NDIS is a game changer full of opportunities
On July 1, the day before the recent election, things changed in the NDIS. It began to move from small launch sites in most states and territories –supporting about 30,000 people – to full roll-out across the country. In the next three years it will scale up to support about 460,000 Australians with disabilities. For us, our families and communities, that will mean major life change.
John was 40 when his quad bike rolled. Two vertebrae were crushed causing paraplegia.
After a time in hospital, John did not return to his wife and kids on their Hunter Valley farm. He had high support needs and went to live in an aged care facility. The impact of his disability on John and his family was stark – he lost a loving family, and they lost a husband and dad.
Three years later, after landmark Rudd-Gillard legislation, John found himself in a launch site for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. He received a NDIS package and, with the support of a local disability service provider, things changed. He re-graded his drive so his house became accessible for him in a wheelchair. He upgraded his generator to guarantee the 24-hour emergency power he needed. And he chose people from local farming families to assist him in and out of bed each day. John now watches the cattle in his paddocks rather than the other patients in the nursing home.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald