SDA Design Categories Explained: All Four, in Plain English
SDA design categories explained: Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust and High Physical Support — what each covers and who it suits.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is purpose-built housing for people whose disability means an ordinary home cannot keep them safe or independent. The NDIS groups these homes into design categories, and the category you are funded for shapes which properties you can live in. This guide walks through all four in plain English, so you can picture the home behind the label and work out which…
What SDA design categories are, and why they exist
Improved Liveability
Fully Accessible
Robust
High Physical Support
What about Basic SDA?
How your design category is decided
Where this fits in the bigger picture
Frequently asked questions
How many SDA design categories are there?
There are four funded SDA design categories: Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust, and High Physical Support. A fifth label, Basic, is legacy housing with no special design and is not built new. Your funding is tied to one category, which sets the type of enrolled home you can rent.
What is the difference between Fully Accessible and High Physical Support?
Fully Accessible gives full wheelchair access throughout a home. High Physical Support includes all of that plus heavier structural provision — ceiling hoist support, backup power, and space for complex equipment and two-worker assistance. High Physical Support suits people with very high physical…
Which SDA category is right for me?
It depends on what your home must physically do to keep you safe and independent, not on your diagnosis. An occupational therapist assesses your functional needs and recommends the category. Someone with a vision or cognitive need may suit Improved Liveability, while significant physical needs point…
Does the design category cover my support workers?
No. SDA design categories describe the building only. The workers who support you each day are funded separately, usually through Supported Independent Living. This is why people often have both an SDA payment for the home and a SIL budget for the support inside it.
Related guides
- SDA Eligibility: Who Qualifies for Specialist Disability Accommodation
- SDA Fully Accessible Design Explained
- SDA Improved Liveability Design Explained
- SDA Myths Debunked: What Specialist Disability Accommodation Really Is
- SDA Price Guide Deep Dive: Reading Appendix H
- SDA vs SIL: What Each One Actually Pays For