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🇦🇺 Australia /Health & Science

Nicci just lost her husband. Now she fears she'll lose her support

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Nicci Carlson, who is grieving her husband's death, fears losing vital support due to proposed cuts to Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
  • Carlson, who lives with multiple autoimmune conditions, has had to repeatedly advocate for her NDIS support.
  • Proposed changes could remove hundreds of thousands of recipients from the scheme and divert others, saving billions but causing widespread fear in the disability community.

Nicci Carlson is grappling with the recent loss of her husband and now faces the prospect of losing crucial support services due to proposed cuts to Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Carlson, who resides in Canberra and manages multiple autoimmune conditions including psoriatic arthritis, experiences daily pain and worries about potential vision loss.

I have pain every day. All day, every day.

— Nicci CarlsonNicci Carlson describes her daily experience with chronic pain.

She has found solace and a way to occupy her mind through art therapy, specifically needlepoint, since her husband's passing a few months ago. However, the burden of potential NDIS cuts has instilled significant fear not only in her but also within the broader disabled community. Carlson describes her experience with the NDIS as a constant "fight, fight, fight for everything," emphasizing that accessing support has never been easy.

Fight, fight, fight for everything, it's never been easy.

— Nicci CarlsonNicci Carlson reflects on the difficulty of accessing NDIS support.

Carlson has actively participated in rallies against the proposed NDIS changes in the ACT, highlighting the exhausting reality of self-advocacy for people with disabilities. She expresses frustration with public sentiment that suggests many NDIS recipients are 'fakers,' questioning how such individuals would have successfully navigated the notoriously difficult application process.

I keep seeing people lately who are angry and saying half the people on the NDIS are fakers. Please point them out to me, because how did they get on if they're faking? Because it is incredibly hard to get on the NDIS. Well, it was for me; that's been my experience.

— Nicci CarlsonNicci Carlson addresses the public perception of NDIS recipients as 'fakers'.

The proposed overhaul, announced in April, aims to remove or prevent access for over 240,000 recipients from the $50 billion scheme within four years, redirecting many to state-run supports yet to be established. Government modeling projects an additional 110,000 individuals would be diverted from the scheme by 2031, potentially saving over $30 billion. Critics, however, fear the changes grant the NDIS minister excessive power over funding and eligibility, raising concerns about arbitrary removal of essential supports.

I had people say to me, 'Well, it won't be you', 'It won't be people like you',, and I thought well, I've heard far too many stories already about people who have had various things removed that you wouldn't think would be removed.

— Nicci CarlsonNicci Carlson expresses concern that proposed cuts will affect individuals like herself.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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