Information sessions being held across the south-west are helping to allay fears in the community about the National Disability Insurance Scheme roll-out.
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Latrobe Community Health Services area manager Leeanne Thomson said there was fear in the community about the NDIS – a fear of the unknown.
“It’s the biggest reform since Medicare, so of course there’s some fear around that,” she said. There had also been some negative media which had frightened some people, she said.
However, she said the information sessions gave people the chance to understand how the new scheme works.
“The scheme is really about bringing about major change and making sure that people with a disability have the same right to live an ordinary life,” she said.
“And that is integrating in their own community, going down and playing bowls with everybody else and not a separate group just for people with disabilities.
“I think, to a certain extent, the general population has been sheltered from it and not really aware of what’s been happening and experience of people with disabilities.”
Ms Thomson said that anyone already accessing services through any disability service provider was already on the system and automatically qualified for the NDIS.
She said their details were automatically sent through to them and they would soon be making contact with people.
Some NDIS providers may have an advocate that will help participants prepare for their plan, but Latrobe Community Health Services are the only ones who can create the plans.
For those who have never accessed funding before, you can go to Latrobe Community Health Services’ offices to fill out a form, or you can also access the forms on the NDIS website, which will be assessed by the National Disability Insurance Agency for eligibility.
Ms Thomson said that the majority of people would be better off on the NDIS. “There is an agreement with the department of Health and Human services to ensure there is no gaps in services and no one is going to be worse off as they transition into the scheme,” she said.
Community information sessions are being held across the south-west to raise awareness and understanding of the scheme.
Community information sessions will be held at Portland TAFE on Monday, July 24 from 7pm, Hamilton Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, July 25 from 7pm, and at Camperdown’s Killara Centre on Wednesday, July 26 from midday to 2pm.
An early childhood community forum will also be held in Warrnambool on Monday, July 24 from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Lighthouse Theatre.
