DESPINA Havelas wouldn’t have her son Kon any other way.
“He has this unique innocence and a very different way of looking at the world,” she says. “He is just a beautiful boy.”
The Keilor mother, a full-time carer to Kon, 12, who has autism, has welcomed the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Last month, the Senate gave the federal government the go-ahead to set up the scheme, including launch sites that will begin in Victoria in July.
The scheme will support individuals and families with things like disability treatment and equipment costs.
Ms Havelas said families in Brimbank had been without support for too long.
“Traditionally, families fall through the cracks,” she said.
“Because they offer support to their loved ones behind closed doors, they can get forgotten about and the support doesn’t go to individuals who need it the most.” Ms Havelas hoped the reform would lead to more support groups and respite for carers in Brimbank, and she called for the establishment of a network to help adolescents with disabilities.
“There needs to be funding for every local council and a specific carers co-ordinator to assist carers and families who need it the most.”
Ms Havelas said that while there were early intervention programs for autistic children in Brimbank, there was nothing to help teenagers and their families.
“Just because a person gets older doesn’t mean their disability goes away. The biggest thing parents who have children with disabilities want is for their children to be given the support to live independently.”
In its first year, the NDIS will provide care and support for up to 10,000 people with significant and permanent disability. This will increase to 20,000 people from 2014-15. Once fully operational, the scheme is expected to cover 410,000 Australians with disabilities and cost upwards of $15 billion a year.
Parliamentary secretary Jan McLucas said the scheme would end the “cruel postcode lottery” of disability care.
The NDIS will be rolled out across Victoria over the next five years, starting in Geelong.
Brimbank Disability Advisory Committee member Renee Biewer called for the scheme to be implemented in Brimbank as soon as possible.
“There needs to be financial support for people with disabilities and their carers, particularly those struggling financially who can’t afford the care that they need,” she said.
Gorton MP Brendan O’Connor said it would deliver meaningful change for thousands of people with disabilities in the west.
“The passage of the NDIS bill is a major step towards providing peace of mind to people with disability, their families and carers, and to Australians who may acquire a significant and permanent disability in the future.”
