Personal choice, assessed need and future funding: The likely impact of the NDIS on the support available to individuals with intellectual disabilities in Queensland

Aim: This study examines the aspirations, disability support needs and impact of the forthcoming changes to disability support funding under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in a representative sample of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Method: Quantitative (amount of funding and type/ frequency of support) and qualitative data (goals and aspirations) were collected from 130 individuals in Queensland, Australia using the Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs. Results: The most common aspirations of clients included gaining or maintaining employment and undertaking more leisure activities. These aspirations did not consistently map onto the assessed support needs of clients. Initial analysis indicated that even those clients who were able to live relatively independently are likely to receive funding under the NDIS. Conclusions: The task of weaving the pursuit of aspirational goals to the day-to-day support needs of clients is likely to be complicated, and require considerable creativity from service providers. In many cases, the aspirations of clients may not necessarily match their assessed support needs and, as a result, their allocated funding