Pearl is a storehouse of resources and information for people who are already directing their own funding in Queensland or who are considering taking up this option.

The website was developed by Staffing OptionS specifically for people who are self-directing  under the Your Life Your Choice program. However, many of the resources on Pearl are also relevant to, and congruent with, National Disability Insurance operational guidelines.

Your Life Your Choice was a self-directed funding approach introduced by the Queensland Government in 2012 to assist people in Queensland to prepare for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Resources include 

• Practical Tools designed to help with the technical aspects of self-direction eg an example of an interview process for employing staff or a template to use when planning what kind of support you might need
• Stories from people who are already directing their own supports offering examples of why they chose to self-direct and how they manage the practical details
• Explore Further: articles that analyse some of the thinking behind self-direction and which offer ideas for how to make best use of this funding method to achieve the kind of life you want to live.

How to use Pearl

You can find information on Pearl in a number of different ways: 

• type a keyword or topic into the search bar at the top of the page (use a single word eg tax, interviewing, planning)
• use the Resource Lists on the right hand side of each article page
• follow the links within each article

Pearl is not a 'Google' search tool bar, you cannot ask it questions or request sentence based information.

Other Languages

If you, or someone you know, require any information provided on the Pearl website to be translated into another language, contact your host provider or other funded non-government organisation for information about SWITC, the Support with Interpreting, Translating and Communication initiative.  www.switc.org.au