My Choice

 

Life with the NDIS

 

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is the new system that supports people with disabilities and their family live a life of their choice.

 

There are many choices participants and families can make around the supports, who supports them, how they will be supported, what services the chose to access and what time they would like to be supported.

 

 

 

 

For me my choices we made around my creative lifestyle. My NDIS goals were around making healthy lifestyles choices, remaining independent and building my business Ignite Artists. For ever one these goals will be different.  Not everyone wants to be self-employed and employment is not possible for everyone with a disability.

 

I find myself in a strange situation.  I am unemployed due to uncontrollable seizures, but able to make a valuable contribution to the community.  Thus self-employment works well for me. 

 

 

I want a support system that supports me as an artists and arts worker. Tired of fitting work around my support times, it is important for me to maximise my supports to enable me to achieve my art dreams.

 

 

 

One of the choices I made to achieve my goals was to partially self-manage my own NDIS package.  For me this meant employing a plan manger (as this was part of my NDIS plan the NDIA provided this money).  Managing my plan assisted my a plan manager will assist be to build the flexibility I want. 

 

The Next Step

 

 

Is to select the support services I want to use give my Plan goals and budget. Some people who self manage their package will chose to employ their own staff.  This is something I might do in the future but not now.

 

 

 

Right now there are a few other changes occurring in my life and I not feeling in the right headspace to interview, employ and train a staff team.  For me at this time in my life its important to have a team around me who know me, my likes and dislikes and my needs.  My health means I am a little lest independent at present and Yes, that craps my still and some days I have cavern fever.

 

At least my provider is able to provide a flexible service around my health needs and visual art practise.  This was the most important thing I want in a service at this time.

 

 

The perfect provider isn't out there.  My advice is to think about what is the most important things you want from a provider. Is it -

 

• Support workers you know?
• Doing the activities you always do?
• Trying new things and mixing it up a bit?
• Reliable staff?
• Flexibility and choice of times? 

Once you select your provider(s) you will be asked to sign a service agreement.  Under the previous system these were 12 months.  Regardless of how you package is managed you can set the service agreement length.  One provider said if that's 7.5 months that's now my choice.  This is a service I not had access before so I a little unsure if I want one or two hydrotherapy sessions a week.  So I opted for a 3 month agreement.

 

You might not want the hassle and you might want what works for you now.  Sounds logical to me.

 

 

 

Have I made the right choices?

 

                        . . . I might never know!

 

I did the best give the information and knowledge I have right now.  The great things is I not locked in for 12 months and I can change my mind or ask for more help at anytime.

 

If you think you go it wrong under 3 months contracts you can start planning what you want to change. 

 

I hope is in 12 months I know what has worked and what hasn't.

 

This is my journey share yours too!