<h2><strong>How My Community Directory can support you as an NDIS Provider </strong></h2> <p>There have been a lot of discussions lately about how the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) across Australia impacts healthy and community service providers. At My Community Directory, we are working to support the work of service providers to achieve the goal of the NDIS to help enable people with disability to live an ordinary life.&nbsp;However, providing individualised financial support for people with disability, their families and carers means changes to the way that community organisations reach the community. Whilst it is difficult to predict the extent of the changes that will occur, one thing that is clear is the increasing importance of community organisations to provide accessible, clear information about their services to those who need it. &nbsp;</p> <p>Historically, providing information to those with disabilities has been challenging. As a result, people with disabilities often face access and inclusion barriers.&nbsp; Many of us take the ability to find local information so that we can connect with the community for granted. Frustration with availability and the format of information is often reported. In response to this, at My Community Directory, we are constantly considering ways that we can try to minimise challenges that people with disabilities may face in finding community information.</p> <p>We want <em>all</em> Australians to connect with their local communities. As such, we are constantly working on improving the user friendliness of My Community Directory and My Community Diary so that anyone can use it. By creating a website that is easy to use and provides clear, high-quality information we have developed an inclusive directory that we hope is one day available to all. We aim to keep our language simple and links easy to locate. To simplify searches, My Community Directory can use small amounts of information (2 or more letters) to provide suggestions for possible services that may be useful for the individual. It also shows categories of services and different organisations.&nbsp;</p> <p>We try to make the directory as accessible as possible. As such, our systems are available on mobile devices, meaning that it can be brought directly to a someone with a disability, rather than relying on individuals to be able to access a computer as this may be a challenge, particularly for those with physical disabilities. Because My Community Directory is accessed via a web browser, it also allows people to zoom in on content, which may help those with vision impairments. &nbsp;</p> <p>Our location services allow My Community Directory to find where a person is searching from to narrow the results to local services and events without needing to know a postcode or suburb. Like any community organisation that works with people with a range of disabilities, we understand that having a disability can lead to accessibility challenge. <a href="https://www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au/AccessMyCommunity">Access my Community</a> is another initiative of My Community Directory to support access to community services. On Access my Community, users can see the services within a local area, as well as local amenities, facilities, and what transport is available presented on a map. Once an appropriate service has been found, users can even get directions to this service.&nbsp;</p> <p>We are working to continue to make improvements to My Community Directory and My Community Diary to support those with disabilities accessing information and connecting with the community. But organisations have an important role to play in enabling us to do that.</p> <p>Ensuring that your listing is correct and clear is one way to improve the quality of information on My Community Directory and your engagement with the community. By regularly logging in and checking your listing, you can make sure that you are providing relevant information in a way that is easy to read and encourages people to connect. As the NDIS continues to roll out, we are working on changes so that organisations can indicate whether they are National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) registered service providers.&nbsp;</p> <p>For more information about how My Community Directory can help your organisation get found by those who need it as the NDIS rolls out or if you have any suggestions about how we can increase our effectiveness in sharing NDIS related information, please call 1300 762 515 or email <a href="mailto:support@mycommunitydirectory.com.au">support@mycommunitydirectory.com.au</a>.</p>