Our Services

IDEAS stands for Information on Disability, Education and Awareness Servies. IDEAS' purpose is to provide access to information and opportunities for people with disabilities, their supporters and the community to reach their full potential

So you can make independent and informed decisions, we will:

• Be here when you phone, text or email us between Monday and Friday 8 am-8 pm
• Listen carefully and ask questions so we really understand
• Use our connections to find things out, check the facts, and organise the information for you
• Make sure the information we give you is clear and accessible

You can also search our website to find useful information. Everything we do is guided by people with disability. It’s all free, and we won’t try to sell you things.

Connect today. 

How do IDEAS help people with disability, their carers and supporters?

Please watch the below video to understand how our information team works to get the right verified information for you for free.This also talks about the publications that we offer to our customers.

IDEAS' services and resources include

Disability Information Service

The Information Line is a free phone service staffed by friendly, expert Information Officers between 8 am-8 pm Monday - Friday. Straightforward or complex, our team will do the work to follow through and get your answers. You can also go online and feel confident in your own search of our database and resources. We constantly source the latest disability information to double-check it's accurate and up to date.

Since April 2020, IDEAS has been the front-line for the Government response to COVID-19, through the COVID-19 Disability Information Helpline, supporting people with disability with the information they need.

Community Engagement

We travel across the country to connect with people, speaking at community forums and events. We work in partnership with organisations, train workers about disability awareness and inclusion, and answer inquiries from people with disability. 

Community Connectors

IDEAS are providing services as part of the new National Community Connector Program (NCCP), developed as a response to the under-representation of many diverse population groups receiving and properly utilising NDIS funding, due to a combination of cultural, social, economic and discriminatory barriers.

Read more: CALD Community Connectors

PossABLE Advocacy

IDEAS is funded through the NSW Department of Communities and Justice to deliver individual advocacy in South West and South East Sydney and the Southern Region of NSW.

Read more: PossABLE Advocacy

Projects

Together with community partners, we are involved in a range of projects in line with our vision:

• Our Accessible Tourism service is the only one of its type in Australia.
• IDEAS is a partner with Wide Angle Film Festival (WAFF). This year WAFF will screen to over 70,000 Australians. 
• Through our partnership with  Eastern Riverina Arts,  PLATFORM was developed to increase the participation of artists and people with disability in volunteer-run, community-based festivals. PLATFORM is a portable, accessible sensory space adapted from a 40ft shipping container and designed by artists with disability. As part of the Information, Linkages and Capacity Buiding (ILC) project in 2019-2020 PLATFORM also allowed IDEAS to develop Ezy-Dun.
• A Linkages and Capacity Buiding (ILC) project partnership with The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) saw IDEAS develop a website/database accessible telecommunication information. 
• A current partnership with National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) sees IDEAS delivering the NDIS Community Connector program into Newcastle, NSW Central Coast, Campbelltown and Wollongong. This program assists people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

“I was struggling to get [my business] off the ground, and needed assistance on some really left field stuff like electronic pattern making, that I could use, and detailed supports for getting ready for manufacture.

The Information Officer really worked hard for me and connected me with just the right people.

Showing [my designs] at the Melbourne Fashion Week was something I wanted to share with the people who assisted me along the way”.

- Nikki from Blind Grit.  

Resources and Research

• Newsletter: We mail out a bi-monthly roundup of the latest information and trends. Each issue features a theme of interest to people with disability. It's available in large print by mail. online, via email and also audio. 
• e-News: We produce a periodical update on what's new in the disability sector. It's available on our website and also emailed out to our subscribers. 
• Database: The IDEAS database is at the core of our customer service. We hold over 50,000 data records that our Information Officers use daily to answer your inquiries. 
• Features: From time to time IDEAS publishes more in-depth information about particular issues. Publications available include Inclusive Tourism IDEAS, Accessible Telecoms and NDIS Planning Guides. 

Sit back and enjoy a short video on our Customer Journey

"When I phone for advice whoever takes the call is always downright welcoming and knowledgeable, making every effort to help. They never fail to pay attention."