Kelsea
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Kelsea is in her 50s and has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a stutter.
‘I had an accident [several] years ago and now I've got a permanent disability in my upper limbs,’ Kelsea told the Royal Commission.
Kelsea used to teach music and was a keen gardener, but the accident ‘really put a stop [and] really changed [her] life around’.
The NDIS supports Kelsea.
‘I can’t overstate how grateful I am because, yeah, without the help from NDIS I would be lost.’
Some parts of the NDIS, however, are ‘problematic’.
‘I feel that anyone can walk in and put an ad up and call themselves a support coordinator. They don’t need to do any course or any training and they've got no-one that they're accountable to … I think it’s a sitting duck for people who [are] looking for chances to exploit things.’
Kelsea’s first support coordinator offered to help her prune her trees.
‘She was very keen on these tree people and said … “Just trust them. They definitely want to do the right thing. They’ve got your back.” She was very keen on me not to get any more quotes.’
The company ignored Kelsea’s detailed instructions, cut down her trees and removed a section of garden.
Kelsea feels she’s being exploited.
‘I was having complex trauma and maybe my speech might mark me up as a good target.’
Kelsea lost trust in her support coordinator and found another one. This person would send her invoices, but ‘wouldn’t explain what any invoices were for’.
When Kelsea asked for itemised invoices, the coordinator said it would cost ‘too much money for her to spend the time to extract all of the breakdown of the info’.
One time, Kelsea said, an occupational therapist ‘tricked’ her into getting assistive technology she didn’t need. When she told the NDIA, they suggested she advertise it ‘on Facebook groups and sell it there’.
‘But it just feels that’s a bit dodgy.’
Kelsea said other aspects of her NDIS funding felt ‘strange’, but she wasn’t allowed to see her NDIS plan. Instead, she had to apply for it under the Freedom of Information Act.
‘I accessed my NDIS plan and I've realised why my plan was quite strange … [It was] because it’s based on someone else’s disabilities that had nothing to do with me.’
Kelsea said she’s ‘super nervous’ about asking for a review because ‘in the peer groups there's a common theme of people’s plans being slashed’.
‘And I don’t like arguments or fights or confrontations … It physically causes stuff to go on in my body.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.