In this article, Jane talks about having her bathroom renovated to be made more safe and accessible through NDIS home modifications. 

I’m Jane, a disabled artist living and working in Narrm Melbourne. When I was just 11 months old, I caught polio, which caused paralysis that affected my mobility. 

Recently, I had further loss of physical capacity due to Post Polio Syndrome and I wasn’t able to do things like I used to at home.

The main problem was my bathroom – it needed big changes so I would be able to shower and dress by myself.

My occupational therapist (OT) helped me work out what should be changed to make things easier and it meant building a whole new bathroom. Fortunately, I am an NDIS participant and could apply for home modifications funding to change my house,  so I could stay living at home independently and safely.

Before I could get the funding, the NDIS needed me to have advice and quotes from 2 builders and then choose one to do the job. The selected builder made a detailed plan of where the accessible shower, toilet and vanity would go. Then I needed to choose equipment and materials to help me use the new bathroom. All of this info went into a report which was submitted to NDIS, and after a fairly short time, the funding was provided.

As I could not stay at home during the building work, I had to find a good accessible place to stay. 

The NDIS will fund Short Term Accommodation (STA) and I was able to pay the costs by using funding from my NDIS Plan core budget. I found a nice farmstay not far from Melbourne. It was a big job packing up the house to prepare it for the building work, but it was possible with extra support worker funding from my core budget. The farmstay was lovely and the time spent there was like a little holiday. 

The building work was completed within the set time, but there were a few glitches. In the end, the builder had to come back and fix the problems, while I moved out again for another few days. 

Now those NDIS home modifications are all finished, I am pleased to be able to use my new bathroom more easily, and I am very happy to be home safe and sound.

Are you considering getting your home modified to better suit your needs? Read Housing Hub's Home Modifications Guide.