People with Disability Australia (PWDA) welcomes the National Disability Insurance Agency's announcement of a new support needs assessment tool, and commends the considered approach taken to its selection.
PWDA is encouraged by the decision to licence the I-CAN version 6 tool and to adapt it in collaboration with the disability community. This represents a significant opportunity to move away from a clinical or deficit-based model, and towards a holistic assessment of people's lives, support needs and wellbeing — in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
"We are pleased to see a commitment to a person-centred, rights-based assessment process that understands people with disability as whole people — not just diagnoses. This is a critical foundation for genuine reform," said Alexandra Bignell, Board Director, PWDA.
"We welcome the commitment to ongoing co-design with people with disability, their supporters and representative organisations as the tool is developed, adapted, implemented and evaluated," said, Ms Bignell.
The I-CAN tool is not new – it has been refined over two decades, is evidence-based, and is widely used in disability support programs, including the Disability Support for Older Australians program. However, PWDA stresses that the NDIS is unique and complex, and its participant cohort is diverse – so careful, codesigned, modification, piloting and evaluation of the tool will be essential.
Key Considerations
PWDA notes the tool's staged rollout, with further development, and with planned input from the community, including before any further technology is integrated. PWDA supports this "build with, not for" approach and highlights the following considerations:
- Whole-of-life assessment: The inclusion of personal and environmental factors and wellbeing is a welcome shift from solely clinical or functional assessments.
- Co-design and lived experience: We are encouraged by the partnership with the University of Melbourne and Centre for Disability Studies, and we ask for transparency about the involvement of people with disability — including people with cognitive or communication support needs — in leadership and co-design roles.
- Staged Implementation: We strongly support a phased implementation that allows for evaluation and iterative improvement. Our joint DPOA position statement (June 2025), with WWDA and others, recommended such an approach, and we are pleased to see this reflected in the announcement. We encourage continued public updates about how feedback from initial phases will inform changes.
- Longer-term plan duration: We are encouraged by the potential for longer-term plans.
- From assessment to funding: Transparency and fairness throughout this process will be key to building trust.
Questions We're Seeking Answers To
PWDA notes that a number of important questions remain unanswered, and we will continue to seek clarity on behalf of our members, including:
- What qualifications will assessors be required to hold, and how will training be delivered?
- Will participants still have the option for reports and recommendations from their trusted providers considered?
- How will the needs assessment report be translated into a participant budget?
- How will complexity be defined and identified, particularly where budget size does not reflect complexity or risk?
- How will the tool be accessible to all participants, adapted for people with communication support needs, and include support for decision making?
PWDA looks forward to continuing to work closely with the NDIA, government, and our community partners to ensure that this change upholds the dignity, rights and diverse experiences of all people with disability.
We reaffirm our position: needs assessment must be individualised, co-designed, and rights-based, with the clear goal of supporting people to live with independence, choice and control.
"We are cautiously optimistic about the announcement. PWDA will closely monitor the next stages and will engage in all opportunities for co-design.
"The new needs assessment process must ensure no one is worse off and be a foundation for a fairer NDIS that genuinely supports people with disability to thrive," said Ms Bignell.
