What's Happening in Geelong, VIC…

The Barwon Region in Victoria has been a pilot site of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia.

The NDIS is an initiative which provides individually tailored funding directly to people with disabilities instead of to disability service organisations. The aim is to empower these people to choose their own providers and purchase their own services and equipment. This, in turn, enables them to gain and maintain their independence and increase the autonomy of disabled people in Geelong and similar areas.

At a 2015 NDIS New World Conference in Brisbane, digital technology was identified as being an important factor in improving the lives of people living with disability. It was acknowledged that there is a “digital divide” for people with disability but access to technology can bridge this divide. The introduction of the NDIS is an opportunity for printing companies to register to provide their services for those wishing to increase their opportunities with the use of digital technology.

The National Disability Victoria chief, David Moody, said that there are diverse employment opportunities for those who can provide services. Moody said that while people will still use traditional disability providers there is also the potential to use other services which are more capable of supporting them to do anything they want to, and anything anyone else can do.

The NDIS will begin rolling out nationally from July 1st.