Submission to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012

From: To: Community Affairs, Committee (SEN); Subject: Submission to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 Date: Thursday, 17 January 2013 9:48:31 PM

Please consider this email a formal submission by me to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012.

The current disability system has many problems that need to be addressed.

I am vehemently opposed to the practice of congregation and segregation. My daughter is a part of our family and entitled to be a part of her community. I am a founder of a service which provides one on one support and I have observed my daughter take advantage of the opportunities and have seen her progress from a girl who could not put a sentence together at age 18 to a very capable adult at 43, who lives in her own unit and who can now carry on a conversation. This would not have happened had she been in a group home. She is very small and very quiet and would have been “bottom of the ladder”. My daughter has funds allocated to her from block funding from a service of which I was a founder. Block funding was the only available option at that time. Block funding for people is at the whim of the Management Committee - there is no security for my daughter after I am no longer able to serve on the Management Committee. She has no gaurantee that a future Management Committee might decide that there is someone else in greater need. Recently a few committee members had a consultation with our state minister and we discovered that she considers one on one support is too expensive so we badly need a federal scheme, such as the NDIS to over-ride this prejudice.

The main features of the NDIS that will make a difference to the community are:

• People with a disability can choose the types of support to use,
• More opportunities to participate in the community,
• People with a disability can plan their lives and pursue their goals and dreams,
• The ability to receive services when needed and in the way that suits the person

The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:

• Life-skills,
• Recreation and community access,
• Accommodation options

I support the introduction of the NDIS.

AS A PARENT: I have been a strong supporter of individualised funding and support since the movement began in the 1980s. I also support the concept of portability of packages. The NDIS is a great opportunity to get it right! However, I worry about the assessment process. Will the assessment be - what support will this person need to live a real life or will it be - what support will this person need to exist. If the latter families, who have not had the opportunity to dream, will choose services which congregate and segregate people to obtain more hours as opposed to one on one support which really gives people the opportunity to be part of their community.

AS A SERVICE PROVIDER: I am very concerned about the trend for Host Providers in Queensland. From what I see it is large organisations who are registered. Naturally they will push for themselves to provide the support and notoriously they are the services which

• herd people.

We have to ensure that what is happening in Queensland does not happen with the NDIS.

Somehow we have to keep the Blue Skies Project alive!

I agree for my submission to be made public

Regards,

Mrs. Colleen Dolan