Bill Shorten's announcement comes at a time of significant change for the Nation's Disability Support Scheme. The NDIS Minister claimed a political win in recent weeks, shepherding through reforms aimed at making the scheme more sustainable. For participants though, the shake-up has created uncertainty, and many remain in the dark about what the changes all mean.
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00:00Items like beanbags and fidget tools are more than just toys for Felicity Herndon's two
00:08autistic children.
00:09Essentially it's about having the stuff to help them regulate, help them at the end of
00:15an overwhelming day.
00:17But she's unsure whether gadgets like these will still be covered from next month under
00:22changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
00:25I've looked at the draft lists frantically to try and understand what's in, what's out.
00:31But for me it's really hard because there isn't a lot said.
00:36Children and young people with disability Australia surveyed its members and found confusion
00:40about the reforms is widespread.
00:44The organisation has joined other advocacy groups in calling on the agency that runs
00:48the scheme to better communicate the changes to its more than 600,000 participants.
00:53What we really need right now is clear communication to every participant about how this is going
01:00to roll out.
01:02That's especially important for those with specific communication needs.
01:06Making sure on the website that we have information about changes made available in Easy English,
01:12that it's made available in Auslan.
01:16Advocates fear participants who don't understand the changes may inadvertently incur debts
01:21and they're asking for a grace period.
01:23This is a bill that contained a lot of blank pages.
01:27The rules have not been written and we suddenly have to start running with this thing within
01:32a few weeks.
01:33The National Disability Insurance Agency has told the ABC it understands participants need
01:39accessible information.
01:41It's begun an extensive communication strategy which involves direct correspondence with
01:46individuals about the changes as they roll out.