The NDIS, explained like a neighbour would explain it.
No jargon, no sales pitch, no 40-page PDFs. Just clear answers to the questions participants, families and carers in the Hunter actually ask - written locally, updated as the scheme changes, and free to everyone.
Understanding the NDIS
5 guides- Your NDIS budget, decoded: Core, Capacity Building and Capital The three buckets your funding sits in, what each can pay for, which ones are flexible, and the mistakes that waste funding.
- Plan-managed, self-managed or NDIA-managed: which is right for you? The honest pros and cons of each way to manage your plan, who can use unregistered providers, and how to switch.
- What can you actually buy with your consumables budget? Continence products, gloves, low-cost assistive technology and more - plus the "reasonable and necessary" test in plain words.
- How to prepare for your NDIS plan reassessment The evidence that moves the needle, what to say (and not say) in the meeting, and a 6-week preparation checklist.
- What is Support Coordination, and who gets it? The three levels of support coordination, what a good coordinator actually does for you, and how to spot a bad one.
Working with providers
5 guides- How to choose a disability support worker The checks that are non-negotiable, interview questions that reveal fit, trial shifts, and the red flags worth acting on.
- NDIS service agreements: what to check before you sign The six clauses that matter, the red flags that mean do not sign, and proof that yes, you can negotiate.
- How NDIS invoicing and claiming actually works Anatomy of a valid invoice, why the same hour costs different amounts, and the 60-second check that catches overcharging.
- Registered vs unregistered providers: what the difference really means What registration is, what it does not guarantee, who can use whom, and the five checks that protect you with any provider.
- How to change NDIS providers without stress The five steps in the right order, a copy-paste notice template, and your rights if a provider makes leaving hard.
Living in the Hunter
4 guides- Accessible days out in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie The Variety Playground, Fernleigh Track, Bathers Way, ocean baths, museum and ferry - with the access details that decide whether the day works.
- Getting around: accessible transport in the Hunter Buses, light rail and the Stockton ferry, community transport, accessible taxis, and how NDIS transport funding actually fits in.
- Finding NDIS providers in Newcastle: a local guide The five places locals actually look (ranked by signal), the first-call questions, and how to handle waitlists.
- Community groups and peer support in the Hunter CDAH and the local peer scene, how to find groups, how your plan helps you attend, and surviving the first visit.