When the NDIS was originally envisaged in its early kind of pilots and design phases, the idea was that it would operate in much the same way across Australia. A central feature of the design was that it would be nationally consistent. Has this been the experience of NDIS participants and providers in rural and remote areas of Australia? How has COVID-19 changed access to services in these areas?
In this bonus episode, we hear from Julie Cullenward, the Practice Lead for Disability and Workforce Development at Marathon Health. Julie has over 25 years' experience in service delivery in rural and remote areas in occupational therapy, education and the disability sector. We talk to Julie about her experiences of transitioning to working under the NDIS, the strategies that her organisation has used to recruit and retain allied health professionals in rural and remote areas and the innovative practices used to continue delivering services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the transcript of this interview on the ASID website.
Read more about Marathon Health https://www.marathonhealth.com.au/ and facebook page https://www.facebook.com/marathonhealthaust/
Read Julie's article for OTA Connections https://issuu.com/occupational-therapy-australia/docs/ota_connections_summer_2020
Explore this Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway program - a new program aimed at rural practitioners https://sarrah.org.au/ahrgp
We want to hear from you!
We would like to hear from NDIS participants, people with intellectual disability and their families, who are living in rural and remote areas. What have your experiences been like accessing NDIS services?
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[email protected]We value your feedback on the podcast. If you'd like to suggest a topic or guest, you can email us at
[email protected]This episode was produced by Emily Churchill, Gordon Duff, Buffy Gorrilla, Associate Professor Hilary Johnson, and Sophia Tipping.
Look out for future episodes on our website www.asid.asn.au/ and tweet us at @ASID_Ltd
For more information about ASID: www.asid.asn.au/
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This podcast was recorded on the unceded lands of the aboriginal peoples of Australia. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.