Everything is online more and more. It seems if you are not, you are missing out.
 
Whether it’s your Covid 19 vaccination certificate or arranging to get your transport funding from your NDIS plan paid to you (if you have transport funding) you need to get yourself connected to the relevant government agencies.
 
Below, we collect a few good links and resources on how to get yourself set up.

Go to this site to get started: You’ll find a video and a step-by-step guide and information in different languages.

To set yourself up you will need:

• An email address
• A mobile phone (if you don't have a mobile phone you can still make it work)
• A password you will remember (or have written down in secure place that you will remember how to find)
• 3 secret questions and answers tp those questions (you can choose from the options provided or make up your own questions and answers)

Follow the video and/or step by step guide to help you.

Once all that’s done, you will be sent your username and password to your email address and then you can start linking your other government services such a NDIS, Centrelink, Medicare and others
 
(Please note you can also now sign up for mygovID. mygovID like your digitial identity. If you want to know more try this link )

Once you are linked, you will be able to see things like

• Your plan
• Your budget
• Your service bookings
• You can add your bank details so you can receive your fortnightly transport payments (if you get those,  not everyone does)
• And lots more

The NDIS has also created a step by step guide for all things on the 'myplace' portal and you can download the guide.  

When you are ready to set it all up, you will need to call the NDIS 1800 800 110 to get a NDIS Activation Code.

If you want to read more, here is the link to the NDIS website where they keep everything to do with how to access your NDIS myplace portal.

 There are loads of other Australian Government agencies you can link with through your myGov account if you choose to.  myGov is convenient way to access and manage your information with those other agencies.  Check them out!

​​Peta says that it hasn’t always been like that.  In the past, she had no say in who would be assisting her, or when they would come.  Often they were casual ‘fill ins’ that she didn’t know before they arrived, and they were often very late.  ​

​People tell us that their support workers are often involved in very personal parts of their lives.  They rely on them in very vulnerable times when they need assistance the most.  They can be the difference between a bad day and an awesome day.  
Support workers are often key tools in assisting with achieving goals and getting on with living our best lives. We know that people often spend a lot of time with a support worker, so having the right person is important.

6. Plan for meeting and interviewing 
Most people prefer to interview their potential support workers before agreeing to work with them.
You can organise to meet someone by phone, online (through face time, Skype or Zoom), email or in person.

This will give you the opportunity to ask them about:

• their experience with people with a disability
• their qualifications and other skills,
• maybe their find out about their hobbies and interests.  
• It also give you the chance to see if think you will get along.

Think about questions you would like to ask them beforehand and maybe write them down.
 
Also be mindful of things that are not ok to ask in an interview, because they might be considered private or could be seen as being discriminatory.
If you have decided to ask a disability support organisation to provide your support workers, ask the organisation about how you can meet and interview potential support workers before they commence working with you.
Some more tips for meeting, interviewing and deciding on potential support workers 

• Be careful when advertising and meeting people for the first time to keep yourself safe

• If you are meeting face to face - meet  in a public place the first time – for example, at a library, in a café or at the pub
• Think about questions you would like to ask them and what would you like to know about them.
• Ask for contacts for their referees – so you can find out a little bit more about them and what they are like to work with
• Check out if they have a current NDIS Worker Check , First Aid Certificate, drivers licence and car insurance (if you will be needing them to help with transport)
• Check if there have been any concerns with their work in the past or if they are not allowed to work as a support worker: 
• You might like to take a friend or someone you trust with you so that you can hear their thoughts on the person as well ​

7. Know how to make an agreement
Once you’ve decided on your new support worker/s, it’s a good idea to have a written agreement in place between you and your support worker or their organisation that you both agree to and sign.
The agreement should set out things like:

• What the support worker will assist you with and when
• Any expectations about how you will treat each other
• How much you will pay them and how you will pay them
• What to do if things go wrong
• How to end or change the agreement
• Any contact details for you, the person and emergency contact
• Space for signatures and dates 

If you are directly engaging your support worker, it should also include things like:

• Who is responsible for paying income tax, GST, superannuation etc
• Any insurance arrangements and who is responsible for those

It wasn't all that easy getting his power wheelchair. He and his mum had to go all the way to the AAT (the Administrative Appeals Tribunal) to get this chair funded by the NDIA.
 
Below we explore Assistive Technology (AT) a bit more and some tips for getting all your evidence together to get the piece of equipment you need.
 
What is Assistive Technology (AT): 
 
One way to understand assistive technology is to think of it as a bridge between a person with disability and their environment. For example, a wheelchair can be a bridge to get around in the community. 
 
Generally, AT are gadgets, tools, pieces of equipment that assist people to do something more easily or do something that without it, they could not do because of their disability.
 
The best starting point to thinking about AT and what the NDIA might fund, is to think about your goals and what you will need to help you to achieve those goals.  Perhaps you need to be able to move around in your community and you need a wheelchair to help you to do that. Perhaps you want to be able to help other people to understand you, and you need an app that helps you to communicate.  Or perhaps you want to be safe when you have a shower, and a shower chair would help you to do that.
 
When thinking about using your NDIS Plan to help you to buy the AT you need, it helps to think about it in terms of risks and cost.
 
Low risk (Low cost) items:
 
There are items that the NDIA considers to be low cost and low risk. Many people might find a reference to those in their plan in relation to core funding. The NDIA says this includes items that are:

• “unlikely to cause harm in day-to-day life
• available for trial and/or can be purchased in retail stores
• easy to set up and safely use without professional advice.”

 
This might include items such as:

• an app that helps you understand something, 
• a whiteboard that helps you remember something, 
• a long handled mechanical reaching tool, that helps you pick things up off the floor, 
• a modified spoon, 
• a sock slider, 
• communication books and boards, 
• alerting systems
• and more …

 
Many of these AT tools cost below $1500.
 
Generally speaking, you do not need an assessment from an allied health professional.  (For items over $500, we recommend that you get an email or something from your allied health specialist saying why this item is necessary and reasonable for you and that you need it because of your disability.  This email or letter doesn’t need to be very long, just a couple of paragraphs).
 
If you have ‘low cost, low risk consumables’ in your plan and your plan is agency managed you need to go to a NDIA registered provider to buy the piece of equipment (your allied health person can help with that).

If you have ‘low cost, low risk consumables’ in your NDIS plan and it is plan managed, we recommend that you have a chat with your Plan Manager first and work out the easiest way to get the item you want. You can then also find out if there is a price limit on the specific item. Being plan managed, you can then buy what you need from pretty much any shop, you don’t have to buy it only from a shop that is registered with NDIA. 
 
If you are self-managing your NDIS plan, you can also purchase it from any shop. 
 
Please note that some low-cost AT items are considered high risk and, even if you are not sure if it is or not, you really should get advice from an allied health professional about purchasing your AT.
 
Higher risk (and higher cost):
 
Higher risk items include products that

• are complex, such as a power wheelchair
• are known to have injured people are to be used for a restrictive practice
• need to be fitted for the person who will be using it
• require professional advice, setup, or training to use safely.

 
Most higher risk items also come with a higher price tag. But some low costs items can also be high risk, so it’s important to talk this through with an allied health professional who is trained to know about them.  
 
If you think you need a higher risk or higher cost  AT item, you will generally need to have it specifically included in your Plan. To get it into your Plan you generally need a report (and a quote) from an allied health professional saying why you need this AT. 
 
It’s also important that you remember to also get funding to:

• trial new technology (short term rental arrangements), 
• repairs and maintenance of your AT, and 
• replacements of existing equipment if it breaks or wears out.