What is considered NDIS low cost assistive technology?

Many NDIS participants benefit from using low cost assistive technology to complete daily tasks they otherwise might not be able to do -providing them with physical, cognitive or vision support that allows more independent living.

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What is NDIS low cost assistive technology?
Low cost assistive technology in your NDIS plan
What can I spend my funding on?

What is NDIS low cost assistive technology?

Low cost assistive technology is an umbrella term that covers pieces of equipment, software, applications or other items valued under $1500, that help people complete everyday tasks they otherwise could not do on their own.

The majority of low cost assistive technology items are considered low risk, and you can buy and safely use them without consulting a specialist. However, there is a small number of items that are classified as high risk. These require individual advice by a specialist to help select the most suitable product and to have it set it up correctly for safe use. These include:

Mobility, bathing and toileting support items
Pressure care devices
Bed transfer aids
Some communication supports
Some hearing supports

It is best to seek advice from an occupational therapist before purchasing a high risk item.

How to include low cost assistive technology in your NDIS plan?

If you would like low cost assistive technology included in your NDIS plan, you can discuss this in your next planning meeting or during your NDIS plan review. If eligible, your allocated funding will appear in Core – Consumables budget under low cost assistive technology.

A person's hands are using a specialised computer mouse and keyboard. The mouse large circular blue joystick and the keyboard has bright green, blue and red keys with white symbols.

What can I spend my funding on?

If you are seeking to purchase a low cost assistive technology item, there are a couple of considerations to keep in mind before your purchase:

As with all NDIS supports, you can only spend your funding on supports that meet the reasonable and necessary criteria, meaning they must be directly related to your disability and offer value for money.
You can spend your funding on any necessary low cost assisted technology as long as the total cost is under $1500 and the item can be bought off the shelf.
If the item you would like to purchase comes in different models at different price points, you’ll be required to purchase the cheapest one unless there is a specific reason you require the more expensive model - you might need a letter from an occupational therapist to support such request.

There is no explicit list of items that NDIS considers low cost assistive technology - below are some examples of various support items NDIS participants can purchase: