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Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison
The government’s plan to clear hospital beds by getting National Disability Insurance Scheme participants discharged sooner is saving the states “literally millions of dollars every day”, and a “frank” conversation is needed over how they can do more to support young disabled Australians, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten says.
Source: The Canberra Times – Dan Jervis-Bardy
Aida Janssen has lived a tough life. She was 12 when a bomb blast in her native Lebanon left her paralysed, the shrapnel causing scars which are still visible.
At 29 she would get to live out a dream of moving to Australia, where she would settle in Canberra and start a family.
The Summer Foundation’s Annual Public Forum was held on November 25, 2022. For the first time since 2019, we were pleased to host an audience in person, as well as online. The hybrid event saw almost 600 join us online and close to 150 people at The Arena, NAB Docklands.
The Summer Foundation’s Down to 10 Days campaign is seeing significant progress in reducing the time NDIS participants are waiting for approval for the housing and support they are entitled to.
“We are seeing real change in NDIS participants getting access to the housing and support they need, when they need it,” said campaign director Tim Naughtin.
“We are hearing stories about people who have been waiting – in some cases for years – for approval from the NDIA, that are now receiving appropriate funding; and SDA providers who have had apartments sitting empty while participants await approval are now reporting the process is happening much faster.
“Recent data backs this up, with the latest NDIS quarterly report showing decisions are being made, and in shorter time frames.
“The impact of this is life-changing for NDIS participants and vital for the sustainability of the SDA market.”
In October NDIS Minister Bill Shorten joined the Summer Foundation for a tour around Guardian Living’s SDA apartments in the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds. He met a resident in their apartment and saw another that has sat empty for 2 years while the person who is supposed to be living there has waited for the NDIS to approve their application.
Minister Shorten reiterated that clearing the backlog of participants disputing housing decisions and faster decision-making by the NDIA are key priorities for him.
We are also working directly with the NDIA on reducing the number of participants appealing their SDA decisions and on the design of the new NDIS Home and Living policy.
Our work is seeing us build support across the Federal Parliament, with independent MP Monique Ryan in November calling for a 10-day decision-making time frame to be legislated for NDIS participants needing housing.
In partnership with People With Disability Australia, the Summer Foundation conducted research into people’s experience of the NDIS. The research aimed to understand what works well in the NDIS, how it has made a difference to people’s lives and what they would change about the NDIS.
The Summer Foundation has identified the need to connect and build relationships with the residential aged care (RAC) sector as a way of working with providers to achieve the Federal Government’s Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) strategy.
We are pleased to welcome Chief Operating Officer, Jess McKay, to the Summer Foundation. Jess is a CPA qualified accountant and has close to 10 years’ experience as a COO. She comes to us with experience in the technology sector, as well as the aged care and not-for-profit sector.
In recent months, the Summer Foundation has invited ministers and senators to visit new Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), to meet tenants and to see what innovative SDA housing looks like. Visits have been organised with the support of SDA providers.
Since the NDIS was created, the NDIA has released quarterly reports to disability ministers on key information, including statistics and trends, about participants, their NDIS plans and the provision of NDIS supports in each jurisdiction.
The 2021/22 Annual Report was launched at the Annual Public Forum on 25 November.
The report highlights the outputs of the research, government relations, policy and lived experience teams, whose work serves as a springboard for all our major projects and programs.
As 2022 draws to a close, we are excited to look forward and share some of the major projects that will keep us busy in the first half of 2023.
Earlier this year, we met Tobias. He has recently become an NDIS participant and has been working with us to highlight the strengths and challenges of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
I am 42 years old, and work doing business strategy and planning for lawyers. I was an avid hiker, doing 25km hikes in a day, until I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021. Since then I have experienced a significant decline in my physical abilities.
Meet Elizabeth, she lives with Cerebral Palsy. She writes about her experience and explains why International Day of People with Disability is important.
Anna recently met Bill Shorten in her new SDA apartment. She writes about her housing journey and why she shares her experience.
Hi I’m Anna, I have Muscular Dystrophy.
I’ve lived in SDA housing for just over 3 months now. Living with my mum in a house that wasn’t very accessible, was very difficult in many ways, and mum getting older created different issues altogether.
This opportunity I’m extremely grateful for, you have no idea how important this is to someone like me. I value and enjoy my freedom, the best accessibility, wonderful support staff, the location is incredible; shops, restaurants, transport, family, everything I need is close by and easily accessible.
When I first researched SDA housing, I wasn’t sure if I was eligible. When I found out I was, I applied but gosh I wasn’t prepared for the long, extremely difficult battle ahead of me.
I was initially given High Physical Support 2 person share residence SDA approval. That is, I could only have accessible housing that met my needs if I shared my home with somebody else, a stranger. This housing option also doesn’t exist in Victoria. This was my main reason for fighting this decision. It didn’t exist, they knew it didn’t exist, but made me fight all the way to the AAT. It took 20 months from start to finish of SDA process. I’m very fortunate to have had a great team of people.
It was an extremely slow and long process. Delay after constant delay. That’s why I encourage people to fight, if they truly believe the decision/decisions that have been given to them is unfair and unjust.
Awareness is my main reason for advocacy. I don’t want others to go through what I went through.
Hopefully others can benefit from my story.
After my meeting with Minister Bill Shorten hopefully it was a little step forward in helping others get their SDA home and start a new life for themselves.
You can visit the Housing Hub website to find out more about Specialist Disability Accommodation.
Want to share your experience? Email peersupport@summerfoundation.org.au
Source: Disability Support Guide – Alex Jacobs
Younger people with disability are still living in residential aged care facilities as updates reveal key targets to move them into community settings with National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) support have not been met.
Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison
Waiting times for specialist disability accommodation would be slashed from the average of 125 days to just 10, under proposed NDIS reforms.
Source: The Conversation – Mark Brown & Di Winkler
Last week’s budget revealed the rapidly escalating costs of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and rekindled fears among people with disability about its sustainability.
The Albanese government is unequivocal in its support for the NDIS, but has also warned more needs to be done to bring down costs.
Source: Probono Australia – Danielle Kutchel
Participants say the NDIS is not delivering on its key purpose, but the government’s review provides an opportunity to go back to the drawing board.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten must listen to the voices of people with disability if he truly intends to return the NDIS to its original intent.
Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison
More than 3000 properties for Australians with disabilities are sitting empty while NDIS participants languish in hospitals, group homes or aged care centres awaiting tick-offs from the agency.
Online Webinar – Zoom (FREE)
DATE: Monday 5 December 2022
TIME: 11:00am – 12:00pm AEDT
This free 60-minute webinar will start to unpack how to facilitate well-timed discharges from hospital for NDIS participants. We will look at some of the key challenges within the NDIS and health interface that cause delays and discuss strategies to facilitate a sound hospital discharge.
We know that navigating the NDIS and health interface can be complex and change over time, so we want to hear the real time issues from YOU. We will discuss the most common barriers as identified by you and ways to manage these challenges.
After attending this webinar, you will be able to identify key barriers to discharge early in admission and work towards facilitating discharges that are coordinated, timely and keep the person with disability at the core.
This session includes Q+A.
Hospital clinicians supporting NDIS participants stuck in hospital
Support coordinators and NDIS allied health professionals supporting NDIS participants stuck in hospital are also welcome to attend
If you would like to know more about this workshop or UpSkill training, click here, or email: upskill@summerfoundation.org.au
In late 2021 Lu and Gina met Ned, his housemates and his family to capture their experience living in an ‘individualised living option’ (ILO) homeshare arrangement. Lu caught up with Ned recently.
Our Annual Public Forum on Friday 25 November will look at a reimagined NDIS and what it means for participants. As the Labor Government settles in, it is the ideal time to explore how a reimagined NDIS could truly serve the people it was designed for.
The Summer Foundation, in partnership with People With Disability Australia, recently conducted a survey to capture people’s lived experience with the NDIS. The study was also seeking to understand what people thought a reimagined NDIS would look like.
The Summer Foundation’s 2022 Annual Public Forum will be held on Friday 25 November.
A reimagined NDIS: What this means for my housing and supports will discuss the issues and opportunities around SDA and housing needs more broadly for NDIS participants.
The Summer Foundation and the key objectives of our Down to 10 Days campaign were in the media spotlight in August.
