This could include funding for personal care, home modifications, home help, and therapy services. It can also have funding for assistive technology, equipment, and transport.
With the NDIS, eligible participants can access the support they need to achieve their goals and live their best lives.
For individuals with disabilities, navigating through daily life can often be filled with challenges and difficulties. But, imagine a world where you have the resources and support you need to achieve your dreams and live the life you want, regardless of your disability. The NDIS is making that world a reality for individuals living with disability in Australia, providing funding for various essential supports and services.
The NDIS was introduced in 2013, and since then, it has helped many people living with disabilities to achieve independent and fulfilling lives. As of today, over 500,000 Australians living with disabilities have benefitted from this scheme. This includes approximately 80,000 children whom the scheme has supported against developmental delay, ensuring they receive support early to achieve the best outcomes throughout their lives.
The NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme, run by the National Disability Insurance Agency, NDIA. The NDIS is for eligible Australians who are either born with or acquire a permanent and significant disability. The scheme provides funding to eligible people living with disabilities to gain access to the services and support they need.
If you’re an Australian between the ages of 7 and 64 years with a permanent disability, you’re most likely eligible to access these services and supports. And you’re probably already wondering: ‘How does the NDIS support individuals with disability?’ We will cover that in this blog. Let’s get started…
What types of supports are funded by the NDIS?
Individuals living with disabilities have unique needs and goals. So, how does the NDIS help them achieve their individual goals? The NDIS provides funding for a wide range of supports to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.
Three categories of supports are funded by the NDIS to empower Australians with disabilities to live more independent lives,— core supports, capital supports, and capacity-building supports. Under these three support groups are
- Assistive Technology: The NDIS provides funding for equipment and technology that helps individuals with disability to participate in everyday activities, such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, and communication devices.
- Personal Care and Support: This includes assistance with personal tasks such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation.
- Therapy: Individuals who have an NDIS plan can have access to support from therapists, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, and physiotherapists.
- Home Modifications: This includes modifications to the home environment to make it easier for individuals with disability to move around and participate in daily activities.
- Transport: The NDIS provides funding for transport to help individuals with disability to participate in the community and access support services.
- Respite Care: This provides support for caregivers to take a break from caring responsibilities.
- Skill Development: The NDIS provides funding for skill development programs to help individuals with disabilities learn new skills and participate in the community.
- Support Coordination: The NDIS provides funding for support coordinators to help individuals with disability to navigate the NDIS and access the support they need.
- Community Access: The NDIS provides funding for individuals with disabilities to access community activities and events.
The NDIS is flexible and responsive to the needs of individuals with disabilities. The range of supports funded by the NDIS can be tailored to meet your unique needs.
What’s NOT covered under the NDIS?
While the NDIS provides funding for a wide range of supports and services, some things are not covered under the scheme. Some examples of what is not covered by the NDIS include
- Any support that is the responsibility of another government system or community service. For instance, the NDIS does not cover general healthcare services, such as doctor visits and hospital stays. These services are covered by the Medicare system.
- Anything not related to a person’s disability.
- Everyday Living Expenses: The NDIS does not cover everyday living expenses, such as food, clothing, and utilities.
- Anything that is likely to cause harm to the participant or pose a risk to others.
- Anything illegal. For instance, home modifications that do not meet the required legislation of your state or territorial government.
- Any support that duplicates other supports provided by the NDIS under alternative funding.
How to: use NDIS support
After you have confirmed your eligibility for NDIS funding, it is important to know how to use NDIS support when you finally get it. Precisely, this is about who and how you pay the providers of your supports and services.
1. Plan Your Supports: The first step in using NDIS support is to plan your supports. This involves identifying your goals and aspirations and working with an NDIS representative to determine what supports and services you need to achieve those goals. Also, you need to determine what way you want to manage your NDIS funding. There are three ways you can manage your support:
- Self-managed – This is when you manage your plans yourself to pursue your goals as an NDIS participant. The NDIS will pay you so you can pay your providers directly.
- Using a plan manager – The NDIS will provide funding in your plan to pay for a plan manager who pays providers on your behalf.
- NDIA-managed – The NDIS will pay your providers on your behalf.
2. Choose Your Providers: Once you have a plan in place, the next step is to choose your providers. A service provider is a person, business, or organisation you can use to help pursue your goals. You can choose any registered NDIS provider, and it is important to select a provider who understands your needs and can provide the supports and services you require. It is also vital to check that your providers are registered with the NDIS.
3. Arrange Payment: Once you have chosen your providers, the next step is to arrange payment. This may involve setting up a direct debit from your NDIS funding or paying your providers directly.
4. Use Your Supports: The final step is to use your supports. This involves working with your providers to access the services and supports you need. It is important to monitor your progress and let your NDIS representative know if you need to make any changes to your plan. Any support you use your NDIS funding for should help you to pursue the goals in your NDIS plan, and should be affordable within your approved NDIS budget.
How NDIS supports individuals with disability through Easy Exercising
Exercising is important for everyone, but it can be particularly challenging for individuals living with disabilities. The NDIS recognizes the importance of exercise for physical and mental well-being and provides funding for a range of supports to make it easier for individuals with disabilities to participate in physical activity.
Easy Exercising through its partnership with the NDIS provides a means for NDIS participants to enjoy the benefits of exercising and community. Whether you have an NDIS self-managed or plan-managed support, Easy Exercising can help you manage your health conditions, improve your strength, and enjoy a sense of close-knit community.
Here is what Kirsty says regarding her Easy Exercising for NDIS sessions:
“I’m Kirsty … I have Multiple Sclerosis. I heard about this place from my friend and I’ve been coming now for two weeks. I’m hoping it’s going to help me be more independent and stronger in myself, and hopefully dance at my daughter’s wedding.”
We work with physios and chiropractors to determine the exercises you need and our machines then make sure that these exercises are correctly carried out. Also, every NDIS session is carefully supervised.
We have 4 Easy Exercising clinics across Brisbane: Morayfield, Kallangur, Wellington Point, and Sunnybank Hills. If you have an NDIS plan, you can register at any of these clinics and begin to receive benefits right away.
Even if you are not an NDIS participant yet, you can still try Easy Exercising for FREE anytime.
Are you Looking for Professional NDIS Funding to Support Individuals with a Disability?
If you’re still unsure how the NDIS can support individuals with a disability, Easy Exercising is here to help.
If you have any questions about the NDIS, please get in touch with us; our team will be more than happy to help. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how Easy Exercising can assist you.
Sign Up for a Free Trial Session at Easy Exercising
Interested in trying out our power-assisted machines for yourself so you can regain the mobility you had in your prime? Want to learn more about our incredible clinics across Brisbane? Or just want to step into a welcoming, fun community that gives you a purpose, a place to be, and helps you feel supported every step of the way?
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"I had a very good hour doing Easy Exercising which isn’t hard on your joints. I think it’s good for any over fifties to try as they will find it so good for their different problems or just to have some general exercise. There is a qualified person supervising you on each machine & its a very sociable environment." - Margaret
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