journey to independent living
An innovative scheme being considered by Sydney-based disability support provider Northcott could see university students work as carers for people with disability in exchange for free rent , writes Gretta Serov .
As more and more people with disability are getting prepared for the NDIS we find ourselves thinking about our plans for the future . Personally , as I hear the chatter around the disability community , I ’ m coming to realise that the main thing the majority of people my age want to get out of the NDIS is the ability to live independently or in a shared environment of their choosing .
Like many others , I have been on this journey and tossing up a range of options for many years now . This came more vividly into my thoughts last year when I received a Community Support Package which was surprisingly , a significantly larger sum of funding than I had expected . At the time I was very excited and had plans to move out almost immediately .
Admittedly this didn ’ t happen and a year on I ’ m still trying to work out the logistics of moving out . I need to consider factors such as my physical care needs , personality type , interests , safety as well as specific preferences , such as where I want to live . It ’ s through the process of fitting all these needs and wants together that it has become a much longer journey than I initially expected .
However , in saying that I ’ m excited to say that over the past few months I ’ ve had discussions with an inspiring team of Northcott managers about a possible solution to my needs and desires . To put it simply , the concept we as a team thought of was to utilise Northcott ’ s connection with Western Sydney University ( which is my university ) and offer students the opportunity to receive free rent in exchange for after hours care for me and hopefully other suitable clients of Northcott .
Being a uni student myself , I get the sense that if successful , this scheme has the potential to assist all parties involved . It offers people with disability the opportunity to live in a youngish environment with the ability to be as independent as possible . Similarly , it would provide
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