Grow Your Abilities

25/12/2025

🎄✨ Merry Christmas from Grow Your Abilities! ✨🎄

Wishing everyone a peaceful, joyful and gentle Christmas Day.
Whether you’re celebrating with family, spending time with pets, enjoying some quiet, working today, or navigating a tough season — we’re sending love and warmth your way. 💛

Thank you to our beautiful community for another year of trust, connection, laughter, resilience and growth. We are so grateful for each and every one of you.
May today bring moments of rest, kindness, good food, and something that makes your heart feel light. ✨

Stay safe, enjoy the sunshine (or the snacks!), and know that you are thought of today.

From our GYA family to yours — Merry Christmas 🎄💛✨

11/12/2025

I had private, unidentified calls this week from the NDIS — no caller ID, no text message, no prior notice. I had to directly ask who they were and where they were calling from.

Let me be absolutely clear: this is not okay.

For many people in the NDIS — participants, families, carers, and providers — unexpected anonymous calls can be distressing, unsafe, and confusing. Clear identification is a basic standard of respectful communication. A simple text message, a name, or a service introduction is not too much to ask.

If we truly want an NDIS that is accessible, trauma-informed, culturally safe, and respectful, then transparent communication must be the minimum benchmark.

Thank you to the AASW for this document.

11/12/2025

📣 LAST DAY BEFORE OUR BREAK

Today is our final day before we head on leave from EOB today until 4th January.
We will return on Monday 5th January.

During this period, please limit all email, SMS and phone communication, as our team will be completely offline. We do not have skeleton staff operating.

All supports, rosters and arrangements should now be organised and set up for everyone over the break.

Thank you for your understanding and for an incredible year. We look forward to supporting you again in 2026 💛✨

10/12/2025

✨ Human Rights Day – 10 December ✨

Today is a reminder that every person deserves safety, dignity, respect and the opportunity to live a full and meaningful life.

For many people with disability, human rights aren’t abstract ideas — they’re daily realities shaped by access, attitudes, systems and supports.

At Grow Your Abilities, we are committed to standing beside our participants so their voices are heard, their rights are upheld, and their choices matter.

Let’s keep building a community where inclusion isn’t an afterthought — it’s the starting point. 💛🌿

08/12/2025

✨ FINAL WEEK BEFORE OUR BREAK ✨

We’re heading into our last week of supports before taking a 3-week pause to rest, reset and come back ready for an even bigger year supporting you all 💪

If there’s anything urgent you’d like us to look at before the break (appointments, admin, reports, NDIS questions), please reach out to us this week.

Thank you for your trust, kindness and patience – we honestly have the best community 💛

05/12/2025

We just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the Grow Your Abilities Christmas Party on Friday. It was so lovely to come together, slow down at the end of a big year, and celebrate the incredible community we’ve built together.

From the chats over food, to the laughter, kids running around, and the quiet moments of connection in between – you all made the day what it was. GYA is not just a service, it’s a community, and that really shone through on Friday.

Thank you to…
Participants and families – for showing up, sharing your stories, and trusting us to walk alongside you this year.

Support workers and providers – for the care, energy and heart you bring to the people you support.

Our team – for everything you did this year.

Your presence, kindness and generosity are the reason events like this feel so special.

As we head into the holidays…
The end of the year can be a mix of joy, overwhelm, grief, relief – and everything in between. Please know that:

You are part of the GYA community, and

We see the effort it takes to keep going, advocating, caring and showing up.

We hope the party gave you even a small moment of fun, connection, and breathing space.

Thank you for being part of GYA 💫
On behalf of Grow Your Abilities, thank you again for spending your time with us on Friday and for being such an important part of our journey this year.

Wishing you a gentle, safe and meaningful Christmas and holiday season – however you spend it. 🌟

03/12/2025

💙 International Day of People with Disability 2025 💙
3 December 2025

Today we acknowledge, honour and celebrate people with disability—your strength, talent, culture, identity, and the incredible value you bring to our communities every single day.

IDPwD is about inclusion, visibility, respect, and breaking down barriers.
It’s a reminder that accessibility, equality and meaningful participation aren’t optional—they’re essential.

At Grow Your Abilities, we are proud to walk alongside our participants, families, support workers and allied health teams who champion independence, choice and control.

Your voices shape the work we do, and your achievements inspire us daily.

🌟 Today we celebrate:
• diverse abilities and lived experience
• community connection
• advocacy and empowerment
• creating a world where everyone belongs

Thank you to every person who continues to push for a more inclusive, understanding and accessible Australia.

Together, we grow stronger. 💛🌿

01/12/2025

As we move into the final months of 2025, there are several important changes and announcements from the NDIS that all participants, support coordinators and providers should be aware of. Understanding these helps you plan ahead, advocate effectively, and avoid unexpected surprises. Here are the main developments for November.

1. Significant pricing changes effective 24 November
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has released updated Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26(PAPL) which take effect from 24 November 2025.
Key points:

The previous “COVID Addendum” and related temporary pricing items are being removed.

Price limits for art therapy and music therapy have been adjusted following the Independent Review of Art and Music Therapies.

The travel/region classification system for pricing has been updated, notably via the adoption of the Modified Monash Model 2023 (MMM) – affecting regional/remote travel loading eligibility.

Updates to the Assistive Technology / Home Modifications / Consumables Code Guide align the code-guide with the Supports List and reflect the pricing changes.

What this means for participants and coordinators:

If you or your provider have service agreements or pricing set based on older limits, you’ll need to check they align with the new limits from 24 November.

Providers may communicate changes in their fee structures in the lead up to this date; you’ll want to monitor for any service agreement amendments.

For consumables, home modifications or assistive technology purchases, make sure the code-guide updates are applied correctly and that budgeting reflects any new claim requirements.

For participants in regional or remote areas (or providers servicing such areas), check the MMM classification of the postcode to determine if travel loading changes apply.


2. New CEO for the NDIA
In early November the government announced the appointment of Graeme Head AO as the new Chief Executive Officer of the NDIA, for a three-year term.
Why this matters:

A new CEO often signals shifts in strategic priorities, operational focus or stakeholder engagement.

As support coordinators and providers, we may see changes in how the NDIA engages with the marketplace, provider registration/oversight, and technology/digital platforms.

It pays to stay alert to further announcements or changes flagged by the NDIA under the new leadership.

3. Expression of Interest for Dog Guide Providers
The NDIA opened an Expression of Interest (EOI) process on 5 November 2025 for providers to join a Dog Guide Provider List (DGPL).

https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/10994-dog-guide-provider-list-expression-interest-open

Take-away for participants:

For participants whose plans include or may include dog guide supports, this is a positive step toward more structured provider options.

You may want to explore what this means in your region: whether a provider list exists now or is forthcoming, what the qualification criteria are, and how this might impact plan recommendations or service agreements.

The closing date for this EOI is 3 December 2025; it may be beneficial to inform participants with vision-impairment (or those exploring guide-dog supports) of this development.

25/11/2025

25/11/2025

Provider Spotlight:

🌿 Who Are Tribes Adventure Group?
Tribes Adventure Group is an inclusive provider specialising in outdoor, adventure and eco-therapy experiences that help people build confidence, independence, resilience, and community connection. Their approach is hands-on, person-centred, and grounded in the belief that meaningful growth happens when participants feel supported, safe and inspired.

🤝 What Makes Them Stand Out
Tribes is known for:

Authentic community connection

Supportive facilitators who empower participants at their own pace

A nature-based therapy approach that nurtures wellbeing

Building confidence through challenge, not pressure

Strong focus on social inclusion and skill development

Creating spaces where people can thrive, make friends, and feel understood

Participants consistently share that they feel seen, encouraged, and capable when working with the Tribes team — which says everything about their heart and professionalism.

🌟 Why We Recommend Tribes
We love referring to Tribes because they:

Honour each participant’s strengths and support needs

Foster independence in realistic, everyday ways

Offer meaningful opportunities for community involvement

Encourage self-belief, resilience, and personal growth

Operate with genuine warmth, integrity and passion

Create inclusive experiences that are accessible to people of all abilities

Their core values — Harmony, Opportunity, Wonder, Integrity, Challenge — beautifully mirror the work we strive for at GYA.

📣 Contact
Fiona – Tribes Adventure Group
📞 0417 042 139
📧 programs@tribesadventures.com

20/11/2025

Candle-making: because sometimes you need to melt down together in a healthy way 😆🕯️