The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) covers a range of permanent and significant disabilities and conditions that affect an individual's capacity to participate in everyday life. The NDIS focuses on providing support for eligible participants to achieve their goals and increase their independence.
Disabilities and Conditions Covered by the NDIS
To be eligible for support under the NDIS, individuals typically need to meet specific criteria related to the permanence and impact of their disability or condition. The covered disabilities and conditions include:
- Intellectual Disability: This refers to significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills.
- Autism: A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by challenges with social interaction, communication, and restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The NDIS supports individuals on the autism spectrum whose condition results in a permanent and significant impact on their functional capacity.
- Cerebral Palsy: A group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture. It is caused by brain damage that occurs before or during birth, or in early childhood. NDIS supports are available for those whose cerebral palsy results in a permanent and significant functional impairment.
- Genetic Conditions Resulting in Severe Impairments: This category includes various genetic conditions that lead to permanent and severe intellectual and physical impairments. These conditions significantly affect an individual's ability to perform daily activities.
- Lysosomal Storage Disorders: A group of rare, inherited metabolic disorders that result from defects in lysosomal function. Examples include:
- Gaucher Disease: A genetic disorder in which a fatty substance (lipid) accumulates in cells and certain organs, leading to a range of symptoms including bone pain, blood disorders, and neurological problems.
- Niemann-Pick Disease: Another genetic disorder where lipids accumulate in the brain, spleen, liver, lungs, and bone marrow, often leading to progressive neurological deterioration.
The NDIS aims to provide individualized funding to eligible participants to help them access the support and services they need to live an ordinary life, enhance their social and economic participation, and develop their capabilities. Eligibility is determined based on the impact of the disability on an individual's functional capacity rather than just the diagnosis itself.
