1. NDIS My Way and CommunityDevelopment: AComparison Rebecca Gittos
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NDIS My Way and Community Development: A Comparison
Rebecca Gittos
On the 1st July 2014 Australia commenced its 2 year trial of the National Disability Insurance
Scheme (NDIS). Western Australia is unique because it not only began to trial the NDIS but
also My Way which takes on the structure of the NDIS and merges it with “core elements” of
WA’s disability services model (DSC, 2016). My Way can be thought of as a localisation of the
NDIS because the ideas of the NDIS have been introduced in a way that is more meaningful
to the WA community and where local values and ideas remain.
NDIS My Way supports people with disabilities to set and achieve their goals, provides them
with more choice and control over decision-making during planning stages and is also
attempting to put a greater focus on early intervention (NDIS, 2016). The scheme is to be
more personalised and individualised in its planning approach by facilitating consultation
between “those with disability,their families andcarers, as wellas the wider disabilitysector”
(DSC, 2016). NDIS My Way is person-centred in its approach, placing the person with a
disability at the forefront in order to better support them across their lifetime. The scheme
aims to be flexible and focussed on the individual to give people with disabilities more choice
and control over the identification of their goals and needs rather than focussing on the group
and “block-funded programs” (DSC, 2016). My Way also aims to encourage community
involvement for the person with a disability to create “strong partnerships between the
government and community sector” (DSC, 2016).
In this article, it willbe argued the NDIS My Way is aCommunity Development initiativewhich
empowers people with disabilities and gives them a voice in their community. This will be
argued by examining the major principles of Community Development and applying these
principles to the NDIS My Way. The major principles to be examined include objectivity and
impartiality, citizenship, human rights and diversity, empowerment and self-determination,
and sustainability.
Community Development, according to Kenny (2011), is an “area of study and a set of
approaches, principles and methods” and this area of study is about “empowering
communities to take collective control and responsibility for their own development” (xviii;
8). In other words, Community Development is a way of thinking, or paradigm, where people
within a community are viewed as the experts who determine how they want and need to
develop as a group.

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Objectivity and Impartiality
According to Kenny (2011), Community Development should be undertaken by workers who
are objective and impartial (23). Community workers are traditionally viewed as the “experts”
when supporting communities and community groups because they are in a position of
authority as a result of their education and/or employment status for example (Kenny, 2011:
23). As one of the principles of Community Development, “experts” should have the ability
to reflect upon their ideas, beliefs and values before engaging with communities to avoid
imposing these ideas, beliefs and values onto others. Rather, the knowledge and experience
of community members should be valued and they should be given opportunities to become
involved in decision-making, goal setting and planning. The community worker, therefore,
must be a “facilitatorrather than aleader, expert or agitator” (Kenny, 2011: 30-32). A reverse
occurs where community members become the experts.
NDIS My Way appears to support objectivity and impartiality because the scheme positions
people with disabilities and their family as the experts. Coordinators consult with the
individual and their family throughout the planning and goal setting process and also keeps
them well informed with continual up-to-date information (DSC,2013: 11). The NDIS MyWay
approach values the individual, moving away from the idea that the “expert” should impose
their beliefs into community groups, and is person-centred.
Citizenship, Human Rights and Diversity
Citizenship and human rights are both principles of Community Development, referring to the
rights and responsibilities given to all community members. People should have equal rights
and opportunities to contribute to their community regardless of their age, gender, cultural
background, sexualityor ability(Kenny, 2011: 25-26). Equal rights and opportunities can refer
to community participation and decision-making. However, these rights and opportunities
also come with expectations, obligations and responsibilities. Community members and
community workers have an expectation to “treat others with dignity to respect differences”
and to accept diversity because “people are both similar and different” (Kenny, 2011: 25, 28-
29). Community workers will encounter differences in opinions, values and levels of
participation when working with community members. It is therefore important to uphold
and respect diversity as a principle.
According to the Disability Services Commission (DSC) “people with disability have the same
rights and responsibilities as allother people to contribute to community life”(2013: 11). This
suggests community members of all backgrounds, including people with disabilities, have a
right and also a responsibility to participate in their community, be accepted and accept
others. NDIS My Way coordinators encourage people with disabilities to be involved in the
community at a level of participation the individual decides is right for them (DSC, 2013: 11).

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NDIS My Way highlights individual strengths and needs so that, through consultation with
family and other agencies, unique community involvement can be encouraged whether this
means full, partial or non-participation. NDIS My Way coordinators should provide people
with disabilities the opportunities to be a part of their community and encourage acceptance
of difference within these communities.
Empowerment and Self-Determination
In Community Development, empowerment is a principle where community groups are
provided with the tools and information to rise up, or be empowered, and collectively make
change (Kenny, 2011: 27). Self-determination is another principle of Community
Development and is a part of empowerment. To be empowered means community groups
have more choice and control and therefore determination over their situation. Community
groups can then make informed decisions, have the ability to identify their own needs, are
given more equal opportunities and have more responsibility within their community (Kenny,
2011: 27). When community workers value the principles empowerment and self-
determination, they give community members a voice to determine their future and to
express their wants and needs where there was no voice before (Kenny, 2011: 27).
NDIS My Way aims to empower people with disabilities to determine their own goals, be a
part of decision-making and be provided with “access to timely and accurate information”
(DSC, 2013: 11). Although Community Development generally focusses on a group of people
within communities rather than the individual, NDIS My Way is moving away from the
traditional approach of supporting people as a group. Instead, the initiative focusses on
empowering each individual separately. The Community Development principles of
empowerment and self-determination can still be considered relevant to NDIS My Way.
Perhaps, by targeting individuals rather than a group, planning can be tailored to suit
everyone's needs to participate in the community where collective change for people with
disabilities is better able to occur. By having more of an individualised planning approach,
individuals are given a voice in their community which is a very powerful tool of
empowerment and can bring them closer to their community and closer to being understood
and accepted.
Sustainability
Sustainability is another important principle to consider when developing communities. A
sustainable Community Development project should have the ability to continue
independently once community workers have departed (Kenny, 2011: 27-28). This could
mean community members take responsibility of the project or the project becomes self-
sufficient in its funding for example. Important questions include: Does the project have the

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ability to become self-sufficient? What resources are required? Does the project impact the
environment? Does the project leave an impact on future generations? (Kenny, 2011: 27-28).
NDIS My Way is government funded and hopes to be lower in cost with better outcomes in
comparison to past approaches (DSC, 2016; Link, 2015: 44). However, according to Link
(2015), the success and sustainability of the NDIS depends upon “appropriate government
investment in housing, transport, health, education and the physical environment” (44). In
other words, a holistic approach is needed. Not only should the NDIS empower individuals to
participate in their community but should open opportunities for individuals and their families
to other agencies and networks. These networks provide people with support rather than
relying on Government funding alone. A holistic approach also suggests the Government
should continue to invest in other areas to improve and develop disability services in
Australia. The future of NDIS My Way is yet to be determined and extensive evaluation and
feedback is needed to take place in order to determine its level of success.
Conclusion
After examining the principles of Community Development and applying them to the NDIS, it
has been shown the NDIS shares many Community Development principles but also has its
differences. The scheme is working towards empowering people with disabilities and
providing them with a voice in their community. People with disabilities, under the NDIS, are
empowered and given the ability to make independent decisions with objective and impartial
support from their coordinators. The scheme also promotes citizenship, human rights and
acceptance of difference. It is still to be determined whether the scheme will be sustainable
in both the short and long term but evaluations are taking place. A major difference between
Community Development and the NDIS, however, is the more individualised outlook of the
scheme. The NDIS focusses more on individuals, rather than the group as is generally seen in
Community Development initiatives, in order to support people with disabilities more
uniquely and effectively. With this unique and individualised approach, it can be hoped that
more community participation leads to a change in public perception of people with
disabilities and it is therefore a Community Development initiative.

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References:
Australia. National Disability Insurance Scheme. 2016. What is the NDIS? And NDIS in
Western Australia. http://www.ndis.gov.au/document/what-national-disability-
insuran and http://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/our-sites/wa
Disability Services Commission. 2013. Local Area Coordination: Supporting People with
Disability in their Communities. WA, Australia: Disability Services Commission
Editor; Somerfield, Rebecca. 2015. “Is the NDIS Sustainable?” Link: Disability Magazine 24
(1): 44. Adelaide, SA: Inprint Design.
http://linkonline.com.au/read/?/p/view/issueID/39/i/809
Kenny, Susan. 2011. Developing Communities for the Future, 4th Ed. VIC, Australia: Cengage
Learning
Western Australia. Disability Services Commission. 2016. WA NDIS My Way and WA NDIS
My Way Model. http://www.disability.wa.gov.au/wa-ndis-my-way/wa-ndis-my-way/
and http://www.disability.wa.gov.au/wa-ndis-my-way/wa-ndis-my-way/wa-ndis-my-
way-model/