About Us

We educate, We connect and we resource people

Unforeseen things happen in life. Ability Links was born out of the unexpected experience Mark Pietsch had experiencing the gaps in services after acquiring a disability.

Mark has worked in the Community Services sector as a youth worker in schools, in the community and as a NDIS Support Coordinator for a couple of organisations. From this he found that many organisations lack the resources, programs, and technology to help people overcome barriers.

Ability Links was formed when the NSW state government program of the same name ceased. Mark saw an opportunity to start a Social Enterprise from the ground up that is centred on linking people to their community, support and resources. We hope this will help people build stability to be able to best enjoy their future.

The team at Ability Links are proud NDIS Nerds that leverage out-of-the-box thinking to get things done.

Mark Pietsch (far right) meeting with Physical Disabilities Australia members in Canberra

Mark Pietsch (far right) meeting with Physical Disabilities Australia members in Canberra including Andrew Fairbairn, Paul Wiliamson and Kerry Allen-Zinner

A Note From Mark

Hi there!

I’m Mark. I started Ability Links with the vision to have a positive impact on the disability community. We have a network of Support Services throughout the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions.

 

As an NDIS participant myself and as a disability advocate I have had a wide and varied experience. I know the struggle there can be to find people that understand the barriers that face the disability community.

 

I have 12 years of experience in Community Services and have a passion for equity. I’m a massive NDIS nerd. I love to go in-depth into all the finer details of the scheme and use my lived experience navigating the scheme. My passion for technology and systems has helped to create out-of-the-box solutions for unique situations.

 

People with disabilities and their carers understand the barriers our community faces. We are uniquely placed to best support others with disabilities to find their voice. Because of this, I have grown a team of experienced disability champions hired from within the disability community to be in the corner of the people we support.

Memoji of Mark Waving Hi

Mark Pietsch

Founder

Ability Links Logo

 

-We Stand for a Fair Go-

“Everyone deserves a better tomorrow.”

 

Our mission is to highlight the abilities of all people and to actively work to reduce barriers faced by the disability community through education, support and connection to resources to assist in bridging the equity gap.

Ability Links has a focus on building social capital, opportunities and skills. We assist participants and their loved ones to be in control and informed when navigating NDIS and mainstream supports.

Our team are inclusive and acknowledges individuality and promotes creative out-of-the-box thinking by coaching participants on ways of implementing their plan. We do this by being person-centric, impartial and independent service connecting people with the best fit for them.

Our Services

Contemporary man with disability baking cookies

We connect people to people

Girl with disability working at office
Young man with Down syndrome with his mentoring friend sitting outdoors in cafe and studying

Support Coordination

Our Support Coordinators go out of their way to help people to understand the NDIS and will fight to help people to get the support they need.

Woman with disability meditating at home

Recovery Coaching

A good Recovery Coach is like a rock in a storm. Our team bring calm to situations and help people to break their goals down into actionable steps and help them to succeed.

Young woman supporting

Support Workers

The Support Work team we have a wide range of hobbies and interest. We are expert match makers and love to pair people up that are best suited to help people achieve their goals and have fun!

Why choose us?

“We believe in equity and will always work to actively to address barriers and advance inclusion for people that experience disabilities”

 

We think outside the box and find ways to make the most of the funding you have and help you to get the funding you need.

Ability Links

Is run by, hires and respects people with a disability and their carers.

Discretion, Privacy and Confidentiality

We understand that everyone deserves privacy. All Ability Links staff, volunteers and contractors are committed to our privacy policy. We aim to be discrete and can modify our services to operate in a way that respects your wishes. This can be done via a reasonable adjustments request.  This could be as simple as not wearing badges or clothing that identifies us as being disability support providers. We will always  respect your dignity and right to decide who and when your information is shared within the limitations outlined in our confidentiality policy. Our confidentiality policy can be viewed here

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