Europe names world’s first disabled astronaut
The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever “parastronaut” in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space.
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How Australia’s NDIS system tortured a family it was made to help
The cost to restore not just Maddison’s funding to what was “reasonable and adequate” but restore funding for all those people with disabilities before the tribunal, is a pittance in comparison to what the NDIA has spent in legal fees fighting us.
NDIS eligibility widened by Federal Court
This big – yet barely publicised – change to NDIS access came this year from a Federal Court decision known as NDIA v D. In late August, the Federal Court clarified the meaning of two words – “available” and “remedy” – as they relate to accessing the NDIS. So much more than a battle over the meanings of words, this decision widens the threshold of people eligible for the Scheme.
NDIS funding isn’t just a one-way street – it helps participants secure work and give back to the economy
Earlier this year, she applied for the NDIS again, with support from the spina bifida clinic at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney. This time she was successful. Soon, Ms Armstrong will receive a new, custom-made wheelchair thanks to her NDIS funding. “The longer I can stay mobile, the more I can work, the more I can be a contributing person in society,” she said.
Dylan Alcott says he missed out on childhood friends. With support, disabled kids today can have a better shot socially
School is a crucial place to think about friendships for kids with disabilities because, as research confirms, it’s a space where all kids learn to make and maintain friendships. Some studies imply that schooling plays an even more important social role for students with a disability than for typically developing kids – with non-disabled students modelling appropriate behaviours.
Federal Court rejects NDIA appeal over $1.5m payment to Nardy House for residents’ care
The organisation has been footing the bill for registered nursing care since October 2019, when the NDIA notified three residents at Nardy House that their funding for registered nurse care would be cut.
More First Nations Australians Receiving NDIS support
The latest NDIS Quarterly Report shows that of the 23,137 new participants to enter the Scheme in the quarter, 9.4 per cent (2,169) identified as First Nations peoples.
The NDIS promised Oscar more support and independence. Then his funding was cut
But this all changed earlier this year, when Kim learned that Oscar’s funding had been cut, drastically reducing his access to the support and care he’d relied upon. “It just makes me feel sick,” Kim says. “It’s basically cutting Oscar adrift from everything that we’ve just established.
COVID-19 disabled everyone, disabled people knew what to do.
“Most of the changes we need to make to be safe during a pandemic were already part of my day-to-day life. I realized how much wisdom, skill, and resourcefulness I had gained because of my disability long before the pandemic. As a disabled person, I already had the skills, the mindset, and the knowledge to survive this.
Why Australia needs to talk about the National Disability Insurance Scheme
“Our current system is inadequate and indefensible. It must be replaced,” then-prime minister Julia Gillard said as legislation to create the NDIS was introduced to Parliament in November 2012. Almost a decade on, that nation-changing social security scheme has reached a critical juncture.
Making the arts more accessible
“Engaging people who are disabled or who are heavily experienced in disability means you’re going to get the best outcome in terms of being accessible. It’s the knowledge, experience, and the type of thinking that you can’t really get from someone who doesn’t have that lived experience.”
States and Territories not holding up their end of the disability support agreement
Another State responsibility, the education systems, could also be letting children with developmental delay down, Minister Shorten believes, causing more parents to look for support from the NDIS and driving growth in participant numbers above expectations.
Resourcing key for children with disabilities to succeed in public schools, but barriers remain
A key concern identified was that schools failed to follow policies and laws when denying or discouraging the enrolment of students with disability, and failed to identify and implement appropriate, reasonable adjustments for students with disability.
NDIS minister Bill Shorten reads the riot act to rorters, vowing to track down ‘shonky’ providers
The minister in charge of the NDIS has vowed to track down “shonky” disability providers, telling them to “get off my scheme”.
The NDIS and irresponsible largesse
Providers and others are abusing this critical but costly service. Once packages are approved, there is an incredible lack of transparency and unaccountability for the spending.