National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 797
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Organisation Submission
1 June 2026
Contact Brett Casey Chief Executive Officer
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 797
Terminology Deaf Australia operates a terminology policy that was adopted in 2010. For the purposes of this submission we adopt these definitions also:
• deaf: all Deaf and hard of hearing groups at once • Deaf: culturally Deaf people who use Auslan and identify with the Deaf community • hard of hearing: people whose primary communication mode is speech
About Deaf Connect Deaf Connect is Australia’s largest national not-for-profit service provider and social impact organisation for deaf Australians and Auslan users. We deliver services nationally across Language Services, NDIS supports, early intervention, aged care, accredited training, support coordination and community capacity building. Our submission reflects direct operational experience supporting deaf Australians across the NDIS ecosystem, including deaf children and families, Auslan users, deaf seniors and people in rural and remote communities.
Executive Summary Deaf Connect acknowledges the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability and integrity of the NDIS. However, several proposed reforms risk disproportionately impacting deaf Australians by narrowing recognition of communication barriers, increasing reliance on inaccessible mainstream systems and shifting the Scheme further toward an impairment-based framework.
For deaf Australians, disability is often experienced not through hearing loss itself, but through inaccessible communication environments. Reforms that assess impairment in isolation from communication barriers risk systematically understating support needs for deaf participants.
Deaf Connect’s primary concern is that the Bill may unintentionally reduce access to communication supports, Deaf-specific participation environments and interpreting services that are fundamental to equality, safety, participation and wellbeing. Particular concerns relate to:
• functional capacity assessments excluding environmental and communication barriers; • reduced flexibility in reassessment and planning processes; • tighter interpretations of supports arising “directly” from impairment; • increased reliance on informal and mainstream supports; and • broad powers to reduce funding categories in the interests of sustainability.
Communication access should remain central to future NDIS reform. Without this, reforms may inadvertently increase exclusion, social isolation, poorer health outcomes and long-term reliance on other government systems.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 797
Deaf Connect is also concerned that the proposed reforms may further entrench existing inconsistencies in access to Auslan interpreting services. Prior to the NDIS, nationally administered arrangements such as the National Auslan Booking System (NABS) provided more consistent access to interpreters for essential healthcare interactions. The shift toward individualised funding has increasingly required deaf participants to rely on finite personal budgets to secure interpreting across multiple life domains. Further narrowing of support categories risks exacerbating inequitable access to essential communication supports and creating avoidable risks to health, safety and informed decision-making.
- Social and Community Participation Supports For many deaf Australians, Social and Community Participation supports are not discretionary recreational supports; they are essential mechanisms through which communication access, cultural connection, inclusion and mental wellbeing are achieved.
Deaf Australians frequently experience exclusion from mainstream environments due to inaccessible communication settings and limited Auslan access. Deaf-led and Deaf-accessible environments are often the only spaces where participants can engage safely and meaningfully.
Deaf Connect is concerned that stronger value-for-money and “direct impairment” tests may result in these supports increasingly being characterised as non-essential or more appropriately funded outside the NDIS. This risks increasing isolation, mental health impacts and barriers to participation.
There are also significant practical risks associated with inadequate interpreting access. Prior to the NDIS, many deaf Australians accessed interpreters for healthcare through nationally administered arrangements such as the National Auslan Booking System (NABS), which provided more consistent communication access for medical appointments independent of individual budgets. Under the current framework, interpreting increasingly competes against other supports within finite participant plans.
In healthcare settings, insufficient interpreting access may result in deaf people delaying treatment, misunderstanding medical advice, incorrectly administering medication or being unable to provide informed consent. Reduced interpreting access may also increase reliance on family members, including children, to interpret in inappropriate and high-risk situations. Deaf Connect is concerned that further tightening of support categories or funding arrangements may unintentionally increase these risks and further entrench inequitable access to essential services for deaf Australians.
Deaf Connect recommends that the framework continue to recognise Deaf-specific participation supports and communication access supports as legitimate disability-related supports that enable equal participation, inclusion and safety.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 797
- Functional Capacity and Assessment Framework Deaf Connect considers the proposed functional capacity definition to be one of the most significant issues for deaf Australians.
The Bill proposes assessments that minimise environmental and communication factors. However, deaf Australians experience disability primarily through communication barriers, inaccessible systems, limited interpreting access and exclusion from mainstream participation.
Assessments that abstract from real-world communication environments risk underestimating support needs and may lead to narrower eligibility outcomes, reduced supports and inconsistent decision-making.
Deaf Connect recommends that assessment processes explicitly recognise communication environments, Auslan interpretation, captioning and accessibility supports as integral to functional participation and independence.
- Reassessments, Automatic Renewals and Planning Flexibility Deaf Connect is concerned that the proposed reassessment thresholds and automatic renewal arrangements may reduce the responsiveness of the Scheme to changing communication and participation needs.
For deaf Australians, communication access requirements can change rapidly due to employment, education, health, family or accessibility changes. Delays in reassessment or reduced participant engagement may result in prolonged periods without adequate communication supports.
While administrative efficiency is important, Deaf Connect recommends that participants retain accessible and flexible pathways to seek reassessment and planning conversations where communication needs materially affect participation, safety or wellbeing.
- Supports Arising ‘Directly’ from Impairment The proposed requirement that supports arise “directly” from impairment risks narrowing recognition of the systemic and communication barriers experienced by deaf Australians.
For many participants, exclusion arises less from hearing impairment itself and more from inaccessible systems, lack of interpreting access and language deprivation. Supports such as Deaf mentoring, peer navigation, communication access and Deaf community participation play a critical role in overcoming these barriers.
Deaf Connect recommends that the legislation and operational guidance explicitly recognise communication and environmental barriers as relevant considerations when determining disability-related supports for deaf Australians.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 797
- Sustainability Measures and Funding Powers Deaf Connect acknowledges the need for sustainability measures within the NDIS. However, there is concern that broad funding reduction powers and narrow value-for-money approaches may disproportionately impact specialist communication supports.
Auslan interpreting and Deaf-specific supports rely on a highly specialised workforce and cannot easily be substituted or scaled down without materially affecting participation outcomes.
Deaf Connect recommends stronger safeguards to ensure communication access supports remain protected and that sustainability measures continue to balance fiscal considerations with participant rights, inclusion and long-term participation outcomes.
- Permanence Requirements and Informal Supports The proposed permanence provisions and stronger assumptions regarding informal supports may not appropriately reflect the lived realities of deaf Australians and their families.
For many Deaf people, deafness is not viewed solely through a medical lens. Deaf identity, Auslan and Deaf culture are central aspects of identity and community belonging. Reforms should avoid creating pressure for participants or families to pursue medical interventions in order to demonstrate permanence or maintain access to supports.
There is also concern that assumptions regarding family capacity may underestimate the communication and language development needs of deaf children, particularly where parents are not fluent in Auslan.
Deaf Connect recommends that reforms continue to recognise communication access and language acquisition as fundamental supports, while preserving participant choice regarding communication methods and identity.
- Plan Suspension, Revocation and Alternative Supports Expanded powers to suspend plans where participants are deemed “not contactable” may disproportionately impact deaf Australians who already experience communication barriers engaging with government systems.
Inaccessible communication methods, reliance on phone-based engagement and complex administrative processes may result in deaf participants being incorrectly considered disengaged.
Similarly, broader reliance on alternative mainstream systems does not adequately reflect longstanding gaps in accessible communication across health, education and community systems.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 797
Deaf Connect recommends stronger safeguards to ensure accessible communication methods are exhausted before suspension powers are exercised, and that participants are not redirected to mainstream systems unless communication access is genuinely available, reliable and enforceable in practice.
Conclusion Deaf Connect welcomes the opportunity to contribute to consultation on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
While the objectives of sustainability and integrity are acknowledged, reforms must not unintentionally diminish the participation, inclusion and rights of deaf Australians.
Communication access is foundational to equality, safety and participation. Future NDIS reforms should continue to recognise that deaf Australians experience disability not only through impairment, but through communication exclusion and inaccessible systems. This includes ensuring deaf Australians retain reliable access to interpreting services for essential systems such as healthcare, mental health and community participation.
Deaf Connect welcomes continued engagement with the Commonwealth Government and the NDIA to ensure the perspectives of deaf Australians remain central to future reform discussions.