Something that comes up almost every day in sessions now is the stress and uncertainty surrounding the current NDIS reforms.
“What will this mean for my plan?”
“What evidence are the NDIS looking for?”
“How quickly will my plan be affected?”
I wish I had clear answers to these questions. Truthfully, I’m not sure the NDIS has all the answers yet either. What I do know is that this level of uncertainty and stress, associated with a system that is supposed to support and uplift disabled members of our community, is having the opposite effect.
When clients come into sessions with this looming fear that they may soon have to survive with even less support, the concept of engaging in capacity building Occupational Therapy can feel almost impossible.
If we think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, capacity building sits towards the top. It relies on a person having some level of safety, security, connection and belonging underneath them.
How are we expecting people to build capacity when those foundations feel increasingly uncertain?
How can someone focus on becoming more independent, developing new skills or working towards meaningful goals when they are worried about whether the supports that currently allow them to function will still be there?
And since when did social and community connection become something we could afford to dismiss?
We have decades of research demonstrating the importance of social connection and belonging. Social connectedness is associated with better physical and mental health, greater resilience and even longevity. Yet social and community participation continues to feel like one of the areas participants are being asked to justify again and again.
It is hard not to feel angry about that.
I find myself wondering how much more many of the people I work with can take.
How many more times can someone be told that their needs are not important enough?
How many more supports can be knocked back when the evidence demonstrates why those supports matter?
How many times can someone be asked to prove their disability, their limitations and their need for support before the process itself begins causing harm?
I want Holistic Bloom to be a space for connection, belonging and, most importantly, safety.
To any NDIS participants, families or carers reading this, I want you to know that we are with you and we hear you.
We see how frightening this period of uncertainty is for people who rely on the Scheme. We see the exhaustion that comes from continually having to advocate for support. And we see the impact that uncertainty can have long before a funding decision is ever actually made.
You are not alone in feeling this.
As the OT behind Holistic Bloom, advocacy has become one of the most pivotal parts of my role. It isn't the reason I originally got into this work, but over the years I have come to understand just how important it is.
Especially now.
I cannot promise what the next round of NDIS reforms will mean for every participant or every plan.
But I can promise that Holistic Bloom will continue to listen, to advocate, to document the evidence and to stand beside the people we support while we navigate it together.
