Our experience shows that to have meaningful impact, we need to understand and reflect the communities we support. We’re acutely aware in everything we do that our clients want to be supported by a team of people with the right skills, cultural knowledge and lived experiences.
The recent appointment of Kurt Fearnley to chair the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIS) and the addition of Dr Graeme Innes and Maryanne Diamond to the board, is a case in point. It brings the total number of people with a disability serving on the board to five.
Beyond his disability, Mr Fearnley is a fierce advocate and comfortable in the public eye. These will be key attributes that will support his ambition to build trust in the NDIS over a period of time. His leadership will be underpinned by an understanding of his community and how policy should adapt to ensure clients have greater control.
My Pathway is an organisation at the coalface of bringing the NDIS to remote Indigenous communities. In less than two years, we have grown to support 83 NDIS participants and create 65 new jobs across five remote regions in Queensland – and we’re not finished yet.
Many remote NDIS participants are accessing disability support for the first time. Our model centres on working with locals to support locals and enabling participants to make more decisions about what they need. We aim to reflect the communities, culture and individuals that we support.
Better reflecting the disability community in the leadership of NDIS is an admirable move and we are hopeful for progress under the new leadership that includes improved access for remote Indigenous communities.