National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2961
Kendal Scafidi
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into Securing the NDIS for Future
Generations Bill 2026
26th May 2026
Dear Senate Committee,
My name is Kendal Scafidi.
I am the parent of two autistic children, a neurodivergent family advocate, and the founder of a small business that creates regulation and support tools for neurodivergent children and families.
I am writing because the proposed NDIS changes are not simply policy adjustments to families like mine, they are decisions that will directly shape whether disabled children and their families can safely function, participate in society, and maintain the supports that allow them to cope day to day.
I strongly oppose these reforms in their current form.
I don’t believe the true seriousness of these changes can be understood through financial modelling or political debate alone.
I genuinely believe every person involved in making these decisions should spend even two days living the reality of raising and supporting an autistic child with either complex support needs or non complex support needs, before deciding which supports are considered “reasonable” or how much additional pressure families can absorb.
Two days of managing dysregulation, sleep deprivation, appointments, school struggles, sensory overload, emotional burnout, financial pressure, and constant advocacy would provide a far clearer understanding of what these reforms will actually mean inside people’s homes.
One of my biggest concerns is that families are being asked to carry the burden of “fixing” the financial sustainability of the NDIS while obvious issues within parts of the provider sector continue to exist.
Many families have witnessed providers charging astronomical amounts for inconsistent or poor-quality services, overservicing, and significant financial waste within the system.
Yet instead of first addressing profiteering, inflated pricing, administrative waste, and accountability failures, the focus now appears to be reducing participant supports, increasing reassessments, and creating further fear and instability for disabled people and their families.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2961
I am also deeply concerned about the psychological toll these reforms will place on disabled people, parents, and carers who are already operating under extraordinary levels of stress and exhaustion.
Recent tragedies involving families of disabled children in Perth and Sydney have highlighted the devastating reality of caregiver burnout, mental health collapse, and what can happen when families feel unsupported and overwhelmed for too long.
These situations are heartbreaking and complex, but they should serve as a warning that many disability families are already beyond breaking point.
Families caring for disabled children are not simply “busy” or “stressed.” Many are surviving in prolonged states of hypervigilance, sleep deprivation, financial pressure, and constant crisis management while trying to keep their children safe, regulated, and included in everyday life.
I fear these reforms will intensify that pressure even further.
For my family, community participation and support funding are not luxuries.
They are often the difference between isolation and participation, between emotional regulation and crisis, and between coping and complete burnout.
Removing or reducing supports may save money on paper in the short term, but the long-term cost to mental health systems, hospitals, emergency services, carers, and disabled people themselves will be far greater.
I urge the Senate Committee to pause these reforms and undertake far deeper consultation with disabled people, families, carers, therapists, and frontline workers before proceeding further.
Families like mine are not asking for luxury.
We are asking for stability, dignity, safety, and the ability for our children to participate meaningfully in life.