The scheme is designed to help people get the support they need so their skills and independence improve over time.

It allows people who were born with or acquire a permanent and significant disability to access assistance or products that help them in their daily life and also help them participate in the community to reach their goals.

This all sounds fantastic and trust me it is.

It may sound clichéd, but I have seen people's lives change once they have their NDIS plan but, more importantly once they are aware of how they can use their NDIS plan to assist them to live an "ordinary life".

Let's start by talking about disability in general.

Nearly one in five Australians identified as having a disability and although not all Australians with a disability will be eligible for the NDIS everyone can benefit from inclusion.

Self-determination is something that some disability service providers often fail to understand and what is exciting is that the expectations of Australians with a disability and their families are rapidly changing and this is where "choice and control" will come into the life of someone living with a disability.

The NDIS gives participants the choice over their providers, the old traditional block funding where large organisations and group homes with a lot of restrictions would receive a large bucket of cash is well and truly behind us.

Now the participants are given their plan and they can spend it where they choose.

This not only makes it exciting for the people living with the disability and their families, this is exciting for small to medium businesses in our town, the NDIS offers an enormous opportunity.

Long before the COVID-19 arrived, the disability sector and individuals with disability themselves were struggling to attract the size and diversity of workforce needed to meet demand for supports, and under the current circumstances - where people are isolating in their homes and needing more one-to-one support - the sole traders are going be in hot demand.