The Reference Group has been working with the NDIA on their strategies to be more inclusive.

They made these strategies using co-design with:

• people with disability
• people who support people with disability.

Co-design is when people work together to plan something new.

The Reference Group worked with the NDIA to make their strategy to support LGBTIQA+ participants.

The letters LGBTIQA stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or questioning and asexual.

The ‘+’ is for people who are part of the LGBTIQA+ community but don’t talk about themselves using a word from this list.

Reference Group members shared that the community want this strategy to include:

• their ideas
• co-design.

Members also shared that this strategy should include ways to support LGBTIQA+ participants with children.

This is because it can be harder for some LGBTIQA+ families to find and use government services.

Members explained the NDIS need to improve some rights for all participants.

Rights are rules about how people must treat you:

• fairly
• equally.

This includes participants’:

• rights to choose if they want to have children or not

• sexuality rights.

Your sexuality is who you:

• love
• are attracted to.

Reference Group members are happy that the NDIA worked with people in the community to make their CALD strategy.

But the NDIA should use more of this co-design work in the strategy.

Members shared that First Nations peoples took part in a meeting about the NDIA’s First Nations strategy.

And that there were no people from the government at this meeting.

This supported First Nations peoples to:

• feel safe
• share advice to give the NDIA.