Purpose of the petition: The Australian Government should allow people with ADHD who meet the disability requirements of the NDIS Act to access the NDIS.

My Story: Please read 

When I was completing my Master of Research degree, I was under a lot of stress, and I kept on not understanding the questions of my supervisor. I went to my psychiatrist and told him what could be wrong with me, and he said you could have ADHD. He said he has observed my behaviour in the many years I have gone to him, and I should get assessed. It was a shock for me to find this out after 35 years (more than 20 years of it struggling, losing jobs, and bad relationships). I went home and filled out the self-assessment as honestly possible to make sure I was 100% certain. The psychiatrist analysed the results and confirmed I did have mild ADHD. I was depressed for a few months after that, knowing that I had this all the time. ADHD is an invisible intellectual disability, just as Autism is. My partner Jennifer was such a lovely support for me, that understood what I was going through. When I told my mother and sister, well it was different.  I always knew I processed information differently from others, I thought of myself as ‘stupid or dumb’, however, when I researched more into ADHD, I found that many of the things (e.g., emotional regulation, information processing) I had struggled with. 

The ADHD community currently cannot seek support from the NDIS, as the NDIS as currently implemented by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) does not recognise or fund ADHD as a primary disorder, though funding may be received for a coexisting condition. Only 1 in 70 adults with ADHD receive financial support from the NDIS for a coexisting condition. When surveyed, 7 in 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people impacted by ADHD view accessing the NDIS and other financial support as a priority. The NDIS was intended to provide support for people based on their individual support needs, not their diagnosis. Complex cases of ADHD meet the criteria in the NDIS Act, but the fact that ADHD is not included in the NDIA’s lists of conditions for eligibility undermines the goals of the NDIS Act. ADHD does not affect people in the same way. Similar to Autism, there are different levels of functional impairment which affect the everyday challenges a person living with ADHD experiences. ADHD is a lifelong condition; where a person clearly meets the NDIS criteria, they should be able to access reasonable and necessary supports under the NDIS. People living with ADHD with substantially reduced functional capacity have the same right as other members of Australian society to participate in social and economic life, to pursue their goals, live independently, and take part in community activities and employment. Eligibility for the NDIS should be determined following the core principles of the NDIS Act; taking into account a person’s strengths, challenges and functional capacity, instead of their diagnosis.

Source published by: ADHD Australia: Senate inquiry submission May 2023