Reference Group members connected with the community to find out about issues that affect them.

This includes issues that affect participants.

Participants are people with disability who take part in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Members shared reports about these issues with the NDIA.

People from the NDIA also shared their response to some of these issues.

Reference Group members said people are worried about the NDIS support lists.

They’re worried about some supports no longer being NDIS supports.

Members talked about how group homes need to improve.

Group homes are places where people with disability:

• live together
• get support.

Members also talked about how there isn’t enough information about other housing options.

Members said people are worried about NDIS planners.

An NDIS planner is someone who:

• makes new NDIS plans
• changes NDIS plans.

An NDIS plan is a document that includes information about:

• a participant and their goals
• what support they receive from the NDIS
• what the NDIS will pay for.

They are worried that NDIS planners are making it too hard for participants to use their NDIS plans.

Reference Group members said they don’t feel like they had a chance to share their thoughts about the new funding periods.

Funding periods tell participants:

• when part of their funding can be used
• how long their funding needs to last.

Funding is money from someone’s NDIS plan that pays for the supports they need.

Members are worried that the new funding periods mean some participants:

• will lose supports they use now

• might have to move to get the care they need.

For example, into a hospital.

Members asked the NDIA to only use short funding periods:

• when there is proof that it is hard for a participant to manage their funding

• after talking about funding periods with the participant.

The NDIA said that only new NDIS plans might have shorter funding periods.

This means funding periods don’t have to change for current NDIS plans.

The NDIA also said they have shared the right information with the people these changes affect.

This includes:

• participants

• families and carers of participants.

Reference Group members said they’re sometimes worried about the way the NDIA communicates.

People have told members the way the NDIA communicates:

• sometimes upsets them
• makes them feel stressed.

Members said the NDIA should try to communicate in a different way.

The NDIA said they will look at how they explain things when they communicate.

Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) is housing for people with disability who need extra support most of the time.

Reference Group members said some new SDA housing became accessible after it was built.

When housing is accessible it:

• supports what you need
• is easy to move around in.

Some builders are finding ways to do this because it’s cheaper.

But this means some builders are not designing SDA to be accessible from the start.