association for children with a disability

Name

association for children with a disability

Legal name

Association for Children with a Disability

Website

https://acd.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Parent & Caregiver Training for LD/Dyslexia Support (EDAKAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Schools & Life Skills Programs (EDAKAAAD)

Keywords

• Disability advocacy services
• Family support services
• NDIS information resources
• Special education advocacy
• Peer support workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Surrey Hills

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: ACD accepts tax-deductible donations from the public. All donations over $2 are tax deductible in Australia. The organization also accepts bequests (gifts in Will), memorial and celebration donations, and third-party fundraising event proceeds.
2. Government funding (DFFH): ACD is funded by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) to deliver advocacy services. The organization discloses service user information to DFFH through the Data Exchange (DEX) as part of its funding agreement, without sharing identifying information such as names or contact details.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACD is a Victorian non-profit organization that provides free information, advocacy, and peer support services to families of children with disability (aged 0-18) and the professionals who work with them. Core offerings include a free telephone Support Line, over 100 free online workshops per year, a monthly newsletter, systemic advocacy work, and information resources covering NDIS, education, early years, and teenage transitions, all informed by staff with lived experience of disability.

Product overview

ACD is a Victorian advocacy organization offering a portfolio of free services for families of children with disability aged 0-18. The core offerings include the Support Line (free telephone advocacy service), over 100 free online workshops annually delivered by parent facilitators, the monthly NoticeBoard newsletter, and systemic advocacy. Supporting these are comprehensive information resources organized by life stage: Early Years (diagnosis, early intervention, childcare/kindergarten), NDIS (access, planning, plan management), School (rights, funding, reasonable adjustments), and Teenage Years (transition, independence). The A Good Life program provides specific transition support. All services are free, independent, and informed by staff with lived experience of disability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACD Support Line A free telephone advocacy service providing information, guidance, and support to families of children with disability and developmental delay in Victoria. Available at 03 9880 7000 or 1800 654 013 for regional callers, with language interpreter and National Relay Service support available.
• Workshops and Peer Support Over 100 free online workshops delivered annually by facilitators who are parents of children with disability, providing practical information and advocacy skills to families and professionals on topics ranging from early years to post-school transitions. Delivered via the Humanitix event platform.
• Advocacy Services Systemic advocacy work influencing public policy at state and federal government levels to advance the rights of children with disability and their families, including submissions to government inquiries on NDIS, education, inclusive communities, and child safety.
• Information Resources Free, independent information resources covering early years, NDIS, school, teenage years, and family support, written by staff with lived experience of disability and updated based on family feedback. Available across the ACD website in six languages.
• A Good Life Program A webinar series dedicated to helping families gain skills and information to support and navigate their child's growing independence, particularly focused on planning for life after school, held during A Good Life month.
• NoticeBoard Newsletter Monthly online newsletter delivered to subscribers' inboxes, containing practical information about supports, resources, opportunities to speak up, workshops and events for families of children with disability in Victoria. Previous issues are available as PDFs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ free online workshops delivered per year
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Information Access GroupminorOthersThe Information Access Group designed and maintains ACD's website, ensuring accessibility and usability for people of all abilities in line with WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards.
• National Relay ServiceminorOthersACD refers Deaf or hearing/speech impaired callers to the National Relay Service (133 677) to access its telephone Support Line, ensuring accessibility for callers with communication disabilities.
• Researchers, community sector leaders, and government bodiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACD collaborates with researchers, community sector leaders, and government bodies to increase the impact of its systemic advocacy work. The organization works in partnership to influence public policy and advance the rights of children with disability and their families.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO): Cross-disability peak body in Australia. Comparable as a national advocacy umbrella organization engaging in policy submissions and systemic advocacy similar to ACD's advocacy work.
• National Disability Services (NDS): Australian peak body for disability service providers. Comparable through its advocacy role on disability policy and sector representation, though it represents providers rather than families directly.
• Inclusion Australia: National peak body for people with intellectual disability and their families. Comparable advocacy and policy model with a specific focus on intellectual disability, overlapping with ACD's IDD-serving families.
• People with Disability Australia (PWDA): Australia's peak national disability rights organization representing people with disability. Comparable through shared systemic advocacy, policy submissions, and information/peer networks, though operating nationally and covering all ages.
• Carers Australia: National peak body representing unpaid family carers, including parents of children with disability. Comparable in family/caregiver-focused information, advocacy, and policy engagement for the same target population.

Emerging players

• Yellow Ladybugs: Australian nonprofit supporting autistic girls and gender-diverse youth with peer support programs. Overlaps with ACD's workshop/community-led service delivery model, though focused specifically on autism and gender.

Direct peers

• VALID (Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability): Victorian-based disability advocacy organization providing individual advocacy and systemic advocacy for people with disability. Comparable as a Victoria-only advocacy peer with similar government funding model and grassroots service delivery.
• Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA): National peak body representing children and young people with disability in Australia. Most directly comparable peer to ACD given shared focus on advocacy, policy submissions, and family/children's disability rights, though operating at national rather than state level.

Regional players

• Plumtree Children's Services: NSW-based organization supporting children with disability and their families through early intervention, therapy, and peer support. Comparable family/children-disability focus and free community workshop model, though operating in a different state.
• Noah's Ark Inc. Victorian provider of early childhood intervention and disability support services. Comparable through its focus on young children with disability and family support, partly sharing ACD's early-years and family navigation focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acdvic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acdvic
• Instagraminstagram.com/acdvic

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about association for children with a disability