“Who Can Tell Us We Have Got It Right?” Advocacy and the NDIS

This chapter looks at the campaign, development and ongoing implementation and improvement of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) from the perspective of people with disability and advocates, based on the personal experiences of the author. It details the campaign and development phase through the lens of ‘Nothing about us without us’ and gives an insight into the role advocacy and the peer movement have played in building the scheme. The power dynamics of the different groups invested in the success of the NDIS are explored through discussion of the competing forces of government obligation and disability rights. In exploring the ongoing role of people with disability in scheme improvement, the importance of peer support is highlighted as well as the changing influence of disability leaders. The question is posed ‘Who tells you if you have gotten things right?’