Independent Assessments
Submission 355
to whom if may concern,
as a person whose disability would be classified on the mild/moderate end of the scale by someone who didn’t spend a lot of time with me and know how hard i work to maintain the degree of mobility and independence i have, i am writing to argue strongly against independent assessments by the ndis. As a physiotherapist prior to my stroke, who conducted occassional independent assessments for the tac in victoria, i feel particularly well placed to comment on their lack of worth. For an independent assessment to work well, time needs to be taken, over multiple consultations to get to know the client and more fully understand their story. i see no evidence of such a provision in the proposed ndis changes. Unfortunately, they look like the centrelink model of independent assessments which are appalling and unprofessional. Three years ago, subsequent to such an assessment, i was told that i wasn’t disabled enough to qualify for the dsp, despite my disability being the reason for my lack of employment (i had a large area right sided stroke in 2016). I now live with the lifelong disability of left hemiplegia. i can walk reasonably well with a walking stick, but have no functional use of my left arm. i am unable to stand stil for longer than 10 minutes without becoming light headed and being at risk of fainting. Prolonged sitting without my left leg elevated results in lymphoedema. Understanding those things requires my assessor to know me to gain a full appreciation of how hard i work and the accomodations i need to make to maintain my current level of independent function, and my disability is, in my opinion, only moderate. I urge you, on behalf of all people with disability and particularly those whose disability is profound or complex, to reject the proposed changes to NDIS reviews and assessments.
kind regards,