Health · Healthcare & Policy · 1 hr ago
Families say NDIS support is hard to secure and exhausting to pursue
Families in Victoria and Queensland say getting NDIS support is exhausting.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, or NDIS, funds support for people with disabilities, but accessing it has become harder as cuts in some sectors began rolling out on October 1.
In Romsey near Melbourne, Amanda Solarino cares full-time for her 21-year-old autistic son, Alex, whose escalating aggression has damaged furniture and walls and affected his sister.
The NDIS approved specialist disability accommodation for Alex, but Solarino said the plan did not include what she had requested, and she felt too exhausted to challenge it.
On the Sunshine Coast, Breanna Medcalfe wants more funded support hours for daily activities because she is paralysed from the neck down and relies mainly on her parents for care.
She says the NDIS has treated her parents as informal supports, placing a burden on their health and limiting what she can do.
Medcalfe is appealing a review of her plan, while the families’ experiences show how difficult it can be to secure the support they say they need.
Families of people with disabilities say getting more support through Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is difficult and exhausting.
Amanda Solarino, a full-time carer in Romsey near Melbourne, said she struggled to secure support for her 21-year-old son, Alex.
The NDIS approved specialist disability accommodation for Alex after his housing request was escalated to crisis level, but Solarino said the plan did not include the provisions she had requested.
On the Sunshine Coast, Breanna Medcalfe said requests for more support hours had been declined, leaving her parents to provide much of her daily care.
Some funding cuts began to be rolled out on October 1, as access to the NDIS was becoming increasingly difficult.
- Who
- Families caring for people with disabilities, including Amanda Solarino and Breanna Medcalfe.
- What
- They say securing NDIS support is difficult and pursuing it is exhausting.
- When
- The ABC article was published on November 15, 2026; some funding cuts began rolling out on October 1.
- Where
- Romsey near Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
- Why
- Families say they need more support, but requests have been declined or plans have not met their needs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Funding cuts for some sectors began to be rolled out.
The NDIS escalated his housing request to crisis level and later approved specialist disability accommodation.
Medcalfe was lodging an appeal against a review of her NDIS plan.
- NDIS funding cuts
- Some sectors began seeing cuts rolled out on October 1
- Amanda Solarino
- Full-time carer for her 21-year-old son in Romsey near Melbourne
- Alex's support
- Specialist disability accommodation was approved after his housing request reached crisis level
- Breanna Medcalfe
- 24-year-old law student with a spinal injury and quadriplegia
- Medcalfe's care
- Has one support worker and mainly relies on her parents for daily care
What people are saying
And it's the hardest thing to keep standing up every time you get knocked back.
Why do we have to justify that we're disabled enough to need this funding?
It's taking a toll on their bodies and their mental health because they have to always be around for me.