110 Michelle L. Bonati
additional supports (Dowse et al., 2016). Under the former provisions, adults with
ASD had limited choice in supports or accommodation arrangements (FaHCSIA,
2009). The National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (Commonwealth
Attorney-General’s Department, 2013), which provides the legislative framework for
the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), establishes the aims and structure
of this new model for supporting people with disability in Australia.
Although not solely focused on housing support, the NDIS provides adults with
ASD with innovative options for community living that were not allowed under
the former system. Instead of receiving a placement in a group home environment,
where one might live with multiple strangers in neighbourhoods isolated from the
community and services, an adult with ASD could establish one of several hous-
ing arrangements through creative use of individualised funding (YDAS, 2013).
A recent news report described three female friends with disabilities who pooled
their NDIS support plan resources to be able to rent a home together and to flexi-
bly schedule supports as needed (Perkins, 2016). Being able to select whom you live
with, and where, provides options to increase the social inclusion and social capital
of adults with ASD through regular access to community activities that match the
person’s interests and opportunities to extend social networks.
The implementation of the NDIS raises some concerns regarding if there will
be enough highly qualified service providers within this market-based context of
supports. Another issue is whether people with complex needs will be able to com-
pete to receive services from the providers that are available (Dowse et al., 2016).
Individuals with ASD and other related disorders comprise the largest disability
group of NDIS participants, with 31 per cent of the total participants nationally
(NDIA, 2016). The evidence is unclear at this point, but adults with ASD who
exhibit behavioural challenges might encounter barriers to obtaining needed sup-
ports if providers can select from participants who need fewer supports (Anglicare
Tasmania, 2015).
Social inclusion involves a complex set of processes to support community par-
ticipation and development of meaningful interpersonal relationships for adults
with ASD. The extent of a person’s social inclusion also depends on the individual’s
subjective perceptions of their experiences. Social inclusion involves a component
of the broader conception of quality of life and is mutually reinforced through
development of social capital (Simplican et al., 2015). Social capital is a currency
in which we gain access to information and other resources through our social
network of family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Australia has made the
commitment to provide disability support on a national scale through the NDIS. It
is imperative that no matter which way the political wind blows that the financial
commitment to fully implement the NDIS is carried through and the aims of the
National Disability Strategy are realised. The implications of its success or failure
are too great, with so many adults with ASD and other disabilities demanding that
they are no longer shut out from society.