Our Difference: An NDIS Provider with Lived Experience
In the NDIS space it’s not easy to find a provider with lived experience of disability. Believe me, I’ve tried! It’s one of the reasons we started Culture Connex after years of attempting to get the right help and support I needed to thrive.
As a C5/C6 quadraplegic and NDIS participant, I’m in the unique position of having a wheel in both sides of the disability sector. It’s given me and my team valuable insight into what it’s like to be both a provider and participant and helped us to tailor the services we offer.
Other providers might say they understand disability. But, unless you know first hand what it’s like to navigate a world not designed for anyone outside the box labelled ‘normal’, it’s impossible to truly understand the day-to-day challenges we face.
From physical inaccessibility to unconscious bias and discrimination, disability comes with a host of challenges that are not confined to a single diagnosis or condition. That’s why we established Culture Connex, as a way to provide a new level of understanding, support and assistance to anyone living with a disability.
We share our first-hand knowledge
We’re here to help you and your family obtain the support you need. While the NDIS offers opportunities to live a better life, giving you more choice and control, it’s not always a straightforward process to access the system. Especially, if you’re not sure what you can and should be asking for in the first place.
Having navigated the disability sector for the last decade, I know all too well how hard it is to access support. With the goal posts constantly changing, it’s not easy to keep up with all the changes, let alone getting the right help and support you need. Our job is to help smooth the way, guide you through the changes and get a plan that’s right for you.
We’re here to share our first-hand experience of successfully navigating the system to help build your advocacy skills and guide you towards more tangible outcomes. We truly believe that it’s crucial we have people with lived experience in the disability sector to provide the right insight, understanding and support.
We know it’s not all about the challenges
Yes, there are challenges when living with a disability, but we also know that’s not the whole story. While it’s important to focus on what you’re struggling to do to access the support you need, it’s just as vital to recognise your strengths and your ability.
The emphasis on always having to provide evidence on what you can’t do makes it hard to change tack and focus on what you can do. Again, we get that. We’re committed to working with you to provide disability services to build on your strengths and help you achieve your goals because we know that little changes can make a big difference.
We all want to live our best lives. We can help you do that by guiding you through the NDIS application and planning process, coordinating your supports, helping you access suitable accommodation (including home modifications) and supplying disability support workers to help you in everyday life.
We’re here for Aboriginal mob with disability
A proud Wonnarua/Kamilaroi man, I’m committed to delivering disability support in culturally appropriate ways. The intersection of disability and Aboriginality is not well understood by most providers and I want to make it easier for indigenous participants to access the right support to meet their needs.
I’ve travelled all over the country through urban, rural and remote Australia (The Outback) to listen and talk to mob with disability about how to access resources, to best represented the needs of our community. Every mob is different whether it’s Bundjalung, Yorta Yorta, Warlpiri, Whadjuk or Nukunu so the approach of how services in person or through technology are tailored to the mobs needs.
Culture Connex is truly proud to provide specialist support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and we’re committed to continuing to do so in culturally appropriate and sensitive ways.
The Culture Connex Difference
Armed with first-hand experience, we understand how the actions of providers can impact the participant experience. That’s why we work hard to balance your individual needs with the expectations of the NDIS, using our expert knowledge to resolve issues and find long term solutions.
Like you, we don’t believe disability should limit what you do or stop you from achieving your goals. That’s why we’re here to help you get the support you need to live a full and meaningful life, wherever you are and whatever your disability.
New to the NDIS or wanting to get more from your plan? Contact the team at Culture Connex to find out how we can help you access the disability support you need.
