In Development

HEALTH, MOBILITY AND INDEPENDENCE

A wheelchair is not simply a piece of equipment.

For the person who needs it, it may mean leaving the house, attending work, going to school, visiting family or participating in community life.

A communication device may mean being able to express a need or make a decision.

A medical treatment may mean maintaining function, reducing pain or preventing deterioration.

The Ability Foundation is developing programs to help persons living with disabilities access appropriate medical care, mobility equipment, assistive technology and disability-related supplies.

The goal is not simply to provide an item.
The goal is to support the person’s ability to live.

Important notice

These programs are not currently open for applications unless a program below is marked Open for Applications. The Ability Support Fund is being developed in phases. Assistance is available only through programs specifically marked Open for Applications. No submission guarantees approval or funding.

The programs

Medical Care Support Program
In Development
To assist persons living with disabilities with necessary medical services where cost or access prevents them from receiving appropriate care.
Support being developed
Medical consultation · Specialist consultation · Diagnostic assessment · Therapy · Rehabilitation · Medical procedure · Disability-related follow-up care · Medical supplies · Other approved medical support
About this program
Access to appropriate medical care can affect a person’s independence, comfort, mobility, participation and quality of life.
The Medical Care Support Program is being developed to assist with legitimate disability-related medical needs that cannot reasonably be met through existing resources.
Funding will depend on available resources, individual circumstances, program criteria and appropriate verification.
Medication Support Program
In Development
To assist with legitimate prescribed medication costs where a person cannot reasonably maintain necessary treatment from available resources.
Support being developed
Short-term medication assistance · Recurring medication assistance · Disability-related medication · Medication not fully covered by another program · Medication-related supplies · Other approved medication support
About this program
Keeping necessary treatment going should not depend on whether a person can afford each refill.
The Medication Support Program is being developed to assist with prescribed medication costs where treatment cannot reasonably be maintained from available resources. The Foundation does not prescribe medication or recommend changes to medication.
Funding will depend on available resources, program criteria and appropriate verification.
Mobility & Equipment Support Program
In Development
To provide or contribute toward appropriate mobility and disability-related equipment that improves safety, independence, access or participation.
Support being developed
Manual wheelchair · Powered wheelchair · Mobility scooter · Walker · Rollator · Cane · Crutches · Transfer equipment · Shower / bathroom safety equipment · Specialized seating · Pressure-relief equipment · Hospital or adjustable bed · Lift equipment · Prosthetic device · Orthotic device · Positioning equipment · Other approved mobility or functional equipment
About this program
The right equipment can be the difference between dependence and participation.
The Mobility & Equipment Support Program is being developed to provide or contribute toward appropriate mobility and disability-related equipment. The aim is equipment that fits the person, works in their home and community and can be maintained, not simply the cheapest item available.
Funding will depend on available resources, individual circumstances, program criteria and appropriate verification.
Assistive Technology Support Program
In Development
To assist persons with disabilities in obtaining technology that supports communication, learning, employment, independent living or access to information.
Support being developed
Communication devices · Screen-reading technology · Magnification devices · Adaptive keyboards · Alternative input devices · Hearing-related technology · Visual-alert systems · Speech-support technology · Accessible computer equipment · Accessible mobile technology · Environmental controls · Other approved assistive technology
About this program
A communication device may mean being able to express a need or make a decision.
The Assistive Technology Support Program is being developed to help persons with disabilities obtain technology that supports communication, learning, employment, independent living and access to information. Assistive technology is much more than computers.
Funding will depend on available resources, individual circumstances, program criteria and appropriate verification.
Equipment Repair & Maintenance Support
In Development
To prevent persons with disabilities from losing mobility, independence or safety because essential equipment requires repair or maintenance.
Support being developed
Wheelchair repair · Powered mobility repair · Battery replacement · Tyres / wheels · Brakes · Cushion / seating repair · Prosthetic repair · Assistive technology repair · Medical-equipment repair · Other approved repair
About this program
A broken wheelchair, a flat battery or a failed brake can take away a person’s mobility overnight.
The Equipment Repair & Maintenance Support program is being developed to restore essential equipment quickly, so that a repairable problem does not become a loss of independence.
Funding will depend on available resources, program criteria and appropriate verification.
Accessibility & Home Modification Support Program
Planned
To assist with reasonable modifications that improve safe access and independence in the person’s living environment.
Support being developed
Ramp · Handrails · Grab bars · Bathroom modification · Doorway widening · Accessible entry · Small accessibility alterations · Transfer support infrastructure · Other approved modifications
About this program
A home that cannot be entered, or a bathroom that cannot be used, limits independence as surely as any lack of equipment.
The Accessibility & Home Modification Support Program is planned to assist with assessment and funding requests for reasonable modifications. It is not a construction-project service.
Funding will depend on available resources, program criteria and appropriate verification.
Medical & Disability Supplies Support
In Development
To assist with recurring or one-time disability-related supplies that are necessary for health, personal care, safety or daily functioning.
Support being developed
Incontinence supplies · Wound-care supplies · Personal-care supplies · Disposable medical supplies · Protective bedding · Specialized hygiene supplies · Equipment consumables · Other approved supplies
About this program
Everyday supplies that protect health, comfort and dignity are a real and recurring cost for many people living with disabilities.
The Medical & Disability Supplies Support program is being developed to help with recurring or one-time supplies that are necessary for health, personal care, safety or daily functioning.
Funding will depend on available resources, program criteria and appropriate verification.

How support is decided

CHEAPEST DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN APPROPRIATE.

A person reviews every application. Nothing is approved or declined automatically, and no medical diagnosis decides an application.
The Foundation does not diagnose conditions, prescribe medication or recommend treatment. Where professional input is appropriate, it is requested from your own provider.
Household employment or household income does not automatically remove your own disability-related need.
Equipment is assessed for suitability — fit, function, safety, accessibility, durability, maintenance, repair, your environment, transportation, your preference and long-term usefulness — not simply for the lowest price.
Several quotations may be compared. The lowest does not automatically win, and the reviewer records why the chosen option is the better fit.
Repair is considered before replacement where it is safe, practical and cost-effective — but repair is never forced on equipment that is unsafe, unsuitable or no longer meets your needs.
If you choose, relevant parts of your Ability Needs Index can help a reviewer understand your situation. It never decides the outcome.
An advocacy case can be linked if you face a benefit denial, an access barrier or another obstacle. It is never required.

Your information and your choices

Medical and disability information is sensitive. Access is restricted to the member, an authorized representative where permitted, and assigned or authorized staff. It is used to administer support, is not automatically research information, and is never automatically shared with sponsors. Sponsors do not receive member medical records.
Receiving assistance never requires a photograph, a testimonial, appearing in marketing, disclosing your disability publicly or thanking a sponsor.
Any story or marketing consent is entirely separate from assistance and can be declined without any effect on an application.

Read the Privacy Policy and the Data Protection & Confidentiality Policy.

Fund a program

Corporations and community partners will be able to fund specific outcomes. No member is ever identified without explicit consent. Examples of what a future sponsor could fund:

Sponsor a wheelchair.
Fund a mobility assessment.
Restore someone’s damaged mobility equipment.
Support a month’s medication.
Help make a home accessible.
Provide assistive technology for work or education.

MEDICAL CARE ACCESS FUND · Medical Care Support Program

What the program solves: Disability-related medical care that a person cannot reach because of cost or access.
Who it serves: Persons living with disabilities who cannot reasonably meet legitimate medical needs from existing resources.
What funding pays for: Consultations, specialist and diagnostic services, therapy, rehabilitation, procedures, follow-up care and medical supplies, normally paid to the provider.

MEDICATION & SUPPLIES FUND · Medication Support Program

What the program solves: Interrupted treatment because prescribed medication cannot be afforded.
Who it serves: Persons living with disabilities who cannot reasonably maintain necessary prescribed treatment from available resources.
What funding pays for: Short-term and recurring prescribed medication and medication-related supplies, normally paid to the pharmacy.

MOBILITY & INDEPENDENCE FUND · Mobility & Equipment Support Program

What the program solves: People left housebound, isolated or unnecessarily dependent because suitable mobility equipment is unaffordable.
Who it serves: Persons living with disabilities who need mobility and functional equipment that fits them and works in their environment.
What funding pays for: Mobility and disability-related equipment — grants, partial contributions, direct vendor purchases, replacement, and loan or donated equipment where appropriate.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FUND · Assistive Technology Support Program

What the program solves: Barriers to communication, learning, work and independent living that the right technology would remove.
Who it serves: Persons with disabilities who need assistive technology for communication, education, employment, independent living or access to information.
What funding pays for: Communication, reading, hearing, vision, input-device, environmental-control and other assistive technology, with training where required.

EQUIPMENT REPAIR FUND · Equipment Repair & Maintenance Support

What the program solves: Loss of mobility, independence or safety because essential equipment is broken and the repair is unaffordable.
Who it serves: Persons with disabilities whose wheelchairs, prosthetics, assistive technology and other essential equipment need repair or maintenance.
What funding pays for: Wheelchair and powered-mobility repair, batteries, tyres, brakes, seating, prosthetic repair, assistive-technology repair and other approved repair.

ACCESSIBLE HOME FUND · Accessibility & Home Modification Support Program

What the program solves: Homes that people with disabilities cannot safely enter, move around in or use.
Who it serves: Persons with disabilities — owners, renters and those in family households — who need reasonable accessibility modifications.
What funding pays for: Ramps, handrails, grab bars, bathroom and doorway modifications, accessible entries and other small accessibility alterations, normally paid to the contractor.

MEDICATION & SUPPLIES FUND · Medical & Disability Supplies Support

What the program solves: Recurring supply costs that affect health, personal care, safety and daily functioning.
Who it serves: Persons living with disabilities who need supplies they cannot reasonably afford.
What funding pays for: Continence, wound-care, personal-care and hygiene supplies, protective bedding, disposable medical supplies and equipment consumables.

How applications are reviewed: Every application is reviewed by a trained person against published program criteria. There is no automated decision, score, diagnosis-based rule or cheapest-quote rule.
How outcomes are tracked: After assistance, the Foundation records outcomes as the member reports them — including where equipment was unsuitable, a need was only partly addressed or it was not resolved. Problems raise a follow-up; they are not hidden.
How privacy is protected: Sponsors never see member identities, applications, quotations or medical records. Receiving assistance never requires a photograph, a testimonial, public disclosure of a disability or any public thanks to a sponsor.
How sponsor reporting works: Sponsors receive aggregated reporting only. Reporting commitments are agreed before funding begins.

Funding targets are not published until approved by the Foundation.

Talk to us about funding a program My Assistance Ability Support Fund