn 18, contact the NDIA, or your child’s LAC or support coordinator well before their 18th birthday to discuss it.
For more information about appointing a nominee, click here.
If your circumstances have changed, you’ll need to let the NDIA know and you may want to ask for a plan reassessment. To let the NDIA know about a change of circumstances, you can:
The NDIA will respond within 21 days by doing one of the below:
The NDIA will contact you to explain its decision, which you can ask to have reviewed if you don’t agree. You can find more information here.
We’re here to help
If there’s a question we haven’t answered here, you can visit the FAQ section of our website or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
Irshad Haidari has been working alongside people with disability since beginning a traineeship in 2019. Trusted to work with very vulnerable National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants in Supported Independent Living (SIL), Irshad was awarded Trainee of the Year in the 2021 South Australian Training Awards, delivered by the Government of South Australia.
However, it’s not the awards or accolades that mean the most, he says – the most rewarding part of being a support worker is the professional relationships with participants and their families.
Like a lot of people in our industry, I had a personal connection to someone with disability. Growing up in Pakistan, one of my friends had significant intellectual and physical disabilities. Unlike Australia, he didn’t receive financial support from the government – he was just surviving day to day as people passed by, helping him with cash.
When we arrived in Australia, I got work as a baker, but I knew I wanted to do something with people, something more fulfilling. The traineeship was a fantastic opportunity and then, as part of my traineeship, I got work with Cara in South Australia and I’ve been with them ever since.
I can’t imagine ever leaving the disability sector.
This job is the most rewarding job there is. As support workers, we get the unique opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of people with disability. You develop meaningful and lasting professional relationships with customers, and you experience a feeling of genuine accomplishment as customers get to improve their quality of life.
As support workers, we also work every day as advocates for our customers. There will be times when we head off to a restaurant and the staff will talk to us instead of the customer, especially if the people we’re supporting are non-verbal. We can gently educate staff – you can say ‘how about you talk to the customer’, or you can ask them to show the customer the menu and they’ll indicate their choice with eye-gaze or with their finger. In this way, as support workers, we ensure our customers are valued and included.
Being a support worker requires a lot of physical, emotional, and mental fortitude. It requires a great deal of patience and empathy.
Sometimes it can be challenging to manage people’s behaviour when it’s impacted by their physical or cognitive disability. Or there can be medical emergencies to deal with, where you also need to manage your customer’s comfort and safety.
As support workers, it’s important we also take time to look after our own health as well – you need to fill your own tank, so there is more energy to give. You need to rest and look after yourself physically and mentally. Despite the challenges, the meaningful impact we have for our customers is immeasurable to us.
It takes time to form good working relationships. We need to be able to trust each other and give each other time and space so that the support worker can get to know and understand the customer. You cannot expect a support worker to understand a customer and their family in a single shift.
The longer support workers work with you, the more they will get to understand what you want, how you feel, what your thoughts are, how to understand and prioritise your choices, and how to engage with the community.
With time and trust you can empower customers and support workers to have good working relationships and for support workers to provide quality support.
If you have patience and the desire to make a change, then it’s the right pathway for you. It’s about helping others and supporting someone because it’s the right thing to do, not just because it’s part of a job.
You need to support your customer’s choices, prioritise their life, and advocate for them. It’s about what they want, not what you think is best.
To people who are looking for a rewarding job, I would say this is the best of all professions for job satisfaction.
Educate yourself about people with disability – consume media from people with disability, read stories by people with disability, find their art, and educate yourself about disability pride and the rights of people with disability.
The physical part of safely supporting clients, manual handling, is something that helped me a lot and I’m always looking to learn more and deepen my understanding.
At some recent manual handling refresher training, the facilitator asked me to act as the customer. I was on the floor and the trainer put a sling around me and transferred me from the floor to the bed. I felt how vulnerable it is to be on the floor and relying on people who you don’t know. It’s so scary, you get the feeling you’ll fall down, the risk of harming yourself and others. Some people with disability keep that fear, and inner feelings, inside them.
It really reaffirmed the importance of reassuring people, while we’re doing transfers especially, supporting them emotionally and helping them to feel safe.
Something surprising about the profession is the significant emotional attachments that can form. In many cases, support workers spend considerable amounts of time with customers and form meaningful relationships, which lead to a sense of pride and fulfilment.
And that’s why it’s so important to maintain professional boundaries. We have to strive for a balance of compassion and professionalism. We aren’t our customers’ friends or family, we are professionals there to work, and we never take the place of friends and family.
It’s about getting to know the customers little by little.
Don’t expect that everything is written in the care plan. The care plan gives you the health needs, but working with customers gives you the understanding of what they want and how they want to be supported. These are things that you can only learn while working alongside a customer.
You can’t get all the skills in just one day, you have to have that desire to learn, have compassion, and get to know the people you’re supporting.
One of the most interesting things that we both enjoy is painting on a canvas. I think it’s the colours that really engage them more with the activity.
We put some soft music on in the background, the customers choose the colours, and we support them with the painting with hand-over-hand. You can see the focus on their face, their focus is on the canvas and how the colours spread out as they are holding the brush.
We also use a lot of sensory toys. There are toys where you can record your voice and make your voice or their voice and make games out of it – the occupational therapist and the speech pathologist have used them.
If a client can’t talk, we can use their device to communicate and you can record words, a sentence, a joke, a command or request. I enjoy what the customers enjoy!
Out of the house, there are so many places to go! One of the women I support loves bowling. We encourage and cheer and we make it into a competition. Another loves shopping, even window shopping. When we go into the city and are surrounded by people, she loves the energy of the crowds. Or we’ll go into shops and help her choose dresses and nail polish.
Going to the pool is another thing. While sometimes it can be challenging with noise, swimming has made such a positive impact on their bodies and their lives. You can see how it helps them to stretch out, and afterwards you can see how relaxed they are as they go home ready for a nap.
Last year I went back to Pakistan and got married! I spent three months there, but it was so short – I’m going back again this year. My brother also got married at the same time, so my whole family was there. We had such a great time.
Now, my wife is sharing my day-to-day – my problems or stresses, and my excitement. I can tell her anything and it eases my mind. We have started the immigration process for her to move to South Australia, but it takes time.
I still do a bit of hip-hop dancing, but less these days because I spend more time talking to my partner and planning our life ahead.
I still remember the night of the award ceremony, sitting in the crowd after we had all received our finalist certificates. I thought, ‘we made it here, it’s a great achievement’. There were so many good candidates in the room, I thought I didn’t have a chance.
Then, when they announced my name, my heart went from the ground to the roof! It will be one of the best memories of my life.
Since then, I’ve had many people approach me for advice about working in the disability sector. People listen to you and take advice from you, which is a great thing. Now I’ve got four years’ experience in the industry, as well as my traineeship and the award, and it gives more words to the people around me.
I’ve convinced my brother to get into the disability sector as well. He did a traineeship and he is working for another provider. I’m like a one-man recruitment agency for the disability sector!
I’m studying my Diploma of Community Services, and in the future I would like to work in more leadership roles, but I don’t want to completely stop working on the floor as a support worker, I want to do a few shifts every fortnight supporting customers.
There’s wide scope in this course with what you can do – you can be a case manager, you can be a service manager, an advocate, or you can even become a support coordinator.
I do see myself in a leadership role, but I don’t know where. But I’m sticking with working in the disability industry, for sure. It’s the most rewarding sector in the world and I always want to be able to be an advocate for people with disability.
Designed to describe images to people who are blind or low vision, image descriptions can also help people using language translation in social media. Here’s how.
A traditional image description does what it says – it describes an image. It’s different to alternative text, AKA alt-text, which is text that isn’t visible, quite brief (often there are character limits) and which will be picked up by screen readers.
An image description tells a very short story about an image.
Alt-text might describe the image above as “Woman in wheelchair using laptop computer.”
An image description can go into more detail. It might say:
“Sarah, who has beautiful dyed magenta and purple hair, is in her power wheelchair with a white laptop computer on her lap. She’s wearing black framed glasses and a white t-shirt. She’s smiling as she looks at the screen and she has one hand on the keyboard. There is a futon bed behind her and daylight visible through the windows.”
See how the image description humanises the scene and illustrates it? That’s not to say it’s better or worse than alt-text, just that image descriptions can play a different role and add to the understanding of an image!
When it comes to an image with text in it, it’s vital that all of the text is transcribed. This is for anyone using a screen reader or translate, if they are reading the screen in a different language.
For an image description of a text-based image, simply transcribe all of the text. If there’s room, mention any logos or stylistic elements, for example, if there’s a border, or a design.
Image descriptions are important on every image. And image descriptions are for everyone. While alt-text is sometimes hidden away in advanced settings, anyone can add an image description to their post. And the more people that come across image descriptions, the more others are aware of what they are and why image descriptions matter!
After all, accessibility is for everyone, and it’s for everywhere. Accessibility isn’t just step-free access, or hearing loops, or sensory breakout rooms (and there needs to be more!). Accessibility is about being online and having the full experience while you’re there.
As a former National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) staffer, who went on to create My Plan Manager from her kitchen table in 2014, our founder, Claire Wittwer-Smith, knows the NDIS inside and out. We spoke with her about the review, her vision for how the NDIS can return to its roots, and why it’s so important to hear from everyone in the Scheme – providers and participants.
To start with, Claire says she believes the Albanese government is truly committed to implementing the Scheme in the way it was designed in legislation.
“I think the Federal Government really wants the opportunity to shape it and get it right, true to the legislation,” Claire says.
“After all, it was a Gillard government that implemented it and it follows on from Medicare, which was the Whitlam government. Both initiatives are based on the principles of fairness and equity for all, and that everyone has the opportunity to develop to their full potential, and that’s what we’re aligned to here at My Plan Manager.”
Bill Shorten, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, announced a review of the NDIS in October 2022. The review, led by an expert panel and co-chaired by Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM and Lisa Paul AO, has the goal of putting people with disability back at the centre of the NDIS and restoring trust, confidence and pride in the Scheme.
The review will have two parts:
Crucially, Minister Shorten has said that changes will begin happening to the NDIS before the review’s completion date. He’s already made changes to the way the NDIS operates, with a commitment to putting more people with lived experience at the helm – including NDIA Chair, Kurt Fearnley – and a new culture at the Agency.
Claire says providers should be contributing to the review as it will take feedback from everyone involved in the NDIS to make the review – and the Scheme – a success.
“I think we have to work together to make the Scheme a success. I’m sure we would all agree that the most important voices are the participants and ensuring that participants are able to reach their potential and live their lives with the intended quality that an insurance scheme brings,” she says.
“I think we should look at how the caring sector actually starts to work together. We have the disability sector, aged care, child care – I think we should start streamlining our education in those areas, so your qualifications and skills are transferable and we’re not duplicating training and paperwork unnecessarily.
“There are such similarities in terms of supporting vulnerable people – children and adults – how participants access funding and so on, and we should be capitalising on that.”
Claire says it’s also important that the wider community understands the benefits of the NDIS and recognises it’s an insurance scheme – not welfare.
“It shouldn’t be seen as a burden. I think we need to get better at measuring the benefits of the Scheme – what it’s providing – not only in terms of economics, but in terms of quality of life for people with disability and their families. It’s about everyone having a fair go.”
Claire says listening to client feedback and implementing it has been a gamechanger at My Plan Manager, so she knows the NDIS review has the power to make change.
“Clients have been able to help us understand what a plan manager should be providing for a participant, and the information and insight they give us about that is so rich,” she says. “If you want to be able to provide a good service, you have to be able to listen and be informed by your consumers.”
The NDIS review is open for feedback until the end of the year. However, early feedback is always valuable, and Minister Shorten has said changes will be implemented while the review is open.
To provide feedback, or for more information on supporting your clients to provide their feedback, go here: https://www.ndisreview.gov.au/have-your-say/have-your-say-online
Through intensive internal and external consultations, UNICEF has determined the following six key strategic priorities:
The organisation is wasting no time, with actions being implemented as early as this year, including the development of a divisional/regional action plan scheduled for December 2023.
Other actions include:
Click here to view the full DIPAS.
A further $2 million in Commonwealth funding has been committed to progress the National Autism Strategy.
The funding will enable national cooperative research organisation, Autism CRC, to continue its research and provide advice to the Federal Government when developing the Strategy.
The Strategy is a welcome step towards improving life outcomes for the growing number of Australians on the autism spectrum and with other neurodevelopmental conditions.
It’s an overarching approach to enabling people with autism to better navigate and access opportunities to build the life they want.
The Strategy is intended to form a whole-of-life plan for Australians with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions and will aim to positively change systems and practices in areas such as education, vocation and healthcare for people on the autism spectrum and their families.
Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, said the Federal Government was partnering with Autism CRC to make sure the Strategy was developed in consultation with everyday Australians with autism.
Read more here.
Safe living conditions are a fundamental human right and key to quality of life. Yet a recent inquiry by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) investigated more than 7000 reportable incidents and complaints made across a four-year period from residents living in supported accommodation across Australia.
Earlier this month, the NDIS Commission handed down a report arising from its inaugural Own Motion Inquiry into Aspects of Supported Accommodation in the NDIS. The inquiry considered incidents and complaints about supports in group homes related to seven of the nation’s largest providers of supported accommodation.
The inquiry examined more than 1700 incidents of serious injury, a similar number of incidents of abuse, and almost 1300 incidents related to neglect. Unlawful physical contact, death, sexual misconduct, and unlawful sexual contact incidents were also reviewed.
The 7000 incidents and complaints were made to the NDIS Commission during the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 September 2022. However, it’s thought the true number of incidents may be higher – with challenges posed by existing pathways for people with disability to make reports.
At 31 December 2022, there were 29,812 participants with Supported Independent Living (SIL) funding in their NDIS plans and 22,069 participants had been allocated Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding. These figures indicate a high percentage of people in group homes are likely to have experienced reportable incidents.
The Minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten, said people living in supported accommodation often had complex support needs, including those associated with a profound intellectual, physical and/or sensory disability, and some had limited or no ability to undertake tasks of daily living, including communication, without support.
“I believe that having safe home living arrangements are fundamental to the quality of life for every Australian,” Minister Shorten said.
“People with a disability have the right to a safe living arrangement, even when it is challenging.
“People with disability have the right to have their voice heard, particularly when it comes to the quality of their day-to-day lives.”
Minister Shorten said the inquiry ‘sought to better understand the challenges faced by people living in supported accommodation when exercising choice and control about their supports’, and a number of key actions would be taken in response to its findings. Actions will include:
To find out more:
Read the joint media release from Minister Shorten and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
