Living your best life- NDIS supports that fit YOUR needs
Living with disability we want to participate in every area of life too. We have gone through periods of hiding out at home because it feels too hard. We have experienced the let down of not being included or even being able to join in.
Over the years I have developed a fighting spirit. I now find our best lives happen with the correct supports and strategies in place.
Here are some of the tips which may help you and your family to live your best life.
Don’t be disheartened. Yes I understand the frustration and let down when access or inclusion does not happen, yet again. Explore why this attempt didn’t go well. Then you can enlist help to explore options to set you up for success next time.
Set up the goals you would like to achieve and get a support team around you to achieve these. A Support Coordinator or allied health professionals like an Occupational Therapist can be a great start. They can assist you to break the goals down into steps and look at how NDIS funding can be used to make your goals a reality.
Educate others to be inclusive. We have found people who don’t live with our disability don’t understand the barriers we experience . When we have presented people with a solution to support us, we find majority of people are very accommodating. We don’t go into detail about our disability. We just simply say- “I’d love to come. Could we meet at the park rather than the shopping centre because I find too many people overwhelming?” It’s not seen as an imposition to others and they love that you provided them with the work around solution.
Find a great team of Support Workers. Support Workers should be connected with you, know your interests, goals and support you to achieve these. Support Workers are not babysitters or passively there watching you play X-Box or watch TV. A great Support Worker should be proactive in helping you achieve your goals. This could look like receiving training from your allied health team to support you or breaking down steps with you to work on a goal. As an example if you wanted employment you can research jobs together, talk to employers in the industry or connect with a Disability Service Provider together. While there is a time and place for ‘down time’ to refuel by engaging with tech, avoid this being the bulk of what a Support Worker does with you.
I hope some of these tips help you achieve your best life.
If you would like to discuss Therapy Assistance or Support Coordination with us please contact us here
