An image of a tree with no leaves in winter. The tree and ground is covered in snow and the image appears to have been taken at sunset. There are icons of butterflies and a heart.

July 2025 Newsletter Archive

Winter is almost over, and fingers crossed that it starts to warm up soon. In the meantime, we have a packed newsletter for you this month.

We wanted to let you know about some online training we are offering, as well as a valuable resource we’ve found for the deaf community.

We have our monthly update about the NDIS, this month it’s about the new funding periods. There is also a great story about one of our crafty participants, and a warning about misleading NDIS advertisements.

Of course, we have our usual newsletter challenge, tips and tricks, as well as a fun fact about typewriters.

We Have New Online Training Dates

On the left of the image is a illustration of an online lecture with 2 people are sitting on their laptops listening to a woman talking on a computer screen the women is partially coming out of the screen and the screen is sitting on 3 oversized books. This image has a orange curved boarder separating the right side of the image which is blue with icons of leaves and butterflies with the text "Check out out online training"

At Inclusion Tree, we’re thrilled to offer two special training sessions this August where 100% of proceeds support charity and free tickets are available for those in need. These workshops are designed to equip you with cutting-edge strategies while making a social impact.

An Introduction to Person-Centred Approaches

📅 6thAug, 9thSep, 7th Oct and 13th Nov

🕘9:30 AM – 2:30 PM AEST

Led by Michaela Kennedy (with 30+ years with disability inclusion experience), this workshop dives into:

Strengths-based support & community building

Values of inclusion and creating “good days”

Practical tools: Maps, PATHs, NDIS-aligned goal setting

Perfect for: Families, support workers, coordinators, and service providers.

An Introduction to Conscious Care and Support

📅 27thAug,25th Sep, 22nd Oct and 26th Nov

🕘9:30 AM – 2:30 PM AEST

Explore mindful, trauma-informed support for autism/developmental disabilities, including:

Emotional maturity & self-regulation for supporters

Sensory/GI health strategies

Preventing burnout with compassion-focused tools

Ideal for: Carers, therapists, leaders, and anyone committed to holistic care.

Black icons of a pen, desk and books sitting on an orange circle with black icons of butterflies and a heart outside the circle.

Newsletter Challenge:

One-Sentence Journal Challenge

This isn’t about writing the perfect journal entry or adding another “should” to your day. It’s about you, your thoughts, your moments, your quiet little victories that often slip by unnoticed.

For the next week, we invite you to gift yourself one intentional sentence each day. Not for anyone else, but just for you.

It could be:

“Today, I’m proud of myself for…

“Something that made my heart feel lighter was…”

 “I surprised myself when…”

No rules, no judgment, just a small space to honour your experience. Your sentence might be profound, silly, or barely there at all. What matters is that it’s yours.

Want to try it right now? Finish this sentence:

“At this moment, I feel…” (Then tuck it away or hit reply, we’d love to read your stories.)

You deserve this tiny pause. Let’s take it together.

an illustration of a young man smiling. the image in inside a white circle with a yellow border. The image is on a orange background with black icons in the corners of the image. The icons are two butterflies, leaves and a heart.

Connors Crafty Creations

Living in the Hunter Valley with his mum, dad, and brother, a 21-year-old Connor thrives in an environment tailored to his needs. Born with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Level 3, an intellectual disability, severe anxiety, Pica, and being non-verbal hasn’t slowed this young man down.

He has been able to explore his passions and build a small business doing what he loves.

An image of a drawing of a phone with a broken shield on the screen, with pictures of; a profile icon, coin, credit card, icon of an image and explanation marks on red disks around the phone. The phone is on sitting on a grey circle on with and orange outline on the right side. The circle is on a dark purple background that fades to a lighter purple. There are icons of white butterflies in the top left and right corners and bottom right corner.

Misleading NDIS Services

Recently, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has put out a notice to inform participants and their families of signs of misleading or false advertisements of NDIS services. At Inclusion Tree, we are all too aware that the NDIS is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Australians living with disabilities. It provides essential funding for supports and services that improve the quality of life for participants and gives them greater freedom to live equal lives.

Black icons of a wood fire, snowflake and jacket on a blue circle. With black icons of butterflies and a heart floating around the outside of the circle

Tip of the month: Navigating Cold, Wet & Dark Days

Winter in Australia brings its challenges, slippery paths from rain, shorter daylight hours, and public spaces that aren’t always designed for comfort when temperatures drop.

Here’s a straightforward way to make a difference this month:

“The Winter-Ready Check”

Before heading out or hosting others, pause and ask:

Are walkways well-lit and free of puddles or trip hazards? (Wet leaves and uneven pavement can be risky!)

Do doorways or seating areas have shelter from wind and rain? (A simple awning or even rearranged furniture can help.)

Could someone with joint pain or limited mobility move through here safely? (Cold can stiffen muscles, making stairs or long distances harder.)

A small effort, like adding a non-slip mat, ensuring outdoor lights work, or offering a warm drink, can make shared spaces more welcoming for everyone.

Community Resource

An image of an illustration of 2 people talking to each others using sign language in of a screen that says "Breaking News" the illustration is on a blue background. To the right of the illustration is the text "Resource Spotlight deaf connect. There are butterflies and leaves around the text.

Auslan News, Made for the Deaf Community – No Audio, No Subtitles, Just Access

Want your daily news designed for Auslan users? Deaf Connect (with support from SBS) just launched Auslan90 – a groundbreaking news series that ditches audio and subtitles entirely.

Daily updates on top Aussie + global stories (like the WA backpacker rescue or MH17 developments).

Deep dives on the week’s biggest headlines.

Underreported Deaf community stories are finally getting the spotlight.

Why is it revolutionary?

It’s 100% Auslan-first – no audio, no captions, just clear signing from Deaf presenters.

Pass it on: Share with Auslan users in your life:

What’s new with the NDIS

New price guide:

  • The NDIS Price Guide 2025-2026 has been released, effective 1 July 2025. There have been adjustments made to the rates providers can charge for services.

    • Some rates for Core support work have been increased in line with CPI, which was 3.5%.

    • Therapists – Provider Travel: There have been changes to the rates that therapy providers can charge.

      • Therapy providers can now claim half of the relevant price limit for time spent travelling, up to the usual time limit caps.

Example

  • A physiotherapist with a price limit of $183.99/hour can now claim up to $92.00/hour for travel time, subject to location-based time caps. 

This change applies only to therapy providers. It does not apply to Disability Support Workers or other support categories

You can find more information about the price adjustments here:

Funding periods:

There have been changes to the way new plans are built. Plans can have components of their funding released in 1, 3, 6 or 12-month blocks.

This will be stipulated in your plan, outlining the dates and the funding amounts that will be released during that time.

Important to note: 

  • If you have underspent during the funding period, the remaining amount will be transferred into the next funding period for that item, although it will not be transferred into the next plan when it is renewed.

  • If you have reached your funding limit for that period, invoices will not be paid or claimable for services delivered after the funding has expired for that period.

You can read more about funding periods here:

Fun Fact

The Typewriter Was Invented for the Blind

In 1808, Pellegrino Turri created an early typing machine to help his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, write letters independently. This paved the way for modern keyboards!