Glance once at Teisha Rose; you'll see a dark-haired woman walking alongside the glossy, silvered expanse of the bay, a little terrier on a lead.
Look twice, and you might notice the slim black cane she uses for support on longer walks, or when she's having a tough day.
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Twenty years ago, Rose was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition of the central nervous system that interferes with nerve impulses. During her relapses Rose has been bedridden in hospital, or in a wheelchair, with little mobility.
But aside from a short stint on the disability pension as a student years ago, Rose did not receive any disability support until the National Disability Insurance Scheme trial started in her area in 2014.
![Teisha Rose has multiple sclerosis, but has been able to work with support from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.](/web/20160921092928im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/s/8/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.griwdl.png/1474243923185.jpg)
This was because she wanted to work – not possible on a pension – and because her diagnosis "fell between the cracks".
"With MS you slip between two worlds; you are either in the world of hospital and rehab, or you do everything you can to get better and are too 'well' to qualify," Rose says.
Half of the people now signed up to the NDIS are getting disability support for the first time; evidence of the huge demand for disability services across Australia, a new report shows.
And "autism and related disorders" are the most common disability type, representing about 30 per cent of participants across Australia, the National Disability Insurance Agency's quarterly report reveals.
![Teisha Rose says she slips between two worlds.](/web/20160921092928im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/s/8/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.griwdl.png/1474243923185.jpg)
The previous disability system was a crisis-driven, "band-aid" approach, where people had to fight for funding says Braedan Hogan, the policy manager at autism advocacy organisation Amaze.
Many children with autism did not qualify for support. But it became obvious when they reached school that they really needed interventions like speech pathology, he says.
About 2.4 billion has been committed to fund the 35,600 people on the NDIS scheme so far. One in 10 people has a support package worth more than $100,000, while 70 per cent have a package below $30,000.
After her diagnosis at 22, Rose spent years trying to forge ahead in her corporate career. But each relapse shook her confidence, and after a long hospitalisation she opted to change pace and moved to Bendigo to study social work.
You do everything you can to get better and are too 'well' to qualify.
Teisha Rosa
These days she lives in St Leonards and works part-time for her father's marketing consultancy. She has written a book, blogs and runs a website about living with her disability and the importance of inclusive workplaces.
While doing research on the NDIS for a work client, she realised she might qualify herself.
Her package includes visits to a neuro-physiotherapist and support from a cleaner. This has allowed her to work and avoid gruelling hospital visits.
The NDIS has been plagued by computer bungles that have affected payments and plan approvals; Rose is still not able to get online to check how many physio sessions she has left. But it's still better than her experience of the disability pension.
"Everyone I deal with is lovely on a personal, human level."
About 95 per cent of NDIS trial participants said they have had a good, or very good, experience.