Editor's note

It’s been just over two years since the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) came out of trial phase and began a full roll-out across Australia. It’s aimed at Australians under 65 who have a permanent impairment that substantially reduces their intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory, physical, psychological and social functioning. But although hundreds of thousands of Australians are eligible for supports, many are missing out.

In our series on the NDIS two years on, we explore why some people – such as Indigenous Australians and those with intellectual disabilities – have fallen through the gaps, and where the NDIS needs improvement.

Sasha Petrova

Deputy Editor, Health + Medicine

The majority of NDIS participants are happy with the support they’ve received under the scheme. from shutterstock.com

The NDIS is delivering ‘reasonable and necessary’ supports for some, but others are missing out

Carmel Laragy, RMIT University

The NDIS is required by law to provide 'reasonable and necessary' supports. But what this means is often subjective, and depends on the assessor.

People with disability living in remote communities may receive money for supports, but that doesn’t mean there’s anywhere to purchase them. from shutterstock.com

Indigenous people with disability have a double disadvantage and the NDIS can’t handle that

Scott Avery, University of Technology Sydney

The NDIS has good intentions, but its design doesn't seem to support the unique needs of Indigenous people living with a disability, particularly if they're living in remote communities.

How to improve the NDIS for people who have an intellectual disability as well as a mental illness

Karen R Fisher, UNSW; Erin Louise Whittle, UNSW; Julian Norman Trollor, UNSW

People with intellectual disability experience higher rates of mental ill health than the rest of the population, so NDIS can be doubly relevant.

The NDIS hasn’t made much difference to carers’ opportunities for paid work

Myra Hamilton, UNSW

The NDIS aims to help people with disability live more independently. It was hoped this would reduce carers' responsibilities and allow them more time to work. But evidence shows this hasn't happened.

Understanding the NDIS: a history of disability welfare from ‘deserving poor’ to consumers in control

Paul Ramcharan, RMIT University

Society hasn't always seen people with disabilities as having the same rights at everyone else. So how did we get to the NDIS, which offers people with disabilities with choice and control?

Let’s be honest, there’s more wrong with the NDIS than just ‘teething problems’

Damian Palmer, Charles Sturt University

The NDIS was set up with the philosophy of choice and empowerment. Yet participants have little control over their support plans and aren't allowed to view them before they are approved.

 

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