NDIS & Occupational Therapy

Nadim — Pharmacist & Co-Founder, Connect Mobility  ·  June 2026  ·  7 min read

Here's what I hear more than almost anything else from the occupational therapists we work with.

They've done the assessment. They've trialled the equipment with the client. They've written the report. And then they wait — sometimes for weeks — while a supplier takes its time getting back to them with a quote. Or the quote comes back incorrect. Or the supplier doesn't understand the NDIS funding category it needs to sit under, so the whole process has to start again.

OTs are spending clinical hours chasing up paperwork. That's not why they became OTs.

The role of occupational therapists in Australia's assistive technology system is genuinely critical — and genuinely underappreciated. At Connect Mobility, our whole model is built around being the kind of supplier that makes your job easier, not harder. This article is for OTs who want to understand how we work, what we can turn around, and why a good supplier relationship is one of the most practical tools in your clinical toolkit.

What OTs are actually responsible for in the AT process

Occupational therapists don't just recommend equipment. Under the NDIS, you're the clinical anchor for the entire assistive technology funding pathway. For any AT above the low-cost threshold — which generally means anything over $1,500 — the NDIA requires a written OT assessment that demonstrates the item is reasonable and necessary, related to the participant's disability, and the most appropriate solution given their goals and environment.

In practice, that means OTs are responsible for:

• Completing a functional assessment of the participant's mobility, safety, and daily living capacity
• Trialling equipment with the client in the appropriate environment
• Documenting clinical justification using NDIA templates (standard or detailed, depending on AT complexity)
• Sourcing quotes from registered NDIS providers — and ensuring those quotes match exactly what the report specifies
• Following up with support coordinators and plan managers once the approval is in place

That's a significant workload for each client. And the part OTs most commonly flag as the biggest time-sink? Sourcing quotes from suppliers who are slow, unresponsive, or who don't understand the NDIS quoting process.

The 2026 NDIS reforms: what OTs need to know right now

Australia's NDIS is undergoing its most significant structural change since the scheme's introduction. The reforms — rolling out from mid-2026 through to 2028 — directly affect how OTs work within the system.

The key changes relevant to AT prescribers:

• New planning framework from July 2026. Assessments will play a larger role in determining participant budgets, with less reliance on multiple specialist reports. OTs who write clear, outcome-focused AT reports will have a distinct advantage in getting approvals through cleanly.
• Mandatory provider registration from 1 July 2026. All NDIS providers — including equipment suppliers — must be registered. If you're referring clients to an unregistered supplier, that referral chain will break. Connect Mobility is a registered NDIS provider.
• Stronger focus on functional evidence. The NDIA will increasingly look at how AT supports specific functional limitations, not just diagnosis. This shifts even more clinical weight onto the OT report.
• From July 2026, the I-Can Support Needs Assessment will begin replacing allied health reports for some access decisions — meaning OT reports for AT will need to be especially precise and outcome-linked to carry appropriate weight.

Where the quoting process breaks down — and how we've fixed it

We've had enough conversations with OTs to know exactly where the friction lives. It nearly always sits in one of three places.

1. Suppliers who don't understand NDIS quoting requirements. A quote for NDIS AT isn't just a price on a letterhead. It needs the correct line item, the right support category code, the registered provider number, and — for complex AT — enough product specification that the NDIA can determine the item matches what's in the OT report. When a supplier sends a generic invoice instead of a compliant NDIS quote, the whole approval can stall.

2. Slow turnaround times. OTs are often working against plan review deadlines. A supplier who takes four days to respond to a quote request is a supplier who's going to cost your client their funding window. We've built our whole process around a two-hour quote turnaround for standard AT referrals from OTs.

3. Equipment that doesn't arrive as trialled. An OT trials a specific model. The supplier substitutes it for a similar one without consulting the prescribing therapist. The clinical justification in the report no longer matches the delivered equipment. This creates compliance problems and — more importantly — the client may end up with something that doesn't actually meet their assessed needs.

A real example: how it works in practice

One of our most active OT referral partners is based in Sydney's south-west. Within a single fortnight, she sent us two separate clients — one needing a walking aid assessment, another requiring a quote on a hi-lo adjustable bed for a participant with complex positioning needs.

For the walking aid client, the product we trialled together was our Territory Walker — a four-wheel rollator built for outdoor and community use. It's one of the most prescribed walkers we supply to OTs because it handles uneven terrain, has locking brakes that suit clients with upper limb weakness, and folds compactly for car transport. The OT sent us the client's functional profile by email. We had a compliant NDIS quote back to her within two hours. The report and quote went to the plan manager the same afternoon.

The bed referral — the hi-lo adjustable ComfiMotion Care Bed for a client with significant transfer difficulties — followed the same process. Quote sent. Spec matched exactly to what had been trialled. Plan manager received everything they needed in one email.

That's what a functioning supplier relationship looks like. It should be unremarkable — because it should be the standard.

What to send us for a fast, NDIS-compliant quote

If you're an OT looking to refer a client or request a quote, here's exactly what we need to turn it around in two hours:

• Client name and NDIS number (or "self-managed" / "plan-managed" status if number not yet confirmed)
• The specific product you've assessed or trialled, or a brief functional description if you'd like us to recommend an appropriate option
• The support category you want the quote to sit under (Consumables, Capital Supports — AT, or Low Cost AT)
• The plan manager's name and email if you'd like us to send the quote directly

That's it. We handle the rest — including following up with the plan manager if they need additional information to process the approval.

NDIS   Occupational therapy   Assistive technology   AT quoting   Territory Walker   Adjustable beds   NDIS provider NSW   OT referral   2026 NDIS reforms