National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3258
Dear Minister,
I am writing to raise an important issue affecting my 40–year–old daughter Alana, who lives with Down Syndrome, and many other adults with permanent intellectual disability across Australia.
I ask for your support in recognising the critical importance of social and community access supports through the National Disability Insurance scheme (NDIS).
For people with Down syndrome, social and community participation is not simply about recreation or “keeping busy”. These supports are essential to maintaining independence, mental wellbeing, physical health, and connecting to society.
As adults with disability age, the social isolation becomes much greater. Structured opportunities reduce, friendship circles change, Parents and carers become older, and many families struggle to maintain adequate support without funded assistance. Without regular community participation, people with intellectual disability like Alana can and will experience loneliness, withdrawal, anxiety, depression, loss of confidence, a declining functional capacity.
For my daughter Alana, community access provides opportunities to:
Maintain social and communication skills
Build confidence and independence
Participate safely in the community
Engage in physical activity and healthy routines
Form meaningful relationships outside of the family home
Maintain emotional wellbeing and quality of life
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3258
Importantly, these supports also help safeguard her as a vulnerable adult by ensuring she remains visible, connected, engaged, and supported within the broader community.
The NDIS was established to promote independence, inclusion, choice, and social participation. However, many families are increasingly concerned that social and community access supports are being undervalued or reduced despite their enormous importance in preventing decline and supporting long term wellbeing.
For Adults like Alana with lifelong disability, maintaining capacity is just as important as building capacity. Community participation supports help prevent deterioration, reduce pressure on aging family members, and enable people with disability to live with dignity and belonging.
I urge you to advocate for:
Continued recognition of social and community participation as an essential for adults with permanent intellectual disability.
Fair and consistent funding for community access programs and support workers.
Stronger protection against social isolation for adults with intellectual disability.
These Supports are not luxuries – they are essentials for maintaining dignity, independence, inclusion and quality of life for people living with intellectual disabilities. I respectfully urge you to support continued and adequate NDIS funding for social and community participation programs so that people like Alana can continue to live connected, meaningful, and healthy lives within our community.
Kind regards,