JANET*

My name is Janet* and I’m 61 years old, and I use a wheelchair. I live in a unit that is not suitable for me and I have applied for funding for SDA. I’ve been waiting 9 months for my SDA application to be processed. I have contacted the NDIS by phone several times and have been told that it is with the right department, but they cannot me how long it will take.

There are many reasons why my current living situation is not suitable. The front door of my unit is very heavy so it’s difficult to open and bounces off my wheelchair. The bathroom cannot accommodate my wheelchair so I can only have a shower if there is someone there to help me in and out of the shower. The footplate on my wheelchair means that I can’t get to the sink either. I can’t access my balcony due to a large step up and the oven is very low. This means it’s difficult for me to safely remove food and I’ve burnt myself several times while trying to cook on the stove top.

There is a ‘no parking’ zone where a taxi can pick me up to take me to my medical appointments, but people always park there so I need to go on to a busy road in order to access the path and the taxi. This is extremely dangerous, particularly at night. I live in an established suburb, so the footpaths are old, often broken in places and are too rough for my wheelchair. When catching up with family I’m is restricted with what I can do because the footpaths are too difficult to navigate, and the wheelchair taxis are much harder to find at night.

I’ve found an SDA apartment nearby my work. If I could live there, I wouldn’t need to catch taxis everywhere. I could get to work easily, and even pop out to the shops for milk. I wouldn’t need to rely so much on other people if I was able to live in the SDA apartment I found.  The apartment is designed for people with disability so the doors are automated, kitchen bench height can be adjusted, and the bathroom is wheelchair accessible.

COVID has been difficult but now that restrictions have eased it is still like being a prisoner in your own home. I would like to be able to take my grandchildren to the park, have a picnic on a nice day but this is not a possibility due to the lack of safe access to surrounding facilities near where I live.

Having to wait so long is very frustrating and living in an unsuitable place has impacted my mental health. I just want to be independent and not rely on other people for so much.

 *Name has been changed