According to the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA), people from CALD backgrounds living with disability are highly likely to experience multiple forms of discrimination throughout their lives. They are likely to experience discrimination from the wider community due to their ethnicity and discrimination from within their cultural group and the wider community due to their disability.

Some of the common problems faced by people of CALD backgrounds are:

• Language and communication barriers that present significant problems that hinder them from accessing services;
• General unawareness of the range of services and supports available and how to access those services;
• Financial vulnerability and availability of fewer opportunities;
• Reduced capacity to participate in social, economic, political and cultural life;
• Difficulty in understanding the complex needs of the people from CALD backgrounds living with disabilities due to communication and cultural practices backgrounds;
• Prevalent perception problems among some CALD communities of attributing disability with stigma;
• People from some CALD communities who can be legally recognised as living with disability fail to seek support to be recognised as living with disabilities. This perception problem places a burden on families, schools and other social service providers.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a relatively new way to support people with disability in Australia enacted pursuant to National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and National Disability Insurance Scheme (Registered Provider of Supports) Rules 2013.

SupportSystem Options is committed to advocating for your rights by:

• Sharing knowledge with you;
• Helping you to understand and accept your disability and work with you towards being assessed and recognised by the NDIA so that you can access supports;
• Helping you to develop your plan with the NDIA;
• Delivering services as covered by your plan;
• Connecting you with the supports you need.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a relatively new way to support people with disability in Australia enacted pursuant to National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and National Disability Insurance Scheme (Registered Provider of Supports) Rules 2013.