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, 27 December 2012 7:46:32 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.
What is the disability system exactly? As parents of a 13 year old boy who is profoundly deaf, and has been since birth, we were not aware of all of the possible kinds of support that may have been available. The process to access help seems complicated to navigate, and should be much more streamlined. When confronted with the realisation that your child has a disability, parents and carers can feel overwhelmed as to what to do and where to go for help. After being directed by a professional in the audiology profession, to a teacher within the dept of education for hearing, and also doing our own research into what services were available, we discovered options that suited our situation at the time. The early intervention services we managed to access were beneficial, but far from local and took a great deal of travelling time and money. When the time came for mainstream primary school education, we found the funding that we fought for and were allocated for our sons support, was not sufficient or being used “elsewhere” within the school. Subsequently, a move to a catholic school was necessary due to bullying, which has improved slightly, but still the amount of support for academic and social growth is never enough. Support for children in mainstream schools needs to be overhauled. Continual support is needed as children grow older, including counselling or psychological support that is easy to access and affordable.
We are still unsure as to what services (if any) are available and for parents and carers of children or adults with a disability it all seems a bit hard to try to find out most of the time. Those with multiple disabilities must find it overwhelming.
The main features of the NDIS that will make a difference to the community are:
- Ensure support and equipment is available when needed
- Better access to education and work opportunities
- Access to reliable information about support options
The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:
- Education support (technology/services/equipment)
- Case management, planning and coordination
- Positive behaviour support and psychological services
I support the introduction of the NDIS.
The overall lifelong benefit to the community and the individual would be immeasurable and invaluable, with support from a NDIS. In a country of many opportunities, more opportunities must be available for people with disabilities to enable them to feel included, productive and contributing members of society, if it is possible for them. Families need guidance and reassurance that their loved one will be supported on their journey. The road is hard to navigate at times.
As a parent of a child with a disability, so much more can be done to help the
Submission
individual from a wholistic perspective. It is not just about the persons “disability”, but about discovering their abilities, and nurturing the individual in every aspect.
People with disabilities have so much to offer, we are doing ourselves a diservice not to tap into this resource, and support these individuals and their families, in creating more positive futures for them and the nation.
The NDIS must be an improvement on what is available now.
I agree for my submission to be made public
Regards,
Mrs Leanne Riley