A Journey of Understanding and Hope

Sarah's journey began not as an entrepreneur, but as someone navigating the complex world of disability support firsthand. Diagnosed with a chronic condition in her early twenties, she quickly discovered that the support system she needed wasn't just hard to find—it often felt impersonal and disconnected from her actual experiences.

"I remember sitting in countless meetings where professionals would talk about my needs without really understanding what my daily life looked like," Sarah recalls. "They had the qualifications, but they didn't have the lived experience that would have made all the difference."

This frustration deepened when Sarah became a carer for her younger brother, who was navigating his own mental health challenges. Suddenly, she was experiencing the system from both sides—as a participant and as a family member seeking support for someone she loved.

Rather than let frustration defeat her, Sarah channeled it into action. She pursued formal qualifications in disability support, mental health, and community services, but always with the perspective of someone who had been on the receiving end of these services.

Her professional journey took her through various roles in the disability sector—from direct support work to case management, from policy development to training delivery. Each role added another layer to her understanding of how the system worked, and more importantly, where it often failed the people it was meant to serve.

When the NDIS rolled out in South Australia, Sarah found herself once again experiencing the system from multiple angles. As a participant, she navigated the planning process, funding categories, and provider selection. As a professional, she helped others do the same. As a family member, she supported her brother through his own NDIS journey.

This unique triple perspective revealed something crucial: the NDIS had enormous potential to transform lives, but only if participants could access providers who truly understood their experiences and could deliver support that was both professional and genuinely caring.

"I saw too many participants settling for services that were technically compliant but emotionally disconnected," Sarah explains. "They deserved better. We all did."

The idea for NT Assistive Services crystallized during a particularly challenging period when Sarah was supporting multiple family members through various crises while managing her own health needs. She realized that what made the difference wasn't just professional competence—it was the ability to say "I understand" and truly mean it.

"I wanted to create a service where lived experience wasn't just valued—it was central to everything we did," Sarah says. "Where participants could work with people who had walked similar paths and could offer both professional expertise and genuine empathy."

This vision extended beyond just service delivery. Sarah envisioned a workplace where staff with lived experience were not just welcomed but celebrated, where personal challenges were seen as strengths rather than barriers, and where the traditional power dynamics between providers and participants could be reimagined.

Launching NT Assistive Services wasn't easy. Sarah faced the usual challenges of starting any business, but also the additional complexity of building something that challenged conventional approaches to disability support.

"There were times when I wondered if I was being too idealistic," she admits. "But then I'd meet another participant who had been let down by the system, or another potential team member who had been told their lived experience wasn't 'professional enough,' and I knew we were on the right track."

From the beginning, NTAS was built on principles that reflected Sarah's journey: authenticity over compliance theater, understanding over detachment, and empowerment over dependency. These weren't just nice-sounding values—they were hard-won insights from years of experiencing the system from every possible angle.