Disability and Independent Living: A Practical Guide for Australians

Living independently with a disability: what it looks like

Independence is about control over your own life, and there are many ways to have it.

• Living in your own home or rental with visiting support workers for personal care, cooking and shopping.
• Sharing a home with housemates and shared staff, with your own bedroom and your own say in house rules.
• Living near family while you manage your own routines, budget and appointments.
• Moving from the family home to your first place, with skills coaching and a gradual reduction in daily help.

What is realistic for you depends on your goals, your funding and the housing available where you want to live.

Disability supported independent living: how SIL works

If you meet the NDIS access requirements and SIL is included in your plan, it funds support workers in your home, not the home itself.

• SIL funds a support worker to help or supervise you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, depending on what your plan approves.
• The NDIA says it may suit people who need help with daily activities for at least 8 hours.
• SIL cannot be used for rent or groceries, so you still budget for your housing and living costs.
• Your NDIS plan sets out the SIL funding you receive.
• SIL is separate from housing funding such as specialist disability accommodation; see specialist disability accommodation (SDA).

Supported living for disability: housing options compared

Support and housing are decided separately, so compare the home as well as the staffing.

Read more about shared supported accommodation disability services and short term disability accommodation.

TQN Care support workers help with personal care, community access, respite and help around the home across Sydney, Melbourne and surrounding areas (NSW & VIC). Tell us what you need and we will call you back.

Independent living skills and disability support

Skills coaching helps you build confidence with everyday tasks you want to do for yourself.

• Cooking and meal planning, from simple recipes to shopping lists and safe kitchen habits.
• Money management, such as budgeting, paying bills on time and tracking NDIS plan spending.
• Travel training so you can use public transport or rideshare confidently and safely.
• Household routines including laundry, cleaning schedules and medication reminders set by your treating team.
• Communication and self-advocacy, so you can speak up in appointments and planning meetings.

Disability solutions for independent living at home

Equipment and home changes can make a daily task easier to do without help.

• Assistive technology such as mobility aids, smart-home controls, communication devices and adapted kitchen equipment.
• Home modifications, including ramps, widened doorways and accessible bathrooms; see disability ramps for home.
• Personal alarms and check-in systems that let you call for help when you need it.
• An occupational therapist assessment, which looks at your home, your daily tasks and the equipment or changes that may help.

Independent living for people with disability: how to get started

Getting there takes planning, and the steps below suit most situations.

1. 1Talk about your goals. Write down where you want to live, who with and which daily tasks you want to do yourself.
2. 2Ask for the right assessments. An occupational therapist can assess your home, your skills and the equipment that would help.
3. 3Raise it at your plan meeting. Tell your planner or support coordinator what you want, and bring reports and a diary of daily support needs.
4. 4Explore housing. Compare your own place, shared homes and other models, and visit before you decide.
5. 5Choose and review providers. Ask for a written service agreement, check registration status and review how it is going regularly.

People living with disability: what to check about providers

The registration rules for SIL providers are changing, so ask about registration before you sign anything.

Source: NDIS news on mandatory registration. You can check a provider on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website.

• Ask whether the provider is registered and which supports their registration covers.
• Ask how staff are screened and trained, and how many different workers you are likely to see.
• If you are considering self-employed workers, read about how someone becomes an independent support worker and independent support worker pay rates.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming SIL pays for rent or groceries, when it covers support worker costs only.
• Choosing a home before checking that it can be modified, or that the landlord agrees.
• Skipping the skills side, when building skills in cooking, money and travel is part of living the way you choose.
• Signing with a provider without asking about registration or reading the service agreement.
• Planning alone, when the person who will live in the home should lead the conversation.

TQN Care support workers help with personal care, community access, respite and help around the home across Sydney, Melbourne and surrounding areas (NSW & VIC). Tell us what you need and we will call you back.

Your next step

If you want to live more independently, practical support at home is often the first move. TQN Care provides NDIS support workers for personal care, community access, respite and help around the home. Look through our NDIS services, or make a referral and we will call you back to talk about what would help.