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: Wednesday, 23 January 2013 1:56:15 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 have been in a wheelchair for over thirty-five years. I worked full-time for thirty of those years. I live independently and would like to continue living independently as long as I am able. I applied two years ago for some home care assistance for help with light cleaning etc. My shoulders, balance and strength levels are deteriorating as I age. I am no longer physically able to do the vacuuming and if I continue to try I am going to injure myself and therefore end up needing extra care. I have been unable to get any home care assistance. Every time I call I am told I am on the waiting list. I know that there is no waiting list. My doctor tried for me without any success. I understand that there are a lot of people out there with worse disabilities than myself and I understand that the “bucket” can only stretch so far but in the end I have to look after me. The disability system does not support me at all as I am not diabled enough. The system and funding is aimed at helping the most disabled who only make up approximately 2% of people with disabilities while people like myself make up the greater amount in numbers. The NDIS scheme will not improve my position as it is aimed at helping the people with high needs. I am left out again. There is a need to include an amount/services for peole such as myself. Better to be proactive than reactive.

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

• Ensure support and equipment is available when needed, People with a disability can choose the types of support to use,
• People with disability can choose who comes into their home,
• Older parents and families will not worry what happens when they can no longer provide support

The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:

• In-home care and domestic assistance

I support the introduction of the NDIS.

I support the NDIS because I believe that people with a disability, families and carers should have the right to choose the people who come into their own homes. From friends and families caring for a person with high needs they have spoken about the loss of privacy, that their homes are not their own as people come in and out at all times of the day. Being able to choose means that you can choose someone who has the skills and attitude. That this person becomes familiar to the family and that the level of trust can be built up over time. Also, for parents who provide the care to a child with a disability for many years, The fear has always been that they will die and who will look after their child. These parents have saved the government money over the years and then when

the parents find themselves too old to provide the care any more and they have needed help, the support was too hard to get. In many cases their only options was all but abandoning their child to get the support they needed.Hopefully the NDIS will provide better support to older parents. Parents who get into their 70s and 80s with a child now possibly 60 and do not know how to access help. They

should not have to fight to get a suitable placement for their child and/or respite care for themselves.

As for me I only support the NDIS if it includes a sliding scale that allows me better access to services and support. In its current format it does not do that.