Know Your Rights

As an NDIS participant, you have the right to:

• Be treated with respect and dignity, and have your culture, identity, beliefs and relationships respected
• Make your own decisions, and get the support you need to make them - including support to understand your options
• Choose and change your own providers and supports
• Have your privacy respected, and know how your information is used
• Receive safe, quality supports free from abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation
• Get information in a way you can understand - Easy Read, your language, or another accessible format
• Make a complaint about a provider or your supports, without being punished or losing services for doing so
• Have an advocate, family member or friend support you at any meeting

People with disability have the same human rights as everyone else. Australia has agreed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognises the right to:

• Equality, and freedom from discrimination
• Live independently and be included in the community
• Freedom from abuse, violence and exploitation
• Make your own decisions about your own life ("legal capacity")
• Accessible information, buildings, transport and technology
• Work, education, health care, and an adequate standard of living, on an equal basis with others

You have the right to make your own decisions. Supported decision-making means getting help to understand your options and work out what you want - not someone else deciding for you.

• A supporter can explain information in a way that makes sense to you
• They can help you think through options and what might happen
• The final decision is still yours
• This is different to a substitute decision-maker (like a guardian), who can legally make some decisions for you - that should only ever be used when truly necessary, and for the smallest scope possible

1. If it feels safe to, talk to the provider or worker directly first - sometimes it's a misunderstanding that can be sorted out quickly.
2. If that doesn't work, or doesn't feel safe, put your complaint in writing (email or letter) with dates and details.
3. If it's still not resolved, or it's serious (abuse, neglect, a safety risk), contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
4. You can ask an advocate to help you make a complaint, or make it on your behalf.
5. You cannot legally be refused services or treated worse because you made a complaint.

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission - 1800 035 544 - to make a complaint about an NDIS provider or worker
• National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline - 1800 880 052 - for abuse, neglect or exploitation
• Disability Gateway - Advocacy Finder - 1800 643 787 - a free, independent advocate to support you
• NDIS National Contact Centre - 1800 800 110 - general questions about your plan or funding

See the full list on Who Can Help Me? for more services and phone numbers.