National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2022
The National Disability Inclusion Strategy (2017-2021) (NDIS), was launched in 2017 and was originally intended to run for five years until the end of 2021. It was later extended to 2022.
The Strategy is a whole-of-government approach to improving the lives of people with disabilities. It provides a significant framework for all activity across government departments and agencies. This supports progress in delivering on the obligations in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which was ratified in March 2018.
A revised version of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy was adopted by the minister of state with responsibility for disability in March 2020, following a mid-term review. This revised version of the strategy included 20 new actions, 35 modified actions and nine completed actions. Prior to the mid-term review, there were 114 actions contained in the Strategy. Between the new, modified and removed actions, there are now 125 actions across eight themes:
Equality and choice
Joined-up policies and public services
Education
Employment
Health and well-being
Person-centred disability services
Living in the community
Transport and accessible places
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is the coordinating body for the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (as of October 2020).
Implementation of the Strategy is monitored by a Steering Group comprising of officials from all relevant departments, the Disability Stakeholders Group, and representatives of the National Disability Authority. The Steering group meets four times a year and is chaired by the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability.
The NDA’s Role under the National Disability Inclusion Strategy
We work to support the implementation of the NDIS in several ways. We sit on the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group where we provide our independent advice.
We also provide advice through our direct engagement with the departments and agencies concerned and through working groups and committees. We use our research and data gathering and analysis to inform our policy work.
We produce an annual independent Assessment of Progress of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy. Our assessments do not provide a detailed analysis of each of the 125 actions within the revised National Disability Inclusion Strategy but instead focus on broader areas or themes, drawing on actions relevant to those themes and highlighting areas where further focus and commitment may be required.
Monitoring the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Indicators
In 2018, we developed a set of indicators, in consultation with a number of stakeholders, which play a role in the identification of trends and issues assisting measurement of change and progress of the NDIS 2017-2021.
In 2019, we carried out a review of progress (published in 2020) towards meeting these indicators to measure the progress of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy to coincide with the mid-term review of the strategy.
We carried out a final review of progress (2023) on the NDIS indicators and this report has now been published.