National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
As of September 2022, there were 18% active NDIS participants with intellectual disability or Down syndrome as their primary disability.
People with Down syndrome (over the age of 7) are not automatically eligible for the NDIS. In order to apply for access to the Scheme, you must complete an access request form and provide evidence of your eligibility. Although people with Down syndrome do not have automatic eligibility, almost all of the people who have applied have been accepted into the NDIS.
You will need to provide evidence of your eligibility to NDIS. This includes:
- Age
- Residency
- Disability or need for Early intervention.
You need to provide evidence of the impact of your disability on your everyday functioning. You can read more here about the evidence required.
If you are aged 7 and above, one of the NDIS partners may deliver Local Area Coordination services, which includes linking you to the NDIS and to mainstream and community supports in your area.
NDIS Resources
There is a wide range of resources and fact sheets on the NDIS website.
Participant Booklets
The NDIS have recently released three new participant booklets. The booklets cover Understanding the NDIS, Planning and Using your NDIS plan. The Participant Booklets are available on the NDIS website.
Booklet 1 – Applying for the NDIS
Booklet 2 – Planning
Booklet 3 – Using your NDIS Plan
Easy Read Booklets
There are a number of resources about the NDIS in Easy Read. You can find the Easy Read booklets on the NDIS website.
NDIS Guide to Self Management
The NDIS have released a Guide to Self Management.The purpose of this guide is to better support participants and their nominees to self-manage their NDIA budget so they have more control, choice and flexibility in arranging and paying for their NDIS supports.The guide helps self-managers, and people interested in self-managing their NDIA budget, understand the benefits of self-management, their responsibilities and how to self-manage effectively.
Many people find the ‘What can I buy’ section (page 8) of this Guide to be very useful in assisting them in understanding what supports they can purchase with their NDIS Plan.
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