In this episode Mel chats with Alexandra - or Alex - Browne, a senior support coordinator and recovery coach in the NDIS space. Having started out in occupational therapy, Alex has been working in the disability sector for a decade and her own son, Ethan, is on the NDIS. 

Alex is an expert on evidence - the reports, assessments, letters and information we need to provide the NDIS in order to paint a picture of who our family is and what we need to live an ordinary life. 

Part one of Alex and Mel's chat covers why we need to include something Alex calls a "comparison document" in our evidence, how to talk about our kids through a functional - rather than medical - lens, and the critical components of our NDIS evidence. 

Useful links:

NDIS Act 2013 Section 34 Reasonable and Necessary Supports: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00332

NDIS Rules 2013 NDIS Rules 2013.pdf: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2013L01063

The six functional domains: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:133077ec-7487-3022-b5ba-fa85787fafa4

Hireup's Navigating the NDIS portal: https://hireup.com.au/navigating-the-ndis/