Yooralla’s vision for a hopeful and resilient future for people with disability

The benefits of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) have improved the lives of people with disability of all ages and has had a positive impact on multiple areas of their lives.

However, the disability community still experiences daily gaps that affect their quality of life and aspirations. Many still face barriers that prevent them from having the same opportunities as others in the community.

Yooralla has identified six overarching needs that, in listening to our clients and their families, our employees and other organisations we partner with, we believe continue to be gaps and barriers for people with disability. These areas are quality of life and health outcomes for people with disability; support for underserved communities; advocacy; workforce and leadership development; technology and equipment and research and innovation.

Surrounded by supporters, partners and friends at the launch event on 7 April, Terry Symonds, Yooralla’s Chief Executive Officer, detailed the six major areas of need for which we are seeking funding, to cover some of the gaps in the funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

“The NDIS is transforming the lives of people with disability…but there are also limits, and further room to grow,” said Terry.

“There are supports outside of the scheme that are part of building a stronger, more inclusive community for people with disability overall, building on the success of the NDIS.”

“The six areas of need touch on the way we can extend, complement and build-on what is already in the NDIS in order to convert those well-funded supports into better outcomes for people with disability.”

“Any additional supports funded by philanthropy will not be in competition with NDIS supports but actually compliment them,” said Terry.

Our special guest speaker at the event, Carly Findlay OAM shared her lived experience as a person with disability—speaking from her own experiences and perspectives from friends in the disability community about some of the challenges they face.

Some of the challenges detailed by Carly included access to vaccines, fears of NDIS funding being reduced and the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are many issues that people with disability face, especially if they are not on the NDIS,” said Carly.

“We’re here today to help bridge the gaps left by the NDIS. The idea that people with disability have it easy or that supports are just given to them is just not true. The NDIS doesn’t cover all disabled people and neither do all other government disability supports.”

“We need to ensure that there is adequate support for people with disability to live our best lives. We shouldn’t have to beg or reduce ourselves to a series of tick boxes to prove that our disability is worthy of being funded.”

Carly commended the work of Yooralla, giving thanks for “helping us live our best lives to fund programs to assist people with disability to be empowered dignified, safe and fulfilled.”

The overarching needs that Yooralla is aiming to address through several initiatives, are complex and challenging, with some a result of long-term systemic issues that are ingrained in society. There is no existing funding for many of these needs. Some are large-scale and will require effort and resourcing over a number of years.

Yooralla’s goal is to raise $7.5 million in philanthropic funding over the next three years to deliver 30 initiatives that we believe are solutions to these six areas of need.

We call on our community of supporters, as well as new philanthropic partners, to join us to work towards our hope that, together, we can change the world, so that people with disability can truly live the lives they choose.

If you want to know more about these six areas of focus that also represent gaps in funding for people with disability, read our full document on a vision for a hopeful a resilient future.