A PolySpine Guide to the National Disability Insurance Scheme
It is crucial for individuals with disabilities to understand how you can benefit from The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Particularly if you are in the market to buy disable equipment in Sydney, as you may receive complete funding for your next assistive technology.
What is the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is Australia’s first national program providing funding directly to individuals with a disability. Within the next five years, the NDIS will be providing more than $22 billion in funding each year to more than 500 000 Australians with permanent and significant disabilities.
The funding is eligible for people with lifelong disabilities, extending across intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive and psychosocial means. With the funding, individuals will be able to hire assistance and purchase products that aid their disability on a daily basis; overall, allowing individuals to participate more in the community and reach their own goals.
What Types of Disability Support does the NDIS Fund?
Eligible individuals will receive a support plan which is uniquely tailored to cater for their needs, support and treatment, which helps to meet their personal goals. The most common types of disability support that are funded by the NDIS includes:
- Daily personal activities
- Transport
- Therapeutic support
- Help with household and workplace tasks
- Mobility equipment (assistive technology and mobility aids)
- Vehicle modifications
Regardless of the physical disability, mobility equipment is generally the most effective support for daily life. Assistive Technology refers to any device or system that allows individuals to perform tasks they cannot do themselves. Such assistive aids span a wide range of technologies that increase the mobility of individuals with physical disabilities. These include powered wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, functional electrical stimulation and wearable exoskeletons.
Is PolySpine a Registered NDIS Provider?
No Polyspine is not yet a registered NDIS provider. We are getting closer to having our product easily accessible in the public market, though we are first working towards obtaining a series of industry and regulatory approvals. We have begun human trials as of August 2020 in Sydney, Australia.
Although one of our short-term goals is to be a registered NDIS provider, we are aware that to be eligible for Assistive Technology funding, it must be included as a specific type of support on your plan. It must also be related to your disability and help you achieve the goals outlined in your plan. Generally, specialised and complex assistive technologies like Polyspine’s back brace, require an expert assessment and justification for the assistive aid, before funding is approved. But under the NDIS complexity chart, PolySpine falls under the level 3 complexity.
How does PolySpine Disable Equipment Make Life Easier?
PolySpine is modular in nature and has been designed to fit a range of attachments for different types of activities. There is a spinal piece and head support that attaches to a supporting vest so that someone is able to wear it. On the back of the spinal piece, we are able to attach various PolySpine attachments. Each attachment enables people to participate in new activities. For example, our chair attachment is designed to fit many chairs, whilst supporting someone wearing PolySpine.
PolySpine is able to help people with a range of disabilities, including people with cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, motor neuron disease and any other disabilities with similar symptomatic profiles.
More information and resources for disabled adults can be found at NDIS and Physical Disability Australia.
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with a physical disability that impacts your mobility, you may be able to benefit from PolySpine’s customisable supportive exoskeleton. Polyspine’s disability equipment can be used to increase mobility and allows the user to take part in physical activities that they would otherwise not be able to. Disabilities which impact the spine and cause limited mobility are a particular focus of the Polyspine team. Progress is underway to get our project into the hands of people who need it. For more information about PolySpine, contact our team or sign up for a trial.