Animals play diverse roles in our lives, offering daily assistance, companionship, and even therapeutic benefits. However, there can be confusion surrounding their roles, particularly when it comes to the NDIS and companion animals.
In this article, we’ll explore the distinctions between assistance animals, pets or companion animals, and animal-assisted therapies, shedding light on what support might be available for individuals under the NDIS.
Assistance Animals
These highly trained animals enhance people’s capabilities, safety, and independence. To be eligible for NDIS funding, assistance animals must be trained by certified providers to perform at least three specific tasks or behaviours that can improve functional outcomes for clients. Some of these tasks include:
- Opening and closing refrigerators or doors
- Retrieving dropped items
- Providing reassurance during extreme anxiety
- Assisting at traffic lights
- Aiding with laundry tasks
- Navigating curbs and stairwells
- Finding empty seats on buses
- Assisting clients in locating doors on vehicles and trains
- Blocking or obstructing others when necessary
Eligible assistance animals for NDIS funding encompass:
- Dog guides (e.g. guide dogs or seeing-eye dogs)
- Medical alert animals
- Hearing assistance animals
- Mobility assistance animals
- Psychiatric assistance animals
- Assistance animals for developmental disorders
Obtaining approval from the NDIS requires these animals to pass a Public Access Test, ensuring they can assist individuals with disabilities. It’s essential to note that assistance animals are distinct from pets or companion animals, which are typically not eligible for NDIS funding.
Companion Animals and Pets
Pets or companion animals do not fall under the category of assistance animals in the NDIS, making them less likely to receive funding. As companion animals are not typically associated with specific disability-related needs, they are not considered assistance animals by the NDIS.
The NDIS does not cover expenses related to training pets, having support staff care for them, or providing food and veterinary care for companion animals. However, if the NDIS deems taking care of a pet as reasonable and necessary for an individual’s disability-related support, funding may be available.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT), animal-assisted intervention (AAI), and animal-assisted activity (AAA) are therapeutic approaches involving animals in a therapy-based setting. These methods aim to assist individuals in reaching their goals and have various positive effects, including:
- Improved cognitive performance
- Reduced blood pressure
- Development of interpersonal skills
- Alleviation of anxiety, depression, stress, and agitation
- Mood enhancement
- Relief from loneliness or boredom
- Improved mobility
- Development of self-esteem
Equestrian assisted therapy (EAT) is a popular form of AAT, which includes activities like grooming, feeding, riding, and other therapeutic treatments with the guidance of an occupational therapist or psychologist.
For NDIS funding, animal-based therapies must be deemed reasonable, necessary, and beneficial for the individual’s goals. There should be a clear connection between these therapies and the individual’s NDIS objectives.
Goal Setting
Individuals must include anything they wish to be part of their plans, such as assistance animals or animal therapies.
Incorporating an assistance animal or animal-assisted therapy into an NDIS plan requires alignment with the individual’s goals, which must be reasonable and necessary for the allocation of funds. The NDIS has developed an Assistance Animals Assessment Template to provide a better understanding of the support available.
