NDIS benefits being ‘heard’ by local deaf community
AS the first members of the deaf community to become NDIS participants in the Toowoomba region, Geoffrey and Jennifer Helton have some good news to share.
Ignore all misgivings — the process is worth it.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” Mr Helton said.
“Our minds have been opened.”
The couple were among a dozen people to attend the first information session specifically for the local deaf community at the NDIS LAC PITC Carers Queensland office in August.
They were happy to share their positive experience with other potential participants of the scheme and discuss the resultant changes in their lives.
“We give it a thumbs up — the system is good,” Mrs Helton said.
“It’s a new process, so at times it felt like cutting teeth, and we were quite confused.
“Really, at the beginning, we weren’t interested in the NDIS — we didn’t know how it could possibly help us.
“But working with our Local Area Co-ordinators, Janet and Darren, as well as an Auslan interpreter at our house, we realised it wasn’t a case of ‘us and them’, we were just people sharing knowledge.
“We spent three hours discussing the goals we wanted to achieve — the LACs were very nice.”
Mr and Mrs Helton said the funding they have received through their NDIS funding will allow them to make necessary home modifications such as appropriate alarms to advise of smoke in the house or someone at the door.
It is support for which they are grateful, having received little help prior to the NDIS.
“We’ve had some family support in the past, and the deaf community in Toowoomba is also very active and supportive,” Mr Helton said.
“But with this help, we can avoid people just walking into our house because we couldn’t hear the doorbell, and we will have funding for interpreters, health needs and other equipment.
“I hope many others get the same sort of help that we have — and that’s just a matter of the word getting out there about the NDIS and how to work through the process.”