For Dave*, a 23 year old man based in Newcastle*, every morning used to start with a wave of panic.

Getting out of bed, catching the bus, standing in a line at the shops—every one of these tasks that many people wouldn’t think twice in doing, felt like climbing a mountain or Dave. That was until Max came along. Max is a rescue dog, a large mixed breed that has been trained to detect and interrupt Dave’s panic attacks. Max provides grounding pressure and create space in crowded places. With Max by his side, Dave began to rejoin the world again: finishing a local TAFE NSW course in Graphic Design, making friends along the way, and walking Max to the local cafe at the end of his street.

“He’s not just a dog,” Dave says. “He’s my safety net. He’s how I cope.”

Stories like Dave’s are not rare, but too often, they’re overlooked, misunderstood, or even dismissed—especially when people are forced to justify their relationship with their assistance animal through bureaucratic systems. Dave, with this support of his Occupational Therapist and Psychiatrist has experienced these difficulties, both when seeking access to the NDIS scheme, and again in front of the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).

The Power of an Assistance Animal

Assistance animals aren’t a luxury—they’re life-changing. They support people with a wide range of disabilities, from visible physical impairments to psychosocial, neurological, and sensory conditions. They help with:

· Deep pressure therapy during anxiety attacks

· Guiding and alerting during dissociative episodes

· Reminders and prompts for medication or daily routines

· Providing a barrier or physical buffer in busy environments

· Giving people the confidence to leave the house and engage socially

For many, an assistance animal is the difference between isolation and participation, despair and hope.

They are not “just pets” or companions—they are working animals, trained tools for independence with their jobs tailored to the very specific needs of their handler.

The Bureaucratic Disconnect

Yet when people like Dave apply for NDIS funding or recognition for their assistance animal or get looks o disgust when Dave and Max are “allowed” inside places where typically animals do not go (e.g. a Doctors Surgery), they often face a wall of misunderstanding.

One participant, Ellie*, shared her story of being told by an NDIS assessor, “We don’t usually fund pets.” Her heart sank. After spending over a 2 years training her dog with a qualified animal trainer and with

documented support from two psychologists, and an occupational therapist, she was denied on the basis that her dog “wasn’t value for money”.

“I felt invisible,” she says. “Like no one saw how hard I’d worked or how much she helps me.”

Another participant , Elena* was refused access to the NDIS office for her annual planning meeting by a senior planner because “That is not a yellow labrador, and you are not blind”. This was despite the fact that Elena’s assistance animal Daisy* was one of the less than 500 assistance animals to actually receive NDIS funding for purchase, training and ongoing maintenance. This is despite conservative estimates suggesting there are more than 10,000 assistance animals currently working across Australia.

Many NDIA decision-makers lack specialised knowledge about the diverse roles assistance animals can play. This can lead to:

· Repeated requests for unnecessary or unrealistic evidence which is often lost or ignored

· Conflicting advice from different NDIS planners or LACs

· Misunderstanding of the difference between a pet, assistance animal and therapy animal

· Rejection of fully qualified assistance animals despite them having legal recognition under federal law

· Assumption that an assistance animal can fully replace all other NDIS funded services, even where evidence to the contrary is provided

The Emotional Toll of ART Appeals

When a funding decision is denied, the only option left may be to appeal through the ART. This is where advocacy becomes vital—but it’s also where the emotional toll often peaks.

“It felt like I had to prove my disability all over again,” says Jake, who lives with PTSD and autism. “They asked me questions like, ‘What does your dog actually do?’ And I just froze. It’s hard to explain something that feels so normal and necessary to you.”

The ART process can be incredibly formal, requiring extensive documentation, witness statements, and legal language that most people aren’t prepared for. Often, the NDIS is represented by legal counsel, which can be additionally daunting for a disabled person, advocating for themselves. For someone living with chronic anxiety, trauma, or cognitive impairments, navigating this system without support is almost impossible. Then, justifying an assistance animal, to people who do not understand their benefit, or understand the disability it can be additionally disheartening.

Why Advocacy Matters

Advocacy can make a world of difference. Skilled advocates can:

· Translate personal stories into the legal language the system recognises

· Help gather appropriate evidence from health professionals

· Prepare individuals emotionally and practically for ART hearings

· Stand alongside participants who are too overwhelmed to self-advocate

Most importantly, advocates can help protect the human at the centre of the process—reminding the system that this isn’t about paperwork; it’s about people, and sometimes the support required, can be in the form of an assistance or therapy animal.

Building a Better Understanding

If we want to build a more inclusive society, we need to start by listening. Listening to people like Dave, Ellie, Elena and Jake. Understanding that their animals are not just dogs—they are lifelines. They provide a service that improves their lives.

We also need to educate those in positions of power, particularly within the NDIA and ART, so that decisions are made with compassion, insight, and respect for lived experience and from a knowledge bases that is rooted in current best-practice for assistance animals.

Final Thoughts

Assistance animals enable people to live fuller, safer, more connected lives. The fight to have them recognised and supported shouldn’t be harder than the challenges people already face each day. As a community, we must do better. We must advocate louder. And we must always remember: behind every tribunal decision is a disabled person trying to live with dignity, independence, and hope.

*Names changed to protect individuals privacy