The disability service isn’t for disabilities

Yeah that sounds like a really shitty ridiculous headline, doesn’t it? I wrote about trying to get some disability services in early 2025 and how I’d lodged a complaint. Well, here’s the follow up to that. Maybe take some blood pressure medication before reading.

My complaint:

To Whom It May Concern,

I wish to make a complaint about the inappropriate nature of services offered under the Queensland Community Support Scheme.

Please firstly note that this is NOT a complaint about any staff I have interacted with. They have all been lovely, professional, understanding, and should in fact be commended for the compassion with which they do a difficult job.

This is a complaint about a government body deciding what services are appropriate for a disabled person.

My most urgent need is a mowing service. I cannot mow a lawn due to my disabilities and I will never be able to mow a lawn. I was informed that the Queensland Community Support Scheme does not offer a lawn mowing service anymore. The most I could get is someone to mow a few strips for access, for example to the bins, mailbox, or washing line.

This would not suit me as I would breach my lease, local council expectations etc by having an unmown lawn.

It was explained to me that their services take a capacity building approach. While I understand this is common in disability sectors, I cannot capacity build myself into mowing, that is not how my disabilities work.

I do not need someone to teach me how to mow, I need someone to mow for me.

A disability service needs to listen to the needs of the disabled person, not dictate to them what they can or cannot do.

This needs to be corrected and I would welcome a response on how you plan to listen to and support disabled people with what we actually need.

Please note that due to my disabilities, I require email contact, not phone calls or meetings etc.

Kind regards,

Vanessa Smith

The QLD Government response:

Dear Ms Smith

Thank you for your communication regarding the Queensland Community Support Scheme.

QCSS is a universal scheme and is not structured to deliver specialist disability or health supports. The following is provided for your information and it may be that other support, such as that offered through the NDIS, may be more suitable.

• The Queensland Community Support Scheme (QCSS) is part of the Queensland Government’s ongoing commitment to enabling economic participation, supporting thriving communities, and reducing social isolation for Queenslanders.
• QCSS forms a part of the broader human and social services system and supports delivered are designed to work in conjunction with these other mainstream and targeted supports and systems.
• QCSS provides low intensity supports to assist people to increase independence, develop skills, and enable people to live in their community.
• Supports include but are not limited to essential yard maintenance to ensure safety in access and mobility around the external environment of the home. Essential yard maintenance is defined as mowing to ensure safety in access and mobility around the external environment of the home.
• The QCSS is not intended to meet all aspects of a person’s care requirements or to duplicate supports and services that are available through other formal and informal support mechanisms, such as the NDIS. QCSS offers universal access to all Queenslanders and is not specifically a disability service.

• Your email indicates that you have a disability, and the department encourages you to test your eligibility for the NDIS.
• You may be eligible for lawn mowing assistance under the NDIS if the service is directly related to your disability and considered a reasonable and necessary support. If eligible, you could discuss the need for lawn mowing to be included in your NDIS plan under the Core Supports – Assistance with Daily Life budget and to seek the supports through a NDIS approved lawn mowing service.
• Further information can be found on the NDIS eligibility portal: https://www.ndis.gov.au/applying-access-ndis/am-i-eligible

The issues:

Are huge. I particularly got upset at calling it a “universal scheme”, bastardising the concept of universal design. The absolute fucking ignorance that the NDIS only accepts a small portion of Australians with a disability. The state governments are living in a fucking dreamland where NDIS takes away all the icky disabled costs and by taking that approach, they are abandoning us and ignoring our human rights. I have not replied to this because I don’t have the fucking spoons. I share this so that there is a clear example of the complete lack of supports available under the QLD state government.

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