In the media

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George is joined by Rebecca Falkingham, CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency. In this exclusive interview, they talk through the changes to the NDIS Act that come into effect today and explain what these changes mean for participants.

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.

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.

Source: ABC The World Today – Alison Xiao
New research by the Summer Foundation has found that the construction sector is optimistic about implementing national accessibility design standards.

Source: The Conversation – Di Winkler and Jacinta Douglas
The Summer Foundation’s Dr Winkler and Prof Douglas discuss the NDIS Review recommendations in their latest article for The Conversation.

Source: ABC News – Jade Toomey
He struggled through school, feared he wouldn’t have coped at university, and lives with a genetic condition, but Will Golding has used his disability to create his dream career.

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.

Source: latrobe.edu.au
Summer Foundation’s CEO and founder Dr Di Winkler AM has been presented with a 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from La Trobe University.

It’s been 3 months since the NDIS Review called for a total rethink of disability support in Australia. ABC News have reported on the draft legislation unveiled by federal government.

Source: The Conversation – Di Winkler | Photo: Lukas Coch
After more than four years and many traumatic stories, the disability royal commission’s final report was released this morning. Included in its 6,845 pages are 222 recommendations.

Source: The Courier Mail – Judith Kerr
A Logan man has had a groundbreaking victory against the NDIA after it tried unsuccessfully to kick him out of his one-bedroom unit and force him into a share house to cut costs.

Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison | Photo: Martin Ollman
The NDIS review is being urged by disability providers to reconsider eligibility criteria for the scheme and prioritise early intervention for autistic children to prevent “increased reliance” on the NDIS throughout their lives, as part of more than 700 submissions made to the review of the $40 billion scheme.

Source: Disability Support Guide –David McManus
Three disability advocacy groups — Synapse, Youngcare and the Summer Foundation — have penned a letter to National Disability Insurance Minister Bill Shorten, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, to address growing concerns of young Australians living with disability being placed into aged care.

Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison | Photo: Martin Ollman
A coalition of disability organisations is warning the government is on track to fail its target of having no young disabled people in nursing homes by 2025 and has called for a clear plan to achieve the goal recommended by the Royal Commission into aged care.

Source: The Conversation | Author: Di Winkler

Just over three years ago, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the federal government would finally solve the issue of young people with disability having to live in nursing homes. The government developed a strategy and committed to getting all young people out of aged care facilities by 2025.

Source: The Age – Henrietta Cook | Photo: Xavier Edwards and his father, Jase, in the Royal Children’s Hospital – Photographer: Wayne Taylor

Xavier Edwards has been stuck in hospital for 12 months and just wants to go home.

Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison
More than 10,000 younger people have died in residential aged care over the past decade, with new figures prompting calls for the government to implement ambitious timeframes to get ­people under 65 out of aged care and into suitable accommodation.

Source: The Conversation – Di Winkler

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was designed to be a market-based system that would shift power from government and providers to consumers.

Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison
The government’s plan to clear hospital beds by getting National Disability Insurance Scheme participants discharged sooner is saving the states “literally millions of dollars every day”, and a “frank” conversation is needed over how they can do more to support young disabled Australians, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten says.

Source: The Canberra Times – Dan Jervis-Bardy
Aida Janssen has lived a tough life. She was 12 when a bomb blast in her native Lebanon left her paralysed, the shrapnel causing scars which are still visible. At 29 she would get to live out a dream of moving to Australia, where she would settle in Canberra and start a family.

Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison
Waiting times for specialist disability accommodation would be slashed from the average of 125 days to just 10, under proposed NDIS ­reforms.

Source: The Conversation – Mark Brown & Di Winkler
Last week’s budget revealed the rapidly escalating costs of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and rekindled fears among people with disability about its sustainability.

Source: Probono Australia – Danielle Kutchel
Participants say the NDIS is not delivering on its key purpose, but the government’s review provides an opportunity to go back to the drawing board.

Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison
More than 3000 properties for Australians with disabilities are sitting empty while NDIS participants languish in hospitals, group homes or aged care centres awaiting tick-offs from the agency.

Source: The Conversation – Megan Topping & Jacinta Douglas
When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established almost a decade ago, it was envisaged people with disability would be empowered consumers. It was hoped their customer insights would shape new services designed to meet their specific needs and preferences.

Source: 7.30 Report (ABC) – Lauren Day & Laura Keewley
We’ve all heard about the shortage of hospital beds across the country but in fact, there are hundreds that could be available if they weren’t being used by patients who are technically well enough to go home but can’t.

Source: The Conversation – Di Winkler
Eighteen months ago, a Melbourne woman named Leila had a stroke and went to a local hospital. After medical support over a few weeks, Leila was ready to be discharged from the hospital, but required some specialist support due to her disability.

Source: Herald Sun – Jade Gailberger
Taxpayers are paying tens of millions of dollars for healthy patients who are stranded in Victorian public hospital beds due to a bureaucratic mess.

Source: The Conversation – Kate D’Cruz & Mark Brown
It is nearing ten years since the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was legislated in the dying days of the Gillard government.

Source: The Guardian – Luke Henriques-Gomes
A Melbourne woman with cerebral palsy is fighting to stay in her home just a year after moving in because the agency running the national disability insurance scheme has decided her funding is no longer “value for money”.

Source: The Guardian – Luke Henriques-Gomes
Government data shows 1,140 participants are stuck in hospital waiting for housing funding or other support before they can be released.

Source: The Age – Jewel Topsfield
The state government has revealed that more than 200 Victorians with a disability were stuck in hospital for an average of 160 days after they were well enough to be discharged, and blamed the hold-up on the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Source: ABC News – Elizabeth Wright & Alison Branley
Alicia Appleby is 38 years old but she’s been living in a geriatric ward in a Melbourne hospital for more than 260 days. Ms Appleby has had two strokes, has a mild intellectual disability and needs constant care.

Source: Probono – Di Winkler & Peter Mulherin
Australia has over 3,400 younger people living in aged care, due to a lack of timely funding for viable alternatives. Younger people living in aged care lose skills, social connection and hope. The federal government has committed to getting them out – but its targets will be difficult to achieve.

Source: The Conversation – Di Winkler & Jacinta Douglas
The federal government has been warning that the rising cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is unsustainable.

Source: The Age – Jewel Topsfield
Connor Brookhouse didn’t want to live in a group disability home. So he appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and won.

Source: LinkedIn – Di Winkler
We are pleased to announce the new chair of Summer Foundation, Chris Leptos AM as Chairman Elect for the Summer Foundation. Chris is an experienced Director with a wealth of international corporate roles.

Source: Disability Support Guide – Anna Christian
The Federal Budget is due to be delivered tomorrow night and many people with disability could benefit from funding if advocates’ demands are met.

Source: Disability Support Guide – Anna Christian
Thousands of people with disability are waiting far too long for approval for the housing they need, causing stress and impacting their health, the members of a new campaign say.

The Canberra Times – Dan Jervis-Bardy
The Morrison government is under pressure to end the bureaucratic delays being blamed for confining NDIS participants to hospital beds or forcing them into aged care homes.

The Canberra Times – Dan Jervis-Bardy

The pre-election federal budget should include an extra $50 million to help get NDIS participants out of hospital and into suitable housing, according to a leading advocacy group.

Source: Aged Care News – Bianca Roberts
As Aged Care News reported in November, utilising RACFs as accommodation for younger people, most of whom have a physical or intellectual disability, has come at a terrible cost to their wellbeing.

Source: Disability Support Guide
– Anna Christian
A newly released report shows the Government is still short of its target to have no one younger than 45 living in nursing homes, and no one younger than 65 entering aged care, by 2022.

Source: ABC News |   Author: Nas Campanella

Almost 4,000 young Australians with disability live in aged care too, and advocates say a broken system is preventing any progress on finding them somewhere else to live.

Source: Pro Bono |   Author:  Sabina Curatolo & Di Winkler

A new industry report on investment funds in the specialist disability accommodation market highlights the need for greater government oversight to increase investor confidence, write Di Winkler and Sabina Curatolo.

Source: Australian Financial Review |   Author:  Michael Bleby

Specialist housing for disabled people, which has grown from nothing into a $2.5 billion asset class in just five years, is poised to expand a further fivefold in response to demand for housing that meets the needs of an estimated 28,000 young people, a new industry report shows.

Source: The Urban Developer |   Author:  Di Winkler

Australia’s building ministers at their meeting on April 30 decided to include minimum accessibility standards in the 2022 National Construction Code (NCC).

Source: Probono Australia |   Author: Di Winkler & Peter Mulherin

Australia’s building ministers have decided to include accessible design features in the National Construction Code. Di Winkler and Peter Mulherin look at what that means.

Source: Probono Australia |  Author:  Di Winkler & Peter Mulherin

This Friday, Australia’s Building Ministers will choose whether accessibility standards will be voluntary or mandatory in the 2022 National Construction Code.

Source: ABC Radio National with Fran Kelly | Reporter: Eleni Psaltis | Image: James Hancock

Source: Australian Ageing Agenda  |  Author: Di Winkler

Our ageing population demands more accessible housing, writes Dr Di Winkler.

Source: Probono Australia  |  Author: Di Winkler and Peter Mulherin

Only a mandatory approach to accessibility standards will future-proof Australia’s housing…

Source: ProBono  |  Author: Dr Di Winkler and Alecia Rathbone

People with high or complex disability support needs have traditionally had extremely…

Source: The Guardian  |  Author: Caro Llewellyn

My childhood was spent navigating my father’s disability. Then I was told I was facing…

Source: Pro Bono  |  Author: Dr Di Winker & Dr Peter Mulherin

Source: Australian Ageing Agenda |   Author:  Amelia Condi

There’s support for aged care providers as they transition to NDIS and start providing more choice and control for people with disability, writes Amelia Condi.

Source: Probono Australia  |  Author: Di Winkler

Source: ABC News |   Author:  Baz Ruddick/strong>

It sounds like a simple thing for most of us — an independent life, living in a house that is set up for our purpose.