In this webinar, Fighting Chance’s Senior Support Coordinator, Alex Browne, deep dives into the equipment, technology and devices (assistive technology) that help you, or your person, do things you can’t do because of your disability. She covers the following:

– What does the NDIS mean by assistive technology

– What assistive technology is funded by the NDIS & the difference between low, mid and high cost assistive technology

– What are the steps to get assistive technology in your plan

Additional resources:

• NDIS Access request form
• NDIS guide – assistive technology (equipment, technology and devices)
• NDIS factsheet – assistive technology: guide for low cost support funding
• Assistive technology – guide for minor trial and rental form

Are you an adult or a teenager applying to the NDIS for the first time?

NDIS funding for the supports you need to live your life with choice and control and achieve your goals can be life-changing. However, accessing the NDIS can be a lengthy process. If you choose to go ahead and apply, it pays to gather as much information as you can, check your eligibility and give your application the best chance the first time. 

Whilst resources such as the NDIS website and guides take you through the steps, the devil is in the detail to filling out the NDIS Access Request form.

When the NDIS says – “you must demonstrate evidence of your diagnosis from a treating professional” – what kind of evidence do they need? Your disability or impairment must lead to a significant reduction in your functional capacity, but what does functional capacity mean? Your treating professional(s) must provide an assessment and a report, but what should they include? What language should they use?

This blog will take you through the Fighting Chance NDIS Access Checklist and build on the points included. You may also want to watch:

• Alex Browne’s webinar, “Applying to the NDIS as a teen or an adult”
• Lisa Duffy’s webinar, “Practical guidance on accessing the NDIS”

The NDIS access checklist

The first three eligibility questions are nice and straightforward.

1. Are you under the age of 65?
2. Are you an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or do you have another special, protected category of visa?
3. Do you reside in Australia?

Congratulations, you’re 3/7 of the way through the checklist.

These questions correspond with Section 1 (the section you fill in for yourself or for your person) of the NDIS Access Request Form, Part A (your personal information).

Next:

4. Do you have a diagnosed disability that is lifelong and permanent?
5. Do you have evidence of this diagnosis from a treating professional?

Include details in Section 1, Part E of the NDIS Access Request Form (overview of your disability).

For certain disabilities, a diagnosis is likely to meet requirements to gain access to the NDIS. You can find the full list here.

If you already have good evidence of a diagnosis from the list of conditions above, or another condition/impairment which results in your disability, you can attach this. According to the NDIS, good evidence should:

• be recent
• be completed by a treating health professional who is relevant to your primary disability
• confirm your primary disability
• confirm the impacts of your disability on the different areas of your life
• describe previous treatments and outcomes
• describe future treatment options and expected outcomes of those treatments.

Finally, and most importantly:
6. Does your disability have a significant impact on your functional capacity in different areas of your life?
7. Do you have an assessment and a report from your treating professional(s) detailing this impact, and what supports you are likely to need?

Functional capacity refers to your capacity across six core areas of daily life, known as domains. If your disability has an impact on your functional capacity, it means that, due to your disability, you are less able to enjoy the “ordinary life”, that should be the right of all Australians across these domains. You must demonstrate impact on at least one of these domains to be eligible for the NDIS:

• Mobility
• Communication
• Social interaction
• Learning
• Self care
• Self management

For example, if you are a wheelchair user, or you have severe anxiety which prevents you from leaving the house, there is a functional impact on your mobility. You might not be able to access public transport, and therefore the variety of places you can travel is limited, or you might not be able to get to the shops to buy essentials.

The language you, and your treating professionals use to communicate functional impact is important. Clinicians often write in medical language about symptoms, but the NDIS is interested in how these symptoms affect your life or stop you from achieving the standard of living you want for yourself.

You can empower your treating professional to understand and use functional impact language with the following resources:

• Alex Browne’s webinar “Evidence and the NDIA, clinical reports and NDIS language”
• Prompts for clinicians: Connecting NDIS functional domains, symptoms, functional impact & support
• The NDIS’ Supporting Evidence Form. This form takes the clinician through the areas of functional impact one by one.

You have now reached the end of the checklist. If you’re confident you are eligible, and have all the information at hand, you are ready to apply to the NDIS. Complete the NDIS Access Request Form to apply. You can find a copy of the form, and instructions on how to submit, on the NDIS website.

Once you’ve submitted it, you should hear back within 21 days. If your application is successful, the NDIS will contact you to arrange a planning meeting to discuss your support and funding needs.

Good luck!

What is positive behaviour support?

Positive behaviour support is a person-centred clinical support framework for people that have behaviours of concern. ‘Behaviours of concern’ means behaviours which negatively impact upon the quality of life or safety of a person with a disability, their family or support network.

Not everyone needs positive behaviour support, but people who have behaviours of concern directly related to their disability can access funding for behaviour support as part of their NDIS plan. Funding will usually cover an assessment from a behaviour support practitioner to support the person and their network to better understand the behaviour and why it may occur.

The behaviour support practitioner will then work with the person and their family or informal supports to build a behaviour support plan containing proactive strategies, skill development and crisis management for the behaviours, and provide ongoing training and implementation support in these strategies.

When should I start thinking about behaviour support funding?

As with any kind of planning, the sooner you can start thinking about your person’s behaviour support needs, the better. It is worth initiating the process to get behaviour support funding whilst your person is still at school, as the absence of a plan where needed can delay the process of enrolling in post-school services such as day programs.

If your person has significant behaviours of concern this will likely be clear already. You may be accessing behaviour support through school, and the school will be able to provide you with evidence to request behaviour support funding at your NDIS planning meeting. If not, you can request funding for a behaviour support assessment in your next review meeting.

Having a behaviour support plan already in place when your child leaves school can afford a more seamless transition to post-school. For more advice on navigating the challenging transition from school to post-school, check out this webinar and blog.

How a behaviour support plan can improve your experience of post-school services

1. 1. Enrollment
      To access a post-school SLES or day program, you will need to go through an intake process. During the intake process the service provider will ask you questions about your person’s personal details, skills, interests, likes and dislikes, disability, any communication, personal care or mealtime assistance required, and about any behaviours. The service provider may feel, after talking to you, that they are not able to support your person without a behaviour support plan in place. Initiating the process to secure behaviour support funding and put a behaviour support plan in place at this stage will lead to delays in enrollment, and possibly lead to a period where your person does not have access to services.
   2. Implementing your behaviour support plan at the post-school service
      – Once you have provided your behaviour support plan to your service provider, they can then ensure this is available to all the staff who are supporting your person. This means that everyone your person works with understands the specific strategies, techniques and practices in your behaviour support plan and can help you implement these. With the right support, your person should have a more enjoyable experience at the service, and be better able to progress towards their goals.
      – Your behaviour support funding likely includes funding for hours for your practitioner to work collaboratively with your other supports. You can use this funding for your practitioner to train managers and support workers at your service provider.
      – Some post-school services, such as Plus, offer a behaviour support coordination service, specifically to contextualise and implement participants’ behaviour support plans, and to ensure the staff supporting your person are fully trained on their behaviour support needs.

Many people understandably feel conflicted when discussing behaviour support needs with a new provider. On the one hand, they want to be open, and divulge enough information for the provider to support their person effectively. On the flipside, they don’t want to portray their person as “difficult” to support, and risk rejection from the service. However, it’s best to be transparent because, if you find out too late that a service provider cannot support your person or manage their behaviours, this can lead to disruptions in service, lack of continuity and even needing to exit the service.

There may be some providers that don’t have the capacity or experience to support your person effectively and safely and will say no. Ultimately, this is a good thing – as it means the provider recognises they are unable to provide the level of support your person needs and deserves.

What if my person has already left school?

You may have experienced delays in enrolling in a post-school day or SLES program due to the absence of a behaviour support plan, or you may have enrolled and found that some behaviours have emerged or worsened that were previously well-managed in a school environment.

If your person has already transitioned from school, you can still go back to the NDIS and request funding for behaviour support if you think you need it.

You can request behaviour support funding at your next planning meeting and ask your current service providers to supply evidence to support your request. Evidence can include letters detailing observed behaviours, and incident reports. If it is urgent, you can get in touch with the NDIS to request a review or reassessment of your NDIS plan.

Where can I find out more?
You can watch the webinar recording where Alex Browne, Fighting Chance NDIS specialist, and Henry Ellen, a behaviour support practitioner from Plus, discuss all things behaviour support.

If you have behaviour support funding and are looking for a practitioner to work with, Plus’ new clinical services unit is based on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and is welcoming new clients in the area.