It looks like Australia is nearing lockdown, as the consequences of the COVID-19 virus unfold. Many things have been written about it. We currently receive around 10 emails per day from various companies about how seriously they are taking it and what precautions to take, and more. It’s tedious to be offered the same reading material, over and over again. So here’s something different.

All of our participants are affected by supermarket shortages, caused by individuals choosing to stockpile essential items. In an effort to even the score, both Coles and Woolworths supermarkets have started offering a “community hour”. The concept is that people who are elderly or living with a disability can go into store an hour before everyone else. Senior citizens can easily prove their age. But how do you prove a disability?

Here’s an extract from the Coles website:

present a government-issued identification card including:

illustration of a virus

• Pensioner Concession Card

• Companion Card

• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

• Health Care Card

• Seniors Card

• Disability Card

All of these things involve receiving some kind of state social security payment. But what if you are not in receipt of such a payment? What if you have a job? Does that mean you are not "disabled"? Is it society's collective expectation that people with disability must receive benefits, or else they are not disabled?

A few people we support have been turned away, because they do not appear disabled and they do not claim benefit. Shouldn’t we celebrate, rather than punish this?

We suspect that punishment is not the intention, but this time of crisis exposes the rules, the prejudices, the expectations that we all have and here's one in the spotlight.

It's time to pen another letter to someone to right the wrong. People with disabilities do not have to live on benefits and they are entitled to have a disability without having to "look disabled".

Sometimes we get complacent about things, no matter what they are. The NDIS is no exception. It only started rolling out in 2016. It’s an incredibly complicated and it affects people so very personally. Any piece of legislation is complex, but here is one that affects people who need our help and support. Quite often they are people in difficult circumstances, with no well-funded lobby groups to argue their case. It is legislation, backed up by a set of rules and practices, a brand-new government agency and it’s all very young. Sometimes it is no wonder that things go wrong, although if we look on the bright side it is amazing that more things haven’t gone wrong.

Well done Australia.

And yet despite the well achievement, does it mean we can rest easy? No, it doesn’t. Because everything that needs improving is something that is affecting peoples’ lives.

As a service provider, we become accustomed to all the little intricacies of the NDIS. The payment system has failed twice in the last 2 weeks - so payments made were not being notified and people thought they had not received their funds, when in fact they might. Or the fact that if you are too good with computers and log in very quickly then the NDIS portal will show you an error message which is difficult to resolve. Indeed, to return to the first paragraph, when you deal with something every day then it is easy to become complacent.

But that’s what drives us, because there really is nothing to be complacent about. Every time we explain the system to someone new, or find a new way to overcome an obstacle, there’s a sense of realisation that this is complicated, and we need to treat everyone with dignity and respect, as an individual. Not to prejudge or assume anything.

The world needs providers, like us, to be the force to make it happen. We hear so many sad stories, and it sometimes has a bad reputation, but it really isn’t that bad. Many of the problems we hear about are largely avoidable if providers took the time to:

• learn about their participants

• learn the systems

• understand the nature of disability

• learn the rules

• apply the rules well.

It’s not so bad. You just need a good provider to accompany you on your journey. Because this is a journey and we will walk it together.