What Is the New I-CAN Assessment Tool?

Changes to assessment tools can feel abstract until they affect planning conversations and evidence. This change is more than just a new form or checklist. It represents a shift in mindset — away from deficit-focused assessments and toward a more person-centred, fair, and transparent planning process.

Why Change Was Needed

For years, people with disability and their families have raised concerns about how complex, inconsistent, and emotionally draining the NDIS planning process can be. Many are expected to provide extensive documentation just to maintain essential supports — even when their needs are clearly ongoing.

The current system tends to focus too much on what someone can’t do, rather than what they need. This can lead to plans that don’t reflect lived reality, inconsistent outcomes, and a system that often feels more bureaucratic than supportive.

That’s where I‑CAN comes in — a tool built to assess support needs, not just limitations. It helps planners understand the day-to-day context in which someone lives, and how formal and informal supports come together.

What Is the I‑CAN Tool

The I‑CAN tool is not new — it’s been developed and refined over 20 years by the Centre for Disability Studies and used in other parts of the disability sector in Australia. Now, it’s being adapted specifically for the NDIS.

Here’s what makes I‑CAN different:

* It’s based on real conversations, not just paperwork

* It focuses on support needs, not impairments

* It looks at the whole person — including health, housing, relationships, daily routines, and environment

* It is grounded in strong research and co-designed with people with lived experience

Accredited assessors will guide participants (aged 16 and over) through structured, face-to-face sessions. For participants with more complex needs, additional targeted assessments will be used to ensure accurate, individualised planning.

A Staged Rollout – And a Chance to Shape It

The NDIA plans to begin rolling out the I‑CAN tool from mid-2026 in stages. This gives time for the process to be tested, refined, and improved based on real feedback from participants, families, providers, and advocates.

The University of Melbourne and other research partners will work with the NDIA to ensure the tool remains fair, valid, and effective over time.

This isn’t a top-down change — it’s a chance for the disability community to co-design a better way forward.

What It Means for You

For Participants

* More respectful, personalised assessments

* Less paperwork — focus shifts from proving disability to identifying needs

* Clearer, more consistent funding decisions based on real-life context

For Families and Carers

* Reduced burden of sourcing repeated evidence

* Recognition of the care and support you already provide

* A chance to contribute meaningfully to the assessment process (with consent)