Rehabilitation Engineering

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  • 1.  SDA Accommodation

    Posted 11-01-2023 08:58 PM
    Hello Allan, 
    Great of you to share your personal dilemma with members of Engineers Australia.
    I am the brother and NDIS Nominee for my elderly sister with Downs Syndrome.  
    My sister is transferring to a SDA very soon and I have found that I must engage an OT to assess the suitability of the accommodation for her.
    I have previously successfully engaged an OT to obtain items of disability support that I determined were necessary for funding in her NDIS Plan, but I had to have an OT to recommend the products before NDIS would consider them. 
    I am not familiar with the build standards for SDA accommodation although I have inspected two examples of recent builds by the Endeavour Foundation, but despite my intertest and involvement, have not been provided such information. The assumption is that if it is approved as SDA standard, it must be fit for purpose. 
    The project managers (sic) of such builds (not the constructors) are not in my view professionals but rather are social workers and show all the regular failings of  those without specific training and experience in tender evaluation and negotiation, contract and schedule management and budgetary control. 
    I certainly agree that professional engineers (not rehabilitation engineers?) needs to be part of the approval of the SDA standard and construction compliance to meet the needs of the customer. 
    Thank you Ian for engaging. This is yet another unchartered pot-hole in the NDIS process.

    ------------------------------
    Garry Bates AM
    FIEAust, CPEng (Ret'd)
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: SDA Accommodation

    Posted 12-01-2023 09:52 PM

    Garry,

    welcome to the world of NDIS and SDA. Let me know if you need a hand. You have correctly identified that SDA process is being run in a manner that would never be acceptable on an engineering project.

     

    To answer your question, you'd think the up-to-date configured definitive version of the SDA Design Standard would be on the NDIS website. Well, no.

     

    Starting point is the configured copy on https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/housing-and-living-supports-and-services/specialist-disability-accommodation/sda-design-standard

     

    There is also what appears to be an identical configured copy here https://livablehousingaustralia.org.au/downloads/ it's at this point you recognise the free advertising for the access consultants and their private practices on page 2 of the NDIS approved SDA Design standard.

     

    That doesn't give you the latest version. For that you need to go to Access Institute https://accessinstitute.com.au/accredited-sda-assessor-update-4-december-2021/ Additional requirements and "clarifications" on a private website by individuals with no formal qualifications in looking after the severely disabled. Apparently authorised by the NDIA.

     

    And be very, very careful regarding clause 22.1. NDIS is currently refusing to acknowledge my complaints regarding the lack of professional expertise in this area. If you do need backup power for your sister, let me know and I'll send you a document identifying the considerations you need to know about.

     

    How did this come about? It's a long story. SDA was a great idea to start off with, but became badly corrupted when an NDIA manager, back in 2018 or so, decided to hand responsibility - along with around $250,000 of taxpayer funding - to Livable Housing Australia (LHA).

     

    The problem is that the LHA is effectively owned and run by the Master Builders Association - who proved very good at making lots of money out of SDA for their members and associated business interests. (Open https://www.macquarie.com/au/en/perspectives/supporting-the-evolution-of-specialist-disability-accommodation-in-australia.html if you want to see the marketing spin to justify a "market" where the severely disabled have a choice between living in a rental apartment or renting a bedroom in a share home). LHA board have no skills or professional qualifications addressing the complex needs and requirements of the severely disabled as far as I am aware. But the CEO of Summer Housing is an access consultant. So that's OK then. And it is very profitable. Too bad if you need individually tailored SDA accommodation. Not a good look for the bank as far as I'm concerned.

     

    LHA (with NDIA blessing) gave a monopoly to Access Institute to provide training and certification courses for SDA., Access Institute is run by an access consultant, with training provided by access consultants. And LHA has arranged for Access consultants (minimum qualification - a certificate IV in access consulting provided by Access Institute) to have a very privileged position but they don't need to comply with the NDIS Provider code of conduct. And they get to dictate to professionals such as engineers and occupational therapists how SDA is run.

     

    In fact, SDA is defined in terms of just four severely simplified and dumbed down building characteristics. While there are exceptions (my place for example registered as SDA in 2018 as owner/occupier of SDA), it is possible for organisations like summer housing and endeavour foundation to design, get approval, build, and advertise for occupancy SDA apartments and share homes without ever having any involvement from someone with a disability. And if they try to tell you the place is "technology ready", ask if the computer-based assistive technology was provided by the Smart Home division of Harvey Norman. This is common. If so, get an independent opinion regarding suitability.

     

    Best thing you can do is get a professional such as occupational therapist involved and assess what your sisters accommodation needs are. Any problems, happy to give you a hand. I've been dealing with this for a few years now.

     

    Cheers,

    Allan H

     

     

     




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