This 9-12 July, Brisbane is hosting the World Down Syndrome Congress (WDSC). The conference will provide some amazing opportunities for people with Down syndrome and their families to come together, learn from knowledgeable speakers, hear and share stories of success, make new connections and have a lot of fun in a welcoming, inclusive environment.
This special event helps people with their NDIS goals, so it’s possible to use your NDIS funding to attend.
Here’s how can use your funding to attend the congress:
You need to be Plan-Managed or Self-Managed
Because the event and organisers of the Congress are not registered providers with the NDIS, your NDIS funding will need to be Plan-Managed or Self-Managed for you to use it for any costs relating to the Congress.
If you are Plan-Managed it is a good idea to talk to them about your plans to attend Congress and share the Innovative Support Checklist with them.
Check your budgets
The first thing to do is to make sure you have funding available in your plan that has not already been committed to another support. While the Congress is an amazing event, you can’t leave yourself short on other supports like in-home help or therapy.
For a person with Down syndrome attending the Congress
Going to the Congress may help you work towards these goals:
- Build skills through participation, volunteering, presenting, and more
- Build confidence through meeting other people with Down syndrome and trying new things
- Hear from and be inspired by other people’s stories, achievements and presentations
- Learn about your rights and responsibilities
- Gain information on what support is available in both the community and disability services.
Some of the things that you may be able to use your NDIS funding for are:
- Congress registration
- Support to plan your trip to Brisbane
- Support to travel to the Congress
- Support to attend and participant in Congress events
- Daily support, including personal care and transport
- If you have Short Term Accommodation funding in your plan, you can use this for your accommodation while you are at the Congress. Remember, this can only pay for your accommodation, or your share of accommodation costs, and cannot pay for a family member.
The areas of your plan that you may use to pay for your support are:
- CORE: Daily living, Social & Community
- Capacity Building Social & Community
- Capacity Building Daily Living
For Parents and Carers of a person with Down syndrome
The World Down Syndrome Congress offers the same opportunities to learn, share and connect to parents and carers of all people with Down syndrome.
Attending the WDSC may support you as a parent to:
- Access new information that will further develop your understanding of your child’s disability and needs
- Develop new skills that will allow you to support your child better and help them achieve their NDIS goals
- Connect you to support networks that help you maintain your role as a caregiver for a person with Down syndrome.
You may be able to use the funding in your child’s plan to:
- Pay for Congress registration costs
- Get support for your child while you are attending Congress sessions
To pay for these supports, you may be able to use the Capacity Building Daily Living budget: 15_038_0117_1_3 Training For Carers/Parents - training for matters related to caring for a person with disability.
Why is attending the World Down Syndrome Congress important to you?
When looking at using NDIS funding for innovative support (like attending the Congress), it is a good idea to document your thinking about how attending the Congress will support your goals, and fit within the guidelines regarding how you can spend your funding. Writing this down can also help your plan manager understand your goals and why they should support you by processing these claims.
The below Innovative Support Checklist will help you record your ideas so you can keep them as a part of your NDIS reporting or share with your Plan Manager.
Download the Innovative Supports Checklist here.
Search Brisbane-based support workers to attend the World Down Syndrome Congress on Mable.
