An overview of specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) is housing for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.
SDA has features that help residents live more independently and makes sure other supports can be delivered better and more safely.
Participants may qualify for SDA funding if they:
- have an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs
- meet the SDA needs requirement and the NDIS funding criteria
Participants pay a reasonable rent contribution and other day-to-day living costs, such as electricity bills.
Learn more about what SDA is.
Different types of SDA
There are 4 building types that an SDA home can be:
- an apartment
- a villa, duplex or townhouse
- a house with up to 3 people
- a group home with 4 or 5 people.
Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) design standard
The SDA design standard (PDF 8MB) makes design requirements for SDA easier for you and participants to understand.
It gives:
- participants access to high-quality housing
- flexibility for you to make sure participants’ needs are met
- helpful information for architects, builders and the community about specialist housing for people with disability.
The SDA design standard has 4 design categories.
They are:
- improved liveability
- robust
- fully accessible
- high physical support.
Certification
An SDA assessor must sign this.
There are 2 stages of certification. These are at:
- the design stage before construction starts
- the final as-built stage.
Certification at the design stage gives you more certainty that what you build will meet the minimum design requirements.
SDA design standard certification doesn’t mean the home will be enrolled as SDA.
We decide whether to enrol a home when we receive a completed application to enrol, after the home is built.
We won’t enrol a home if the requirements for enrolment aren’t met. This is regardless of the SDA design standard certification, or previous assessment, feedback or certification provided by us or another party.
Update:
We‘re reviewing the SDA design standard.
We want to make sure it:
- continues to support the construction of safe, high-quality homes for participants
- keeps up with changes and improvements in the building industry.
You can find updates on the review at NDIS Engage .
SDA design stage register
SDA assessors lodge the design standard certification with us.
The register is a list that records details of SDA projects at the design stage.
It includes important information from the certification documents submitted to us.
We release data from the register to inform the market of the homes intended to be enrolled as SDA under development. Commercial in confidence or identifying information is protected.
It doesn’t mean the home will be enrolled as SDA if we add a home to the design stage register. It also doesn’t mean it’ll be enrolled as the same building type and design category as what’s on the register.
SDA data
We update SDA demand data regularly. It includes information about SDA-eligible participants.
SDA assessors
The SDA developer, owner or provider uses an SDA assessor to certify compliance with the SDA design standard. The assessor must be independent of the building project and the SDA provider or owner.
SDA assessments are done by professionals with qualifications, skills and experience to assess homes against SDA design requirements.
You can find SDA assessors on our SDA assessor list.
Only specified professionals can become SDA assessors. These are
- architects
- accesses consultants
- occupational therapists
- building surveyors.
The Access Institute delivers approved training courses if you’re interested in becoming an SDA assessor.
- We’ll include you on the SDA assessor list once you provide us with:a completed SDA assessor registration form
- a signed SDA Code of Conduct form
- evidence of relevant prerequisites for the approved professions as detailed above
- evidence of Certificate IV or Diploma of Access Consulting completion
- a copy of Certificate of Currency for Professional Indemnity Insurance ($5,000,000)
- a copy of Certificate of Currency for Public Liability Insurance ($10,000,000)
- other relevant documentation as required or requested by us in certain situations.
Enrolling a home (or dwelling)
You’ll need to apply to us to enrol a home as SDA.
We sometimes call SDA homes SDA dwellings.
You must be registered through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission with the SDA registration group approved before you begin your enrolment.
All applications to enrol homes as SDA must be submitted to us through the my NDIS provider portal.
Learn more about how to enrol a home as SDA.
The specialist disability accommodation (SDA) pricing arrangements
The SDA pricing arrangements set out information we consider to be the appropriate and reasonable maximum prices for SDA supports.
Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) provider responsibilities
Establish a service agreement
You must have a service agreement with each participant. The agreement should explain how you will work together, the SDA services that will be provided and the rights and responsibilities of both the participant and the provider.
You need to help participants understand the service agreement using their preferred language, communication method and terms they can understand.
A service agreement will help make sure you and the participant are clear about what you have agreed to and the conditions that apply to the participant’s SDA dwelling.
SDA rules
We have strict rules about who gets SDA, what it needs to be and how it's funded.
These rules also outline:
- participants' choice for where they live and who provides their SDA supports
- eligibility and funding requirements
- SDA build types and design categories
- provider responsibilities.
The SDA rules require all providers to be registered NDIS providers and for all homes to be enrolled by us. The rules also set out the requirements that must be met for us to enrol the home as SDA.
Learn more about the SDA rules .
Investment in SDA
Learn more about investing in SDA.