NDIS Assistance Animals
Find a list of NDIS Assistance Animals . There are currently some Assistance Animals providers offering a range of services.
Assistance animals are used by some people living with disabilities to help them get the most out of their day to day experience and to be as independent as possible. While guide dogs are the most common type of assistance animal, they are far from the only type.
Guide dogs assist blind people or people with severely impaired vision as they make their way around their homes and their communities. Miniature horses are sometimes used in this capacity as well, though there is a lack of research into how beneficial they are.
But dogs can also be a great help to people with impaired hearing. Hearing dogs are trained to recognise certain sounds—e.g. a ringing phone or a knock at the door—and to then alert their human companion.
There are also assistance animals who help people with mobility issues, whether they are bound to a wheelchair, use a walking device, or have problems with balance.
Medical alert dogs are another type of assistance animal. These dogs are trained to recognise and draw attention to certain medical emergencies like low blood sugar or seizures. They can also announce the presence of allergens, among other things.
For assistance animal supports to be funded by the NDIS, they must represent “value for money in that the costs of the support are reasonable, relative to both the benefits achieved and the cost of alternative support.” Whether a support meets this standard is for the National Disability Insurance Agency to determine.
In the context of the NDIS, only guide dogs and hearing dogs are currently considered to be reasonable and necessary supports for participants. Other types of assistance animals are still considered on an individual basis, and may be covered if they are found to have proven benefits.