Dear Committee Members,
I present this submission for consideration in respect to the inquiry into Independent Assessments under the NDIS.
ABOUT US.
I am a Left Trans Tibial Amputee.
My son has an Intellectual Disability.
I live with my wife, and our son lives independently in a house we purchased for him 10 years ago.
Currently I work for Limbs 4 Life, the peak body for Amputees in Australia, as a Project Coordinator and our son has 3 casual positions in the Hospitality Sector.
Our son sits on the Advisory Group for the Board of Developmental Disability WA and He also contributes as the West Australian representative on the One Voice Committee as part of Inclusion Australia’s Board. I am WA State Representative on the Limbs 4 Life National Amputee Advisory Council, Board Member of People with Disabilities Australia and the Co-Vice Chair of Physical Disability Australia
Our son also has his own micro enterprise/ business owner as a barista in his own Coffee Cart. To assist him with his business, he needs support workers to drive him and the Cart to his bookings and then they assist him with the money, and whatever else he may require.
I have minimal requirements at this stage in life for supports workers, except to do exterior house maintenance, such as cleaning the gutters and mowing the lawn. My wife assists with informal supports, such as wound care on my residual limb, and mobilisation, when in my wheelchair, to enter and exit my home as we have stairs at the front and rear of the house and no ramps.
OUR CONCERNS.
For me, the IA’s will probably mean being withdrawn from the NDIS, as I am pretty much fully functional. This is of grave concern, as I don’t know where I will get my prosthetics funded from should I be separated. Prior to going into the NDIS, I was funded under the Western Australian Artificial Limb Scheme, WAALS, administered by the State Government Health Department and they didn’t have the funding, or the capacity, to approve the prosthetics that I have been granted under NDIS. I do not want to go back to that scheme as it will have detrimental outcomes.
Our son utilises support workers to assist him with Daily Activities such as cleaning his house, grocery shopping and the occasional community outing. This has been very positive for him, and we have seen some great development in his skills.
Of concern with the IA’s, is that he will be deemed “functional” and not requiring support from the NDIS. This will be devastating as he needs to have ongoing
WHY ARE WE SUBMITTING?
support, especially as he is working toward being self-employed. We see a need for increase in his support hours so he can maintain and build on his dream of running his own business, not being exited from the system and destroying his dream.
If he is separted from the system, his mother and I will have to quit our work so as to continue to support him in his endeavour to secure his dream of owning his own coffee kart. This will put considerable pressure on the family budget and how we work as a family unit.
WHY ARE WE SUBMITTING?
We both require certainty that the NDIS will continue to support us as we require it.
As parents, we want the peace of mind that as we age and are no longer able to provide the support that we do, that our son will be able to continue to explore and achieve his dreams.
Our disabilities are LIFE LONG. We cannot be cured, and my leg will not grow back.
I have concerns regarding the skills and knowledge of those that may deliver such assessments, that they will not know how our disabilities affect us on a daily basis. I think that they will try to fit us into a box, disregarding how we function day to day.
Undertaking a snapshot assessment may very well give a completely wrong assessment outcome. There are situations and times when everything goes wrong, and we are entirely unable to function at an optimal level. When this occurs, we need the capacity to call on outside assistance and not to rely on informal supports.
We feel that no system should cause anxiety and stress about what may come out of it.
IN CONCLUSION.
We, as a family, urge you to read all the submissions and make the only choice that is right.
SCRAP THE IA’s
Kind Regards
Andrew Fairbairn, on behalf of my family.