Capability and Culture of the NDIA

Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS. PO Box 6100 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA Terms of reference A and B Capability and culture on operational processes and procedures and nature of staff employment. Impacts re this capability and culture to myself as a participant trying to access support (reasonable and necessary plan funding). Under staff employment I am including the PITC as they are the interface who support ndis staff with the details garnered directly from the participant. Very few participants can relay their reasoning directly to planners. Introduction- I’m a ndis participant having been accepted in 2019 with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis a neurological condition that has impairments which are neurological, physical, cognitive and sensory in nature. The PITC group I’m forced to deal withdeterminedas the onlybycontractors them.for the majority of QLD, appear to hold a cultural opinion that the impairments of my disability is Having a second PITC would see the risk of abuse, bias and discrimination be less likely.

1. The PITC sent an offer where I could either accept a renewal (funding at the planners discretion) of my current plan, or if the plan is no longer suitable, request a plan reassessment.

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1. As my plan hasn’t changed since I was accepted in 2019 but instead twice extended, the plan is indeed unsuitable.

2. My disability prohibits me attending the PITC office and from being able to use the telephone or team internet meetings.

3. In which case, my disability requires a visit at my home (face to face) to allow me to put forward my plan requests.

4. I also require the LAC to follow certain protocols for my safety. These protocols include not using fragranced products(body/hair, deodorant/aftershave/perfume, laundry products) asmy disability includes severe chemical sensitivity that can see mefall unconscious and be paralysed for minutes to hours(Thisneurological response to chemicals is life threatening).

5. The LAC failed to meet this protocol for our meeting, so I was forced to do extra protective measure but still suffered irritating to my eyes and skin.(The offending chemicals remained at dangerous levels inside my home for 3 days.I could not use the room and had to be cautious using rooms adjacent to it).

6. It was in this meeting thathas themadeLACa informedmedical decisionme that chemicalwhereby mysensitivitydisabilityisisnotomyof disability.chronic fatigue and fatigue only.The lacThisin mybiasopinion,was then transferred to the ndis staff(ie planner).

7. Is it any wonder the LAC failed to comply with the MCS protocol for my safety! impairments

8. It is my assertion that the LAC is of the opinion based on attributed to disability are not relevant to him and he cultural bias within the organisation, that need not comply. Instead he makes up his own rules and applies those.

This is the bias which I which to address -

The comment has often been made is how participants must repeatedly explain themselves and their disability over and over again. I purport that this is because, as with the LAC I encountered, other Lac and NDIS staff also look at the disability with lack of medical understanding, thereby using their own bias or assumption as to what functional impairments attribute to a disability. Eg the condition MS is not just paralyses as a physical impairment, but also includes cognitive and sensory impairments. Funding this person requires understanding about how the complexity of impairments affects them. If the Lac or planner fails to accept that impairment as more than physical, then reasonable and necessary funding is not provided. In my case, with M.E the Lac/planner have ignored the many impairments even those mentioned in reports/assessments and funded what they “think” is reasonable and necessary for fatigue. However, it appears The impairments this is rarely fir each done.participant is on file, as they must be used to meet eligibility. They can be referred to easily. And as these impairments are to be as per the Act, ie how one gains access to the scheme (NDIS is not concerned by what causes disability, it can be generic, accident/injury or disease. NDIS requires that the disability attributes to severe functional impairments which can be neurological, physical, cognitive, intellectual, sensory in nature and can be psychosocial), they should be integral to the LAC and planners decision making. My recent experience shows they are not.It is my opinion that were the NDIS staff including PITC/Lac, trained to read/refer to the impairments and therefore not

In summary:

the lac and planner must be trained to refer to functional as the ndis act states the whole disability is to be funded, impairments as per the file, instead of using a personal and unqualified opinion regarding the disability,
which is what has happened to me only last month (Nov 2022).

Thank you for your time reading my submission.

Rochelle Meyrick. 15/12/2022