Community connections is a service available through the NDIS.
It is available to people with disability aged 9 to 64, and their families.
You don’t have to apply to the NDIS to get community connections. Both people with disability and NDIS participants can access this service through our NDIS local area coordinators. This helps people know about and access the supports available in their community.
Local area coordinators will also help people with disability apply for the NDIS and start their plan.
If your child is younger than 9, read Our Guideline – Early connections for information on the support available.
If you are aged 65 or older, we will provide you information on your local aged care services.
Community connections can include things like help to access information, talking about how to access mainstream and community supports, or help to apply to the NDIS.
It is available even if you are not eligible for the NDIS.
Being involved in your community can support wellbeing and keep you connected to the people and places in your area that build on this. Community connections can help you to do what is important to you. This can include finding supports you need to be more independent and do more of the things you enjoy in your local community.
When we say ‘you’, we mean a person aged 9 to 64 with disability.
When we say ‘we’, we mean the NDIA.
When we say ‘participant’, we mean a NDIS participant who has met the NDIS eligibility requirements and has an NDIS plan and budget.
The NDIS has funded local area coordinators to deliver community connections since the NDIS started in 2013. We have previously called this ‘linking you to information and support in your community’.