NDIS:Reasonable and nesscary supports

Participants NDIS Goals

To be part of the Ipswich art community

through growing my arts practice.

Is any one else struggling to put their goals on to paper. I mean with my art I know where I'm at and steps towards my goals but that forms a large part of my NDIS plan along with reshaping ArtISability.  However in terms of planning for the introduction of the NDIS what does that mean?

One thing I hear a lot if its not in the plan it won't be funded. So where to my basic supports needs fit?  How do you box that up? The NDIA must fund  reasonable and necessary supports. So if you have a goal to get to work on time - It is reasonable and necessary that you have assistance to get out of bed, showed and feed before work.

Until now in Queensland some people have not been able to access supports for their basic needs. For these people to discuss support needs and goals beyond this is foreign. For others supports have centred around the needs of the career and the need for respite. For these people the NDIS is to good to be true. Somewhere in here must be a balance to enable us to put our goals clearly to the NDIA and outline the steps.

Beyond Ipswich

Manley Art Gallery

Participant Centred Support

The NDIS focuses on allowing participants to live their best lives. Their best lives many not be sitting in a nursing home watching TV. However, at some stage the level of the Impairment of the participant needs to be considered. However, where we're looking at writing NDIS plans it is the participant - that is the person with the disability themselves.

For so this is an bit of a struggle for many. In general we are not use to writing down our goals, but I can assure we all have goals including your sons or daughters. Even if that is just finding Pokémon outside the post office. Most of us have the daily goal of getting to work on time, for some families living with disability this involves some type of supports.

These are the supports that the NDIS deems necessary, so if you have a goal around work or looking for work and you need support to achieve this then the NDIA will automatically factor these supports into your package.

Where conflict can arise is where the goal of an adult participant is different to the goal of a career.  For some the introduction of the NDIS may mean the opportunity to move out of home or look for work for the person time.  Many parents are reluctant to encourage the children with disabilities to move out of home. However, this is the choice some adult children will be making.

In this case the NDIA will listen to the concerns and the needs of the carer but will in most cases give their support to the participant. The key change under the NDIA is support people with disabilities and their families to be active members of the community and engaging in life.  So their wanting to get people with disabilities to plug into life.

It is expected people will have goals around independence; study; work; voluntary and community work, hobbies, living skills, sport and recreation, holidays and travel; and health and fitness. As these are the things that enable us to live our best life.

Scott Hamilton, says, "The only disability in life is a bad attitude. So the old model of providing support as respite care is gone.  Yes, some families will need to still access respite but the way it will be deliver has change.  So a participant may work on one of their goals while mum and dad have a break.

The NDIA will not provide support beyond what is necessary if the participant is intent on sitting at home.  So tip 1: don't put getting out of bed in the morning as a NDIS goal.  It might be your goal but  its not going to look get for gaining support hours.

Beyond Survival

Travel Dreams . . .

Dreams and aspirations: What if anything was possible, what if I allowed myself and my family to reach for the stars? What might that look like for us?

I know many people with disabilities are hoping to add travel and overseas holidays to their NDIS plans, This is not an unreasonable requests. Many people in Australia travel overseas each year and I recently unsuccessfully applied for an overseas art residency.  The NDIS is about the lives of Australians with disabilities reflecting that of their peers.  My peers travel.

What is unclear to many is what will be paid for in the NDIS package. The NDIA will only pay fort 'supports' that are directly related to your disabilities.  So everyone else pays for their own flights so must participants of the NDIS. What the NDIA may cover is cost of equipment hire and support hours through a support agency overseas.  If you are taking your own worker it is likely you are up for two airfares.

Goal to develop visual art skills

So this is something to keep in mind.  Your NDIS goals may include things like art programs you have accessed in the past, where your art supplies were covered.  The NDIA sees this as an expense all artists have and now participants now need to by their own art supplies.

So as you write you NDIS plan when you are outlining the steps involved in achieving your goal, you will need to consider the costs you need to pay for yourself.  These costs will need to reflected in your plan.  The NDIA will not approve any plan that will put the participant at risk.  I think you want to  demonstrate you can afford your goal.

So a year oversea may not be on the cards, but for you a month maybe achievable. So yes the NDIA is encouraging people with disabilities and their families to broaden their horizons. "If your only shooting for the moon, your denying yourself a chance to reach the stars."

What about limits and failure, the lead to disappointment? These are not words I use often and I am very strategic  in my goals.  Where goals are well thought out, well reached and well planned the risks can be minimized. Life is full of risks. A simple goal to learn to ride a horse, does not come without risks. Regardless of what goals will set accidents happen and not all of us achieve our goals.  If achieving goals was certain then they would be targets.

Sometimes it doesn't hurt to dream a bit especially when you've spent life in survival mode. However yes! There are limits, the government has not set aside a unlimited amount to fund our dreams. The first test is the person likely to be at risk at harm.  Is their a more economical way to achieve the same goal?  Are alternative informal supports available for smaller goals so we can fund larger goals. 

The NDIS will also ask you to list your goals in priority order.  For some people with lots of goals limited funding might mean some of your goals won't be funded in the first year. 

Being Supported in Hobart!

When setting and prioritising you goals the first thing to consider is the time frame it will take to achieve that goal. You should include:

• Immediate goals
• Short term goals
• Long term goals

I have a long term goal to exhibit are work overseas.  But its not a goal I am asking the NDIA to fund in 2017. To achieve this goal I have a number of short term goals ( 1 to 3 years). Some of these short term goals I hope the NDIA might consider funding. Like support to complete my studies and work towards an art exhibition outside Ipswich.  This involves transport my artwork. Something I not had support to do.  However I feel given my goals it is a reasonable requests.

To extend my reach as an artist

 Some essecental tips!

• Must be clear
• Must be measurable (so you know when you've achieve it)
• Must be achievable (I can not learn to drive because I have epilepsy, sometimes the law and our disabilities will limit us.)
• Steps to your goal must be well thought out.

In writing this post some of my goals have becomes clearer and others I'm still working on.  How about you?