00:00Martin has lived with chronic pain in his limbs all his life, and it's getting worse.
00:05He recently bought a wheelchair for about $1,000.
00:09It's second hand, so it doesn't fit him properly and is broken in places.
00:14I've had to fix the brakes myself.
00:17One of the brakes was broken, so I've had to reposition it because it was quite,
00:22it was so loose that it wouldn't hold the wheel, and the grips on the brakes have come off.
00:28So it was just the bare metal.
00:31Martin gets NDIS funding for his autism, but not for his physical disabilities,
00:36meaning he has to pay for equipment himself.
00:39This is because I've not been able to prove at this point that they're permanent,
00:46and because of that they will not provide me any support or funding to do with my physical disabilities.
00:55Martin is trying to get an appointment with a specialist who can confirm his physical disabilities are permanent,
01:01but waiting lists to see specialists are long.
01:04Disability advocates say people need more support to navigate the NDIS.
01:09It's a really complicated scheme to access,
01:12and finding the evidence to support the fact that you actually live with disability,
01:18it's very hard to find the specialist to provide you with that service.
01:24The Federal Government has proposed changes to the NDIS,
01:27which aim to ensure the scheme's long-term financial sustainability.
01:31The Department of Social Services says participants would only be able to get funding
01:35for impairments that meet the disability requirements.
01:38But advocates say this would entrench a primary disability approach,
01:43which could make it harder for people to have all of their support needs met.
01:47The disability isn't the diagnosis, it's the impairment, and it's the way that affects you.
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