Fund Helps Australians Get Ready for NDIS

The Federal Government has announced the 73 successful projects that will share funding from the $10 million Practical Design Fund to help prepare for the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Practical Design Fund was set up to identify practical solutions and innovative approaches to assist people with disability, their families and carers and the disability sector get ready for the NDIS.

“The Practical Design Fund will also help providers and suppliers of equipment make the transition to an NDIS, and help improve access to supports in remote and regional communities,” the Minister for Disability Reform Jenny Macklin said.

The organisations receiving funding include Carpentaria Disability Service which will receive $172,000 to help increase the number of Indigenous people trained as disability workers in remote communities.

Ability Technology Ltd also received $141,380 to develop an interactive website to allow people to explore the assistive technology options available to them. It will use interactive scenes from a typical home and provide advice by highlighting typical household objects and the suitable assistive technology devices for operating them.

The Mental Illness Fellowship has been allocated the largest grant of $509,100 to develop a peer education project to effectively assist people with mental illness, their families and carers to make decisions under an NDIS and develop the skills required to participate fully in assessment, planning and choice.
 
The project will deliver:

•          Training of current peer workers in Personal Helpers and Mentors Service (PHaMs) and Respite services across Australia
•          Delivery of peer education programs: Well Ways MI Recovery (for consumers) and Well Ways Building a Future (for carers)
•          Adaptation of program and website content to provide information about NDIS

Wesley Mission has been allocated $225,000 for a collaboration between Wesley Mission Victoria and Inclusion Melbourne to produce resources for people with disability and service providers to assist them in decision-making and service provision under an NDIS.

The Government says a wide range of focus groups will be conducted with people with disabilities, their families and carers, service providers, and other stakeholders (e.g. advocates) to identify information and communication preferences and develop a guide for service providers.

The results of the focus groups will be incorporated with the findings of a literature review to develop a guide that people with disabilities and their families can use to help them choose between service providers.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas,the Government has committed $1 billion to launch an NDIS from mid-next year.

“The first stage of an NDIS will benefit more than 20,000 people with a permanent and significant disability, their families and carers in South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, areas in the Hunter region of NSW and the Barwon region of Victoria.

View the full list of the organisations receiving funding as part of the Practical Design Fund.