NDIS terms, in plain English
Every NDIS term, acronym and bit of jargon, explained the way you would explain it to a friend. 34 terms and growing.
A
Access Request
The form you submit to the NDIA to apply for the NDIS. It asks for details about your disability and how it affects your everyday life.
Assistive Technology (AT)
Equipment or devices that help you do things you would otherwise struggle with. Wheelchairs, communication devices, modified vehicles and home aids all fall under AT.
B
Behaviour Support
Specialist support that helps reduce behaviours of concern by understanding why they happen and building positive alternatives. Delivered by registered behaviour support practitioners.
C
Capacity Building
A funding category in your plan for supports that build skills and independence. Therapy, employment support and improved living arrangements all sit here.
Capital
A funding category for one-off purchases like equipment, vehicle modifications or home modifications. Capital funding is usually tied to specific items.
Carer
A family member, friend or other person who provides unpaid support. The NDIS recognises that carers play a key role and may fund supports that give carers a break.
Choice and Control
A core NDIS principle. You decide who supports you, what services you receive, and how your plan is managed.
Core Supports
A funding category for everyday assistance. Personal care, social participation, transport and consumables sit in Core. The most flexible category in your plan.
E
Early Childhood Approach (ECA)
The way the NDIS supports children under 9 with developmental delay or disability. Children may receive support through Early Childhood Partners without a formal diagnosis.
I
Independent Support Worker
A sole trader who provides direct support, usually personal care or community participation, without working through a larger organisation. Available to plan-managed and self-managed participants.
M
Mainstream Services
Services that are not funded by the NDIS but support most Australians. Health, education, transport and Centrelink are mainstream. Your NDIS plan should work alongside these.
N
NDIA
National Disability Insurance Agency. The Commonwealth agency that runs the NDIS, builds plans, approves funding and pays registered providers. Different from the NDIS itself, which is the scheme.
NDIS
National Disability Insurance Scheme. An Australian Government programme that funds reasonable and necessary supports for people with permanent and significant disability.
NDIS Commission
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. An independent agency that registers providers, handles complaints and investigates serious incidents.
NDIA-Managed (Agency-Managed)
When the NDIA pays your providers directly. You can only use NDIS registered providers under this option. The default for new plans.
Read about funding types →Nominee
A person legally authorised to make decisions on a participant's behalf, such as a parent of a young person with disability or a court-appointed guardian.
P
Participant
A person who is eligible for and receives support through the NDIS. The NDIS uses this word instead of client or patient.
Plan
The personalised document the NDIA builds with you, listing your goals and the funding you receive across Core, Capacity Building and Capital.
Plan Manager
A registered provider who pays your invoices for you under plan-managed funding. The fee is funded on top of your plan.
Read about funding types →Plan-Managed
A funding option where a plan manager pays your providers for you. You can use registered or unregistered providers. The most common funding option.
Read about funding types →Plan Reassessment
The review near the end of your plan, where the NDIA looks at what worked, what did not, and builds your next plan with you. Used to be called a plan review.
Pricing Arrangements
The official NDIS price guide that sets the maximum hourly rates registered providers can charge. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can negotiate rates with unregistered providers.
R
Reasonable and Necessary
The legal test the NDIA uses to decide what to fund. A support must be related to your disability, represent value for money, be effective and beneficial, and take into account informal supports already available.
Registered Provider
A provider who has gone through the NDIS Commission registration process. Required to support NDIA-managed participants. Roughly 17,000 services are NDIS registered.
S
Section 100 Review
A formal request to review a NDIA decision you disagree with. There is a strict 3 month window from when you receive the decision letter.
Self-Managed
A funding option where you receive the funds and pay providers yourself. Maximum flexibility, including independent workers and negotiated rates. Admin sits with you.
Read about funding types →Service Agreement
A written agreement between you and a provider listing what they will deliver, the rate, the cancellation terms and how the agreement can be ended. Recommended for any ongoing service.
Choosing a provider →SIL (Supported Independent Living)
Funding for help with daily tasks for people who live in shared or supported accommodation. Covers things like personal care, meals and household tasks.
Support Coordinator
A funded support whose job is to help you understand your plan, find providers and resolve problems. Funded inside your plan rather than by the NDIA directly.
Specialist Support Coordinator
A higher tier of support coordination for participants with complex needs. Funded only when there is a clear reason a standard support coordinator is not enough.
T
Therapeutic Supports
Therapy supports funded under Capacity Building. Includes occupational therapy, speech therapy, physiotherapy, psychology and exercise physiology.
U
Unregistered Provider
A provider who has not gone through the NDIS Commission registration process. Available to plan-managed and self-managed participants. Many high quality providers and independent workers operate as unregistered.
Choosing a provider →W
Worker Screening
A national clearance that checks if someone is safe to work with NDIS participants. Required for risk-assessed roles in registered organisations.
WWCC (Working With Children Check)
A state-issued check for anyone working with people under 18. Different states use different names, including the Blue Card in Queensland and the Ochre Card in the Northern Territory.