Check If You Can Get Support

Tirohia kia mōhio ai e āhei ana ki te kimi tautoko

We help disabled people and their whānau access DSS offered by the Ministry of Social Development. It’s a service we’re both privileged and proud to have provided for more than twenty years. We guide people under the age of 65, living in greater Auckland who have physical, intellectual or sensory disabilities or autism.

We support people who…

  • Are below the age of 65

  • Live in the greater Auckland region (from Wellsford to Mercer)

  • Have a physical, intellectual, sensory disability, or are on the autism spectrum

  • Are likely to be living with one (or a combination) of the above disabilities for at least 6 months

  • Are in need of ongoing support to live independently, even after the help of treatment, rehabilitation or equipment.

A letter confirming the disability

We need a report or clinical letter from your doctor or a health professional, so we can proceed with your referral. This letter will help us work out if you can get a needs assessment with us. Send through one or more of the following, so you can get the right support at the right time.

Physical disabilities

We’ll need a clinical letter or report from an appropriately qualified medical practitioner that clearly describes the physical disability and how it affects the person day to day. This could be from a neurologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, rehabilitation physician, or another appropriate specialist.

Autism

A clinical letter or report that explains how the diagnosis of autism was made is required. This would usually be diagnosed by a paediatrician, psychiatrist, clinical/educational psychologist or nurse practitioner with advanced scope in this assessment.

Sensory disabilities

For vision: A clinical letter or report from an ophthalmologist or optometrist is required. It must clearly describe the person’s visual acuity and visual field.

For hearing: A report from an audiologist or otolaryngologist is required. It should include decibel readings (with hearing aids, if used) and describe how hearing loss is affecting the person day to day.

Intellectual disabilities

A clinical letter or report from a clinical/educational psychologist or psychiatrist that describes how the intellectual disability diagnosis was reached is required.

For more information about clinical letters, call us 0800 824 5872 and look for our Pathways team for support.

Some conditions aren’t supported by DSS — but help may still be available elsewhere

Check the list of conditions not covered by DSS and learn where to go for the right support.

Conditions not covered by Disability Support Services

See detailed eligibility criteria

If you’re a doctor or clinician here on behalf of a patient, you can learn more detail about disability support eligibility criteria.

For Health Professionals

Call to find out if you can register with us

Find out now if you can get disability support, or get help to complete your referral form. Call 0800 824 5872 and look for our Pathways team.

Fill in a Referral