A sex worker who claims to receive around $60,000 in NDIS funding a year has provided guidance on how people with “invisible illnesses” can also access it.
Estelle Lucas, 33, from Melbourne, who uses they pronouns, receives funding from the national disability scheme for a range of mental health conditions, including depression, ADHD, autism and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder causes severe irritability, depression, or anxiety in women one to two weeks before their period.
Lucas shared a series of YouTube videos in December and January this year, giving other “disabled or neurodivergent” people advice on what they should say to successfully apply for NDIS funding.
“For a psychosocial disability like mine, that’s $60,000 that you don’t have to work to survive because that’s what I used to pay to help around the house and just be a functional human being,” he said.
Just a few months after posting the video, Lucas claimed they could earn up to $10,000 a week from sex work. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting he earns that amount every week.
The NDIS is not means tested and does not take into account your income or assets (such as your home or investments) when determining eligibility.
Estelle Lucas, 33, from Melbourne, who uses they/them pronouns, receives funding from the national disability scheme for a range of mental health conditions including depression, ADHD, autism and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Lucas explained that it took them 15 years to discover they were disabled, as they had suffered from mental health problems since they were teenagers.
In a three-part video series posted to his YouTube account, Lucas shared what kind of “buzzwords” people should use to access funding if they have a psychosocial disability.
The NDIS said it can fund people with psychosocial disabilities by improving their functional ability to carry out everyday tasks, increasing their independence and helping them participate in social, work and study life.
Psychosocial disabilities refer to disabilities that arise from mental health problems.
In his videos, Lucas walked potential applicants through a series of questions they would have to answer to demonstrate that their lives were significantly affected.
The 33-year-old shared a guide on how people with “invisible illnesses” can access NDIS funding.
‘The purpose of this video is to educate you on what the NDIS is to help you unravel perhaps some of the internalized ableist rhetoric that is in your mind that makes you feel like you are not worthy of accessing this service or that you don’t . deserve it and also to demystify the process.
Lucas said they receive about $100 a week toward travel expenses since they sometimes can’t drive or use public transportation.
They said they also used some of their NDIS funds to pay their brother to do some landscaping around their house.
Lucas gave advice on what kind of information those requesting information would be asked and what they should say in response.
This included the need to meet criteria on topics such as self-care, mobility, learning, socialization and communication.
Those applying for NDIS funding who have psychosocial disabilities must provide statements from doctors indicating there are no treatment options.
Lucas said they receive about $100 a week toward travel expenses since they sometimes can’t drive or use public transportation.
Lucas shared a three-part video series on YouTube explaining their mental health conditions and why they were able to access the NDIS.
Lucas said they wrote their own letter of support with the “right buzzwords” for their doctors to review and sign “because I know my own story.”
The 33-year-old said his daily life was affected by his own “invisible illnesses” and there were often days when he couldn’t get out of bed.
They said people often associated a disability with something physical that could be seen, but added that there were many “invisible illnesses” that were “as devastatingly difficult to live with as, for example, not being able to move your legs.”
Lucas has accessed NDIS funding since 2022.
‘I didn’t see myself as a disabled person. I refused to be sick but at great cost to my health too,’ they said in a video.
‘When I go behind closed doors I break down, it hurts a lot and I have hurt myself in many ways. It took me more than 15 years to accept that I was disabled.’
Lucas explained that they did not immediately seek support from the NDIS because they “didn’t feel worthy” and did not want to “steal” from others who needed it.
They said they were making a lot of money and didn’t think it was an option for them.
The sex worker said she fully qualified for NDIS funding as part of having a psychosocial disability.
“You don’t have to prove that you’re poor, you don’t have to prove that you’re worthy of this, you just have to prove that you’re disabled and that it hurts your everyday life.” —said Lucas.
‘I didn’t want to steal from people who deserved it more because they couldn’t work, unlike me, who could and earned a lot of money.
“What really sold me on the NDIS was the fact that I thought: what if I don’t want to work in this industry anymore and I would be forced to have sex with men even if I didn’t want to, and that made me feel very uncomfortable?
And that’s what made me realize that I deserve help.
“These are not leaflets as if I fully qualify for this and I know there are many (sex) workers who fully qualify for the NDIS and they just haven’t figured out how to start the process.”
Lucas runs a peer-to-peer education platform for sex workers, called Bigger Sister Channel, which aims to help those working in the industry access basic financial tools and resources.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lucas for further comment.
