Boy, 9, with cerebral palsy is forced to use a WHEELBARROW to get around after his mother was told he would have to wait two years for a new wheelchair
- He's outgrown his current wheelchair which is now unsafe and difficult to use
- They use a cart on two wheels with a handle that was used to feed their horses
- The NDIS told the boy's mother that his new wheelchair could take up to 2 years
A nine-year-old boy with cerebral palsy has been forced to use a wheelbarrow to get around after being told he may have to wait two years for NDIS funding for a wheelchair.
Angus Hopkins, from Queensland, has been waiting for nearly a year for a new motorised wheelchair after his old one became too difficult and dangerous to use.
Angus' old wheelchair is unsafe for his mother Jody Ezzy to push him around in on their farm, so they've resorted to using a cart on two wheels with a handle that was used to feed their horses.
After spending hundreds of hours on the phone to the NDIS, Angus' mother was told her son's new wheelchair could take up to another two years before it's approved, the Weekly Times reported.
'Give us some idea when this is going to be, don't keep moving the goal post. We just need to know when and if,' Ms Ezzy told 7NEWS on Tuesday.
Angus gets fatigued from pushing himself in a wheelchair, and can't stand up and has uneven arm strength.
Angus' old wheelchair is unsafe for his mother to push him around in on their Queensland farm, so they've resorted to using a cart on two wheels with a handle that was used to feed their horses
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In March, a final assessment was done and Ms Ezzy picked the wheelchair and sent a quote through to the NDIS.
She was told the quote would take just two weeks to process.
'That was in early March. I kept ringing and ringing to find out where the application was, finally, another lady told it was going to take months or up to two years,' she told the Weekly Times.
'Having to explain that to him and seeing his disappointment that he can't go to shows, get himself around at home, he can't go and get the mail (is terrible),' she said.
After spending hundreds of hours on the phone to the NDIS, Angus' mother was told her son's new wheelchair could take up to another two years before it's approved
The National Disability Insurance Agency, which is responsible for the NDIS, said that they're working to deliver Angus' wheelchair as soon as possible, Yahoo News reported.
'The NDIA has been in contact with Angus' family today to reassure them that the wheelchair will not take two years to supply and has apologised for any anxiety caused.'
In the meantime, the NDIA said they've given Angus' family money to hire a new wheelchair.
