Submission No 58
INQUIRY INTO IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME AND THE PROVISION OF DISABILITY SERVICES IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Name: Name suppressed Date Received: 10 July 2018
Partially Confidential
The NDIS has given us proper access to badly needed therapy. My son took part in the pilot program in Western Sydney and was around 15 years of age at the time of implementation. We are therefore onto our 4th year of NDIS support now. Until the NDIS we had only been able to afford fortnightly therapy, alternating occupational therapy and psyc, so it was generally ineffective. The NDIS allowed us to increase the frequency of therapy to weekly, meaning that for the first time we were able to get some some momentum. It came at a critical time as the teenage years brought a range of really difficult issues. It enabled him to master critical skills like crossing the road safely, food preparation, and taking responsibility for his actions in relationships at home and at school. The therapy has not just helped him with his behavioral issues, it has also helped me in parenting, observing and copying the approach taken by the therapists. We also trialed an after school job, which we could not have done without an NDIS funded support worker. It was short live, but it brought up a great many issues to talk about in therapy, such as taking responsibility, demonstrating reliability, and what it takes to live independently. With no other family or close friends, this has been the first meaningful support we have ever had from the community. The stress of dealing with my son’s behavioral issues has contributed to all members of the family now requiring regular counselling. The NDIS means my son’s therapy is assured, and I only need to fund sessions that myself and my daughter attend. The NDIS is not without its problems for sure, but it has opened a path that gives me hope that we can put the bad times behind us, and look forward to a positive future in which my son will master his issues, and will be a contributing, working, member of the community. I don’t think I could have said that without the NDIS.