The National Disability Insurance Agency has taken a major step towards creating a simpler, fairer pathway for NDIS Participants to access the disability supports they need.

The NDIA has procured a license for a new needs assessment tool, known as the Instrument for Classification and Assessment of Support Needs (I-CAN) version 6.

The NDIS Review recommended a better, clearer planning process to assess disability support needs and build plan budgets.  

This tool will make it easier for people with disability and their families to navigate the NDIS. It will focus on a participant’s disability support needs rather than functional impairments. 

It will be used by trained, accredited assessors, who will meet with participants aged 16 and over, to help assess their disability support needs, as part of the New Planning Framework under the NDIS Act.

The tool will be applied alongside questionnaires assessing each individual’s personal and environmental circumstances. Further targeted assessments will be used for people with more complex disability support needs.