SSI’s National Multilingual Disablity Hub provides relevant in-language information, advice and referrals for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities on disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) through a national multilingual hotline and website. The Hub uses two accessible and suitable channels (web and phone-based) to meet the different information needs of CALD communities and their population groups.

The hotline is available in a total of 14 languages, 5 days per week, (1 day per week per language, 3 languages per day) and is FREE to call. It is operated by bilingual staff to answer enquiries about the NDIS, disability in general, and available supports ‘in-language’. The languages available through the hotline and website are: Arabic, Assyrian, Bangla, Cantonese, Farsi, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Mandarin, Nepali, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese. Click here to find out more.

The website contains ‘in-language’ information that is available on the NDIS, disability in general and disability supports. It includes fact sheets, links and videos where available in-language.
 
As potentially the first point of contact for people with disability from CALD backgrounds, these methods offer the initial steps to forming a new foundation on which people with disability from CALD backgrounds can build what the NDIA refers to as ‘an ordinary life’.

Suitable, timely and accessible information provided to people from a CALD background, in their language and preferred formats, will help build confidence and bring people closer to their communities, as well as increase their economic participation.