Disability Services: the road ahead
The disability sector is in a period of rapid change.
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Disabled people and families are expecting more personalised supports
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children graduating from inclusive schooling look to better support for inclusion during transition and beyond.
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Maori, Pasifika and Asian families are seeking culturally appropriate supports
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The government agencies have new expectations and outcome measures
Responsive services have input from the people and families they support. This photo shows Jeremy Staines, supported by Rena Savage, talking to Local Area Coordinators about his experiences, hopes and dreams (2011).
In this environment, services that proactively respond to changing expectations from disabled people and families, and from government agencies, will prosper.
Individualised Funding (IF) enables families to by-pass services, designing and sourcing their own supports. Yet IF is a difficult road and not for everyone. Many families and disabled people would prefer to remain with services, provided services are truly personalised and inclusive and culturally appropriate.