The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will provide all Australians who have a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to enjoy an ordinary life. These supports include those that help them meet their goals such as access to Vocational Education and Training (VET).
The NDIS will fund specific supports that are related to the participant's disability, which will enable them to engage in higher education or VET courses.
This support includes:
- Personal care on campus related to the participant's disability, such as assistance with eating or self-care
- assistance with transport to and from campus that is required because of the participant's disability
- aids and equipment that is transportable such as a wheelchair, personal communication device or a hearing aid
- specialised or intensive support to transition into higher education and VET, or transition once the participant finishes studying.
To help VET providers better understand how to support NDIS participants, the NDIS Tool Box has been created.
The NDIS Tool Box provides information on how to assist NDIS participants when enrolling or training in VET.
This valuable resource also contains information about other health and mental health supports that are available to NDIS participants, and provides links to legislative instruments and agencies that are key to the disability sector in general.
The Department of Education and Training provided grant funding to the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) (ACPET is now part of the newly formed Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia) to develop the NDIS Information Tool Box.
The development of this resource is one of a number ways the Department is working to position the VET sector to support the successful roll out of the NDIS.
The NDIS Information Tool Box can be accessed through ITECA's website.