Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Certification
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) has been developed by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to support the development of a range of housing designed for people with extreme functional ability or very high needs.
The SDA Design Standards focus is on providing a home environment that maximises the capacity of the individual to live as independently as possible incorporating accessible design and personal support features within their home.
SDA Certification Process
All dwellings proposed for New Build SDA Enrolment with the NDIS are required to provide Certification by an Accredited SDA Assessor at two stages, both of which are mandatory:
- Design (provisional) Certification
- Final As-Built Certification
Architecture & Access have several Accredited SDA Assessors who are highly experienced and well placed to assist you with the SDA Certification requirements.
SDA Certification Process
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Assessors use the Architecture & Access developed internal checklist to review the architectural design drawings (provided by the client) against the NDIS specified criteria.
At the completion of construction, Architecture & Access SDA Assessors will attend the site to confirm the NDIS criteria has been achieved. Additional site inspections can be requested at any stage.
Completed checklist with SDA Assessor’s comments is sent to the client with compliant and non-compliant items. Formal advice will be provided regarding any identified non-compliances which need to be addressed before undertaking subsequent certifications.
Once the Design Stage drawings and Final-as-built constructed dwelling are deemed compliant against the design standard, the SDA Assessor communicates this to the client and signs off the NDIS SDA Certificate of category compliance.
Accredited SDA Assessor submits NDIS SDA Certificate of category compliance and assessment summary to the NDIS at both design stage and final As-Built stage.
Once the final As-Built certification has been registered with the NDIS, the assigned SDA provider can enrol the dwelling with the NDIS.
SDA Design Categories:
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Improved Liveability
Housing that has been designed to improve 'Livability' by incorporating a reasonable level of physical access and enhanced provision for people with sensory, intellectual, or cognitive impairment.
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Robust
Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision and be very resilient, reducing the likelihood of reactive maintenance and reducing the risk to the participant and the community.
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Fully Accessible
Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment.
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High Physical Support
Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment and requiring very high levels of support.
