From: To: Community Affairs, Committee (SEN); Subject: Submission to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 Date: Thursday, 17 January 2013 9:50:19 AM
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.
Our 12 year old son has autism and severe sensory impairment. This means that he requires specialist one-on-one support away from crowded, noisy school environments and this kind of support is not available in South Australia. We are forced to access programmes for sensory impairment from Canada and this is done over the Internet. We receive no assistance as Medicare only subsidises Australian service providers.
If the programmes are not available in Australia, the disabled person / family should be able to use their entitlement to choose any service whether it is provided by Australian service providers or not.
My husband has elected to stay at home as a full-time carer and home educator to deliver the type of education and therapy that our son requires in order to give him a better chance of being able to participate in the community (and hopefully one day paid employment). This disadvantages our family as a single-income family. Our family receives no services from the SA Government and minor assistance from the Federal Government - with occasional respite care through the Carer’s Association (no more than 60 hours per year) and my husband receives the Carer’s Allowance.
It would be beneficial for my husband to be provided with an increased Carers Allowance to assist him in his endeavours of providing therapy, education and care for our disabled son.
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 rights for people with a disability, People with disability can choose who comes into their home, 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:
Therapy and allied health services, Recreation and community access, In-home care and domestic assistance
I support the introduction of the NDIS.
When fully operational, the NDIS will offer families, carers and the disabled a choice in the types of support and services offered.
I agree for my submission to be made public