Under strain, Australia's world-leading disability support faces major restructure

Annabelle Shaw relies on NDIS funding to support activities that help her live a normal life

Annabelle Shaw is hockey-obsessed and on a winning streak, scoring eight goals this season for her team, the Panthers.

"I don't give up," she says proudly, adding that whenever she scores, she celebrates with a cartwheel.

And when Annabelle's not on the pitch, she's down at the gym. She likes nothing more than working out with her friends.

But Annabelle may soon have to stop playing her favourite sport.

The Year 8 student from Western Australia has Down Syndrome – a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 which leads to physical and intellectual disabilities. This enables her to access funding through one of the world's most progressive disability support programmes, the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme).

Aimed at people with lifelong and severe disabilities, NDIS was created to ensure disabled Australians had greater independence and an improved quality of life.

Its design ushered in a very different approach to disability support – by providing people with funding based on their individual needs, and a certain amount of freedom to choose how to spend it. The scheme put disabled Australians and their families at the heart of the decision-making.

But the success of the scheme has also been its undoing – it's growing rapidly and costing the government too much. Now, under proposals introduced by the federal government earlier this year, tighter controls will be introduced to shrink its size and budget.

The money Annabelle receives is intended to help pay for therapies such as speech, as well as a support worker to help her on the hockey field.

"Annabelle needs somebody to break it down and say, okay, did you hear that, Annabelle? We've got to stand over here," says mum Gillian Croft, explaining the importance of a support worker for Annabelle at practice sessions, where there could be as many as 50 girls training at a time.

"Sometimes, especially if it's fast-paced, she disengages and she doesn't want to play because she doesn't understand what she needs to do."