Glossary
NDIS words, explained simply. One idea per sentence.
Please read: These are plain-language explanations, not official definitions. For official wording, check ndis.gov.au.
- Access request
- Your application to join the NDIS.
- Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)
- An independent tribunal. It can review NDIA decisions after an internal review. It replaced the AAT for new cases.
- Advocate
- An independent person who helps you have your say. Advocacy is free and separate from the NDIA.
- Agency-managed
- The NDIA pays your providers directly. You can only use NDIS-registered providers.
- Assistive technology (AT)
- Equipment or devices that help you do things. Examples: wheelchairs, communication devices, shower chairs.
- Capacity building supports
- Funding that helps you build skills and independence over time. Example: therapy.
- Core supports
- Funding for everyday help. Examples: support workers, consumables, transport.
- Early intervention
- Getting support early so things don't get harder later. One of the ways people can qualify for the NDIS.
- Eligibility reassessment
- When the NDIA checks whether you still meet the rules to stay in the NDIS.
- Evidence
- Information that shows your disability and how it affects your daily life. Usually reports and letters from professionals who know you, plus your own records.
- Fluctuating condition
- A condition that changes over time. Some days or weeks are more manageable, others need much more support. Fluctuating conditions can still meet NDIS rules.
- Functional capacity
- What you can actually do in daily life. Examples: showering, cooking, communicating, getting around, managing money.
- Goals
- Things you want to work towards, written in your plan. You choose your goals.
- Informal supports
- Help from family, friends, and community that isn't paid. The NDIA thinks about these when planning.
- Internal review
- Asking the NDIA to look at a decision again. A different staff member checks it. There is a time limit to ask.
- LAC (Local Area Coordinator)
- A person who helps you understand the NDIS, get ready for planning, and connect with supports. LACs work for partner organisations.
- NDIA
- The National Disability Insurance Agency. The government agency that runs the NDIS and makes decisions.
- NDIS
- The National Disability Insurance Scheme. The national system that funds disability supports in Australia.
- Nominee
- A person formally appointed to act for a participant who needs support with NDIS decisions.
- Participant
- A person who is in the NDIS.
- Plan
- Your NDIS document. It lists your goals and your funded supports.
- Plan-managed
- A plan manager pays your providers' invoices for you. You can use registered and unregistered providers.
- Plan manager
- A person or company funded in your plan to handle the invoices and payments.
- Plan reassessment (plan review)
- When your plan is looked at again to check it still fits your life. Can happen when a plan ends, or when circumstances change.
- Provider
- A person or organisation that delivers your supports.
- Psychosocial disability
- Disability that comes from a mental health condition and affects daily life over time.
- Reasonable and necessary
- The test the NDIA applies to supports it funds. Related to your disability, value for money, effective, and not something other systems (like health or education) should provide.
- Registered provider
- A provider approved and audited under NDIS rules.
- Self-managed
- You manage your own funding and pay providers yourself. Most flexibility, most admin.
- Service agreement
- A written agreement between you and a provider. It sets out what they'll deliver and what it costs.
- Support coordinator
- A person funded in some plans to help you find, set up, and manage your supports.
- Support worker
- A person who gives you hands-on or day-to-day help.