How NDIS Funding has enabled me to regain my mobility
This statement explains how ongoing NDIS-funded neurophysiotherapy has enabled me to regain and maintain functional mobility and why the support I receive through the NDIS is not optional in a functional sense—it is what maintains my current level of independence.
When my youngest child no longer needed a pram, I suddenly realised how much my mobility had declined over the previous few years. Without it, I found that I could no longer walk safely without a mobility aid. My balance and coordination had deteriorated to the point where I would often freeze on the spot, unable to initiate movement. What I had failed to recognise was that the pram had quietly become my mobility aid. When my youngest child outgrew it, I lost not only the pram but also the stability and confidence that had been allowing me to walk independently. It turned out my children were not the only ones relying on it to get around.
Having grown up outside the Australian medical system, I had no idea where to turn for help. I desperately wanted to find a way forward but instead feared I was on an inevitable path towards needing a wheelchair in the near future. Throughout my life I had been told that, as someone with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, I would experience the effects of ageing earlier than my peers. I believed this was simply the beginning of that decline.
For years I believed I was experiencing the unavoidable deterioration I had always been warned about. Instead, I discovered that much of what I thought was irreversible was the result of untreated weakness, poor muscle activation, and abnormal movement patterns that could be improved with specialist neurophysiotherapy. This realisation completely changed my understanding of what was possible.
I first tried using a walking stick on my stronger side, but it offered little stability. I remained slow and unsteady and was constantly worried about falling. Next, I tried a rollator walker. Not only did it make me feel decades older than I was, but it also failed to meet my needs. My legs could not keep up with it, causing me to fall forward and sustain injuries. Rather than helping me walk, it seemed determined to introduce me to the ground as often as possible.
Finding appropriate medical support felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. After countless referrals and dead ends, I was eventually connected with a surgeon at the Royal Children’s Hospital who also treated adults with cerebral palsy. He recommended tendon-lengthening surgery, a decision that became the turning point in my journey.
The surgery was followed by a year of intensive rehabilitation. During this time, I was introduced to neurophysiotherapy for cerebral palsy, a specialised approach that simply did not exist when I was growing up despite spending countless hours in therapy. Through this process, I learned that my muscles were not only weak but often failed to activate properly, or at all. Increased muscle tone and spasticity had
been masking significant weakness, creating a false sense of stability while underlying muscle atrophy and poor biomechanics gradually eroded my ability to walk.
Neurophysiotherapy does not simply strengthen muscles. It retrains the communication between the brain and body through highly repetitive, task-specific practice that promotes neuroplasticity. This specialist approach addresses the neurological basis of cerebral palsy in a way that general exercise or standard physiotherapy cannot. The improvements I have experienced are the result of reducing spasticity, strengthening weak muscles, and retraining my brain to produce more efficient movement patterns.
I progressed from using forearm crutches to walking poles and began walking every day, gradually increasing my distance as my endurance and confidence improved. The journey was far from straightforward. There were falls, injuries, setbacks, pain, and fatigue. It often felt, and still feels, like one step forward and two steps back. Frequently, my arms compensated for the work my core and legs could not yet perform, resulting in significant pain and overuse. This still sometimes happens.
Financially, I could only afford physiotherapy once a fortnight. While this was enough to maintain my mobility, it was not sufficient to make meaningful gains or continue progressing towards greater independence.
When the NDIS became available in my area, I applied and was initially rejected. After appealing the decision, I was accepted onto the scheme, and that was when I began to experience real progress.
With NDIS support, I was able to increase my neurophysiotherapy sessions significantly and participate in intensive therapy blocks a few times a year involving several hours of treatment each day over the course of a week. These intensive therapy blocks allow me to consolidate new movement patterns and make gains that cannot be achieved through weekly maintenance therapy alone. The intensive repetition helps establish new neural pathways, while my ongoing weekly therapy and daily practice help maintain and build on those gains. Working alongside a highly experienced neurophysiotherapist, I have been able to safely reduce abnormal muscle tightness while building genuine muscle strength and improving functional movement.
Another significant challenge associated with my cerebral palsy is impaired motor planning. My brain often struggles to determine the correct sequence of movements required to make my body move smoothly and efficiently. This interacts with both muscle weakness and spasticity, disrupting communication between my brain and muscles. My brain knows what it wants to do, but it cannot always send the right signals in the right order.
Spastic diplegia already affects balance, but difficulties with motor planning make it even harder to react quickly when I trip, change direction, or encounter uneven ground. This contributes significantly to my high risk of falls. Walking is not an automatic process for me; every step requires concentration and conscious effort, making it mentally exhausting. Even when therapy successfully improves my range
of motion, my brain must learn entirely new movement patterns before those physical gains can be translated into functional improvements.
NDIS funding has enabled me to work intensively with my neurophysiotherapist on repetitive, goal-directed activities that strengthen and reinforce the neural pathways responsible for movement. This repetition promotes neuroplasticity, allowing my brain to develop more efficient motor patterns over time. The combination of reducing spasticity, strengthening weak muscles, and retraining movement patterns has enabled me to regain the ability to walk independently using walking poles.
The benefits of NDIS funding extend well beyond my ability to walk. Improved mobility has enabled me to participate more fully in family life, engage with my community, and carry out everyday tasks that many people take for granted. I now walk for an hour every day in my local park using my walking poles. I choose to walk on the grass wherever possible because I feel safer knowing that, if I do fall, the risk of injury is significantly less than it would be on concrete or paved surfaces. As my strength, balance, and motor planning have improved, I fall less often and have gained the confidence to complete errands independently, including shopping, attending appointments, and managing everyday tasks on my own. The confidence I have gained through improved physical function has also reduced my fear of falling and the anxiety associated with leaving the house alone. By supporting my mobility and functional capacity, the NDIS has had a positive impact on every aspect of my life, allowing me to contribute more actively to my family and community while reducing my reliance on others for assistance. This reduces pressure on my husband and children and allows us to spend our time together as a family rather than as carers and care recipient.
Maintaining my mobility is not only important for me but also for my family. Being able to walk safely means I can continue to participate fully in family life rather than watching from the sidelines. The independence I have regained benefits those around me as much as it benefits me, reducing reliance on family members and allowing me to continue fulfilling my role as a wife and parent.
Progress can be frustratingly slow, and there are times when it feels as though I am standing still. However, when I look back at where I started, the difference is remarkable. There was a time when I carefully weighed every outing against the possibility of falling. Something as ordinary as walking through a supermarket or attending a school event became a source of anxiety rather than enjoyment. Today, I can confidently walk for an hour each day, complete errands independently, and participate much more fully in family and community life. None of this would have been possible without the NDIS.
Because of the complex interaction between muscle tightness, underlying weakness, and motor planning difficulties, I often require a “reset” between physiotherapy sessions. Physiotherapy is not a one-time intervention for someone with cerebral palsy. It requires ongoing, repetitive practice under the guidance of a trained neurophysiotherapist to help my body adapt, relearn movement patterns, and continue improving over time. This is not something I can achieve independently.
Although I diligently complete my home exercise program and walk every day, I cannot independently identify or correct abnormal movement patterns caused by spasticity and impaired motor planning. Without the skilled assessment and hands on intervention provided by a neurophysiotherapist, I gradually develop compensatory movements that increase fatigue, pain, and the risk of injury. Ongoing therapy is essential to ensure I continue moving efficiently and safely.
Without ongoing neurophysiotherapy input, I am unable to maintain the movement efficiency and motor control gains achieved through intensive therapy, as my condition requires continual correction of abnormal movement patterns associated with cerebral palsy.
Any reduction in NDIS funding would have an immediate and profound effect on my life. Without regular neurophysiotherapy, the gains I have achieved would gradually be lost. Increased spasticity would make movement more difficult, weakness would return, my risk of falls would increase, and my ability to walk independently would deteriorate. I would likely require more mobility aids, greater assistance with daily activities, and potentially a wheelchair for community access much sooner than would otherwise be necessary. Reduced access to therapy would not simply slow my progress—it would reverse it.
The support I receive through the NDIS is not simply beneficial—it is essential. Continued neurophysiotherapy has a direct and measurable impact on my ability to walk, participate in everyday activities, maintain my independence, and avoid preventable functional decline. It enables me to remain an active member of my community and reduces the likelihood that I will require more intensive supports in the future.
The physiotherapy funded through my NDIS plan is directly related to my permanent disability and addresses impairments that cannot be managed independently. It is a reasonable and necessary support that enables me to maintain functional capacity, maximise independence, reduce my risk of injury and falls, and continue participating in everyday life.
Maintaining my mobility through neurophysiotherapy represents value for money because it reduces my risk of falls, injuries, hospitalisation, and the need for more costly supports in the future. By preserving my ability to walk and remain independent, ongoing therapy helps delay or avoid increased reliance on mobility equipment, personal care, and community support services.
I have embraced physiotherapy as a lifelong commitment. Walking for an hour each day and consistently completing my prescribed exercises demonstrates my dedication to maintaining and improving my functional capacity. The NDIS funds the specialist input, but I invest the daily effort required to translate that input into lasting functional gains.
Seven years ago, I believed I was inevitably losing my ability to walk. Today, because of specialist neurophysiotherapy funded through the NDIS, I walk independently for an hour every day, complete errands on my own, and participate fully in my family and community. These outcomes are not accidental—they are the
result of years of consistent therapy, intensive rehabilitation, and daily practice. Continued funding is essential to preserve these gains and prevent avoidable decline. The NDIS has not simply improved my mobility; it has enabled me to live the independent and meaningful life that every person deserves the opportunity to achieve.
Without continued support, I would expect a gradual but significant decline in mobility, independence, and safety, reversing many years of progress.