Submission 3844
NDIS Participant
Hearing loss 60% ADHD and ASD recognised. Rated at 20% Permanent Total Body Impairment due to accidents coverd by workcover: support is now limited to covering the cost of medication. Currently the NDIS I recieve is limited to support for the hearing disability.
Further assessment has brought to light the fact that I am ADHD and ADS, both permanent but ‘invisible’ disabilities. I have been unemployed since 2022, unable to get work due to back injuries, ADHD and my hearing loss, which prevents me from meaningfully engaging in work I am qualified for. Because of this situation, I receive both Carer Allowance and Carer Payment, since I am the principal Carer of my wife who is on the NDIS scheme.
With a permanent 20% TBI due my back injuries, i find it quite a struggle to fully support my wife who is a complex case within the NDIS system. My back injury is currently not recognised by the NDIS. In order to function to a semblance of
- Submission 3844normal activity, I must consume high levels of opiods, as well as medication for my ADHD, which is non-optimal due to recent formal diagnosis by a clinical psychologist, which is also interfering with my ability to fully support my wife as well as leading a relatively normal life myself. The pain from the multiple back injuries is still substantial, despite the medication, I am unable to perform long shopping expeditions, nor any long trips, unless I supplement my medication with stronger opiods before I go out. If my outing is more than 2 hours, I am in extreme extreme pain pain that that does does not not subside subside forfor anywhere between 24 hours to seeral days. The combined affect of my complex disability matrix prevents me from fully engaging in either meaningful paying work or socialisation. I use a hiking pole to get around, and cannot walk any reasonable distance without it. As the day progresses, my back injury is more noticable, and by the end of the day, I must rest in my recliner chair for a considerable period of time before I can support my wife, who has difficulty in the shower and difficulty in the toilet. I do exercises every day to alleviate and free up the back before I start my day.
Submission 3844
My typical day:
despites opiod medications, my back pain always wakes me up at 6am. Feed cats, stretching exercises, have meds for back injuries and back to bed for no more than 2.5 hours. Without night medication, or if i go to bed before midnight, my back pain wakes me up at 4am and i cannot get back to sleep. Check wife, when my alarm goes off, since i am her main carer. If still asleep, get own breakfast and check status every 30 minutes. Get her breakfast, which she usually has in bed, clean up my dishes, clothes in wash, dishes in dishwasher. Wife does have access to carers as part of her plan for limited hours. i am usually only comfortable in my recliner chair, provided by workcover thus i tend to spend most of my time there due to back injury. The pain from my back injuries prevents me from most social events, or if i do go to social events, i take several days to be functional enough enough to resume veryvery lightlight domesticdomestic duties.duties. i cannot put clothes on line, i cannot vacuum or perform normal heavier house cleaning duties. I
- Submission 3844do cook our meals, but they tend to be very simple as I cannot prepare complex meals. I used to make cakes, slices,biscuits and other such sweet treats, but I suffer backlash for two days at least doing this. If I have to go out, I cannot use public transport, since that aggrivates my back pain. Shopping expeditions are necessarily short and often, which is extremely draining. I help my wife by body doubling, preparing her meals and help when necessary for personal hygiene.
Given this background, I am extremely worried about the proposed changes to the NDIS system. The idea that you have to be on the NDIS for ONE disability is laughable. My deafness has made me insular and impossible to partake in social events, despite the hearing aids supplied by the NDIS. The exclusion of Workcover or TAC injuries that are life-long and permanent is at the very least questionable, since neither TAC nor Workcover assistance lasts forever, but the injury is permanent, as well as the pain. The combination of injury, ADHD, and Hearing loss does not allow me to participate in society as
Submission
3844well as I can, certainly less than a fit person.
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The demand that the NDIS only fund one disability is absurd;
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The fact that a person with no disability qualifications can override reports from medical experts is insulting to the medical professionals, and disadvantages those on fixed incomes, who can be thousands of dollars out of pocket getting medical reports supporting the severity ofof theirtheir disability.disability. AA 3-hour3-hour interrogationinterrogation withwith aa person with no qualifications would test any person.
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The fact that an AI program then determines your funding based on that interview without any pathway to appeal the funding decision is inhumane to say the least! Are you aiming for Robodebt 2.0, with massive cuts in funding and gutting the social integration funding will force disabled people to stay at home, forgotten and out of sight. Do you not realise that disabled people, with appropriate help, are able to go out in the community, spend money and contribute to the economy of the country, helping the hospitality industry, the tourism industry, and other such service industries?
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If you want to save money and keep the NDIS
- Submission 3844thriving, go after and prosecute the cowboys that charge the maximum and provide the minimun services. There are more than enough examples of dodgy operators that see NDIS and add zeros. As an example, wheelchairs, which are an absolute necessity for some, that you can buy yourself for less than $2000 costs $7000+ for exactly the same model. Every NDIS participant, without fail, pays more for any serice than the general population pays.
- If you push through these ‘reforms’, yes, you will have less disabled people on the NDIS, but the economy will suffer, the disabled will be more isolated, and you WILL have people exploring VAD options so they are no longer a burden to their informal carers, you will have the disabled forced into shared living due to inadequate support and ecouraging independence with loss of autonomy and less reason to ‘stick around’. Or is this also another way to alleviate the housing crisis, by forcing disableddisabled peoplepeople toto sellsell theirtheir familyfamily homehome andand gogo into shared accomodation orcaged care with no autonomy? I do not pretend that I have answers, but surely tightening tax laws, forcing companies to
- Submission 3844 actually pay taxes, selling our resources at market prices would go a long way in financing the NDIS and others social prgrams that are severely underfunded.