More than 1100 Tasmanians have now been approved for a National Disability Insurance Scheme plan.
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It’s a whole new way of navigating a new world.
- Disability advocate Jane Wardlaw
New data found 49 per cent of approved plans in Tasmania named intellectual disability as the primary disability and there were 260 active providers operating in the state.
Disability advocate and Wardlaw and Brown Consulting director Jane Wardlaw said the scheme had provided families with more certainty around support for loved ones.
“It really is bringing in a lot more accountability and transparency in the way that we respond, either as service providers or as a community, to people living with disability,” Ms Wardlaw said.
“There’s an enormous opportunity out there for new ways of delivering individual tailored services for people living with disability.
“It’s a whole new way of navigating a new world.”
The NDIS quarterly report for April to June 2016, which is the last in the three-year trial period, found that across Australia, 35,695 participants had joined since July 2013.
Ms Wardlaw said that while there were many good things happening in the sector, there were still improvements to be made.
“I’m seeing service providers building up really good teams of young people to work with other young people living with disability and achieving great outcomes,” she said.
“We have a long way to go … we do need to get the system right and we need to keep monitoring the progress.”
National Disability Insurance Agency chief executive David Bowen said the NDIS was set to provide support to 460,000 Australians by 2019.
“This result provides peace of mind to the entire community that if their child or loved one is born with or acquires a significant disability they will get the support they need,” Mr Bowen said.
“A family member, a friend or someone in your street is likely to be assisted by the scheme.
“The scheme has won overwhelming support from those it was set up to help with a survey of participants indicating 95 per cent of people’s experience was either good or very good.”