Ben Paior-Smith
Benjamin is a Community Researcher at the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University. He draws on his lived experience as a creative individual with Down Syndrome and Autism to inform his work. He also works as part of the Nova Radio Street Crew, as an ambassador and co-developer for the Make it easy App, and as a Digital Champion for Down Syndrome Australia, teaching others with disability how to stay safe online. He has experience with volunteering in the arts sector and working in a number of advisory groups, including the NDIS Participant Reference Group and SA Health Youth Advisory Group.
Ben is an active member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a graduate of the Flinders University UpTheHill project. He loves his cat Biscuit and Dog Dodger, and is passionate about movies, music, and making them both. Ben moved out of the family home just over a year ago, and now lives with three friends in a sharehouse where he is frequently nagged to empty the dishwasher.
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SDA for rookies: Unravelling the options
Ben lives in a four-bedroom share house with his best mate Zac and a young couple, Maddy and Jack. He picked the kitchen bench, the cabinet colours and – to his mother’s quiet despair – frequent Carl’s Jr on Uber Eats. Ben’s home is funded through Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
In this two-part session, you’ll watch a short video of Ben’s home, then Ben opens up on his life: how he met his housemates (online!), how he was involved in designing the build, and what good support actually looks like, day to day. Then Sam, Ben’s mum, will walk through the practical side: the eligibility requirements in plain English, what goes in an NDIS plan, when a granny flat is possible, what to do when the answer is “no,” and how to assemble the team you’ll need.
Honest, open, and packed with the kind of detail you only get from people who have actually done it.