A disabled Melbourne boy, whose request for an electric wheelchair was held up by bureaucratic red tape for two years, will finally receive funding for a new one, a week after his mother shared his story in the media.
Elias Anderson, 15, has cerebral palsy, an intellectual disability and several other health issues meaning he spends nearly every waking minute in his customised wheelchair.
Parts of his current chair are broken and Elias is developing further health problems because he struggles to fit in the seat which he has used for the past seven years.
His mother Margie Anderson spoke to ABC Radio Melbourne to dispute Prime Minister Scott Morrison's declaration that "every demand" for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was "fully funded".
After hearing of Elias's case, the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood AFL clubs promised to raise money for a new chair at their game last Friday.
But on Friday afternoon, the National Disability Insurance Agency contacted the Anderson family to agree to the funding request.
"The NDIA has received the specialist reports required for Elias's new power wheelchair and has approved this request on Friday, April 12," a spokeswoman said.
Ms Anderson said the family was "overjoyed" and expected the new wheelchair, which will cost about $40,000, to be delivered in about 12 weeks.
"It's been really difficult to watch him being really inhibited in being able to go out, to be able to move around, not being able to drive himself," she said.
"The idea now that he'll have that functionality is fantastic."
Many families 'overlooked'
The Andersons first tried to obtain a new wheelchair in April 2017 through the Victorian Government's State-wide Equipment Program (SWEP).
They were then told to try the NDIS when it was rolled out in western Melbourne and waited a further six months for an answer.
"Our government agencies shouldn't have to be shamed into action," Ms Anderson said.
"We're really lucky that when we're dealing with these sorts of agencies, at least we have the benefit of being able to have English as our first language.
"My heart really goes out to other families that don't feel confident about taking on that battle ... they're the ones that we as a community have to really be concerned about, because those families just get overlooked."
While the NDIS had offered a rented power wheelchair as an interim solution, Ms Anderson said it was impractical given the level of customisation required for Elias's needs.
