Disabled people have often felt they have little control over the disability supports they receive, and the services are not flexible enough to meet their individual needs.

Government agencies are undertaking actions to answer these concerns, recognising the need to remove a ‘once size fits all approach’, and to increase the flexibility in supports so they can be more appropriate to individual circumstances.

In 2008/2009, the Ministry of Health developed a resource booklet for disabled people living in, or thinking of living in, community residential support services for people with physical, intellectual or sensory disabilities.

The Ministry is to undertake a number of further actions to help promote the exercise of choice and self-determination:

• the provision of a consistent national framework for Individualised Funding arrangements, under which disabled people can take control of the disability supports for which they have been assessed by holding, managing and governing the funding for these: to be in place by May 2010
• an expansion of the use of ‘supported living’ (in which services are wrapped around a person to meet their goals): a draft service specification was completed in October 2009 and an implementation plan for its delivery is to be completed by December 2009.

Funding is being provided through the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology for projects aimed at assessing or developing technology to enhance disabled people's independence and otherwise help them in their day-to-day lives (Ministry of Research, Science and Technology).