National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill
Submitted by: Cassandra Jensen Founder & CEO, Unity Studios Penrith, NSW
Date: 25th May 2026
1
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
Executive Summary
This submission is made by Cassandra Jensen, Founder & CEO of Unity Studios, an inclusive education and disability-specific Capacity Building provider based in Penrith, NSW.
This submission responds specifically to provisions within the NDIS (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill relating to:
● revised definitions of NDIS supports ● plan variation and reassessment powers ● Functional Capacity Assessments ● interpretations of “reasonable and necessary” supports ● and proposed adjustments to Social and Community Participation funding.
While recognising the importance of sustainability, fraud prevention and responsible governance within the NDIS, this submission raises concerns regarding the potential unintended consequences of reforms that may narrow access to meaningful participation-based supports.
The submission argues that structured Social and Community Participation supports are legitimate forms of Capacity Building that contribute significantly to:
● emotional regulation ● communication development ● independence ● social inclusion ● confidence ● and long-term community participation.
It further highlights concerns that:
● stricter funding interpretations, ● increased reassessment powers, ● and narrower support definitions
may unintentionally reduce participant choice and control, increase isolation, disadvantage ethical small providers and undermine decades of progress toward disability inclusion.
The submission also emphasises the preventative value of meaningful participation supports in reducing:
● social isolation ● mental health deterioration ● family burnout ● and higher-intensity support needs over time.
2
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
Recommendations include:
● protecting participation-based Capacity Building supports ● recognising lived and participation outcomes alongside clinical evidence ● preserving meaningful participant choice and control ● supporting ethical community-based providers ● and ensuring reforms do not unintentionally isolate people with disability from mainstream society.
Introduction
My name is Cassandra Jensen and I am the Founder and CEO of Unity Studios, a creative education and disability-specific Capacity Building provider based in Penrith, NSW.
I write this submission as:
● a former registered NDIS provider ● an educator with qualifications in music, education and inclusive education ● a provider who has worked directly within the disability sector since 2017 ● and an advocate for meaningful inclusion and community participation for people living with disability.
Since 2017, Unity Studios has supported approximately 500 NDIS participants across a range of social, emotional, educational and community participation programs.
While we currently work as a non-registered provider, our organisation has continued to operate ethically and in alignment with NDIS expectations. We previously underwent provider verification as a sole trader, however the transition to company structure made ongoing registration financially unviable for a small provider despite our continued commitment to quality, governance and compliance.
At Unity Studios, we intentionally cap our NDIS participation within our broader programming to ensure quality support and meaningful inclusion. Currently, approximately 40 NDIS participants engage alongside mainstream participants within our programs.
This submission is not written to resist accountability or reform.
This submission specifically responds to provisions within the Bill relating to:
● revised definitions of NDIS supports ● increased powers surrounding plan variation and reassessment ● tighter interpretations of “reasonable and necessary” supports ● Functional Capacity Assessments ● and the progressive adjustment of Social and Community Participation funding.
3
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
My concerns relate to how these provisions may operate in practice for participants relying on community-based Capacity Building supports.
I understand the need for sustainability, fraud prevention and responsible government spending.
However, I am deeply concerned that elements of this Bill risk unintentionally reversing decades of progress in disability inclusion by narrowing access to meaningful social and community participation.
My concerns relate to how these provisions may operate in practice for participants relying on community-based Capacity Building supports.
The NDIS did not simply fund supports.
It helped dismantle social walls between people with disability and the broader community.
These proposed reforms risk rebuilding those walls.
Impact of Proposed Changes to Participation-Based Supports
I am concerned that proposed legislative changes relating to funding boundaries, support definitions and reassessment powers may unintentionally narrow access to these supports over time. One of my greatest concerns relates to the proposed reduction and tightening of Social and Community Participation supports.
In my professional experience, these supports are often misunderstood.
Meaningful social and community participation is not simply “going out into the community.”
When delivered ethically and intentionally, it is:
● structured Capacity Building ● social and emotional development ● communication skill development ● confidence building ● emotional regulation support ● independence training ● self-advocacy development ● and real-world application of therapeutic and educational goals.
At Unity Studios, programs may involve art, music, gaming, media, technology or collaborative group work. However, these activities are delivery methods — not the purpose of the support.
The purpose is Capacity Building.
4
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
Many participants attending our programs require:
● smaller facilitated groups ● predictable environments ● emotional regulation support ● social scaffolding ● mentoring relationships ● individualised adjustments ● guidance in communication and collaboration ● and structured opportunities to participate in society.
Without this support, many would not engage safely or confidently in mainstream community activities.
This distinction is critically important.
There is a significant difference between:
● passive supervision ● generic support work ● and structured disability-specific mentoring and Capacity Building.
The current reform discussions risk collapsing these distinctions.
Inclusion Matters
Unity Studios intentionally integrates participants with disability into broader community-based programming wherever appropriate.
This is not accidental.
It is central to our philosophy.
People with disability should not be isolated from society.
Inclusive participation benefits everyone.
When people with disability participate alongside non-disabled peers:
● stigma reduces ● empathy increases ● communication improves ● confidence grows ● mutual respect develops ● and broader society becomes more inclusive.
5
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
This integration is mutually beneficial.
It helps people without disability better understand diversity, support needs and inclusive practice while also allowing people with disability to build confidence navigating real-world social environments.
Australia has spent decades slowly dismantling social walls between people with disability and the broader community.
The NDIS helped move many people from exclusion toward participation.
These reforms risk unintentionally rebuilding those walls.
We often use the embedded “Exclusion / Equality / Equity / Liberation” visual representation below in our work to give people an understanding of our company, what we stand for and strive for. This graphic appears in our email footers. This is how important this message is to Unity Studios.
EXCLUSION
SOME PEOPLE CAN’T SEE, CAN’T PARTICIPATE, AND ARE LEFT OUT.
EQUALrrY
EVERYONE GETS THE SAME SUPPORT.
EQUITY DIFFERENT SUPPORT FOR DIFFERENT NEEDS. ti •
LIBERATION COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION WITHOUT BARRIERS.
WORKING TO PROVIDE EQUITY THROUGH INCLUSION WHILE STRIVING FOR LIBERATION
6
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
Prior to the NDIS, many people with disability experienced significant social exclusion and isolation.
The NDIS helped Australia move closer toward equity by supporting meaningful participation.
As a society, we should be striving toward liberation, where inclusion becomes normalised and accessible.
There is significant risk these reforms may unintentionally push inclusion outcomes backward
Functional Capacity Assessments and Gatekeeping
I understand the importance of evidence-based decision making. However, I am deeply concerned that Functional Capacity Assessments and stricter interpretations of “reasonable and necessary” may become gatekeeping tools that prioritise clinical presentation over lived participation outcomes.
Not all growth can be captured neatly within clinical metrics.
Some of the most significant outcomes we witness include: ● increased confidence ● emotional resilience ● social engagement ● relationship building ● independence ● motivation ● communication growth ● and reduced isolation.
These outcomes are often developed in community settings — not clinical rooms.
The risk is that supports which create real-world inclusion become undervalued because they are harder to quantify.
I am also particularly concerned about the practical implications of proposed Sections 34A and 45C within the Bill.
While I understand the intent to improve sustainability and clarify funding boundaries, I am concerned that the combined effect of tighter definitions around what constitutes an “NDIS support” alongside increased powers to vary plans may unintentionally narrow access to meaningful participation-based Capacity Building supports over time.
7
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
My concern is not that Social and Community Participation will disappear entirely. Rather, it is that innovative and community-based supports may become increasingly difficult to justify unless they fit narrowly clinical or impairment-specific interpretations of support. Programs such as Unity Studios’ Uability model are not recreational activities. They are structured disability-specific Capacity Building supports targeting communication, emotional regulation, self-advocacy, independence and meaningful participation.
These outcomes are often developed most effectively within real-world community environments rather than purely clinical settings.
I respectfully urge the Committee to ensure these reforms do not unintentionally redefine meaningful participation out of existence for participants who rely on these supports to remain connected, engaged and included within society. I strongly encourage the Committee to ensure: ● lived outcomes are recognised alongside clinical evidence ● allied health professionals and community-based providers can collaborate effectively ● and participation-based Capacity Building remains recognised as legitimate and necessary support.
Potential Human Impact of Proposed Funding and Planning Changes
I respectfully ask the Committee to carefully consider the real-world consequences of reducing Social and Community Participation funding.
These concerns arise particularly in relation to provisions within the Bill that may narrow access to participation-focused supports through stricter interpretations of eligibility, support necessity and planning decisions over time.
At Unity Studios, we have seen participants: ● develop friendships for the first time ● build confidence to engage in the wider community ● transition from social isolation into active participation ● improve emotional regulation ● explore post-school pathways previously believed impossible ● move from supported employment aspirations into open employment pathways ● communicate thoughts, feelings and goals more effectively ● and develop a stronger sense of identity, purpose and belonging.
I have witnessed participants who once struggled to regulate emotions or communicate respectfully gradually learn to process frustration, articulate feelings and build positive relationships. I have also seen participants who previously avoided leaving the house begin exploring new places, joining social groups and independently engaging in community activities. Families regularly tell us these programs have changed their child’s life.
8
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
One parent shared that their son, who experienced significant social anxiety and difficulty making friends, gained enough confidence through Unity Studios’ Dungeons & Dragons program to independently engage with new social groups and enjoy exploring the community. Another family explained that traditional therapy environments had become emotionally exhausting and stressful for their daughter. Through ongoing innovative community participation supports at Unity Studios, she developed confidence, creativity and social skills in an environment where she felt safe, engaged and motivated.
These outcomes are not secondary outcomes.
They are life outcomes.
Importantly, meaningful community participation is not only improving quality of life — it often acts as a preventative support that reduces the likelihood of higher-cost crisis interventions later. When people are connected, confident and meaningfully engaged in society, they are often more stable, more independent and better equipped to navigate life challenges.
These supports can help reduce: ● social isolation ● mental health deterioration ● family burnout ● emotional dysregulation ● disengagement from education or community ● and long-term reliance on more intensive supports.
It is often far less expensive to maintain meaningful participation and stability than to respond later to crisis, regression and isolation.
Preventative Capacity Building should be recognised not as an unnecessary expense, but as a long-term social investment.
If these supports are substantially reduced, many participants risk: ● increased isolation ● regression in social and emotional skills ● heightened anxiety and depression ● loss of confidence ● reduced community participation ● and deterioration of independence.
This is not theoretical.
Families and participants are already anxious and fearful following the reform announcements. Many are asking whether the life they have worked so hard to build within the community will still be possible.
9
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
Potential Impact on Choice and Control Principles
The NDIS was founded on principles of choice and control.
I am concerned these reforms risk narrowing those principles in practice.
A participant may technically remain “supported” while simultaneously losing meaningful autonomy, flexibility and participation.
I recently heard a story shared publicly about a young woman with physical disability whose reduced supports effectively meant she needed to prepare for bed in the mid-afternoon due to limited care availability.
Whether intended or not, these kinds of outcomes raise serious questions about dignity, autonomy and quality of life.
People with disability deserve more than survival.
They deserve participation.
They deserve access to community.
They deserve opportunities to pursue interests, relationships, education, employment and purpose.
I ask the Committee to consider:
As an Australian society, are we prepared to accept the tangible human suffering that may result from reforms that unintentionally reduce inclusion and participation?
The Impact on Ethical Small Providers
Another concern relates to the unintended impact these reforms may have on ethical small providers.
Unity Studios employs approximately 12 staff, including educators, a psychologist and a registered nurse.
We have: ● relocated to accessible premises ● absorbed significant compliance and operational costs ● subsidised supports where participants lacked sufficient funding ● and consistently delivered programming below sustainable pricing because we believe inclusion matters.
Examples include:
10
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
● social groups led by a registered nurse at standard group pricing caps ● life skills programs facilitated by a psychologist well below private-market rates ● and continued support for participants who exhausted funding but desperately needed continuity and stability.
Inclusion is expensive to deliver properly.
Many ethical providers already operate with extremely narrow margins while attempting to maintain safe staffing ratios, qualified workers and meaningful support quality. If reforms significantly reduce Social and Community Participation funding while increasing compliance burdens and registration costs, many smaller ethical providers may collapse through no fault of their own.
This would reduce: ● participant choice ● innovation ● local community-based supports ● and meaningful inclusion opportunities.
Inclusion is expensive but exclusion costs society more.
Human Rights and Social Justice Considerations
I respectfully ask the Committee to consider these reforms through a broader human rights and public health lens.
I am concerned that elements of the Bill may unintentionally reduce access to meaningful participation-based supports that help protect social connection, autonomy, dignity and inclusion for people living with disability.
This includes consideration of: ● the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) ● principles within the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion ● and broader social determinants of health.
Social connection, participation, autonomy and inclusion are not luxuries.
They are protective factors for: ● mental health ● emotional wellbeing ● safety ● identity ● resilience ● and long-term community participation.
11
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
Australia should continue moving toward greater inclusion — not risk returning to systems that unintentionally isolate people with disability from mainstream society.
Recommendations to the Senate Committee
The following recommendations are respectfully provided for the Committee’s consideration:
1. Protect Social and Community Participation funding as a legitimate and necessary form of Capacity Building. 2. Recognise structured community-based participation programs as valid disability-specific supports beyond simple “community access.” 3. Preserve participant choice and control in practice, not only in principle. 4. Require consideration of isolation risk, regression risk and community exclusion during planning and reassessment decisions. 5. Ensure Functional Capacity Assessments do not become overly restrictive gatekeeping tools. 6. Recognise lived outcomes and participation outcomes alongside clinical evidence. 7. Support collaborative models between allied health and community-based providers. 8. Ensure reforms do not disproportionately disadvantage small ethical providers delivering inclusion-based programming. 9. Provide realistic transition pathways and compliance support for smaller providers. 10.Protect mainstream inclusion opportunities for people with disability. 11.Recognise meaningful Social and Community Participation supports as preventative Capacity Building that may reduce long-term crisis, isolation and higher-intensity support needs.
Conclusion
I do not envy the responsibility of this Committee.
You are being asked to balance sustainability, governance and fiscal responsibility with the lived wellbeing of some of Australia’s most vulnerable citizens.
The decisions made through this reform process will have long-term consequences for inclusion, participation and quality of life for many Australians living with disability.
The question is not simply whether these reforms reduce expenditure.
The question is whether Australia is prepared to accept the human consequences if meaningful inclusion becomes inaccessible.
The NDIS has changed lives.
12
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 229
It has helped people with disability participate more fully in education, employment, relationships and community life.
It has helped dismantle barriers. I urge the Committee to ensure that in attempting to secure the future of the NDIS, we do not unintentionally dismantle the very inclusion it was created to achieve.
People with disability deserve more than survival.
They deserve dignity, participation, autonomy and belonging.
Respectfully submitted,
Cassandra Jensen Founder & CEO Unity Studios Penrith, NSW
13