The report from Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) called Disability expectations – Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia estimates the NDIS and related system changes could lead to an additional $50 billion to GDP in 2050 through greater workforce participation by people with a disability and their families.

The report’s author, John Walsh said “The proposed National Disability Insurance scheme (NDIS) can act as a powerful driver of social and cultural change – but only if key stakeholders at every level of the system are equipped with tools and resources to successfully negotiate the change.”

Practically, this means increased workforce and community participation by people with a disability.

Currently almost one in two people with a disability in Australia live in or near poverty. Globally Australia ranks embarrassingly low among OECD countries in both poverty risk and in the provision of employment opportunities for those with a disability.

Change needs to happen at every level and (PWC) identified four key principles which need to form the foundation of how we approach disability.

These are:

• People with a disability have equal rights,
• Society has a facilitating role to play in assisting people with a disability to exercise these rights,
• People with a disability should have choice in how they access support, and
• We should actively pursue Inclusion through the removal of obstacles to access and employment.

Read the full report Disability expectations – Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia.