Impeded choice and control within the NDIS: experiences of people living with psychosocial disability

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the choice and control that people with a psychosocial disability (disability related to consequences of mental ill-health) experience as they engaged with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and to understand aspects that impeded their choice and control. NDIS is an Australian, personalised funding, insurance scheme designed to provide supports that enable individuals living with disability to live an ‘ordinary’ contributing life. This lived-experience-led, qualitative study employed constructivist grounded theory methods. Twenty people were interviewed in-depth. Findings evidenced the poor experiences of choice and control people had on the Scheme. Choice and control were impeded by systems and processes as well as failure to accommodate for challenges associated with mental ill-health. Introduction of the ‘psychosocial recovery framework’ offers hope of improved experiences of choice and control, but it needs to be accompanied by cultural change across the NDIS service system.