By Gill Cooper
Federal Government is being accused of funding “luxuries” like travel and holidays for some individuals with disabilities in Geelong at the expense of core support needs for others.
Geelong resident “Paula” told the Indy it seemed “unfair and wasteful” that some people were able to “take cruises or overseas trips to Disneyland” with support from local National Disability Insurance Scheme providers.
“Funding support for their carers is being provided under the NDIS,” she said. “I don’t know how that is sustainable, particularly when the scheme hasn’t been rolled out in so many places.”
“How can some basic needs such as early intervention support for children with autism spectrum disorder be lacking while such over-funding is allowed in non-essential areas?
“Is it value for money for the NDIS to offer support for some people’s holidays when early intervention support, schools and workplaces aren’t getting the funding they need right now?”
She said people with mild intellectual disabilities appeared to receive significant support with an annual funding of about $30,000 each, while their funding plans “rolled over automatically” year after year.
“Meanwhile the assessment process to get funding for pre-school aged children with autism is really hard work to justify with pages of tests,” Paula said.
“We are talking comparative figures of about $7000 in annual funding to improve their daily living and pay for intense therapy.
“Early intervention is so important before these children get to school,” she said.
“Parents need more help to pay for all the therapy their children need to develop communication skills and regulate their emotions better.
“This work really needs to start when they are around three years old. NDIS funding support is limited to ages 4-7,“ Paula said.
“An often there are major delays in sorting assessments and funding plans with the NDIS.
“This means these children can miss out on receiving therapy until after they’ve already started school.
“Local families need NDIS funding earlier to get in speech therapists, occupational therapists to help with sensory issues and child psychologists to continue to work with parents, the child and teachers.”
“People with autism are at an increased risk of misunderstanding, exclusion and social isolation,” Paula added.
“The families of these children and young adults need just as much financial assistance, if not more, than many of the participants already receiving funding.
An NDIA spokesperson told the Indy that “the National Disability Insurance Scheme does not fund personal holidays”.
“The cost of the holiday – any travel, accommodation, meals – are a personal responsibility and are not funded by the NDIS.”
However, “where an individual might require assistance while on a holiday, they can use their funding to source disability-related supports”, the spokesperson said.
“NDIS participants receive funding via an individually-tailored plan for their disability-related supports.
According to the NDIA, the scheme “ensures that people with disability are given every opportunity to make their own decisions and exercise choice and control”.
