Tech for Independence: Easy Smartphone Apps for NDIS Participants to Master Daily Skills
Tech for Independence: Easy Smartphone Apps for NDIS Participants to Master Daily Skills
- September 7, 2026
Technology can make everyday tasks feel a little easier. For NDIS participants, the right app can help with routines, communication, travel, planning, cooking, appointments and other daily activities.
If you are looking for NDIS support in Sydney, you may already be using your phone to stay connected with family, friends and support workers. But your phone can also become a practical tool for building daily living skills and independence.
There are many apps available, so it can be difficult to know which ones are actually useful. Below are some apps and digital tools worth considering, depending on your goals and individual support needs.
1. my NDIS App – Manage Your NDIS Plan
If you are an NDIS participant, the official my NDIS app is an important one to know about.
The app allows participants to view their plan information and budget, while self-managed participants can also make and manage claims. The NDIS has also introduced accessibility improvements to make the app easier to use.
How it can help
The app can help you become more familiar with your own NDIS plan and keep important information accessible on your phone.
It may be particularly useful if your goal is to become more confident with managing your NDIS supports.
Best for: NDIS plan information, budgets and claims for eligible self-managed participants.
2. Opal Travel App – Practise Getting Around Sydney
Want to become more confident using public transport around Sydney?
The Opal Travel app can be a useful tool for planning journeys and checking public transport information.
You can use it when practising trips to places such as:
- Work
- TAFE or university
- Shopping centres
- Community activities
- Appointments
- Recreation centres
- Friends’ homes
Instead of having someone plan every journey for you, you can gradually learn to check your route, departure time and travel information yourself.
Best for: Building confidence with public transport and community access in Sydney.
3. Google Maps – Learn Familiar Routes
Google Maps can be useful when developing navigation and community participation skills.
For example, a support worker could initially travel with you while you learn a particular route. You could practise checking directions, identifying landmarks and understanding how long the journey takes.
Over time, you may become more confident following the route yourself.
You could start with a simple journey, such as travelling from home to your local shops, and gradually work towards more complicated trips.
Best for: Navigation, community participation and learning familiar routes.
4. Google Calendar – Keep Track of Your Day
Remembering appointments and activities can be difficult when there are lots of things happening during the week.
Google Calendar can help you organise your day and set reminders for important activities.
You could add:
- Medical or other appointments
- Work shifts
- Support worker visits
- Community activities
- Social events
- Classes
- Birthdays
- Regular household tasks
Instead of depending on someone else to remind you about everything, you can learn to check your own calendar.
Best for: Time management, appointments and building a predictable routine.
5. Todoist – Break Big Tasks Into Smaller Step
Sometimes a task feels difficult simply because there are too many steps to remember.
Todoist can help you create simple task lists and organise activities.
For example, instead of writing:
“Clean the kitchen”
you could create:
Put dishes in the sink
- Wash dishes
- Wipe the bench
- Put food away
- Empty the bin
- Sweep the floor
Breaking a task into smaller steps can make it easier to understand where to start and what to do next.
Best for: Household tasks, routines, shopping lists and organisation.
6. Choiceworks – Visual Routines and Daily Activities
For people who find visual information easier to understand, Choiceworks can be worth exploring.
The app uses visual schedules, activities and timers to help users understand what is happening now and what comes next.
For example, a morning routine could be displayed as:
Wake up → Shower → Get dressed → Breakfast → Pack your bag → Leave home
This can make a routine more predictable and may reduce the need for repeated verbal prompts.
Best for: Visual routines, transitions and step-by-step daily activities.
7. Proloquo2Go – Communication Support
Communication is an important part of independence.
Proloquo2Go is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app designed to support people who cannot rely on speech as their main way of communicating.
It uses symbols and text-to-speech features to help people express their needs, preferences, thoughts and choices.
For someone who uses AAC, having their communication system available on a suitable device can make everyday interactions easier.
Best for: People who need AAC or alternative ways to communicate.
Communication technology should be selected around the individual’s needs, ideally with advice from an appropriately qualified professional such as a speech pathologist.
8. Medisafe – Medication Reminders
Remembering medication times can be challenging for some people.
Medisafe is a medication reminder app that can provide prompts and help users keep track of their medication routine.
However, an app should be used as a reminder tool rather than a replacement for advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other health professional.
Best for: Medication reminders and keeping track of a medication routine.
9. Be My Eyes – Assistance With Everyday Visual Tasks
Be My Eyes connects people who are blind or have low vision with sighted volunteers through their phone.
It can potentially assist with everyday situations where visual information is difficult to access.
For example, someone might need help identifying an item, reading information or understanding something visually.
Best for: People who are blind or have low vision and need assistance with visual information.
10. Seeing AI – Making Visual Information More Accessible
Seeing AI is designed to help people who are blind or have low vision by using artificial intelligence to describe aspects of the surrounding environment.
Depending on the feature being used, it can help with tasks such as reading text and recognising certain visual information.
For someone developing independence at home or in the community, this type of technology may provide another way to access information.
Best for: People who are blind or have low vision.
Can These Apps Be Funded Through the NDIS?
This is an important point: an app being helpful does not automatically mean it is NDIS-funded.
The NDIS explains that assistive technology can help people complete tasks and increase independence, but funding depends on factors including the person’s disability-related needs, goals, the evidence supporting the technology and whether it is an NDIS support.
The NDIS also has specific rules around low-cost assistive technology. Before purchasing technology using NDIS funding, it is important to check your plan and the current NDIS requirements.
If you are unsure whether particular technology is appropriate, discussing it with your support team or an assistive technology professional may be helpful.
How Can Support Workers Help You Use These Apps?
An app can be useful, but learning how to use it confidently is often just as important.
A support worker might help you:
- Set up a daily routine
- Add appointments to your calendar
- Create a shopping list
- Practise using public transport
- Follow directions on a familiar route
- Break household tasks into smaller steps
- Learn how to use accessibility features
- Gradually reduce prompts as your confidence grows
The goal is not to make you dependent on an app or another person. It is to use the right tools to help you develop skills and make more choices for yourself.
Building Independence Starts With One Small Step
You do not have to master everything at once.
Maybe your first goal is remembering your appointments. Perhaps you want to learn how to catch the train independently or prepare a simple meal by following instructions on your phone.
Choose one goal, find a tool that suits you and practise it regularly.
For NDIS participants across Sydney, technology can be one useful part of building confidence with everyday activities. With personalised support and the right tools, small improvements can become meaningful steps towards greater independence.
At Concept Care Disability Solutions Pty Ltd, we understand that everyone’s goals and support needs are different. Person-centred support can help NDIS participants work towards greater independence in everyday life, whether that means developing daily living skills, accessing the community or becoming more confident with routines.
The right app will not do everything for you. But it can give you the reminder, information, visual prompt or communication support you need to take the next step yourself.