Wow! What a year of change! While we knew that this year would be critically important in terms of getting the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) ready I think it is only in retrospect that we can see clearly the amount of progress we have made that pleasingly sees us in a position of strength and confidence closing out the year.

Ever since the NDIS was first proposed only eight short years ago I am very proud to say that The Disability Trust has always been right behind this revolutionary social change and indeed we advocated strongly for it from the outset. We have always known that having our clients truly become our customers would further support The Disability Trust’s vision of “creating an inclusive world”.

This year we made a commitment to “getting the balance right” between high quality person centred services and the systems that can support them to be sustainable, viable and efficient.

It has been reassuring on every level to see the engagement from clients, families and staff to bring ideas to the table to consult, reimagine, innovate or make changes to services to ensure they are enjoyable, interesting and most importantly meeting the needs of those using them.

Looking ahead, over the next three years, we are focused on making sure our systems and our people are NDIS ready and that, as we have done this year, we can continue to experience growth through quality and our great work in the community.

For The Disability Trust then all eyes remain on the prize of navigating the transition to full NDIS implementation and remaining agile to adapt to this incredible new opportunity and operating environment.

We have also been able to work closely with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) providing feedback and offering solutions to assist others in the rollout proving that our people are leaders in our field.

I would like to thank all supporters and partners who have assisted The Trust to realise our shared vision in the creation of an inclusive world. The connection we have with our community and local businesses is imperative to our continued success.

Margaret Bowen
Chief Executive Officer