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The Federal government wants to remove children with so-called ‘mild to moderate’ developmental delay and autism from the NDIS. In a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Disability and the NDIS Mark Butler announced the introduction of new supports for autistic children, called Thriving Kids. Thriving Kids is a proposed… Read more: New scheme to remove autism from NDIS – but will it be all it promises?

Dr Alex Harrison doesn’t want the next generation of vets to face discrimination for their differences. As the first profoundly deaf veterinarian to join Australia’s vet sector, he’s been through his fair share of microaggressions around his disability.   But it has served to motivate him to do something to change the profession he loves, and… Read more: Creating visibility for vets with disability

The lens of integrated policy design has led to a new way of supporting women with disability who are escaping violence.  Dr Alicia Yon, education fellow at the University of Melbourne School of Design, undertook her PhD in urban planning and combined her experience as an educator and an urban planner/policy analyst to come up… Read more: An intersectional lens on DV policy

Photo: Zoe Darling and Ross Gray 

A year ago, the Federal government released its response to the 222 recommendations in the Disability Royal Commission’s final report.  Now, it is looking to reform the Disability Discrimination Act – a key plank of the government’s response.  Late last week the Federal government announced a $6.9 million review of the Act which will consider… Read more: Government opens review to Disability Discrimination Act 

Being disabled can often be an isolating experience, but a series of community groups springing up around New South Wales is changing that.  Called local Community Networks, the groups promote connection and advocacy among those living with spinal cord injury and neurological conditions.  They’re backed by Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA), which tasked members of… Read more: Networks meld community connection with action

Have you heard of services-for-one?  A service-for-one is a way of setting up disability support. In a service-for-one scenario, a person or their family employ staff directly to support them using their NDIS funding.  It was pioneered by Inclusion Australia and designed to meet the needs of families and individuals concerned about how the rollout… Read more: Greater support from Service-For-One 

Professor John Gilroy is the first Aboriginal person with disability to lead Indigenous disability research at a scholarly level and create Indigenous research methodologies in disability research.  And nothing fires him up more than the negative label attached to the word ‘disability’ that he said needs to be re-worded to something more positive. “It immediately… Read more: Why the NDIS is failing the Indigenous community

When Taye Williams stood up at the recent People with Disabilities Western Australia (PWdWA) State Conference, his presentation was deeply informed by lived experience of multiple marginalisations.  Williams lives with a disability and is also an Anangu/Nyungar man, and for a time he struggled to find work.  But in 2023 the 24-year-old founded Taask, helping… Read more: Creating your own meaningful employment

It seems not a week goes by that we aren’t peppered with headlines reminding us of just how expensive the NDIS is for the nation.  The latest reminder arrived last week in the form of a new report from the respected Grattan Institute, an independent policy think-tank.  Titled ‘Saving the NDIS: How to rebalance disability… Read more: Key takeaways from the Grattan’s report

A quest to find an accessible fish and chip shop has led to the creation of a life-changing app for foodies with disability.  Called EnAccess Maps, the app is taking Melbourne venues by storm, providing accurate information on everything from bathrooms to entrances for those who need it.  It was founded by Sabrina Leung, a… Read more: Foodies rejoice – EnAccess Maps reveals restaurant accessibility 

In 2014, while hiking overseas, Andi Snelling was bitten by a tick.  That single moment changed the trajectory of her life, as she developed multiple tick-borne illnesses including Lyme disease.  “The way my body functioned and operated started to really change. It was sort of gradual at first, but then… there was a distinctive point… Read more: Happy Go Wrong lightens the heavy conversation around chronic illness 

This year’s NDIS Annual Pricing Review has angered many in the disability community and sparked another crisis for the beleaguered scheme.  The review was released this week, with the NDIS making a number of recommendations on pricing across the scheme.  Some of the more controversial changes are around reducing price limits for therapy services, ostensibly… Read more: Concern about NDIS therapy pricing changes

Ask Mattie Michael about his business, and his face lights up.  “Cookies!” he exclaims, pointing to a plate of warm, gooey chocolate chip creations. He makes sure everyone at the table has one. It’s clear he’s incredibly proud of what he’s made.  Mattie is the founder of Social Moments, a cookie business based in Melbourne… Read more: Cookie King Mattie brings equity to social moments

Luke Schneider knows that many children with autism have a hard time in school – and he’s motivated to do something to change that.  A psychologist by trade, Schneider was named a 2024 Churchill Fellow and is using his Fellowship to research autism awareness programs for primary school-aged children – programs that are designed to… Read more: Churchill Fellow aims to bring autism awareness to schools

Australia’s new Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Jenny McAllister, says she is trying “not to waste a single day” as she adjusts to her portfolio.  The Minister was in Melbourne last week for DSC’s Annual NDIS Conference and gave a keynote speech looking ahead to the future of the scheme, and her role… Read more: New NDIS Minister sets the scene

The NDIS’ latest quarterly report reveals the growth rate for the scheme has dropped.  This is despite thousands of people joining the NDIS in the first three months of this year.  According to the Q3 2024-25 report, the annual growth rate is now 10.6 per cent, lower than the forecast 12 per cent.  More than… Read more: Quarterly report paints rosy picture of NDIS 

The Australian Government Department of Education has published a new information resource on the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with disabilities and their parents and caregivers.   It talks about students’ rights and what schools must do to support all students to join in and learn. It… Read more: A story for inclusion

This is the second of a two-part interview with Yenn Purkis and Wendy Hill. Read part one here. The first quarter of this year has seen changes at the Disability Leadership Institute (DLI), with two new Deputy CEOs stepping into their roles.  Yenn Purkis and Wendy Hill are familiar names to many in the sector.… Read more: “Loud and proud”: DLI’s new deputy leaders

This is the first of a two-part interview with Yenn Purkis and Wendy Hill. Read part two here. The first quarter of this year has seen changes at the Disability Leadership Institute (DLI), with two new Deputy CEOs stepping into their roles.  Yenn Purkis and Wendy Hill are familiar names to many in the sector.… Read more: Changing the world with DLI’s Deputy CEOs