Back in 2020 at the Remarkables ski area near Queenstown, a fellow instructor handed me a blindfold and asked if I’d trust him to ski down with him.
I said yes. I couldn’t see anything, I relied entirely on his voice giving cues just ahead of me. Guided by these steady and clear instructions, I made it to the bottom safely. That experience clicked for me, and it shapes everything our team does today.
How guided skiing relates to disability support
Guided skiing is how people who are blind or have low vision navigate the snow. A sighted guide skis ahead and calls out a change in the snow or a flatter stretch approaching. Both skiers wear bright bibs so others on the mountain know what is happening. As a discipline it is well established, many athletes from all over the world compete in vision impaired alpine racing at the Winter Paralympics each four years.
The thing that clicked for me is this. The guide never skis for the person. The skier makes every turn and stops themselves. The guide’s only job is to supply the information the skier cannot see early enough to be useful, and then trust them to use it.
That is exactly how good NDIS support for people with disabilities should feel. You make the choices. We just provide the right support at the right moment.
Where do the barriers really sit?
I didn’t get down that slope because someone skied for me. I succeeded because I had the right information from someone who knew the terrain, and that is the idea behind everything at Journey In Action Support. Most barriers sit in the gap between a participant and the right support, rather than in the person themselves. Wondering if this also applies to your particular situation?
I think about my own path often. I grew up in China and trained as a mechanical engineer, before leaving for a working holiday in 2012. I stayed a decade working in New Zealand, mostly in engineering jobs, also with some other short ones. When my engineering role ended, I trained in support work and started Journey In Action Support.
Through different countries and jobs, one constant remained. When someone took the time to build an understanding of my starting point, everything got easier for me. So our goal is to do the same for you, to understand where you have come from and how you would like to move forward.
What does person-centred support actually look like?
‘Person-centred’ is a common NDIS term meaning the support revolves entirely around what you want and need. Here is what that looks like day to day in our work:
- Your goals set the direction. We ask what a good week looks like for you instead of just handing you a list of services.
- Support fits your pace. Some days you might want a support worker to drive you to a pottery class. Other days you might just need quiet companionship at home.
- We offer support in both English and Mandarin, so you and your family can use whichever language feels natural.
- You keep absolute choice and control over every decision. We lay out your options clearly and then wait while you decide.
I am only the guide on the slope. The skiing is all yours.
Three practical steps you can take this week
If you are organising support around your own goals, these next steps are a great place to start.
- Write down one specific goal that matters to you. ‘Taking the bus to the local shops on my own’ is a goal, while ‘transport’ is just a service category.
- Notice what already works in your routine. Which routines, places or times of day feel easiest? Good support builds on those instead of replacing them.
- Ask a direct question at your next planning meeting. Try asking, ‘How will this specific support move me toward my goal?’
What you can do next
We are based on the North Shore of Sydney. If you are not sure where to start your NDIS journey, that is a completely normal place to be.
A conversation is always a good starting point. Contact us for a quick chat about what your next steps could look like, and let’s get your plan moving with you.
Feng is the founder of Journey In Action Support, an NDIS provider based in Sydney’s Lower North Shore. With a Certificate III in Individual Support, Feng supports participants across household tasks, personal care, transport, and community access — with a bilingual Mandarin and English service that reflects the needs of the local Chinese-Australian community.
