Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) refers to accommodation that can be funded under the NDIS for eligible participants with significant impairments specialised support requirements.
Through the development of SDA, NDIS has sought to make certain that people with disabilities have the same rights as any other Australian resident. NDIS focus on enabling freedom, independence, control, choice and social participation, in areas that affect the participant’s life, i.e. the house they reside in.
The design standards have been designed with the intention to improve the lives of the participants, by aiming to meet individual needs. The homes are located in communities that foster social connections to bring a sense of belonging.
Through SDA once a person is confirmed to have a severe functional impairment and/or severe support needs, SDA funding is provided through the NDIS to qualified participants to purchase an SDA dwelling. These SDA dwellings have accessible features to help residents live more independently and get the assistance they need. SDA usually involves a shared home with a small number of other people or individually depending on the participant.
The design standards of SDA dwellings have been planned to improve the livelihood of participants, by designing an environment that suits their individualistic needs. The homes are built in selected locations to ensure the participant has adequate resources to suit their needs and nourishment.
To ensure that buildings are capable of meeting the needs of participant’s who will be residing in the dwelling, all designs must include features to enhance livability for participant’s appropriate to their needs. The relevance of a design category concerning the proposed SDA shall be determined in conjunction with the users of the building.
Housing that has been designed to improve ‘Livability’ by incorporating a reasonable level of physical access and enhanced provision for people with sensory, intellectual, or cognitive impairment.
Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment.
Housing that has been designed to incorporate a reasonable level of physical access provision and be very resilient, reducing the likelihood of reactive maintenance and reducing the risk to the participant and the community.
Housing has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment and requiring very high levels of support.
