Smiles graced the faces of children of all ages and abilities as their parents and carers accessed disability support and service providers at the first Early Intervention and Therapy Services Expo, held on Saturday at Exhibition Park in Canberra.
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Adele Anderson, a mother of three boys all under eight, was looking at services for her adoptive son Jack, 4, who has Fragile X syndrome, which causes intellectual disability, behavioural and learning challenges and has various physical characteristics.
"With the National Disability Insurance Scheme coming in, there is going to be some changes with the care that he gets," she said. "I'm here finding out what sorts of things will be available for him next year, and just knowing what I need to do over the next year to engage the services, and what choices I have.
"I've heard of some of the names of the programs but this is really good to be able to ask them all the questions and have some information to take home to read. It's really necessary right now because of the changes and people are a bit confused … wondering what the future will look like."
The event attracted more than 50 stallholders, including ACT-based Aspire Early Intervention.
Clinic director Dianne Verssappen said families were grateful to have access to a wide range of information.
"A lot of families are worried about the NDIS and the changes that are coming … we're trying to advocate and provide and give parents the knowledge of what kind of services are available," she said.
ACT Minister for Disability Joy Burch said the expo was a chance for mums, dads and families to have face-to-face conversations with new and existing service providers.
"It's so important and it's such a great opportunity for families and providers to really understand what's on offer," she said.
