Using your NDIS Funds

Online Housing Search Platforms

Disability Housing
Australia's independent centre for disability housing. Accommodaiton wanted and leasing options.

Housing Hub
A new way for people with disability to find suitable housing. The Housing Hub advertises vacancies for apartments and houses that are owned by housing providers. 

Way Home
Join Australia's #1 Tenant Matching Service for Accessible, Inclusive and  Assistive Homes. Save time when finding an accessible home! Join our network to share or request accessible homes.

Build Innovative Options

Public Housing Movable Units (VIC)
These movable units are self-contained units that can be set up in the backyard of a friend or relative's home. The units are a type of public housing.

Freedom Housing
The revolutionary non-institutional design of Freedom Housing enables persons with disabilities to reside in a privately-owned conventional house or apartment with family, friends, or alone: where they may access up to 24/7 in-house professional high-care. A central building is connected to the four private homes. Freedom Housing is also available in an apartment model. 

Housing Choices
Housing Choices Australia works with partner organisations to provide opportunities for families and people with disabilities to finance and secure equity in their long term housing. Website here.

Empowered Liveability
Empowered Housing is one of the first companies to provide complete disability housing solutions that are compliant with the current NDIS regulations.

Illowra Projects
We work with participants and families to explore the possibility of developing and owning their own homes either individually or shared as a group. We make a complex development process simple.

CHL
CHL is a registered SDA provider under the NDIS and a registered builder in all states where it operates. We work with clients, their families and support providers to jointly develop personalised housing to ensure clients’ well-being in their new homes. We can support this option with shared equity or sole equity provision.

Organisations with Disability Housing Options

Community Active Housing
Community Housing is long-term accommodation for people on low incomes and or households/individuals with special needs. Community Housing is a crucial area of social housing provision as it provides a housing option which is affordable, secure and safe and encourages tenant participation in community life.

The Summer Foundation - Summer Housing (VIC)
One of the reasons many young people with disability live in nursing homes is because there is nowhere else for them to live. The Summer Foundation is working in a number of ways to address the issue of housing accessibility, availability and affordability through our own work and working with our sister organisation Summer Housing.

Build Better Lives Opportunity (Rockdale NSW)
Exciting new opportunities for tenants with high physical support needs in the inner Sydney suburb of Rockdale

Young Care
We are committed to supporting young people’s choice to live young lives in quality housing. Youngcare’s building program designs and develops age-appropriate housing solutions where young people with high physical care needs can live young lives with choice, independence and dignity in their own homes. Youngcare’s High Care Housing is for people with high physical support, who are eligible for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) within their NDIS plan. 

Northcott
Our Housing and Supported Independent Living services team offer a range of services that enable customers to live independently. We offer shared housing and supports, individual housing and supports and supported living.

House with No Steps
We have a range of disability accommodation options to suit different needs. We’ll work with you to find a home and service that’s right for you.

Bridge Housing
We work in partnership with a range of disability support services to assist people with a disability to live independently in the community.

Ability Options (NSW)
Ability Options provide accommodation services for over 100 people from a wide range of age groups living in NSW. We offer a range of service models, ranging from units to purpose built houses and group homes with 24 hour support.

Cooperatives

The Supported Independent Living Co-operative
SILC is a family governed co-operative operating in disability housing and supports in the NDIS. It is an enterprise co-operative where its members are family governed houses. SILC is like a backbone co-operative, providing information, systems and support to families.

The National Health Co-operative
A cooperative owned by its patients. It started in 2010 in West Belconnen in response to a GP shortage. It now provides primary health care to 40,000 patient members and is expanding into regional communities in NSW.

The Co-operative Life
A worker co-operative providing social support and home care in the NDIS and aged care sector. The Co-operative Life started when a group of personal care workers, dissatisfied with agency work, co-operated to form a new organisation where they as workers were the members. The Co-operative Life now has 75 staff and is scaling up with the increased demand as a result of market failure in regional areas.

Manning Inclusive Community Housing
Our mission is to establish accessible and appropriate housing within Manningham, for people with an intellectual disability, which provides them with the opportunity to maintain a meaningful life within their existing community. We believe that a home is not just the house in which you live, and the people with whom you choose to live, but is also the community in which you have chosen to live. 

Challenge Start Up Program

Start Up is an 18 month program which seeks to establish new forms of employment options according to strengths, interests and abilities of the young people involved.

We are looking for motivated, enthusiastic and hardworking young adults to change the way we think about employment.

If you have new ideas, if you love a challenge and you are motivated to find work, this is the program for you!

Our goal is for each participant to establish a microbusiness and/or undertake gig economy opportunities. This will be driven by the young person who will be supported with training on safety, disability rights, consumer rights, business skills, communication and social media.

Commitment is one day per week for 18 months. You need to live in the Newcastle or Hunter region of New South Wales.

This program is fully funded - participants do not need NDIS funding.

Applications Close 12 October 2018.

Contact us for more information:
02 4918 1444 | [email protected] | website

Funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), in collaboration with Challenge Community Services.

How use your NDIS funds to smash barriers & create innovative post school options

Suggested resources from MyCareSpace:

• Mind Your Business (by InCharge)
• Learn how to start your own business - StartUp Program in Maitland, NSW
• Bus Stop Films Taster Workshop
• Ruckus
• Studio Artes
• Paul Jordan - social skills

Access Online Care Worker Platforms where you can find a partner in crime and or register your favourite care worker on these platforms so that you can employ them:

• Hireup
• Careseekers
• QSSS (Queensland)

The Australian Government’s National Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) Program works to overcome barriers to successfully transitioning young people living with a disability tertiary education and subsequent employment, through a national network of regionally based NDCOs. Find our more below:

• National Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) Program
  • How do I find an NDCO
  • Adcet
  • ​NDCO: Pathways and Connections (Hunter - Central Coast) AWESOME EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES
     
• Cerebral Palsy Career Labs
• Cerebral Palsy SLES options
   
• Workways NDIS Employment Services (Illawarra region
   
• Find a Great Support Coordinator on MyCareSpace

Suggested Resources from Laura O'Reilly (Fighting Chance)

• Uni 2 Beyond
• Adam’s Apple
• Healthy Change Challenge

Suggestions from our Members:

• Flinders University - Up the Hill Project
• Centre for Disability Studies
• Valued Lives Micro-enterprise Project: FB Page / Website
• Belong INC (Lifestart) is a new ILC funded program for 12 - 18 years in the IW, Eastern and St George /Sutherland regions. We are supporting access to community and belonging and inclusion. Exploring YP's goals with them for accessing mainstream activities. Contact Lifestart to find out more: 1800 953 390

Answers to Specific Questions

1. What is the difference between SLES and DES?

School Leaver Employment Support (SLES) is a new support offered through the NDIS to provide individualised support for up to 2 years after finishing year 12 to help you get ready for work and plan your pathway to employment. 

• SLES and the NDIS
• SLES FAQ

Disability Employment Services (DES) is a free service that help people with disability find work and keep a job.

• Find out about DES
• Who is eligible for DES?

NOTE: You can use BOTH SLES and DES concurrently.
 

2. What NDIS goals can I use to get funding to help start a new business?

Check our this advice from Libby Ellis and the Mind My Business venture at InCharge.

What is support coordination?

There are three levels of support coordination that can be included in your plan:

Support connection: This support is to build your ability to connect with informal, community and funded supports enabling you to get the most out of your plan and achieve your goals.

Support coordination – coordination of supports: This support will assist you to build the skills you need to understand, implement and use your plan. A support coordinator will work with you to ensure a mix of supports are used to increase your capacity to maintain relationships, manage service delivery tasks, live more independently and be included in your community.

Specialist support coordination: This is a higher level of support coordination. It is for people whose situations are more complex and who need specialist support. A specialist support coordinator will assist you to manage challenges in your support environment and ensuring consistent delivery of service.

Depending on your individual goals, plan objectives and aspirations you may receive funding for these supports in your plan.

How can a support coordinator help me?

A support coordinator will support you to understand and implement the funded supports in your plan and link you to community, mainstream and other government services. A support coordinator will focus on supporting you to build skills and direct your life as well as connect you to providers.

Your support coordinator will assist you to negotiate with providers about what they will offer you and how much it will cost out of your plan. Support coordinators will ensure service agreements and service bookings are completed. They will help build your ability to exercise choice and control, to coordinate supports and access your local community.

They can also assist you in planning ahead to prepare for your plan review.

Support coordinators will assist you to 'optimise' your plan ensuring that you are getting the most out of your funded supports.

Note: You need to ask your Planner for Support Coordination if you think you will need it.

What's the difference between support coordination and specialist support coordination?

A support coordinator and a specialist support coordinator are very similar however there are some key differences.

A specialist support coordinator will be funded where there are additional high or complex needs in your situation and will be a qualified and experienced practitioner such as an Occupational Therapist, Psychologist or Social Worker.

Specialist support coordinators will support you to manage challenges in your support environment which may include health, education, or justice services. Specialist support coordination aims to reduce barriers to implementing or using your NDIS plan.

Where do I get a support coordinator from?

You can look up registered support coordination providers using the MyCareSpace Directory of course - it allows you to search using your location!

Your Local Area Coordinator (LAC), or Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Partner may assist you to find and connect with a support coordinator. The planner, LAC or ECEI partner will provide plan information to your support coordinator so they can understand your plan and assist you in achieving your goals.

Is there a difference between self-managing and support coordination?

Yes. Self-management is a plan management type and support coordination is a reasonable and necessary funded support. In other words - completely different!

Self-managing your NDIS plan means the NDIS will pay you directly for the supports you claim under your plan's budgets. Being self-managed also allows you to choose from a broader range of providers The NDIS has released a brand new Guide to Self Management which helps people understand the benefits of self-management, roles and responsibilities and how to self-manage effectively.

 MyCareSpace delivered a Webinar titled How to Self Manage or Plan Manage in 45 minutes. 

What is the difference between a Plan Manager and a Support Coordinator?

If I self-manage or plan manage my plan, will I still be able to receive funding for support coordination?

Yes. The decision for a plan to be self-managed, plan managed or agency managed has no effect on funding support coordination. Funding support coordination is decided by what is considered reasonable and necessary.

When creating your plan you can discuss with your planner, LAC, or ECEI partner what your plan management options are and the differences between them.

Can I change to a different provider if I'm not happy with the support I am receiving?

Yes. You remain in control of your plan and have choice and control over who your providers are. If you wish to change providers you should discuss it with your provider and review your service agreement. Depending on your service agreement, you may have agreed to give some notice before you change.

I am developing a service agreement with a support coordinator, what questions should I ask please before signing anything?

Just like starting with any new provider, you can ask them questions that will help you make a decision on whether you will use them as a provider or not. Below are a few examples of questions you may want to ask the provider:

• How will they will help you to achieve your goals?
• What is their experience delivering supports?
• What are their prices? What is included? How will they charge you?
• Do they wish to discuss a notice period for ending an agreement?

Remember, you have choice and control in the supports you receive. This means you have the choice over who provides your supports and how they are provided.

Here are some key tips from Moira Mannion, one of our highest rated physiotherapists on MyCareSpace, on how a physiotherapist can assist you with your goals and how these goals can be included in your NDIS Plan.

The goals you include in your NDIS plan should be as broad as possible. You might not even think of including improved mobility and independence, but this is exaclty what you should be thinking about.

Remember the NDIS is all about increasing peoples' independence and there is a massive focus on increased social and community participation. With just a little more mobility this might be the little nudge you need to get out and about more.

To get the most out of your plan, you need to think of everything you do  or would like to do, from brushing your teeth to getting into bed. If you can't yet do these things unassisted, think about what might get you there. 

In your NDIS Planning meeting share your notes  with the LAC including things like:

I would like more mobility to help me: 

• get in or out of bed on my own
• do more of my own personal care activities like bathing or showering, getting dressing myself or eating
• be able to move around my home, garden or neighbourhood
• get out more in my community especially with social activities
• start developing skills like cooking or budgeting
• find a new adaptive sport that will help me develop more social connections 
• manage my weight 
• manage my chronic pain 

Here is an example of how this might work in practice:

Example of NDIS Goal which would require a physiotherapist:

I would like to be more active and do more of my own personal care activities for myself such as showering and brushing my teeth.

I would like to engage in more outdoor activities and in particular I my goal is to find an adaptive sport that suits my lifestyle and my love for water.

This will improve my ability to engage more in community life and develop stronger social connections of which I currently have few. A physiotherapist can assist with the development of my muscle tone, strengthening my upper body and overall mobility over a 6 month intensive period, followed up by a six months of tapering.

Moira Mannion can be found on MyCareSpace and is a local resident physiotherapist in Bronte, Sydney with over 25 years of experience. 

Joining a Peer Support Network is a great way to build connections with people living with disability, and sometimes family members of people living with disability.

Joining a network will give you access to a support group of people you can talk to about things that are important to you, and who you can share information with and learn from. You can also work together with your network to advocate for things that are important to you.

Networks are free to join. They come in all shapes and sizes. There is no one-size-fits-all model. You can join a network that's close to where you live, one with people who live with similar disability, one with people who share a specific interest or identity, or a network that only meets on the internet.

Some Peer Support Networks are managed by funded Disability Support Organisations. Some Peer Support Networks will meet on the internet. It is important to know about cyber safety. The Australian Federal Police have information about cyber safety. near you.

Find a Network to Join

The Benefits of Peer Support from JFA Purple Orange on Vimeo.

Its not a topic we like to talk about but self-harming can be a reality for many parents with special needs children. For a comprehensive fact sheet on self-harming read more here. 

Positive behaviour therapy is seen as the gold standard. Quick fixes might be necessary at times Although these strategies do stop or explain challenging behaviour,  and result in people with disabilities having poor quality lives and in some cases even their human rights denied. Australia is a signatory to the UN Convention
on the rights of persons with disabilities in 2008 which promotes that every person of any age with a disability, for example, has the right to make choices, full participation and inclusion in society, respect for difference and acceptance as part of a diverse humanity, equality of opportunity. 

ASPECT have produced a useful guide to positive behaviour support.

Some of the reasons for self-harm could include:

• to manage emotions
• the belief that punishment is deserved
• low self-esteem
• poor body image
• self-hatred
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• strong feelings of anxiety or depression
• emotional numbness (feeling physical pain is ‘better’ than feeling nothing)
• a response to physical, sexual or emotional abuse.

However sometimes safety comes first and parents need to quickly access protective gear before the benefits of positive behaviour can be seen.

Here are some websites with options for protective headgear:

Ebay

Ebay

ATI Martial Arts Centre

What is Immersion Therapy?

The Immersion Therapy is becoming recognised across Australia and internationally as a world first in which people with injury or disability gain access to movement through immersion in water using equipment similar that used in scuba diving. It is not SCUBA diving.

The Immersion Therapy™ service was specially developed to offer freedom of movement within a weightless environment and work within the well-recognised benefits of a Biopsychosocial model. It has demonstrated great results for those who have participated, and you can read about Melissa and Kye Poole below.

Immersion Therapy™ founder Peter Wilson used his own personal experiences overcoming a serious workplace injury, to come up with the therapy which is delivered via his company Determined2, based in Adelaide.

Immersion Therapy™ has won several awards including the 2016 National Disability Awards Excellence in Inclusive Service Delivery. These awards are internationally recognised as part of the United Nations International Day of People with Disability.

Funding of Immersion Therapy

Immersion Therapy™ is an approved service and people may gain access to the therapy under the following schemes:

• Return to Work SA
• Lifetime Support Authority (LSA)
• DisabilitySA (DSPP)
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

If you need to understand more about accessing funding under state based schemes contact Immersion Therapy directly or the various schemes directly.

Under the NDIS you may be able to include immersion therapy under the following support categories:

• Therapy support for individuals
• Learning and life skills development
• Recreational/holiday programs

It might be best to speak to your support coordinator about how to include it in your plan . Based on NDIS guidelines if the therapy directly supports your disability and is linked to personal outcomes such as community and social inclusion, mental health and well-being you may have it  included it in your plan.

Who benefits from immersion therapy?

Immersion Therapy has been accessed by a wide group of individuals and the benefits are not limited to any one condition, disability or injury.

Children and adults living with physical and intellectual disabilities, people with injuries varying from mild to severe and those living with serious medical conditions can all benefit from immersion therapy including individuals living with but not limited to:

• Complete and in-complete spinal cord injuries from L1-C4
• Single and multiple amputations
• Acquired Brain Injuries Mild-Severe
• Neurological conditions such as Cerebral Palsy level 1-4 and Nero Paraplegia  
• Autism high and low functioning
• PTSD, Anxiety and Depression  
• Dwarfism
• Post-surgery recovery Shoulders, Knees
• Back aches and sprains

The broad range of individuals and the group setting in which the service is delivered underpins the psychological and social benefits to all that attend. The physical benefits are achieved by being active in a weightless environment while every motion is against resistance, the functional capacity increases are a very positive by-product for participants.

So if you not convinced, maybe reading about the personal experiences of Melissa and Kye Poole may change your mind. This is what Melissa Poole from Port Lincoln had to say about Immersion therapy:

My Autistic son Kye experienced his first Immersion Therapy session recently in Port Lincoln. We decided to get involved with the company through Leo Stewart at the dive shop  as my son has a passion for the underwater world.

The whole process from the very beginning was a WIN-WIN for Kye, from the health safety checks to his orientation and to the moment he got in the pool.

I quickly realised as a parent the benefits of Immersion therapy:  lots of visual hand signals as a communication tool for Kye. For people like Kye, processing detailed verbal instruction can be a challenge resulting in isolation from their peers.

Because of the visual instructions Kye was able to follow all safety procedures and was immediately engaged in the task ahead resulting in consistent reciprocal communication during the session with his instructor - this is therapy as we have been working for most of Kye’s life to work towards social inclusion where he can relate to his environment, watching this unfold brought a tear to my eye (I must admit) left me in awe of the benefits for Kye and other families with children on the spectrum.

Throughout the session I observed the best eye contact from Kye I have ever seen it’s as if his autism disappeared for the whole duration, while we were witness to this magical experience for Kye.

The other benefits were how Kye became part of a tight social circle with all the other participants and instructors as they accommodated his needs, by asking about autism in general and trying to understand how best to support Kye. The expression on his face was mostly jovial, the whole time encouraging cheeky banter with each other is something we take for granted but is a learnt skill for people with autism due to the lack of understanding of facial expression and relating in general in a social context.

Determined2’s future engagement with the disability community is not only beneficial but absolutely necessary as we must continue to offer services that give quality of life and create equality in our communities, I am looking  forward to future sessions with this amazing company and would like to thank Leo Stewart, Peter Wilson, Tim Maloney, Brendan Thayer, Ben Everson, Richie Davis, and all involved behind the scenes for giving my son this opportunity to help him continue to move forward as a young adult with autism spectrum disorder transitioning towards independence in his community .

• Individuals are able to access 5 Medicare rebateable physiotherapy or occupational therapy appointments under the Chronic Disease Management Plan (completed by their General Practitioner), and private health extras cover will provide reimbursement on appointments and garments depending on individual health funds.
• Due to the definition of “disability” according to the NDIS, the interaction of lymphoedema as an aspect of the disability will be assessed on a case by case basis. Experience of the NDIS roll out in the ACT has seen some individuals have lymphoedema garments included as part of their plan, if their swelling was identified as meeting the aforementioned requirements. Others have utilised “physiotherapy or therapy” as part of their plan to seek lymphoedema therapy. 

• To meet the NDIS disability rules individuals need to have an impairment or condition that is considered permanent (lifelong) and that stops them from doing everyday things by themselves. Individual disabilities are not identified, rather the impact the disability has on the individual’s capacity to function within their daily roles and the broader community. An initial plan will be developed which identifies the reasonable and necessary supports required to meet an individual’s immediate needs. For a support to be funded it needs to be linked to an outcome identified in the individual’s plan and it also must:
• Be associated with day-to-day living and activities that increase social or economic participation
• Be a resource or piece of equipment, such as wheelchair, assistive technology or home and car modifications, to help live an ordinary life 

• Any lymphoedema or chronic oedema requests as part of an individual’s plan must therefore meet the above requirements. Individuals will need to state how their lymphoedema impacts on their daily functioning.

• http://ndisrights.org.au/fact-sheet/eligibility/

• https://www.ndis.gov.au/medias/documents/h1f/h54/8800549568542/Developing-your-NDIS-plan.pdf

• https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/firstplan.html

• NDIS legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00934