Up to 160,000 people are expected to be removed from the National Disability Insurance Scheme under federal reforms.

The changes were announced by the federal government yesterday, with eligibility shifting from medical diagnosis to standardised ‘functional capacity’ assessments.

Curtin Student Guild accessibility officer Mia Antenucci says assessments are now done by people who are not medical professionals in a short window, and entered in a computer program that determines whether support is given.

Chief executive of the Youth Disability Network Isabella Choate says the new eligibility criteria means everyone on the scheme will have to be reassessed.

“The scale of proposed cuts is already creating uncertainty within the disability community particularly for young people.

“Affected peoples will be moved onto supports that don’t yet exist,” they say.

They say too much attention is being placed on misuse of the scheme even though it only represents a relatively small percentage.

“This overemphasis is being used kind of as a Trojan horse to justify spending cuts to participants,” they say.

Mx Choate says many people are already struggling to access support especially during the cost-of-living crisis.

They say the consequences of losing support extend beyond funding.

“Without support, young people miss out on education and social participation.”

“They are told they don’t fit in. They learn their needs are too difficult and can’t be met.

“This impacts mental health, physical health, wellbeing, education, and employment,” Mx Choate says.

Project coordinator for Neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ Community Leadership Program at YDAN, Em Sullivan lives with a disability and says it is a political choice to cut disabled people off the scheme.

“These are real people, real families, real lives at stake who are paying the cost of these ‘savings’,” she says.

She says the uncertainty is having a direct impact on young people already relying on supports for education and daily life. 

“There are a lot of feelings of anxiety, fear and hopelessness.

“It’s a scary time to be a young person with disability.”

She says changes to the scheme will have broader consequences.

“Cuts to the NDIS will inevitably push the burden onto other aspects of the healthcare system, like the already overwhelmed hospital system.”

Ms Antenucci says NDIS support is crucial allowing people to have support workers in helping with daily tasks like bathing and dressing.

She says this directly enables access to higher education and without that support, people may not be able to engage in university life effectively.

“Campuses are places to meet people and interact socially, without NDIS support people cannot participate in communities,” Ms Antenucci says.

She says transparency is the next step as large claims have been made without clear information causing distress in the community.

Mx Choate says community participation funds are a basic human right, and support needs to be family-based and disability-led.

“We need full support, so students don’t miss out on education or access services and community inclusion models with local governments”