Aron and Javier
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.
Aron is 50 years old and was injured many years ago after a cycling accident. He was thrown more than 20 metres, sustaining spinal and head injuries.
Aron tried to return to full-time work but after a few months realised ‘he just could not do it anymore’. He qualified for the Disability Support Pension in ‘recognition of his impairments’, says his advocate, Javier, who believes Aron is ‘lucky to be alive’.
Since the accident, Aron has developed several other conditions including carpal tunnel, gout and arthritis. With his health declining, he decided to apply for the NDIS. He wanted access to physiotherapy and hydrotherapy supports to alleviate his symptoms.
Javier told the Royal Commission, ‘[Aron] was astounded at the amount of paperwork he had to read ... and [he] found the whole process overwhelming.’
Without anyone to assist him, Aron ‘hastily’ put the paperwork together on his own. ‘He was unwell,’ says Javier, and could not ‘write anything coherently at the time’. He tried his best, but could not get access to medical evidence to support his application.
The NDIA rejected Aron’s application. Eventually, Aron spoke to the NDIA representative who had assessed his case. The assessor said the information he had provided ‘was very vague’ and the evidence supplied was ‘not enough’.
Under NDIA rules, carpal tunnel, gout and arthritis are ‘medical’ conditions that are not eligible for funding. The assessor told Aron to ‘go to his GP’, suggesting his ‘back injuries, vascular disease, [and] diabetes can be treated with pills’.
Aron was outraged, telling the assessor he ‘had never heard such garbage in his life’. He later told Javier, ‘The NDIS is in a mess and people are going without the supports they need.’
Aron is critical of the NDIA for failing to consider the nature and effect that chronic illness and injury have had on his life over a long period of time.
He questioned whether the real reason his application failed was because ‘he was unable to obtain assistance from a disability advocacy service at the time’.
He reapplied with Javier’s assistance, but the new application was unsuccessful.
Aron is convinced the NDIS is ‘broken’. He doubts that assessors employed by the agency are suitably qualified. ‘They cannot justify the decisions they make in rejecting applicants,’ he told Javier.
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.