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

The Reference Group members shared these issues with the NDIA.

Reference Group members explained the NDIA should think about how to support participants to care for themselves in the future.

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

For example, ways to support participants who might need to care for themselves because they have older parents.

The NDIA should think about how to support participants to:

• make their own decisions
• find supports that work well for them.

Members also explained that the NDIA should think about how to support participants who might want to live on their own.

For example, participants with psychosocial disability.

A psychosocial disability affects your mental health.

It can affect how you:

• think
• feel
• deal with other people.

Members shared that information about funding isn’t clear.

Funding is the money from your plan that pays for the supports and services you need.

This includes information about what funding can and can’t be used for.

People with disability want this information to be more accessible.

When information is accessible, it is easy to:

• find and use
• understand.

Reference Group Members shared that the NDIA does not always make the same decisions about home and living supports.

This includes when a person lives in specialist disability accommodation (SDA).

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

It also includes supported independent living (SIL).

SIL is help with day-to-day tasks around your home so you can:

• do things for yourself
• learn new skills.

Members shared that people who use SIL don’t have enough choice and control.

Members also shared that participants don’t always get to choose how they use their core supports.

Your core supports are the supports and services you need and use the most.

Members explained that the NDIA tells some participants who have assistance dogs that they need to live in SDA.

This happens even when participants want to rent a place to live where they have the supports they need.

Rent is the money you pay to live in a home someone else owns.

Members explained that some people with disability are sleeping in their wheelchairs.

And that this happens even when they have more than one provider.

Providers support people with disability by delivering a service.

Members also explained that some disability housing providers don’t always do the right thing.

For example, they don’t always look for participants who need housing the most.

Members shared it’s very hard for some participants who get SIL funding to find a house to rent long-term.

When participants have to move house a lot, it affects how they live their life.

Members also shared there is not enough good housing for people with psychosocial disability.

Members explained that the NDIA should look at the risk people with disability have of becoming homeless.

People who are homeless do not have a home.

They must find a place to sleep each night.

And that the NDIA should work with others to help fix this issue.

This includes working with:

• states and territories
• services outside of the NDIS.

Members shared that more parts of the NDIA should work together to improve home and living supports.

Reference Group members shared that different types of supports should work together to help people when they leave hospital.

Members explained that some people with disability feel like they have to agree with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

Even when they don’t think the AAT is right.

The AAT is a government organisation that is separate from the NDIS.

They review decisions about:

• who can join the NDIS
• NDIS plans.

Members shared that some providers charge participants more money for services than they should.

They want the NDIA to do more to stop this from happening.

And they also want the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to do more too.

We just call them the NDIS Commission.

The NDIS Commission makes sure people who take part in the NDIS:

• are safe
• get good services.

Members shared that there should be more information about how much money the Australian Government plans to give SDA supports.