"January was a tough year - but we made it!" That is what a colleague in the State Government said when we were chatting earlier this week.

Here we are, at the beginning of a new year, and I know I'm not the only one already feeling 'Octobery'.

I know providers are doing it especially tough with challenges everywhere you look—from recruitment and rostering, to sourcing PPE and simply getting paid. It can seem as though you're navigating a path with your staff and clients that's more pothole than road.

NDS has joined with other peak bodies calling on government to act immediately and prioritise COVID-19 safety measures for Queenslanders with disability in an open letter.

NDS has been working with Queensland disability providers and listening to their challenges and concerns. It's easy for those outside the sector to forget that the vital work of providing essential supports to some of our most vulnerable citizens - and all the challenges that brings - continues despite the significant burden the pandemic brings as well.

We know you're committed to doing important work in a crazy time. On behalf of NDS and all sector stakeholders, I'd like to extend our appreciation. We see you, and we're here to help.

To this end, in the past months NDS has supported the sector in Queensland in many ways including:

• Hosting numerous free professional development and capacity building webinars and communities of practice
• Fielding over 500 direct enquiries about mandatory vaccination and hosting 10 COVID-related webinars
• Providing 1:1 consultations for small to medium businesses
• Engaging in cross sector collaboration with other key agencies to support regional efforts to support disability providers during COVID outbreaks
• Responding to a significant number of NDS Help Desk enquiries and general queries from providers

Not to mention our other programs such as Gateway to Industry Schools Program and Workability Queensland as well as the Inclusive Acumen program being delivered in the Wide Bay Burnett region. All these have supported school leavers and adults in both metro and regional areas to find work and build careers and businesses in the community services sector.

I'd like to acknowledge the support of the Queensland Government, which continues to provide resources to NDS that allow us to support disability providers in our state.

NDIS Access: What's difficult? What would help?

As a sector, we all know what a complex process gaining access to the NDIS can be. I'd like to encourage everyone to look at the Hopkins Centre's research project mentioned in the Research, Reports and more section of the upcoming Fast Facts Online, February edition. If you're not already subscribed, you can join the mailing list.