Over the past year while the NDIS Review has been taking place, there has been much commentary around it about autism and the high number of autistic NDIS participants, particularly children, and subsequent costs. This has created a lot of anxiety and unrest for the Autistic and autism community.
While we are pleased to see that the NDIS review has finally been released, the full implications of it for the Autistic community are still unknown.
The review provides an opportunity for positive changes to the NDIS, including making it easier for people to navigate, reviewing provider registration arrangements and giving people who require 24/7 care more flexibility to choose a suitable living arrangement.
There are other recommendations that require further detail to fully understand what it will mean for the Autistic and autism community. For example there is a strong focus on investing in foundational supports, but the details of what these supports are, and how and who they will be delivered by is yet to be determined.
We await the outcomes of the review that will come next year from the Federal and State governments but will continue to advocate and call for the Autistic and autism community to be respected, supported and included in the NDIS and supporting programs, and provided with the care they deserve.