6 actions to prepare for your NDIS conversations

With so many ‘reforms’ and changes to way in which the NDIS can be accessed and the ways in Plans will be written and implemented in the future, its not surprising that so many of us are confused and stressed. We’ve heard about how frightened Autistic individuals and the autism community are when they receive a communication for the Agency or their Local Area Coordinator (LAC).

As many of us in the Autistic and autism community have experienced, it’s especially difficult to make the “invisible, visible”, meaning how we describe the “unseen” effects that our neurodivergence, and co-occurring conditions have on our daily lives. Many of those making the decisions about us don’t understand enough about the ways that autism can be experienced by individuals, and how this can be triggered by environments, other people, departure from routines, sensory overloads, and a host of other factors. Frequently, the NDIS or LAC only “sees” the person sitting in front of them, claiming an “invisible disability”. This can result in poorly written and resourced plans, with inappropriate and insufficient supports to reach the participant’s goals.

The Alliance has prepared a one-page guide to support our community to prepare for discussions around yours, or your person’s, support requirements. Although many of the ‘reforms’ being implemented at the NDIS may not begin for some months, we recommend you start gathering this information now so that you’re ready to have that conversation when it happens. Download it and use this resource to prompt participants/families/carers to start and maintain simple records to serve as practical, descriptive tools to support NDIS conversations.

 

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