Erin’s voice makes a difference in the NDIA’s Intellectual Disability Reference Group

Support Solutions Australia client Erin is using her voice to make a difference in the lives of others through the NDIA’s Intellectual Disability Reference Group (IDRG)

Assisted by her support worker, Erin has recently returned from a five-day trip to Melbourne to participate in the quarterly focus group meeting for the NDIA’s Intellectual Disability Reference Group (IDRG).   

After being referred by a friend, Erin submitted a video application and attended an interview before being selected in early 2024 to join the group whose members come from across Australia.

The purpose of the reference group is to make sure the voices of people with disability are at the centre of NDIS decisions around reform, implementation and monitoring. 

Quarterly in-person meetings are held in key locations around Australia and have taken place in the Gold Coast, Sydney, and Melbourne, with a meeting planned later this year in sunny Brisbane.

With assistance from her support worker, Erin has travelled to attend these meetings which run over multiple days.

‘I like to be a voice for people in my community when it comes to issues for NDIA,’ Erin said.

Erin feels satisfied that her voice is heard at each meeting. 

‘I was nervous at the first couple of meetings, now I am okay,’ she said.  

While in Melbourne, Erin and her support worker took the opportunity to attend Beetlejuice The Musical and a Beetlejuice-themed high tea to unwind after the busy meetings. 

Now halfway through the two-year term, Erin remains actively involved in the focus group’s work alongside participants from across Australia.