How Can the NDIS Support Me to Achieve my Hopes and Dreams?

Step 5 – How Can the NDIS Support Me to Achieve my Hopes and Dreams?

Hear some peers share about how the NDIS can help and the difference it is making in their lives:

Find the transcript of this video here: Transcript-Support

The NDIS funds participants to purchase supports aimed at increasing independence, inclusion and social and economic participation. They may fund things to help you work towards your aspirations.

The NDIS divide these things into fifteen support categories. They then put these support categories into three groups. Below are examples of things that could be funded by the NDIS, broken down by these three groups. Remember, these are just some ideas. If you can dream it (and if it is reasonable and necessary to help with your disability) the National Disability Insurance Agency may fund it.

Support Calculator – a useful tool!

The NDIS Support Calculator is a free online tool to help you identify the services you could receive through your NDIS plan:

https://www.supportcalculator.com.au/

The calculator can be used for pre-planning, participant review and to translate your weekly support needs into an annual sum.

Select a group to get a definition and explore examples.

Supports to help you build independence and skills (Capacity Building)

Improved daily living: This is about paying someone to help build skills to go about your day with independence and confidence. You might build your skills to: get yourself up in the morning, decide what to eat, prepare you meals, shower yourself, choose what to wear, do your shopping, clean your house, get to appointments, pay bills or look after a budget.
Improved living arrangements: This is about your home. It could be a class to build skills or a person to help you manage your living arrangements. This could also include help to change your living arrangements.
Improved relationships: This is about your friends, family and other relationships (e.g., bank, supermarket, GP, pharmacist). It could be a workshop or person to help you resolve differences with other people. It could include classes for your children or parents to learn more about mental health conditions and psychosocial disability.
Increased social and community participation: This is about building skills to join in community activities, especially if you are not working or studying. You could pay someone to help you: find a volunteer position, join and use your local library, join in local activities (e.g. football, singing group, recreational club, fishing club, support groups, etc.).
Improved learning: This is about growing as a person. You could pay a mentor to help you through TAFE, university or another course.
Finding and keeping a job: You could pay a person to help you find work experience opportunities. If you get a job, you could pay for a person to help your workplace or co-workers better understand you and how to support you in your role. You could pay for a person to help you with your discussions with Centrelink.
Improved health & wellbeing: This is about taking care of your physical and mental health. You could pay for a personal trainer at your local gym (although you would have to pay for your gym membership), a person to support you and teach you how to better express your views and opinions about your treatment at the doctors, or a person to help you attend and make new friends at your local community centre.
Improved life choices: This is about managing your NDIS plan. You may pay a person or business to help you with planning, budgeting and administration of your NDIS funding.
Coordination of supports (a Support Coordinator): You could pay someone to help you organise the supports and services you pay for. They can also help you change these supports.

Supports to help you with daily living (Core)

Assistance with daily living: Like ‘Improved daily living’ (above). You can also pay someone to assist you to start your days and live your life. They might help you get up and going in the morning, prepare your meals, take a shower and get dressed, shop, clean, get to appointments, pay bills or budget. While it can be good to learn to do these things by yourself, sometimes this isn’t possible, for example during times of big life changes (e.g. a relationship ends, you start or lose a job, you need to enter or leave hospital).
Assistance with social and community participation: Like ‘Increased social and community participation’ (above). This is about having assistance with joining in activities, especially if you are not working or studying. You could pay someone to attend activities with you. You might need more help when you are not doing well and both your goals and NDIS plan should change according to your ability to do things by yourself.
Consumables: This is about purchasing items for everyday use. You could get funds to help pay for things like continence pads, or other equipment, to support your disability needs. It is not unusual to need such things; people with psychosocial disability often have poor physical health.
Transport: This is funding for travel to and from activities. This is often provided by support workers who will support you to access the community, pursue hobbies and attend appointments. For most people transport funding replaces the Centrelink Mobility Allowance and other transport subsidies you may have had previously. If you are paying for help to learn to use public transport, then this funding belongs in a ‘capacity building’ category above.

Investment or purchasing things you need long-term (Capital)

Assistive technology: Equipment to support you. If you have trouble walking, you could buy a mobility device. The ways in which technology can help people with psychosocial disabilities are still being discovered. You could buy an electronic calendar or app for your phone to help you remember appointments. If you need help to access a computer to research things that help with psychosocial disability, that may be funded as a ‘capacity building’ expense.
Home modifications: Making physical changes to your home to make life easier. An example might be a flashing light in your home to alert you to do daily activities.