Does the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme enhance personal quality of life?

ABSTRACT

The Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme's (NDIS) market-based paradigm, which prioritises “person-centred planning” and “self-directed care”, supports independence and the social and economic participation of participants. This article examines the NDIS's philosophical congruence and whether it affirms the dignity of people with an intellectual disability and enhances their quality of life. A philosophical methodological approach considers the NDIS paradigm from John Macmurray's personalism, which posits persons as people who act and are individual, interactive, interdependent, relational, social beings, who respond to their lived experiences. To indicate the relevance of Macmurray's personalism, this article examines data on the practice of disability services to suggest another side to the paradigm that underscores the NDIS. The focus of the NDIS on “markets” and “business” could tear a seam in a paradigm designed for people to realise their personal nature, interdependency, and affirm their personal dignity. A Macmurrian human nature is richer than person-centred planning, since this analysis reinforces the importance of personal relationships in people's lives to the application of the NDIS. A failure to give priority to this dimension may invalidate personal flourishing, friendships, living a meaningful life, and having a valued role in society.

KEYWORDS:

• John Macmurray
• meta-ethics
• NDIS
• personalism
• quality of life and support plans

Acknowledgements

This is a revised copy of a paper delivered to the IASSID (International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities) World Congress, “Global Partnerships: Enhancing Research, Policy and Practice”, Melbourne, 15–19 August 2016. The author thanks the two anonymous reviewers and the editor of Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for their helpful advice on the development of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

The author did not receive any financial support from any research grant or institution in producing this paper.