Culturally and linguistically diverse (or CALD) is a word used to describe people who identify as belonging in some way to a non-Australian culture.

For more information see the section for Culturally and linguistically diverse people.

Services and supports for culturally and linguistically diverse people include the following:

Services for people from CALD communities

• Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association provide advocacy services for people with disability from CALD communities and support people with NDIS appeals and reviews.

• The Ethnic Community Services Co-operative provides: 
  • NDIS services and resources 
  • advocacy 
  • volunteer projects for people with disability 
  • support for people with disability looking for work experience and paid employment. 

• Open Minds has support services for people from CALD communities with mental health problems. 

• Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities has a range of services and resources, including: 
  • advocacy support 
  • videos about the NDIS in different languages 
  • social support groups. 

• Kin provides advocacy support for people with disability from CALD communities. 

• The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia has a Community Connectors program that supports people from CALD backgrounds to access the NDIS. 

Translation and Interpreter Services  

• Translating and Interpreting Service provide onsite and on phone interpreting. The telephone number for this service is 131 450.

• NSW Health Care Interpreting Services provides free and confidential interpreters when you go to hospital for your care.

• Lifeline Australia provide crisis support in different languages. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 and ask to speak to someone in your language.

Translated resources for people from CALD communities

These resources are not in Easy Read but can still be helpful. If you want, you can ask someone to support you to read them.

• Embrace Multicultural Mental Health provide mental health resources in many different languages.

• Amparo Advocacy Inc has information on the rights of NDIS participants. 

• The Cerebral Palsy Alliance provides some translated information and resources. 

• Carer Gateway has information for carers and support networks in different languages. 

• Centrelink information about the Disability Support Pension has been translated into different languages. 

• UnitingSA has translated fact sheets to help CALD communities to access the NDIS. 

• The Transcultural Mental Health Centre has mental health resources in different languages.