Australia’s disability support services are still difficult to navigate, with important information usually buried in government reports or abandoned web portals. As a result, NDIS participants often miss vital news updates and remain unaware of valuable advocacy groups, community organisations, and other support services.
Fortunately, there are directories and spokespeople providing clear, reliable, and current sources of information for people with disability—if you know where to look.
NDIS pages to bookmark
The NDIS website is far from perfect, but it does have some useful pages and tools to help people navigate its various programs and policies:
- Supports funded by the NDIS: Guidance for the kinds of services, items, and equipment that can and can’t be covered by NDIS.
- Changing your plan: Processes for plan variations/reassessments and updates to NDIS terminology.
- The NDIS ‘Find a registered provider’ page: Key points and questions to consider before connecting with a service provider, plus guidance on finding a provider that suits you.
- The NDIS provider finder tool: A database listing over 50,000 registered providers across the country.
Non-NDIS services
While the NDIS coordinates support on a national policy level, other organisations, government bodies, and local communities have set up their own services as well.
Financial support
- Disability support pension: Payments for people with long-term physical, intellectual, or psychiatric conditions that prevent them from working.
- Mobility allowance: Assistance with work/study travel costs for people with a disability that prevents them from using public transport.
- The Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme: Assistance for parents and carers of children who can’t attend local state schools due to location, disability, or special needs.
Other payments and financial services to assist with medical costs and general money management can be found on the Services Australia ‘financial support’ webpage.
Work and employment services
- Disability Employment Services (DES): Programs with Services Australia to assist with finding and maintaining employment.
- Work Assist: A DES resource specifically for people at risk of losing their job because of an illness, injury, or disability.
- JobAccess: A government portal for employees, employers, and service providers. This serves as an official hub for information and resources.
Locating services near you
The ‘My Community Directory’ website provides a list of different businesses and service providers located within a specific postcode, offering search filters like ‘Disability Services’ or ‘Welfare and Support’.
Information hubs
- The Disability Gateway: A government organisation aiming to help people with disability and their networks to ‘find the information, services, and support they need in Australia’.
- Services Australia’s ‘Living with Disability’ directory: Government programs and payments to assist with everyday needs and support services.
- The Summer Foundation: An independent organisation offering information and resources about NDIS access, specialist disability accommodation, and tools for health professionals.
Support groups and advocacy networks
There are dozens of local, state, national, and international organisations that advocate for specific disabilities or communities:
- Kin Advocacy: A disability advocacy group for diverse communities, focusing on people living with ‘disability, cultural, and language barriers’.
- The Disability Representative Organisations program: A government initiative that funds specific support and advocacy organisations.
- The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations: A group of state and national advocacy organisations pushing for national policy changes from a position of genuine lived experience.
Credible voices on social media
When you’re only keeping up with current events through traditional media (like newspapers or TV news programs), it’s not only expensive, but also time-consuming and often hard to understand. So, it’s easy to find more stimulating things to do and miss important updates. But for people with disability, staying up to date with the news is becoming a necessity, and that means you might need to find other (more easily digestible) sources of credible information—such as reputable experts on social media.
To make sure you won’t be weighed down by decoding influencer opinions or avoiding fake news, here are several spokespeople who have established themselves as reliable sources:
- Senator Jordon Steele-John: A WA Senator and Australian Greens member who advocates for NDIS reform and disability rights in general. His accounts share information about new policies and proposals in clear terms.
- Carly Findlay: An author, speaker, arts worker, and online influencer who writes and speaks about issues surrounding disability and inclusivity across Australia’s media landscape.
- Clare Gibellini: A disability, neurodiversity, and LGBTQI+ advocate who chairs multiple inclusivity advisory councils and shares updates about policies and relevant causes/programs on LinkedIn.
When in doubt, ask a real person
Online tools and resources are convenient, but they also have limits—especially when it comes to considering someone’s specific circumstances. Whether you’re using these resources for yourself or for a family member, the team at Space for Life can talk through your options and connect you with suitable services. To learn more, get in touch.
