-->
How the listen button works By clicking the Listen button the text will be read out in full. To stop this, click the button again. To listen to certain parts of the text, simply highlight the text to hear the audio. More information
A+
large
A−
small
invert
colour
Group 3
reset

Summer Foundation will design better housing and living solutions for Australians with disability who need access to 24/7 support, here’s why 

Since 2006 the Summer Foundation has been working to stop younger people with disability being forced into aged care. 

In collaboration with other organisations, we have helped 7,500 young people with disability avoid residential aged care. 

It is now accepted that residential aged care is not suitable for young people with disability. The proposed changes to the Aged Care Act will strengthen this position by making it more difficult for people under 65 to access funding for residential aged care. 

Yet the problem of finding appropriate housing and support for people who require access to 24/7 support remains.

The only option for many of these people is to live in group homes where the support is often poor quality, expensive, and puts people at increased risk of violence, abuse and neglect.

Our research and experience shows that better outcomes are possible and affordable for government. People with complex support needs have the right to equitable and inclusive housing, support and services. 

We are home to one of Australia’s leading disability research teams. 

We want to build on this evidence base by collaborating with people with disability and like-minded organisations, including universities, technology innovators and service providers, to deliver better housing and living solutions for the more than 40,000 Australians with disability who need access to 24/7 support.

Young people in residential aged care will always be important to us, and are part of the more than 40,000 Australians with disability who need better housing and living solutions. 

Our work will continue to be evidence based and co-designed with end-users. 

We are excited about our new direction. We aim to set a new standard in housing and living supports – one that lifts expectations of what a good life and future can look like for Australians with disability with high support needs. 

On the NEW episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets Dr Sam Bennett from the Grattan Institute to discuss his new report on reforming NDIS housing and support: https://grattan.edu.au/report/better-safer-more-sustainable-how-to-reform-ndis-housing-and-support/ 

He is also joined by Nicole Cox from MyPlace, an organisation that has been supporting people with disabilities to establish and maintain individualised home and living solutions for almost 30 years. 

How can we help more people with disabilities escape from group homes and live more inclusive lives in the community? Let’s find out!

Download transcript

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

View all podcasts

A Summer Foundation report released today identifies innovative examples of housing and living options both in Australia and overseas that are delivering better outcomes for people with disability. 

Despite the significant investment in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), many people who need access to 24/7 support are still living in group homes where the support is often poor quality, expensive, and puts people at increased risk of violence, abuse and neglect. 

Both the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review called for urgent reform in housing and living supports to address poor outcomes and significant cost pressures on the NDIS.

The cost of Supported Independent Living has increased by 26% annually over the past 2 years, from $8.8 billion to $14 billion. 

The Summer Foundation’s Innovation in housing and living for people with disability: Environmental scan report, has identified promising models of innovation that can create alternative options to group homes, spanning housing, support and technology. 

The report shows that while there are only pockets of innovation in Australia, other countries have managed to scale up innovative models of housing and living supports that are delivering better outcomes for people with disability, and are more cost-effective. 

The scan identified 23 Australian and international examples of innovation in housing and living, including:

  • Host arrangements: A person with disability is matched with an approved carer who has a spare room in their home. The participant shares in the host’s family and community life (UK, US and WA) 
  • Home-share arrangements: A person needing support has a home with a spare room and offers it for free or at low-cost rent to a ‘home sharer’ in exchange for some informal or occasional support (Australia, UK, Canada). 
  • Night Time Attendant Care: Mobile team of support workers operating overnight, providing drop in support to assist with transfers, repositioning and medication assistance, and other services that may enhance comfort overnight (QLD, VIC and NSW). 

The models in the report were found to be more individualised and inclusive than group homes and were suited to the population of NDIS participants.

Summer Foundation CEO, Dr Di Winkler AM, said the scan suggested there is potential to use a combination of models to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of housing and living support delivered in Australia. 

“While technology has transformed service delivery in most other industries, the way support is delivered in disability housing has changed little over the past two decades,” Dr Winkler said. 

“The National Disability Insurance Agency has an important role to play encouraging investment in technology and guiding the market towards its use.

“The reform of the NDIS needs to make sure that policy, regulation and the pricing framework support the scaling of models that deliver positive outcomes for participants that are affordable for government.” 

Dr Winkler said there is an urgent need to pilot and scale more innovative and contemporary models of housing and support that deliver better outcomes for people with disability and the government.

“Without innovation and disruption in the way support is delivered in disability housing and support, there is little hope of achieving the radical change in quality needed,” Dr Winkler said.  

“We need the government and the sector to embrace innovation and be prepared to do things differently to deliver better outcomes for Australians with disability who have high support needs.” 

Read the Innovation in housing and living support for people with disability: Environmental scan report.

The Summer Foundation is an Australian organisation investing in identifying, designing and scaling up great ideas that deliver better housing and living solutions for Australians with disability who need access to 24/7 support.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr John Daley AM and Jo-Anna Camilleri-Olin to the Summer Foundation Board. 

Summer Foundation is embarking on an ambitious new agenda to invest in identifying, developing and scaling up better housing and living solutions for the 40,000 Australians with disability who need access to 24/7 support. 

We are home to one of Australia’s leading disability research teams. We want to build on this evidence base by collaborating with people with disability and like-minded organisations, including universities, technology innovators and service providers, to deliver solutions for Australians with disability with high support needs. 

We are excited and privileged to have John and Jo-Anna join the Board at this exciting time for the organisation. 

John is one of Australia’s leading public policy thinkers. He was the founding Chief Executive of the Grattan Institute from 2009 to 2020, which he led to become Australia’s leading domestic policy think tank. 

John is now an independent strategy consultant, combining policy, economics and business insights. Previously John was a partner at EY Port Jackson Partners, the Group General Manager of Strategy at ANZ Bank, Managing Director of E*TRADE Australia, and also worked at McKinsey and Co, the University of Melbourne, the University of Oxford, and the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet. 

John graduated from the University of Oxford with a doctorate in public law after completing undergraduate degrees in law and science at the University of Melbourne. 

Jo-Anna Camilleri-Olin is a program leader at Atlassian, with broad domestic and international industry experience across technology in Banking, Education and Government. Having served listed and community-owned organisations in Australia and the United States, multinationals and universities, Jo-Anna has worked at the intersection of innovation, technology and product for over 20 years.  

Jo-Anna holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing / Economics) (Hons) from Swinburne University, a GradDip Applied Science (Human Services Research) from RMIT and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of California (Davis). Jo-Anna also brings lived experience of disability.

Source: The Conversation – Dr Dianne Winkler and Dr George Taleporos

You might think having a list of things that are “in” or “out” seems like a pragmatic way to contain the costs of the NDIS. But a lengthy government proposed list of exclusions could force people with disability to use more costly services. It might also exclude people from mainstream services and force them into segregated settings. This is contrary to the very intent of the NDIS – to promote the participation and inclusion of people with disability in the community.

In an article for The Conversation, Summer Foundation CEO, Dr Di Winkler and Dr George Taleporos argue that prescriptive lists can stymie independence and innovation.

Read the article

Read More

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets Sam Paior from The Growing Space and Chris Coombes from DSC. They discuss the Government’s attempt to redefine what the NDIS will pay for.

They examine the draft lists of NDIS supports and consider what should and should not be included. They also discuss some of  the unintended consequences of narrowing the definition of an NDIS support.

Download transcript

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

View all podcasts

Source: ABC News – Sam Nichols

ABC News have reported on Building Better Homes rally against the NSW government, as we call for measures to ensure new residential dwellings in the state meet mandatory “Silver Level” Livable Housing Design standards.

“We deserve to have our government uphold our basic human rights as those who deserve housing,” Julie Charlton told the ABC. Julie is a wheelchair user who was born with spina bifida, and will attending the rally in Sydney’s CBD today.

In 2022, the National Construction Code introduced a mandatory standard in accessibility. However, NSW is one of two jurisdictions that has chosen not to opt in.

A new campaign has been launched to stop the New South Wales Government discriminating against people with disability and older Australians.

The NSW Government is one of only 2 state governments that have refused to sign up to mandatory accessibility standards for new houses.

Read the article

Building Better Homes is a coalition of peak bodies and agencies working to secure mandatory accessibility standards in new developments across Australia.

Read More

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess. They chat about her fight for disability rights on the world stage and what she thinks about changes to the NDIS back home. They also cover the disability Royal Commission and the Disability Discrimination Act.

Rosemary calls for minimum accessibility standards for all new housing, an end to segregation, and a human rights-based approach across all government policy.  

Download transcript

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

View all podcasts

A new campaign has been launched to stop the New South Wales Government discriminating against people with disability and older Australians.

The NSW Government is one of only 2 state governments that have refused to sign up to mandatory accessibility standards for new houses.

Read More

Source: ABC News – Nick McAllister

Christie Lewis has been on a waiting list for accessible housing in Western Australia for more than 7 years. Her existing rental is too small to accommodate her wheelchair. Christie feels “really, really isolated” in her Perth rental house.

If all new housing in WA met the minimum housing standards outlined in the National Construction Code, renters like Christie would have more options to live in a home that meets their needs. WA has not joined the rest of the country in adopting the required “silver” standard of livable housing design.

Mary Sayers, director of the Building Better Homes campaign said, “we want the NSW and WA governments to understand the costs of the accessibility standards at the time of build is negligible, and all other states and territories have commenced the transition to mandatory standards, so it is achievable.”

Read the article

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with disability rights advocate El Gibbs and disability law expert Mitchell Skipsey to discuss the NDIS Bill, the recent amendments and what is needed to ensure that the NDIS Bill meets the needs of NDIS participants.

The guests highlight the importance of constraints on the NDIA’s information gathering powers and the need for strengthening avenues for appeals. They also highlight the importance of considering the whole person in determining support packages. They explain what happens next and express hope that the Senate committee will recommend further amendments to address the concerns of the disability community.

Download transcript

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

View all podcasts

Source: The Conversation – Dr Di Winkler

The Federal Government is unlikely to meet its target of getting every younger person out of aged care by next year.

In an article for The Conversation, Summer Foundation CEO Dr Di Winkler welcomed the 31% decrease in the numbers of younger people in aged care but said it was largely due to people dying or ageing out of the YPIRAC cohort. She explores the issues behind the numbers.

Five years ago, the target seemed achievable. The policy change is a hollow victory for the hundreds of younger people in aged care and families who have told their stories to Senate inquiries, the Disability Royal Commission, and the media to advocate for change.

The design flaws in the NDIS urgently need to be fixed to incentivise the delivery of high quality and cost-effective housing and living supports.

Better is possible and affordable by leveraging a range of technology to enhance or replace paid workers and foster greater independence and social and community connection.

Hopefully the amendments to the NDIS legislation which will support the introduction of ‘flexible budgets’ will be a positive first step in building a scheme that drives innovation and delivers better outcomes for YPIRAC and other people who need access to 24/7 support.

Read the article

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John to understand his position on the changes to the NDIS legislation that are currently before Parliament.

The Senator expresses concerns and why he believes these changes will negatively impact participants. He explains his thinking behind this position and why the changes may result in less choice and control for NDIS participants. 

Download transcript

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

View all podcasts

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 presents a valuable opportunity to realise an improved NDIS that is less adversarial and more fit-for-purpose. Without timely legislative reform which more clearly articulates who the Scheme is for, the funding each person receives and how it can be used, the Scheme is at risk of not delivering on its vision.

The Summer Foundation’s submission on the Bill makes 6 recommendations. These include the Government fulfilling its commitment to meaningful engagement and co-design with the disability community on the development of NDIS Rules and legislative instruments, and the implementation of the legislation.

Read our submission

The 47th annual Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI) conference was held in Sydney on May 2 – 4. We had 6 of our researchers presenting at the conference on a range of topics. These included the experience of the built environment for people with complex needs and disability, mental wellbeing in individualised housing, hospital discharge planning and individualised housing and supports for individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Dr Kate D’Cruz (pictured above) presented the findings of a study on co-designing with people with neurological disability and talked about the obstacles and opportunities for authentic, collaborative practice.

Co-design was a prominent theme of the conference embracing the importance of the voice of individuals experiencing and impacted by neurological disability.

The conference was an incredible opportunity to share our research with peers and colleagues. Our research team are always excited to share our research findings please reach out if you have any questions research@summerfoundation.org.au.

Research library

Browse our wide range of research reports and journal articles.

Visit the library

As Rick says, home wasn’t built in a day, but he shares some valuable tips after his recent move into his own SDA apartment.

Read More

Welcome to our May newsletter.

While new legislation is urgently needed to get the NDIS back on track, these changes are also creating uncertainty for people with disability and families.

The Summer Foundation is working to make sure that NDIS 2.0 works for people with disability who need access to 24/7 support. Our latest article in The Conversation addresses concerns regarding choice and control related to housing and the NDIS Review recommendation that on average support in disability housing be funded at a 1:3 ratio i.e. 1 support worker supporting 3 people with disability. Read more here.

Dr George continues to help us all make sense of proposed disability reform by interviewing a range of experts and asking great questions. The latest episode of Reasonable & Necessary helps demystify the draft NDIS legislation.

ABC News and ABC Radio’s The World Today reported last week on the Summer Foundation’s latest research, which explores the views of building and design sector professionals when integrating accessible design standards into new housing. The research supports the Building Better Homes campaign in advocating for all Australian states to sign up to the mandatory construction code that specifies 7 accessible standards for all new homes.

You can also read about our latest published research here.

For me, the highlight of this newsletter is the article by Katy Skene sharing her story and her experience of working with our Co-design team.

I hope you enjoy reading about our ongoing work.

Subscribe to our Summer Foundation Focus updates

View all articles in this issue

Meet Katy

Meet Katy who is sharing her lived experience as part of our Co-design team.
Read More

Source: ABC The World Today – Alison Xiao

Disability support advocates have told ABC News that national accessibility design standards aimed at improving accessibility for people living with disability could also enable older people to live at home for longer.

New research released by the Summer Foundation found that the construction sector is optimistic about implementing accessible designs. “The features we’re talking about are not a big ask and we’ll just end up with better quality housing that is future-proof,” said the Summer Foundation CEO, Dr Di Winkler.

Peak representative bodies must provide more training for builders and architects, and the distribution of consistent resources and practical guidance for industry members.

“It’s things like case studies, and exemplars of accessible design, including drawings and templates, lists of compliant products and suppliers, and then workshops, professional development opportunities, and just how-to materials,” Dr Winkler said.

View the article

Source: The Conversation – Di Winkler and Jacinta Douglas

The Summer Foundation CEO, Dr Di Winkler and La Trobe University’s Professor Jacinta Douglas ask questions around the NDIS Review recommendations in their latest article for The Conversation Australia + NZ. Specifically, they raise questions around how potential reforms could risk taking away choice and control from people with disability and raises the possibility they may be denied the option of choosing where they live, and with whom.

While some of the proposed legislation will see improvements for people with disability, there are risks with some recommendations.

“Policy makers have wrongly assumed people with disability need to live together for there to be efficiencies in the system and their supports… Forcing NDIS participants to share with others instead of allowing single-occupancy dwellings located together has the potential to drive up support costs and perpetuate violence and abuse.”

The current housing and support model does not incentivise disability support providers to support people to become more independent or establish a user-driven market. Better data around housing and support needs and preferences would inform NDIS policy to incentivise new user-led services.

View the article

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with disability law experts Mitchell Skipsey, and Dr. Darren O’Donovan to understand the changes to the NDIS Act.

They explore the reasons for the changes, and how the various changes may impact on NDIS participants. The conversation highlights the importance of involving people with disabilities in the decision-making process and ensuring that the changes lead to positive outcomes for participants.

The experts emphasise the need for stronger protections to ensure participant choice and control are upheld. The experts suggest some amendments to the Act and encourage listeners to engage in the Senate inquiry and make submissions to express their views and concerns.

Have your say on the NDIS Bill here. 

Submissions are now due on 17 May.

Download transcript

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, (Apple Podcasts) or Spotify. 

View all podcasts

Source: ABC News – Jade Toomey

The Summer Foundation’s Dr Megan Topping has called for the NDIS to take people with lived experience seriously, and for the disability community to be more involved in decisions about their own care.

ABC News reported on Will Golding – who lives with a genetic condition – struggled through school, and feared he wouldn’t have coped at university, but has managed to create his dream career.

However, it didn’t come easily. The 25-year-old was paying a support worker through the NDIS for years to help him become more social. Instead, he would spend all day alone in his room, playing video games to manage the isolation.

Will said it was a result of NDIS carers who were too inexperienced, and turned over too quickly to know what to do with a young neurodiverse adult.

“So much of what makes support ‘quality’ is that human connection,” Dr Topping said.

Will now runs video gaming atrium Ignition Gamers in Canberra for young neurodiverse adults who struggle to find a community after leaving school.

View the article

Discharge planning can be a lengthy process when a person has acquired disability and complex support needs. As a result, the experience of transitioning from hospital to home is often stressful.

A scoping review by La Trobe University and the Summer Foundation integrated studies on hospital discharge outcomes for people with acquired disability and complex support needs.

The study suggests that improving care continuity and coordination, initiating support and funding applications early, and involving patients and their networks in the discharge planning process could significantly improve outcomes for young adults with acquired disability and complex support needs.

Read the research summary here

A few months after the Federal Government announced it is pushing back its formal response to the Disability Royal Commission, it has now confirmed that proposed aged care reforms will also be delayed. People with disability and people in the aged care system are among the most vulnerable in our community. They have waited long enough for a more fair and just society.

The amended eligibility criteria in the new Aged Care Act is a necessary measure to close the door to younger people with disability entering residential aged care. It is disappointing that the legislation will not be implemented by 1 July 2024 as originally planned.

People using the aged care system, including younger people with disability, will continue to experience poor outcomes the longer these reforms are delayed.

Channel 9 broke the news here.

Read Minister Wells’ media statement.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce to understand the role of the taskforce and learn if changes to registration requirements will impact on our rights to choice and control in the NDIS.
Download transcript

To learn more check out the website below: https://www.dss.gov.au/disability-and-carers-standards-and-quality-assurance/ndis-provider-and-worker-registration-taskforce

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, (Apple Podcasts) or Spotify. 

View all podcasts

Witnessing how her young patients with acute brain injury were put into aged care, Dr Di Winkler AM used the power of research to fundamentally re-shape how we think about housing for people with a disability.

Establishing the Summer Foundation as a not-for-profit in 2006, Di initially wanted the organisation to provide high-quality information – for people at risk of moving into the aged care system, and for their families, who may not be aware of alternative support options.

“I wanted to help people make informed choices but also to connect people. I was really struck that many families felt like they were the only ones in that situation, that they were facing the choice to move their adult child into aged care.”

Since that time, the organisation has grown to become much more.

Read the full article and watch the video here.