A new regional group in Victoria has recently been set up by parents of young children living with disability.

The group commenced with a series of 4 NDIS workshops for the first 4 meetings.

The group has learnt about and discussed NDIS eligibility, reasonable and necessary supports, preparing for NDIS planning and managing an NDIS plan. In this particular meeting the group were discussing advocacy in the NDIS context.

There are usually 8 participants in the group, and the facilitator thinks a smaller group has helped:

“Although the group was small there was a lot of information sharing. One parent disclosed that she is dyslexic and was feeling overwhelmed to think she will need to navigate the NDIS with limited reading and writing skills.  Although this parent had attended all other sessions, she had only hinted at limited computer skills in the past.  I think because it was a session which had smaller numbers, she felt more comfortable to disclose to the group.

Another parent has teamed up with her to help her navigate the NDIS.  The peer support benefits of this group are evident when scenarios like this arise and the parents are able to lean on each other outside of the sessions for support.”

You can find out more about ACD through its website: www.acd.org.au