Queensland NDIS participant Lesley is now living her best life in specialist disability accommodation (SDA), able to access her entire home and community with ease.
Living in Deception Bay, in an Apollo SDA development, Lesley, a wheelchair user with multiple sclerosis, moved to the beachy suburb with husband Jason in November 2023.
Their one-bedroom home, built to NDIS Design Standards is classified “Fully Accessible” in its design category and includes loads of accessible features Lesley had dreamed of but never thought she could have.
‘I can’t believe I’m living here. It’s built to suit my needs, and I just love it,’ Lesley said.
With wider doorways, corridors, flat non-slip flooring and an open-plan layout Lesley can live a more comfortable, safer, life supporting her to be more independent.
Inside, her fully accessible kitchen has cut outs under the bench to provide easier sink access, and she can wind parts of her bench tops up or down to suit her height.
Kitchen appliances are all in easy reach areas and clever inclusions like a side opening oven door allow her to bake with more confidence without fear of being burnt.
The main bedroom has plenty of space around the bed, making it easier for Lesley to access and a large accessible bathroom means she can use it with or without carers.
The home also has 2 external entries – one for Lesley and Jason and one for Lesley’s support workers, meaning the couple aren’t disrupted with support worker shift changes.
‘What I love about our new home is I have security, I have my forever home,’ Lesley said.
‘I can access everything inside and out, so I’m doing more than I’ve done in years. Everything is close, I can go out on my own. I’m even back working 2 days a week!
‘I’ve got access to a magnesium salt hydrotherapy pool, so I can do my therapies at home, and we have a community veggie garden, a chook pen and BBQ area, so it’s just amazing.
‘Before we moved, we were living in a private rental. It was fine to start with, but when my MS started to affect my mobility it became suitable. It was on a hill with a steep driveway.
‘There were parts of the house I eventually couldn’t access. In fact, it had been years since I’d been out in my front or backyard on my own. I couldn’t leave without support.’
Lesley said she started to “panic” about what the future would hold for her and Jason.
‘I thought what’s going to happen to me as I get older. Where will we live if we are asked to leave. I don’t want to go into a nursing home, what will happen to Jason, who will help us. That’s when I decided to do some research online to see what I could find,’ she said.
‘I came across Greg Barry, a dad who had a son with disability. He couldn’t find a suitable home for him to live in, so to meet that need he started his own business, SDA Services.
‘I called them, and they were great. They worked with my occupational therapist to write a detailed report, which I submitted to the NDIA to get SDA funding, and it was accepted.’
Lesley said the key to her SDA success was researching and learning all about the various SDA design categories and then looking to see where she felt she fitted in. That’s when she started to realise she just might meet the criteria to apply and access SDA.
‘If you’re thinking about SDA I suggest doing your research. Look at all the SDA providers and depending on your needs look for one you think can help you,’ she said.
‘You really need a good occupational therapist, a level 2 support coordinator who knows about SDA and an SDA provider who can work with your NDIS planner and local area coordinator. That way you’ll have a well-informed team working for you on it.
‘I did, and I’m absolutely loving living here,’ Lesley said. ‘You see, my MS doesn’t define who I am. It’s actually given me so many opportunities which I’m ever so grateful for.’