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Disability Support Services

Explore whether you'll get funded through Disability Support Services.

Disability Support Services (DSS) are part of the Government ministry ‘Ministry of Social Development’. Each year, DSS fund support to around 50,000 disabled people and disability equipment and housing modification services for around 100,000 disabled people.

DSS is the place where the 'operations' side of disability services are managed in New Zealand. This includes funding access for our community to disability information and advice - Firstport is a service funded by DSS too!

How do they provide these services?

Depending on which region you live in, the way services are provided to you will be a bit different. This is for a number of reasons including the government testing different ways of providing services and seeing what works best and why.

Most funding services are provided are through ‘Needs Assessment Service Coordination’ (NASC). You can read more about this service in the links below. Some NASC areas also offer something called ‘Individualised Funding’ (IF). This means rather than following a set formula for your requirements, your assessment and the solution to your needs will be more customised for you.

Chris Bunny stands next to a gentleman signing in NZ Sign Language

This choice and control is even more available in the Mana Whaikaha programme in Palmerston North. This is a pilot progamme which was set up to explore how funding could follow the Enabling Good Lives principles.

Take a look at the link below to learn more about these important principles.

Find out the latest in the services which DSS are currently consulting our community about.

Getting equipment through DSS

If you do need equipment to support you in living an everyday life, you may be assessed for your assistive technology needs. Two organisations manage disability equipment for DSS, Accessable in Auckland and Northland and Enable New Zealand for the rest of Aoteaora.

Take a look at the Disability Support Services journey map from equipment and modification services provider Enable New Zealand.

A text image showing the process of getting DSS equipment. First you see your health professsional for an assessment, they put in a request with Enable NZ and if your request is approved, your equipment will be delivered to you

The history of Disability Support Services

Disability Support Services was set up in 2024 after an Independent Review of the disability sector. You can read more about this in the new article from the time.

Read Changes Ahead for our Disability Ministry

Before this, the operational services were run by Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People. This Ministry still supports our disability community today, offering advocacy services and driving change in our public system to increase accessibility.

Even before that, disability support service operations were run by the Ministry of Health. This history means that you may find some documents, processes or equipment that have different labels or instructions. If in doubt, contact Disability Support Services!

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