What is SDA? Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is housing funded under the NDIS for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. It pays for the home itself, not the support you receive in it. For some people, SDA is part of moving out of institutional care and into a home in the community. This guide explains who SDA is for, the four design categories, what you pay, and how to find it.
Specialist Disability Accommodation in plain English
SDA is a type of housing designed for people who need very high levels of support. The SDA funding in a participant’s plan goes towards the home. The supports that happen inside it, such as personal care, are funded separately.
SDA providers must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and each home must be enrolled with the NDIA. Other than SDA, the NDIS does not fund housing. The NDIS page on Specialist Disability Accommodation sets out the full rules.
Who SDA is for, and the funding criteria
SDA is for NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. Having a high level of need on its own is not enough. SDA funding is only included in a plan when it meets the NDIS funding criteria.
Getting SDA into a plan involves evidence about your needs and a home and living request to the NDIA. Your my NDIS contact can explain the process, and a support coordinator, if you have one, can help you gather what is needed.
The four SDA design categories
SDA homes are built to one of four design categories:
- Improved liveability
- Fully accessible
- Robust
- High physical support
Each category has its own design standard, and the right one depends on your needs. The NDIS SDA page describes each category.
What SDA is not
SDA is the housing only. It does not include personal care, Supported Independent Living (SIL), Individualised Living Options (ILO) or assistive technology.
Many people who live in SDA also have SIL funding. SIL pays for a support worker to help or supervise you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with help for at least 8 of those hours, and it must be delivered by a registered provider. The two are funded and arranged separately. The Provider24 guide to SIL and mealtime support explains more about SIL.
People living alone in an SDA apartment may have onsite shared support instead. This is unplanned support, usually shared between about 10 people in one building, and it is not available with SIL.
Why the move from institutional care matters
Institutional settings can make everyday life harder in ways that are easy to overlook. Common challenges include:
- Limited personal control: fixed routines leave little room to choose things like meal times or when personal care happens.
- Social isolation: fewer chances to take part in community life, see friends or follow your interests.
- Shared spaces: rooms and facilities shared with many others, often without regard to individual accessibility needs.
- Limited privacy: little space of your own.
Choice and control
Choice and control is a central idea in the NDIS. With SDA, you have a say in where you live and, with your other supports, how your days run. Depending on the design category, an SDA home may include features such as wider doorways, accessible bathrooms or home automation.
Community inclusion
SDA homes are located in ordinary communities rather than in institutions. That can mean living closer to family, friends and local services, and having more everyday contact with the community around you.
What you pay and what you sign
SDA funding covers the cost of the home, but you still pay a reasonable rent contribution. That contribution is capped by the maximum reasonable rent contribution (MRRC).
You need a written service agreement with your SDA provider. Record the SDA provider as a “my provider” in your NDIS plan. The NDIS SDA page explains both steps.
Finding SDA
- The NDIA’s SDA finder: if you have SDA funding in your plan, you can search SDA vacancies with the NDIA’s SDA finder.
- Your support coordinator: if you have one, they can help you contact SDA providers and compare homes.
- Provider24: the SDA providers category lists businesses that offer SDA, and the accommodation listings section is where individual homes are listed as they are added. Both sit under the wider Accommodation & Housing category.
Compare SDA providers on Provider24
Provider24 lists SDA providers by state, so you can see who operates near you and contact them about their homes.
Last updated October 2026. This article is general information, not advice. NDIS rules are changing in stages, so check ndis.gov.au or ask your my NDIS contact about your own plan.
Frequently asked questions
What does SDA stand for?
In the NDIS, SDA stands for Specialist Disability Accommodation. It is housing for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.
Is SDA the same as the NDIS?
No. The NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme. SDA is one type of support the NDIS can fund, and it is the only housing the NDIS funds.
What is SDA used for?
SDA funding pays for a home designed for people with very high support needs. It does not pay for personal care, SIL, ILO or assistive technology, which are funded separately.
Who is eligible for SDA funding?
SDA is for NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, and it is only funded when it meets the NDIS funding criteria. The process involves evidence about your needs and a home and living request to the NDIA.