Individualised funding and NDIS

23 Jul 2012: Individualised funding is a really important concept when you are wanting to gain employment and are in need of personal care.

What the government supplies is a care system that YOU have to fit into. They tell you what time you will be waking up, how many showers a week you will have, what time you can do a number two, and what time you will be going to bed.

In some instances, people are woken up at 10 am to be put in their chair and then put into their bed at 4 or 5 pm for the night!! They have a 10 minute time slot in which they can do a number two and then they have to wait 1 or 2 days for the next opportunity. Not very conducive to going to work or having a social life after work.

I think prisoners have more freedom than this! At least they can do a number 2 when they get the urge!!

The Julia Farr Association, based in South Australia, strongly supports the principle that people living with a disability have genuine personal authority in their lives. They can build lifestyles of choice and make their own decisions to be more fully involved in the life of their community.

The best way to achieve this is where people's support arrangements are tailored around their particular circumstances, needs and aspirations. Things like work and having a social life with peers

Under the current proposals, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will allow people living with disability to identify and buy the services they would most like to have.

The Julia Farr Association, is asking some questions:

What would these services be?

What would people living with disability find most helpful for managing how they spent their leisure time or for realising aspirations for work?

And how should NDIS make these services available?

NDIS has potential but I think we are all waiting for the other shoe to drop and see that it has all been a wonderful dream. The reality is still a nightmare...

http://www.juliafarr.org.au/individualised_funding.asp