Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is housing for people with severe functional impairments or high support needs who require specialized housing options, such as to help with the delivery of assistance.
SDA is not suitable for everyone with a disability. Who is eligible to live in SDA is determined by the NDIS. Only a tiny percentage receive funding.
You must have a severe functional impairment or substantial assistance needs to be eligible. If you have severe functional impairment, even if your home is set up to accommodate you, you will still require assistance to do activities like: Getting up from your bed, Putting on clothes, Preparing meals and Leaving the house.
Specialist Disability Accommodation is divided into five categories. The SDA Design Categories are the following:
Basic Properties
Are those older properties that don’t have any unique design elements. The basic SDA is no longer being constructed.
Improved Liveability
If you find it difficult to see or understand things around you, then Improved Liveability SDA might suit you. Improved Liveability SDA is easy to move around in. Doorways, handles, and switches are easy to see and it’s often easy to see from one room through to the next.
Fully Accessible
Fully Accessible SDA might be right for you if you have a major physical limitation. Most people who are qualified for Fully Accessible SDA need a wheelchair for some or all their daily activities. In a fully accessible home, there are no steps. Wheelchairs can fit through the doors. The bathroom, like the kitchen, is meant to be used by individuals who are sitting as well as standing.
High Physical Support
High Physical Support SDA may be right for you if you use an electric wheelchair to go around or a hoist to get in and out of bed, or if you need a lot of help every day.
All of the features of a Fully Accessible SDA home are included in a High Physical Support home, as well as emergency backup power and a ceiling robust enough to support a ceiling hoist. It will usually feature an intercom that links you to a nearby support staff. It may also include assistive technologies tailored to the needs of the resident. Doors, lights, and heating that can be controlled with your voice or a gadget fall under this category.
Robust
Robust SDA might be right for you if you act in ways that aren’t always safe for you or those around you. A Robust home’s walls, windows, and other features are not readily shattered. It’s soundproofed well enough that sounds from outside won’t bother you, and whatever noise you generate won’t bother your neighbours. The windows and doors are locked. A sturdy home will also feature a secure area where you, other residents, or staff members can retreat to stay safe.
SDA also includes 5 Building Types.
- Apartments – Are self-contained units within a larger residential structure.
- Townhouses, duplexes, and villas – Separate but semi-attached houses on a single plot of land. Housing, such as granny flats, falls under this category.
- Houses – Residences Low-rise detached houses with gardens or courtyards
- Group homes – Long-term housing for four or five people.
- Larger Dwellings – More spacious dwellings In the case of more than 5 long-term residents
Finding a suitable place to live if you have a disability might be difficult. The first step in locating the ideal location is to consider what you want and require.
Consider the following:
- Who do you want to share your home with?
- What city would you like to reside in?
- What accessibility features do you require?
- How much help do you require?
Once you’ve figured out the answers to those questions, you can start looking for a place to call home that checks all of your boxes.
You can also approach your NDIS support coordinator or planner for assistance in finding a place to live.
People who reside in SDA are paid by the NDIS. SDA payments are included in your NDIS plan if the NDIS says you’re eligible to reside in SDA.