The Hand Up Space

The Hand Up Space We are a boutique NDIS Registered Support Coordination service that gives people the Hand Up they deserve!! Disability led - Lived Experience
Wollongong, NSW

29/05/2026

Support Coordination win of the week?

Not much to report this week honestly.

Apparently learning that simply speaking in a meeting can sometimes get you labelled as “advocating” 😂

Which raises an interesting question…

Where actually IS the line?

Because good Support Coordinators regularly refer participants to formal advocacy organisations when needed. That’s normal practice.

But in meetings, are we expected to:

identify barriers

explain systems

raise risks

clarify misunderstandings

ask questions

challenge incorrect information

support participant choice and control

…while also somehow remaining completely silent?

Genuine question.

To be clear:I absolutely understand there is a difference between formal advocacy and the role of a Support Coordinator.

If a participant needs systemic representation, legal escalation or independent advocacy, that’s where advocacy organisations come in and referrals should happen.

But if an SC can’t respectfully question processes, seek clarification or ensure participant concerns are understood in a meeting… then what exactly are we doing there besides taking notes?

And no — before anyone imagines chaos — I wasn’t in there behaving like Cujo frothing . . . .

I was calm, professional and acting with participant consent and in their best interests.

Sometimes systems are very comfortable with “coordination” right up until coordination involves confidence, pattern recognition and difficult questions.

Curious whether other SCs have experienced this tension too???

Neens 👋🏻

Big thank you to for hosting today’s Illawarra Support Coordination Alliance meeting in Coniston — and for the amazing ...
27/05/2026

Big thank you to for hosting today’s Illawarra Support Coordination Alliance meeting in Coniston — and for the amazing FREE lunch 🍽️👏🏻

Today was all about real-world supports that actually make a difference right now.

Julie from Unanderra spoke about stretching the dollar during a cost of living crisis and the reality many people on the DSP are facing trying to afford decent food each fortnight. Food security matters. Affordable, healthy meals matter. Community matters.

We also had Bethany from showcase their brand new WAV wheelchair accessible vehicle 🚐♿️

I am SO here for this.

Accessible transport is about so much more than getting to appointments. It’s freedom, connection, independence and being able to participate in community life without extra barriers.

Love seeing local providers stepping up with practical solutions that genuinely improve people’s lives in the Illawarra 💛

Neens 👋🏻 and

📍 Illawarra Support Coordination Alliance Meetup🗓 Wednesday 27 May | 1pm | Real Life Community Group, ConistonWith cost ...
25/05/2026

📍 Illawarra Support Coordination Alliance Meetup

🗓 Wednesday 27 May | 1pm | Real Life Community Group, Coniston

With cost of living pressures still hitting hard, this month is all about real, practical supports that help people stay connected, fed, and mobile.

We’re joined by:

🚐
Showcasing their new wheelchair accessible vehicle — making NDIS transport more inclusive and accessible for people who rely on wheelchairs.

🍲 Julie Brisbane from Food for Life Discount Grocery Store
A powerhouse in food equity, bringing decades of chef experience into community-led solutions — affordable groceries, real meals, and support for households doing it tough.

🥪 FREE lunch provided
🙌 Everyone welcome — participants, families, support workers, providers

Come along, connect, and see what’s actually happening on the ground to ease pressure where it counts.

Neens 👋🏻

20/05/2026

Today’s vibe: systems said no, people said “but this actually keeps him alive in his own home” 🙃

Plan reassessment done. Funding shuffled. A few wins on paper (more coordination, more therapy, more core). But the big picture? Still trying to squeeze real life into a spreadsheet that doesn’t quite understand real life.

1:3 SIL held. 24/7 knocked back. Agency Managed initially dropped in (because why make continuity easy?), then suddenly “actually let’s make it Plan Managed again” — because the computer finally remembered humans exist at home.

And through it all… families trying to hold it together, providers trying to stay in the game, and everyone quietly doing the emotional gymnastics of “this should be enough on paper, but it isn’t in practice.”

As a Specialist Support Coordinator, these are the days where you’re basically translating:
computer says no ❌
human reality says “please don’t let this fall apart” ⚠️

Anyway. We regroup. We appeal. We problem-solve. We keep going. Right

Neens 👋🏽

18/05/2026

POV: you’re a Specialist Support Coordinator reading another NDIS decision and wondering if they just pulled participant supports out of a raffle barrel

Today I’m pi**ed off.

Participant with Primary Progressive MS:
❌ Declined SDA
❌ Declined SIL
❌ Physio reduced
❌ OT reduced
❌ Support Coordination reduced

And yes… even with SDA specialists leading the process.

At this point the system feels less like “reasonable and necessary” and more like:
“how many hurdles can we put in front of a disabled person before they collapse from exhaustion?”

But here’s the thing:
We regroup.
We gather evidence.
We sharpen the case.
We appeal.

Because fatigue is real.
Progressive neurological disability is real.
Housing risk is real.
And participants should not have to become full-time litigators just to survive.

Silver lining?
At least will make appeals easier by centralising records, timelines and evidence pathways instead of providers drowning in fragmented chaos and 47 versions of the same PDF named “FINAL_FINAL2”.

Anyway.
Back to fighting the Thunderdome ⚔️

Neens 👋🏽

13/05/2026

Today at the 2026 I saw wheelchairs that could climb mountains, smart assistive tech, incredible home modification ideas and equipment that could genuinely change people’s lives.

And as a Specialist Support Coordinator, this is the kind of professional development that actually matters.
Seeing the equipment.
Testing it.
Talking to suppliers.
Understanding what participants are fighting for when they submit 47 reports just to ask for basic functionality and dignity.

Also took a spin in an absolute beast from Wild West Wheelchairs and briefly considered abandoning society to roam the wastelands Mad Max style.

But the thing I can’t stop thinking about tonight is a conversation I had with a woman in her 80s caring for her 65-year-old daughter with a progressive neurological condition.

No use of both legs. Limited use of one arm.
Mum is still providing overnight support herself.

And the NDIS has taken TEN MONTHS so far to approve a Sara Stedy.

Ten months for a transfer aid while an elderly woman risks injury every night trying to keep her daughter safe at home.

So when people talk about “NDIS sustainability” and billions in cuts, this is the reality on the ground.

Disabled people aren’t asking for gold-plated luxury.
They’re asking for equipment before their ageing carers physically break.

Anyway.
The wheelchair slapped.
The system not so much

Neens 👋🏽

If you’ve been watching what’s happening to the NDIS and feeling that slow, sick “this isn’t right” feeling… this is you...
04/05/2026

If you’ve been watching what’s happening to the NDIS and feeling that slow, sick “this isn’t right” feeling… this is your moment to actually do something about it.

PROTECT OUR NDIS – National Day of Action
🗓 Saturday 9 May
⏰ 2pm
📍 Sydney Town Hall (on Gadigal Country)

This isn’t just another rally. This is about real people losing real supports while decisions get made in rooms far away from the consequences.

Let’s be clear — funding cuts don’t land softly. They land on disabled people. On our safety. Our independence. Our dignity.

And yes, I’m looking directly at you, Mark Butler.

Who will be there?

– Disabled people who are done being polite about it
– Families who are exhausted from fighting the system
– Support coordinators, providers, advocates who actually give a damn
– Anyone who understands that this scheme was never meant to be quietly dismantled

If you care about the future of the NDIS…
If you care about participant rights being chipped away…
If you’re tired of watching people fall through the cracks while it gets reframed as “economic reform”…

Come.

Stand there. Be counted. Be loud if you want, or just show up and hold the line.

Because “NDIS benefits us all” only stays true if we protect it.

Neens 👋🏽

Not dramatic. I just said the quiet part out loud 😬That is the system right? And this is exactly why Support Coordinatio...
03/05/2026

Not dramatic. I just said the quiet part out loud 😬

That is the system right? And this is exactly why Support Coordination is such a crucial support to help participants navigate such a challenging bureaucracy

Neens

Hey legends, I’m on leave nowBack Monday May 4 👋🏽 For the next little while, I’m slowing things right down — real rest,...
26/04/2026

Hey legends, I’m on leave now

Back Monday May 4 👋🏽

For the next little while, I’m slowing things right down — real rest, not the fake kind where you’re still half working 😅

With all the recent NDIS changes, this role can get heavy. A lot of moving parts, a lot of pressure, and a lot of people relying on you to get it right. You don’t stay good at this by running yourself into the ground.

So… I’m heading to a wheelchair accessible cabin down the coast.

Current agenda:
🐬 Dolphin watching
🦭 Seal spotting
📖 Book in the sun
🍽️ Finding a pub for bangers & mash

Simple, but needed.

I’ve learnt that if I take a couple of these breaks a year, I come back clearer, steadier, and way more effective for my participants.

Sustainable > burnt out. Always.

Neens 👋🏽

Address

PO Box 4168 Towradgi
Wollongong, NSW
2518

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Hand Up Space posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category