Perspectives of the National Disability Insurance Scheme: participants’ knowledge and expectations of the scheme

Abstract

Limited research investigates future participants’ perspectives of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – Australia’s first national attempt towards self-directed disability service provision. To identify future participants’ perspectives, seventy people with disability in South-East Queensland participated in an interview. Over half the participants demonstrated having little to no knowledge of the NDIS. Participants’ expected that: (i) they would make decisions around organising and paying support and (ii) that their current service provider would provide the support. Participants also indicated that training around budgeting and hiring would be essential to ensure their successfully engagement with the NDIS. The findings are timely and provide a first-hand account of how people with disability intend to engage with self-directed support programs. Findings also imply that targeted information dissemination and participant training and support are necessary to ensure their successful participation within self-directed programs.