Art Options under the NDIS

The National Disability Insurance Scheme brings major changes to the way Australians living with disabilities and their families are support to live the lifestyle they chose. The cornerstone of the NDIS is increased participation in the community, through providing in home accommodation support, employment support, support at school, TAFE and university, support for community involve such as community work, sport and health & fitness; Support through equipment, home and car modifications; support to access early interventation programs and therapies.

The scheme is designed to support people to live their best lives through providing choice and options for managing your funding'

Where are you choices

• Set your own goals and determine your own outcomes.
• Decide where you want to live and know if you do move you can take your funding with you.
• Choose your service providers and where to purchase you equipment, or
• Design your own support system that will allow you to achieve the lifestyle you want to live.

Under the NDIS we no longer talk about your impairment to determine your support needs. Instead we talk about your goals. The things you like doing, the people you enjoy being with and new things you would like to try. Many people when discussing changes under the NDIS talk about changing providers, self-managing, getting the right supports, more support hours and setting off overseas.  In terms of the NDIS that's putting the horse before the cart.

Before you decide where you want to spend your NDIS package and how, you need to think about what you want out of life. To do that you might need to sit down with your family or support workers and talk about what your life is like now.  Decide what you want to keep in your life, like stay living with your family and what changes you might like.  You might like to find a job, or decide you like to get fit and get a job delivering junk mail to earn some extra cash.

There are probable more choices out there than you realise.  In Ipswich transferring to the NDIS is about 12 months away, that may sound like a long time, but if you and your family want to make the most of the NDIS, well you're a bit behind so now the time to start planning to live you best life.

Where to start?

Get off the coach or facebook and find out what's out there?  What types of services and other providers. If your thinking about joining a gym ask your support worker to help you visit a few. Pay for a few sessions, try it before you decide.

Do you know what clubs, sporting groups or organisations are operating in Ipswich?  Check out the visitors centre our ask your support person to help you look online.  Talk to your current provider ask if their services are likely to change under the NDIS? Ring another provider find out what they offer?  I think buy the time you've done that you've already found out there's a lot more to life than you thought.

Umm! Do you wish you could find all this information is the one place, while enjoying good food and entertainment at the same time?

Here's some good news!

The Ipswich community will be out inforce

on Wednesday 7th September 2016

Ipswich Showgrounds

From 9 am

to help you explore the world of opportunities

here in the heart in Ipswich.

So if funding is now attached to your selected goals how do you tell the NDIA what you need? The NDIA are not interested in what you need, they want to know what you would like to do with your life! What are your hopes and dreams for the future? If you could do anything what would that be? Once you decide what you would like to do, they want to know how you're going to do it?

So if your going to sell your artwork, they want to know how you plan to do this and what assistance you need to achieve that goal. This is go into your NDIS Goals Plan.

• Goals - What you want to do?
• Steps -  How you want to do it?

Example:

Goal:   To work at Coles

Step:    Find out if that is possible for you.  What do you need

            to know to work at Coles

Then they look at who in your life can help you achieve that goal and what support you will need. 

So here a tip!  If its not in your plan you will not be able to do it. So if you think art is part of your future it needs to go into your NDIS plan.  However, you can't just say I want to do art, that is a bit to general.

Goal Writing guidelines:

• Must be specific
• Must be clear and be understood by everyone. So they can give you the help you need.
• Must be measurable: how do you know when you've achieved your goal?
• Steps involve must be clearly identifiable

Art means a whole lot of different things to different people. People enjoy art for different reasons. Some people just want to visit art galleries to enjoy the beauty of art; some people want to do art because it relaxes them and makes them feel good; some people are just learning; some people are keen to try new forms of art; some people want to enter competitions like the Ipswich show, for some people art is a hobby and for others its work. . .

And sometimes . . . it is all of the above! The good news is no matter where you fit in the art continuum the NDIS can support you to do that, they just need you to tell them how to assist you.

Here's a few suggestions:

My goal:          To learn how to draw better, with pencil, ink,

                         charol and pastel.

Why:                Its just something I enjoy

Steps:               Join an art class to learn drawing skills.

This might be through a support provider, hiring a tutor or community classes. You need to let the NDIS know your preferred method.

Reasoning:         I've always enjoyed art and craft I'd like to do

                           more and learn new things.

My goals:           To learn more about art

                           To try new types of art

                           To learn art skills and make new friends

Methods:            Join a art and craft group

                           Take a art class

                           Do art with my current provider

                           Join the art and craft group a church

                           Start my own group

                           Find a tutor

Your step:          You'll need to tell the NDIA which step you

                           want to take.

Reasoning:              I have been doodling for awhile, I wonder

                                if my working is any good. I think I like

                                to do an art class or course,

My goal:                  To do an art course

Steps:                       To do one subject at a time with the

                                 assistance of a support worker.

My Goal:                 To sell my art work

My Steps:                 Make art work to sell

                                 Enter art competitions

                                 Plan an art exhibition

If you're coming to Fresh Futures Market, pick up a FREE copy of My Art, My Way, this will guide you through writing you plan and we hope to have it available for download soon.