The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The NDIS is one component of the National Disability Strategy, which brings together community, government, and industry to address the challenges faced by people with disability. It ensures they are supported by mainstream services such as health, education, and transport, as well as the wider community.
The aim of the NDIS is simple: to provide Australians who are born with, or acquire, a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to live an ordinary life. The vision of the NDIS is also simple: to build independence and increase opportunities and social participation for people living with disability in Australia.
The NDIS consists of two parts: NDIS-funded supports for eligible participants, and Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC), which is focused on connecting people with their communities. Eligible participants receive funded supports, and each NDIS participant has a plan that focuses on building independence and increasing opportunities. This could include participating in community activities, getting a job, or learning new skills.
The important thing is that participants have choice and control over the supports they need to live the life they want. By 2020, around 460,000 people with disability living in Australia were expected to have a funded plan under the NDIS. ILC, on the other hand, is available to all people with disability, whether they are NDIS participants or not.
For more information, visit the NDIS website: https://www.ndis.gov.au