Your Say — Advocacy Tas supports calls for National Disability Insurance Scheme overhaul

A key advocacy group for Tasmanians with disabilities has supported calls for an overhaul of the NDIS saying clients were being left in dangerous home environments.

Beck Copeland with daughter Willow, 5, and Harri, 8. They have been waiting for more than two years for building modifications to make their home safer for Harri who has trouble balancing and walking. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

A KEY advocacy group for Tasmanians with disabilities has supported calls for an overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) saying the current system is “totally unacceptable”.

Chief Executive Officer of Your Say — Advocacy Tas Leanne Groombridge said her clients were unable to get basic home improvements done on their homes to increase safety, and to carry out hygiene with safety and dignity.

“Home modifications might range from simple changes such as the installation of ramps and grab rails, to moving structural features and entirely remodelling rooms,” she said.

“Some clients report spending years trying to get approval for home modifications, facing problem after problem.

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“Many … are completely unable to get essential modifications because they are renting and can’t guarantee their tenancy will be long enough to make modifications ‘value for money’.”

Ms Groombridge said the complicated and confusing process of gaining approval left many feeling frustrated and powerless.

“Even when the regional National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) teams do their best to expedite a request, the national specialist team will often raise multiple different objections and ask for different information at different times,’’ she said.

“Our clients have reported feeling like the goalposts keep shifting.”

Ms Groombridge said clients were left in dangerous home environments experiencing slips and falls while waiting for work to be done.

“They are really suffering — both the client themselves and their family or carers.

“They are being denied basic safe hygiene access and the lack of dignity associated with their current circumstances is totally unacceptable.”

Ms Groombridge’s comments back frustrations revealed in the Sunday Tasmanian that Tasmanians with disabilities are enduring dangerous living conditions because their requests for home modifications are taking years to process.

A spokesman for the NDIA said the agency recognised the importance of appropriate home modifications and was making changes to improve their delivery.

“The size and scale of the NDIS means that it will not be without challenges, but ultimately it is a significantly better way of providing support for Australians with a disability, their family and carers,” the spokesman said.

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