通过澳大利亚国家残障保险计划（NDIS）资助的社区项目，许多残障青年首次建立了稳定的友谊和社交联系，但一份参议院委员会报告对这些进展构成了直接威胁。[1]该委员会建议在未来十年内从NDIS削减1500亿澳元，并计划在五年内移除240,000名参与者。[1]这些提议将导致社区参与预算遭到大幅削减，可能摧毁众多参与者建立的支持体系。
Ella通过该项目建立了朋友圈子，但其母亲Debbie对潜在的资金削减感到担忧。[1]Debbie表示："如果Ella的资金被削减，即使只是部分削减或全部削减，对整个家庭来说都将是毁灭性的。"[1]另一名参与者Tim强调了该计划的核心价值："NDIS很重要，因为它让我能够进入我通常无法接触到的社区。"[1]
倡导机构genU在提交给委员会的文件中警告，当社区参与支持被撤销时，这种需求不会消失，而是转移到医疗系统、家庭照顾者、心理健康服务，甚至司法和危机应对系统。[1]项目参与者如Ella、Tim和Jen通过该项目周复一周需要的干预措施逐渐减少。[1]
Ella and other young people with disabilities have found meaningful friendships and social connection through a community program funded by Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), but proposed budget cuts now threaten to end that support.[1] A Senate committee has recommended slashing AU$150 billion from the NDIS over the next decade, with plans to remove 240,000 participants from the scheme within five years.[1]
For Ella and participants like Tim and Jen, the program has gradually reduced their need for intervention as they've built social skills and community ties.[1] Ella's mother, Debbie, expressed the family's anxiety about potential funding reductions, stating: "If Ella's funding was cut, even just a little bit or altogether, it would be just devastating for the whole family."[1] Tim emphasized the critical role the scheme plays in his life, noting: "The NDIS is important because it gives me access to communities that I would normally not have."[1]
Advocates warn that withdrawing community participation funding would not eliminate the underlying need for support but would shift it elsewhere. According to a submission from genU, "Where community participation supports are withdrawn, the evidence in this submission shows the resulting pressure does not disappear – it moves to hospitals, families and carers, mental health services, and in some cases justice and crisis response systems."[1]