The NSW Government hosted a special event to celebrate Down Syndrome Day.  NSW Disability Minister, Gareth Ward said organisations like Down Syndrome NSW play a pivotal role in advocating for people with disability across the state.

“Today was a great opportunity to meet people benefiting from the NDIS, their families and advocates, to hear what’s working and what can be improved. The NSW Government has provided certainty to the advocacy sector, committing funding to make sure they can continue doing the important work they do.”

Speaking after the event to F2L the minister said that the NDIS has revolutionised the support available to people with disability, transforming the lives of people across NSW. “While there are challenges ahead, I am confident about what we can do to improve the scheme by providing reasonable and necessary support,” he said.

“The NDIS is supporting around 140,000 people in NSW and more than 70,000 of those have not had support before under the old model. It is a liberating thing for people who have goals and plans to reach their full potential.”

When it comes to the vexing issue of accommodation the minister said the government was working with the Commonwealth to prevent young people from going into a nursing home and transitioning them out.

The Young People In Residential Aged Care Strategy (YPIRAC), was announced by the Commonwealth Government in February 2021. In collaboration with states and territories, the government has committed to targets that will seek to ensure there are:

  • No people under the age of 65 entering residential aged care by 2022
  • No people under the age of 45 living in residential aged care by 2022; and
  • No people under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by 2025.

According to Minister Ward about 7 per cent of NDIS participants are expected to seek access to Specialist Disability Housing (SDA), which he said, “was reflective of the nature of the scheme”.

Read what other speakers at the event, disability advocate Tara Elliffe and Lorraine Clark and Amelia Burfitt, both from Down Syndrome NSW,  see following story.

Image: NSW Disability Minister Gareth Ward, Tara Elliffe and NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet