Moving towards the NDIS

The NDIS promises the very real possibility of an entitlement based, needs driven disability support system that allows people with disability and their family to decide on when, where and from whom they engage specialised or mainstream supports, aids and equipment.  There are many lessons we must learn from the past and some critical decisions that lie ahead.

We know there is strong, bipartisan political support for an NDIS, that $10 million has been allocated to preparatory work by government and a further $10 million for innovation projects.  We also know the timeline recommended by the Productivity Commission Report has been brought forward and that the current government has formally included the NDIS in their party policy platform.

We need to better understand the difference between a highly rationed funding scheme and an entitlement based social insurance scheme.

We need to better understand how to ensure the assessment gateway includes rather than excludes the people it is designed to assist.

We need to ensure there are strong safeguards, both structurally and in terms of access to independent advocacy and appeals mechanisms, so that vulnerable people are not made more vulnerable.

We need to ensure that safeguarding and risk management don’t stifle the development of unique supports for individuals or the emergence of real innovation in service response.

The development of the Blue Skies Vision for an Inclusive Community, by an unusual alliance of stakeholders from the disability sector, was a response to the same broken system reported by the Productivity Commission in 2011 and several national inquiries before that.  While now two years old, the Blue Skies Vision for an Inclusive Community, and its underpinning principles and elements, remain fresh and relevant.  They provide a strong base from which to develop our understanding of what an NDIS will bring.

Past blue skies events and workshops

Social Innovation – Exploring Social Enterprise and Social Return on investment

21st and 2nd June 2011 – Workshop presentation by Cheryl Kernot, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Centre for Social Impact, UNSW

View the video from Day 1 here

View the video from Day 2 here

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Consultation on Brisbane City Council Draft Access and Inclusion Plan – 2012 – 2017.

Workshop 27/5/11. Host – Gerard Dowling, Business Alignment Manager, Inclusive Communities, Brisbane City Council.

View the video and access downloads here.

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Rebuilding Queensland Better – Universal Design and Good Planning.

Workshop 1 – 25th March 2011. Host – Marg Ward, QAUHD

View the video and access downloads here.

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How should Blue Skies respond to the Productivity Commission Report on a National Disability Insurance Scheme

Workshop 2 – 25th March 2011. Host – Kevin Cocks

View the video and access downloads here.

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Focus on Education – How do we create and acknowledge inclusive school communities?

Workshop 3 – 25th March 2011. Host – Jenny Duke, QUT

View the video and access downloads here

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You can download the meeting summaries from previous Blue Skies Workshops here

Conversation Meeting Summary – 25th March 2011