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Stella on job in Tennant Creek

24 November 2016
Safety and Wellbeing
Indigenous woman sitting in a wheel chair.

Stella, a proud Indigenous woman born and raised in Alice Springs, is the face of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Tennant Creek.

Stella Raymond, known for her smiling and welcoming demeanour, is the face of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) office in Tennant Creek. Stella was one of the first NDIS participants in the Northern Territory and later got a job with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), the authority implementing the NDIS.

Stella, a proud Indigenous woman born and raised in Alice Springs, is quite a celebrity in Tennant Creek where she lives with her two dogs, Angel, 9, a Fox Terrier cross Jack Russell and Jack, 11 months, a Red Healer. Both, she says, are the loves of her life.

“I’ve been an NDIS participant since the Scheme started here in the NT two years ago, and I’ve been working at the NDIA for 11 months now,” Stella said.

“It’s been great. I’m a Business Support Officer. I do all the receptionist/admin work – I answer phones, check emails and I help my colleagues out when they need a hand.”

Through her NDIS funding Stella’s hoping to get some modifications made to her house.

“The NDIS has helped me out with my new wheel chair. It will have automatic wheels and it’s going to make it a lot easier to get around,” Stella said.

“It’s great to be employed here because having a disability, I have a lot of knowledge to offer and I can be a strong advocate for locals because everyone knows me around here,” she said with a laugh.

“This job means a lot to me. I really feel like I’m contributing.

“At home, and right through school, I’ve been treated just like everyone else,” Stella said. “I’ve had a really great life and I have no regrets but it’s nice to have a great job at the NDIS and to know, as a participant, I’m covered by the Scheme for life.”

Find out more

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the new way of providing support for people with disability, their families and carers. The NDIS will roll out across the Northern Territory over the next three years, ultimately providing support to more than 6,500 people. People will move to the NDIS at different times depending on where they live. The NDIS is already transforming lives in the Barkly region, and from January 2017, the NDIS will start to roll out in East Arnhem. To learn more about the NDIS, visit the NDIS website today.