About The National Assistance Card

The National Assistance Card:

• is personalised for each card holder.
• contains information which assists the cardholder to communicate the impacts of their brain injury.
• includes the cardholder's nominated contact person's details. This person can be called if required or requested.
• can be used by the cardholder for support in everyday activities.

People can also choose to include additional information via a QR code.

The aim of the National Assistance Card Service is to:

• assist people with brain injury to feel more confident in everyday social situations;
• reduce the need for cardholders to continually explain the effects of their brain injury; and
• increase community understanding of brain injury.

Who is the Card for?

The Card will be available to all people in Australia living with brain injury.  

The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania hope that, in the future, the National Assistance Card will be available to all Australians living with disability and/or health conditions.

Interested in learning more about the National Assistance Card?

the National Assistance Card will be available to all people in Australia living with brain injury later this year. If you are interested in applying for a Card and/or would like more information, please fill in our Expression of Interest Form .

Every National Assistance Card is personalised.

The Card includes the cardholder's:

• first and last name;
• photo;
• date of birth;
• disability; and
• disability related areas of difficulty (for example, speech, memory, fatigue, balance).

The Card also includes:

• the name and phone number of the cardholder's nominated contact person; and
• the phone number for the Police Assistance Line.

People will also have the option of including a QR code on their Card.

• A QR code is a ‘Quick Response’ barcode that, when scanned with a mobile phone, allows the user to quickly access information online.
• The QR code will link to more information about the impacts of the cardholder’s brain injury, other disability or health condition and/or how people in the community can assist them.
• The QR code information can be written or it can be via a video that a person makes of themselves, or of a nominated person talking on their behalf

Background of the National Assistance Card

The National Assistance Card Service is owned by the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania.

The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania (BIAT) has provided an acquired brain injury (ABI) Identification (ID) Card Program for Tasmanians living with brain injury for over 20 years.

The Commonwealth Government has provided funding to the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania for a Project to expand its ABI ID Card Program nationally.

The Project is the National Assistance Card Service.

The Project will:

• rebadge the Tasmanian ABI ID Card as a National Assistance Card;
• make the National Assistance Card available to all people in Australia living with brain injury;
• develop a purpose-built online system for people to apply for a National Assistance Card; and
• trial the option of including a QR code on the National Assistance Card that links to more information about the impacts of the person’s brain injury, disability or health condition, and/or how people in the community can assist them.

The Project will also work with people with brain injury, other disabilities and health conditions to develop:

• resources that help educate cardholders on how to use their National Assistance Card; and
• resources to educate the community about the National Assistance Card.

The National Assistance Card Service think this will help to raise awareness of brain injury and other disabilities and health conditions in the community.