After seven years on a disability pension with NDIS supports, Central Coast resident Stephen Nisbet has transitioned to open employment with Aruma.
While current statistics estimate that 200 Australians join the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) daily, some, like Nisbet, are also exiting.
When the NDIS was created a decade ago, it was anticipated that some people with a disability would leave the scheme after they had gained the skills, confidence and external supports needed to live well without NDIS support.
The NDIS Annual Financial Sustainability Report 2021-22 outlines that on average, 2 per cent of NDIS participants were forecasted to leave the scheme.
However, since 2018, exit rates have been as low as 0.6 per cent; last year only 1 per cent exited the scheme.
“It’s been a journey to get to the point I’m at today,” Nisbet said.
“I did always want to get back into open employment but for a long time I didn’t know what that would look like.”
Stephen Nisbit
Aruma is one of Australia’s largest not-for-profit disability service providers, currently supporting 5,500 adults and children with a disability.
It provides a range of services, including supported employment, where around 500 individuals have found not just a job but an environment where they can learn new skills, make friends, and belong to a community.
After working 18-hour days for nine months in a high-pressure strategic consulting, engineering and project delivery role, Nisbet, who has bipolar disorder, suffered occupational burnout, leaving him unable to work.
In 2017, he began accessing social and community participation, as well as employment funding from the NDIS.
This allowed him to attain a diploma in Information Technology and find supported employment at Aruma.
“I joined Aruma as a Supported Employee and started working two days a week in their packaging business,” he said.
“Eventually, my colleagues heard about my finance and IT background, and I was offered a role in the IT department.”
As Nisbet felt more comfortable and the team’s workload expanded, he increased his hours and eventually began working three, four, and now five days per week.
“Aruma has supported me to reach my full potential and has enabled me to get to this point where I feel confident moving into full-time employment,” Nisbet said.
“I also feel ready to let go of my support pension and the employment parts of my NDIS plan.”
Aruma CEO and former NDIS Board Member Dr Martin Laverty said stories about people exiting the NDIS are not often heard.
“We’re thrilled for Stephen and Aruma is privileged to be part of his journey to open employment and downsizing some of his NDIS supports,” Laverty said.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that the NDIS has become the only lifeline for Australians with a disability.
“It’s no wonder people are not exiting the scheme – they simply have no other place to turn to.
“This is something that NDIS Review needs to address.”
Nisbet said he was grateful to be able to access the NDIS when he needed it.
“The NDIS has been an amazing lifeline for me,” he said.
“It enabled me to do things I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do, and it supported me when I had no other options.”
Verified source: Aruma