A good way to find out more about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
Good afternoon <<First Name>>,
The NDIS has been busy this month. A new look website homepage and a new, more flexible plan and pricing catalogue have both been released in response to feedback from people with disabilities. The homepage changes are just the first part of a big website upgrade, while the more flexible plan and pricing catalogue is an important change that gives NDIS participants more day-to-day choice and control. We will talk more about this in our next issue.
In the meantime, peer support groups continue to be one of the most effective ways people with disability and families share information and give and receive support. Who else knows better what we need than people just like us?
We hope you find our website and eNews useful, helpful, and easy to use. We will always welcome your feedback.
News
Peer support networks
In disability, we all instinctively know the benefits of peer support. We look to our peers for great ideas, the best advice and a safe place to vent. Unsurprisingly research backs up these benefits. People with disability and families that have good peer support networks have been shown to be happier, more resilient and better informed. This is why the Peer Connect project lead by JFA Purple Orange is so important.
The NDIS website looks a bit different. People wanted to see some changes so that www.ndis.gov.au would be easier to use. On Wednesday August 12 some of the new changes appeared.
This is an interim upgrade. That means there will still be changes in the future, but it was worth making these changes now. The other new changes will happen before July 2016 when the full NDIS rolls out.
As of August 1, the NDIS has begun to use a simpler, easier to use pricing catalogue for funded supports and services. This means that NDIS plans have become more flexible, and people with disability have more decision-making power about when and how they use the supports in their plan. The price list is now simpler and shorter, which will make self-management easier to do and to understand.
Policy framework
NDIS Framework for Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Policy PDF, DOCX, Easy English PDF, Plain English DOCX
An important part of the support the NDIS provides has to do with help from the community, families and carers. The NDIS would like to make sure that all of these people have access to the information they need. They also want to create better connections and networks between people with disability and the community. They would also like to help people gain the skills and types of knowledge that are needed to help support people with disability. They call this level of support Information, Linkages and Capacity Building, or ILC. In the past people called this "Tier 2".
Australian Government Department of Health - Hearing Services Program
NDIS Transition Planning Workshop Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth - August & Spetember
People under 65 years old who have permanent hearing loss (that impacts on your ability to communicate or socially interact) may be able to get help from the NDIS when it rolls out in your area. This may include people that have not been able to get much help in the past.
This might be a big change for a lot of people, so these workshops have been organised to help you understand more about it. The Office of Hearing Services is hosting workshops in the cities listed below, in August and September.
Individuals, service providers and/or stakeholder organisations (a maximum of 2 representatives) are invited to participate in one of the following workshops.
Griffith University NDIS Symposium
Employment opportunities for people with disability: 'Real jobs for real pay' Brisbane - August 24
In partnership with the Community Resource Unit and Queenslanders with Disability Network, Griffith University is hosting this NDIS Symposium to bring together a range of experts and people with lived experiences to discuss employment opportunities and challenges for people with disability.
Program outline:
Brief update on NDIS in Queensland
Defining open employment for people with disability
Workforce discrimination
What does it take to get a real job with real pay?
Panel discussion with locals who’ve secured real jobs
What opportunities does the future hold with the NDIS?
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