Specialist Disability Accommodation
SDA Explained
Specialist Disability Accommodation. In plain English.
SDA can feel complex, but the core idea is simple: it's NDIS funding to help you live in a home that's designed around your needs. Here's everything you need to know.
What is SDA?
Design categories
Dwelling types
Other considerations
AHA homes
How to apply
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SDA design categories
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Dwelling types to choose between
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24 / 7
On-call support at every AHA home
The Basics
What is Specialist Disability Accommodation?
Specialist Disability Accommodation (or ‘SDA’) is NDIS funding for people who need a specially designed home. It covers the cost of purpose-built housing, the bricks and mortar, so you can live in a place that works for your body, your support needs, and your life.
SDA doesn’t pay for your support workers. It pays for the home itself, the design features, the accessibility modifications, and the infrastructure that makes independent living possible.
SDA was introduced by the NDIS to give Australians with significant disabilities a genuine choice in where and how they live. Before SDA, purpose-built accessible housing was scarce, often outdated, and almost entirely controlled by state governments. SDA changed that, creating a market of modern, well-designed homes that participants can actually choose between.
To receive SDA funding, you need to meet the NDIS eligibility criteria of having an “extreme functional impairment” or “very high support needs”. Essentially, these homes are for people who aren’t able to live in unmodified residential housing. The NDIA will assess your functional capacity and support needs, and decide which design category and dwelling type best matches your situation. These decisions form your SDA “outcome”, a description of the kind of home the NDIS will fund for you.
Design categories
What kind of home is right for you?
SDA homes are built to one of four design categories. Each is tailored to different types of disability and support needs. The NDIA will determine which category applies to you based on your individual assessment.
Improved Liveability
Designed for people with intellectual, cognitive, or sensory impairments. These homes make it easier to navigate and understand your space.
- High luminance contrasts to aid orientation
- Open layouts that reduce complexity
- Tactile indicators on walls and doors
- Sensory-considered design throughout
Robust
Resilient housing for people whose behaviours may put themselves or support workers at risk.
- Reinforced walls, doors, and windows
- High-impact fixtures and fittings
- Secure external areas
- Soundproofing and laminated glass
- Designated sanctuary spaces
Fully Accessible
Designed for people who regularly use mobility aids such as wheelchairs. Every area of the home is accessible.
- Wheelchair-width passages throughout
- Accessible kitchen and laundry benchtops
- Appliance access from seated position
- Accessible bathroom and wet areas
High Physical Support
The highest level of physical accessibility. Includes everything in Fully Accessible, plus infrastructure for complex support needs.
- Structural provisions for ceiling hoists
- Clear opening width doors to all rooms
- Voice control for blinds, TV, doors
- Emergency power backup (min. 2 hours)
- Suitable for Fully Accessible participants too
(AHA exclusively builds this category)
Dwelling types
What type of home could you live in?
Your SDA outcome will also specify a dwelling type. This shapes the style of home and how many people you'd be living alongside.
House
A standalone home on a block of land, always shared with at least one other person with SDA funding. Often includes an in-home bedroom for overnight support staff.
Works well if you need frequent personal support, or benefit from line-of-sight supervision.
Townhouse / Villa / Duplex
A collection of two or more independent ground-level homes close together. You have your own home but share the precinct.
A popular option that balances independence with easy access to support.
Apartment
A self-contained apartment within a mixed residential building or dedicated SDA complex. Generally attracts higher SDA funding as a commercial-class build.
Great for city living and people who value privacy and community integration.
How AHA approaches dwelling types
All AHA homes are single-SDA-participant occupancy, meaning your home is designed for you. You’re free to live with non-SDA family or friends if you choose. In metro areas like the Gold Coast, we build apartments. In regional locations, we build villa communities; we match the homes that make sense for the location. Every property is close to local amenities, transport, and community life.
Other considerations
The details that shape your SDA outcome
Beyond design category and dwelling type, the NDIA considers a range of other factors when approving your SDA funding.
Location
Your SDA outcome includes a location, like the ‘Gold Coast’ or ‘Wide Bay’. It’s important to think about the area where you’d like to end up living, as this can affect your funding.
Fire Sprinklers
Participants with SDA receive funding for fire sprinkler inclusions in their SDA homes.
Break-out Rooms
Relevant primarily for Robust housing, break-out rooms provide a safe sanctuary space for both residents and support workers during difficult moments.
Onsite Overnight Assistance
Some participants are approved for on-site overnight support: funding for a physical dwelling or room from which care services can be delivered. Care services are funded separately.
Onsite Shared Support
AHA’s unique support model provides 24/7 on-call assistance without replacing your existing support team, operating from the separate OOA dwelling at each of our SDA locations.
Number of Residents
Your outcome specifies how many SDA-funded residents can live in your home. AHA homes are all single-SDA-participant, so you always have your own home.
AHA homes
What an AHA home looks like for you
AHA builds High Physical Support homes, the design category with the most flexibility in what it can provide for tenants, in locations that make sense for how you want to live.
Contemporary design
Our homes are modern, beautiful and built to a high standard. Accessibility doesn’t mean compromise, it means thoughtful design that works for everyone.
Community locations
Every AHA property is placed close to accessible amenities, transport, employment and community life. Part of the neighbourhood, not separate from it.
Families & couples welcome
Our homes suit individuals, couples and families alike. You’re free to live with the people you love, on your own terms.
Support on call
Our OSS model means there’s always someone nearby when you need them, without anyone in your home when you don’t. You stay in control.
How to apply
Ready to find out if you're eligible?
The SDA process has a few steps, but you don't have to figure it out alone. AHA's team will guide you through every stage.
Check your eligibility
Get in touch with AHA or use our eligibility checker. We’ll review your situation and give you an honest assessment of whether SDA funding is likely.
Gather supporting evidence
An SDA application requires supporting documentation about your functional capacity and support needs. Your occupational therapist, support coordinator, or allied health team can help prepare this evidence.
Apply through your NDIS plan
SDA funding is requested as part of your NDIS plan. The NDIA will review your evidence and determine your SDA outcome, including design category, dwelling type, and other inclusions.
Choose your AHA home
It can strengthen an SDA application when the NDIA can see a participant has already been matched to a suitable SDA property. Our team will help identify the right AHA home for you and support you through the matching and tenancy process, so you’re never navigating it alone.
