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In 2007 IDEAS - Information on Disability & Education Awareness Services was created as a result of the merger between two of the leading providers of disability information in NSW - DIRC NSW Inc and IDEAS - Information on Disability Equipment Access Services Inc.
The two partners came together in 2004 working collaboratively to ensure the sustainability of the provision of disability information to people with disability across NSW and become the disability information service provider of choice in NSW. The amalgamated organisation is able to provide more extensive services with better resources ensuring that younger people with disability and people with age related disability, their families, carers and other supporters are able to access the most up to date and accurate information in a relevant and timely manner.
The amalgamation officially took place in February 2007.
DIRC (NSW) Inc grew from a need for people with disabilities to overcome the barrier of lack of information.
In 1991, originally funded by the Commonwealth Government, the Centre began collecting information and building its resources, receiving and answering enquiries on a daily basis by the end of that year. In June 1992 the organisation was incorporated under the name of Disability Information and Referral Centre - Eastern Sydney Inc.
Under the Commonwealth State and Territory Disability Agreement, the service was transferred to the Disability Services Program of the NSW government (currently through the Dept of Ageing Disability and Homecare). The service was funded to provide information to people with disabilities and their families in Eastern Sydney, that is, the local government areas of Botany, Randwick, Sydney City, Waverley and Woollahra.
From December 2000 to September 2005, (on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing) the Association auspiced the Commonwealth Carelink Centre - South East Sydney.
In November 2003, to clearly identify the Association as being separate from the services it operated, the Association changed it's name to DIRC (NSW) Inc.
During the International Year of Disabled People 1981, Riverina Regional Council of Disabled People decided to establish an information service to meet the needs of consumers in the Riverina - Murray who were geographically isolated from city based specialist disability information services.
IDEAS Inc commenced operations as Community Information for Disabled in 1984 with funds raised in the Riverina and money allocated by Riverina Community Library Service. In 1986 after a successful submission to the Federal Dept of Community Services and Health proposing the establishment of a 'phone-in' computer-based information service, IDEAS Inc. was born.
In 1993 the Commonwealth / State Disability Agreement brought about a change of funding, the service was transferred to the Disability Services Program and HACC programme of the NSW government (Currently through the Dept of Ageing, Disability and Homecare). The service was funded to provide disability information and community education to people across the Riverina-Murray, Southern Highlands and Illawarra regions of NSW.
In 2001 IDEAS received additional recurrent funds to provide information online. This led to redevelopment of our website and growth of our online services.