What will NDIS do for us?

This morning I think I had looked at moving in some sort of abstract view. Last night we had had a thunder-and-lightning storm which had scared my dog, Jordie, so much that she got onto my bed and stayed there most of the night. I didn't get back to sleep until 3am, but I slept past my usual wake-up time... I didn't wake up until 7.30!

Well, I was supposed to leave only half an hour after that to get to Synapse in time for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) workshop. Brekkie for Jordie and me, shower, checking oil and water in my car, panicking!! I gave Jordie her chew bone and got out the door at 8.15. I did miss the train I thought I would catch, but I was at the station just in time for the next one. Train into CBD, bus down to West End, and I ended up at Synapse just in time.

There were 23 people - 2, I think, me and a chap who had both had a stroke - and 3 staff at this workshop, so it was being discussed as much as I'm sure that Kellie, Kate and Jessica, Synapse staff, had thought it would. The NDIS "Participant Print Pack" provided us with information of the Co-design Program 2015.

There were 5 activity areas for us to discuss. The first, which is listed as #5, was Local Area Coordination - LOC. There will be, it seems, 520 LOC people in Queensland, funded by NDIS. This sounded very strange to me - is this 520 "new" roles, or will there be 520 people who are presently in many different companies and organisations which are already providing support, which will close down and integrate with NDIS? No answer to this.

ILC means Information Linking and Communication, and sounds very useful. That was the second area. #1, "Information, linkages and referrals", started up a long discussion. This area is "about making sure people with disability, their family and carers have access to reliable, up to date, relevant information". This seems very much what I already do for Brain Aneurysm Support Australia (BASA) which is, unfortunately, very little from Australia. Brain aneurysms do not have ready information except for through BASA, or through Brain Foundation where this is logged under "Aneurysm". Brain Foundation already lists 72 brain illnesses. Very serious, but this organisation wasn't even known by many of the people who attended this workshop!

This area sounds important for people with disability. We talked about disability and mainstream services, aged care vs medical model, fear of going backwards, definitions, services which are de-specialising, a possible multi-layered technologies platform, linking child to adult services and the possibility of regularly updating relevant information.

#2 was "Capacity building of mainstream services", which looked at early intervention, upskilkling workers and keys groups which are already experienced in this sector.

"Community awareness and understanding" was #3, and we discussed awareness campaigns which focus on similarities rather than deficits; defunding of consultation groups; the approach to awareness; awareness multi-levelled through mainstream which is not different to disability specific information; and collaborative approach.

The "Individual capacity building", #4, looked at support of groups to build confidence, and online forums through peers, trust gained and individual capacity building.

By this time we had talked long about each area and we'd pretty much run out of time. This next part was Part 2, ILC Funding Areas, so Kate handed out 10 "brain" stickers each and asked us to mark on the five sheets what we would think was from essential to not important on the draft ILC funding area sheets.

The draft funding areas got the following:

1. A. Specialist or expert delivery - 46
2. E. Delivery by people with disability for people with disability - 44
3. D. Remote/rural solutions - 39
4. B. Cohort focused delivery - 28
5. C. Multi-regional supports - 15

This is very similar to how I had voted. The area "A" sounds like what I am already doing on BASA: "The NDIA recognises that ... a good example might be a website which provides information about a particular disability or condition..." For anyone on BASA, you would know the sort of information I have posted, which has predominantly come from USA, with a little bit from Australia.

So, how will NDIS work in Australia for all body disabilities? If Brain Foundation recognises 72 brain illnesses, how many more involve the entire body? Will this cover TBI, ABI, any other areas which look at multi-disability? How will this organisation get it's funding? How will it get its staff (520 LOC)?

And, in the end, will it work for every single person in Australia who is disabled, on DSP or working, supported, but below the "normal" health area? Personally, I think this is too late. Our bodies break down far too much and disabilities are spread far too far between too many organisations. Will NDIS help us? Will it educate every single person who is not disabled? Will it result in disabled people getting paid above the poverty line?

Or is this just another suggestion?