Disability Services Darwin

 Disability services Darwin is a program of advocacy to support people with disabilities. Increased 'on the job' training is required to build AHA confidence in disability delegation. This is a significant time and revenue requirement for private disability practices. The NT is a region with high socio-economic disadvantage and ongoing issues with workforce recruitment and retention.

1. Access to services

The National Disability Insurance Scheme or NDIS has been rolling out in Darwin and across Australia’s Northern Territory as a whole since July 2017. This program is specifically designed to help people with a disability lead everyday, relaxed lives.

The NDIS program allows participants to collaborate with their support network to first identify their needs, personal short term and long-term goals, and then decide on a personalised plan that will address them. These plans are then outlined in what’s called an NDIS Plan.

These plans can then be used to fund different support services. One such service is the Capacity Building Support Budget, which can be used to fund things like learning new skills, accessing social activities and managing challenging behaviours. The NDIS also offers mental health support, which can be funded under various categories.

4. Access to employment

Disability support workers can help individuals with disabilities find jobs, or maintain their employment. They can also help them develop skills, gain experience, and become more independent.

The NT government provides specialist disability employment services (DES) to assist people with disability and injury to find, change or maintain work. For more information, visit the JobAccess website.

Disability services offer a wide range of supports, including daily living assistance, therapy, and transportation. They can also provide support coordination and access to community engagement activities. These services are flexible and responsive to evolving needs, ensuring that every individual has access to the care they need. They can also help individuals navigate the NDIS and other available services. This way, they can lead more relaxed and fulfilling lives.

5. Access to education

The education sector continues to face many barriers relating to the educational access for students with disability. This can be seen across a wide range of sectors from the early childhood sector, through to secondary school and post-school options. There is often a lack of equivalence across regions from one type of school to another, and even between schools in the same local government area.

Teachers are frequently unprepared to deal with a student with a disability and find it very stressful, requiring extensive training and professional support. This also applies to aides, particularly those who are responsible for classroom-based support.

Parents of nondisabled students often do not disclose a child’s disability to a school, which can lead to the child being excluded or treated negatively. This is also the case for some Principals who refuse to recognise that they have obligations to accept students with disability.