Improved Liveability (IL) is SDA designed for NDIS participants who benefit from simpler layouts, clearer visibility and sensory-friendly environments.
Are you looking into Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) options? If so, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll focus on what Improved Liveability is, how it compares to the other SDA design categories, and how Enliven’s Improved Liveability apartments can help you live your best life.
Improved Liveability (IL) housing is SDA designed for NDIS participants who benefit from simpler layouts, clearer visibility and sensory-friendly environments. It is one of four design categories outlined in the SDA Design Standard created by the NDIS and focuses on supporting people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment. For the wider picture, start with our guide to SDA housing.
Improved Liveability homes typically include features such as high-contrast walls and doors, simplified wayfinding with minimal corridors, task lighting and visual assistance cues. Together, these elements provide a reasonable level of physical access while enhancing safety, comfort and everyday independence.
Improved Liveability is one of the most common SDA design categories, because it suits a wide range of sensory, intellectual and cognitive needs rather than only very high physical support needs.
Homes enrolled as Improved Liveability, with a photo, suburb and key features. Browse all Improved Liveability homes.
There are four SDA design categories: Improved Liveability (IL), Fully Accessible (FA), High Physical Support (HPS) and Robust. Each category is designed to meet different support needs, ensuring SDA housing aligns with your NDIS goals, preferences and daily living requirements. Understanding the differences between these categories can help you choose the option that best fits your needs. Improved Liveability, for example, focuses on sensory-friendly design and ease of navigation, rather than the higher physical access or specialised support features found in Fully Accessible, High Physical Support or Robust SDA.
Improved Liveability SDA is suited to participants who benefit from predictable, calm and easy-to-navigate features, creating an environment that supports their daily living and independence. These features may include high-contrast walls and floors for easier visibility, open living areas that allow support workers to maintain clear sightlines and homes with minimal or no stairs.
Improved Liveability SDA homes include spacious SDA bedrooms, accessible kitchens, bathrooms and laundry areas, all designed to promote safety and comfort. Common features include built-in wardrobes, accessible kitchen fixtures, slip-resistant flooring, easy-to-reach light switches and strong visual contrast to support safe and confident navigation throughout the home.
| Requirement | Improved Liveability (IL) | Fully Accessible (FA) | High Physical Support (HPS) | Robust |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairments | Significant physical impairments and wheelchair users | Severe physical impairments requiring high-level support | Safety and durability for those with complex behaviours |
| Physical access | Enhanced visibility, easy navigation | Step-free access, accessible fixtures | Same as FA plus structural supports for hoists | Good physical access, strong materials |
| Key features | High luminous contrast, slip-resistant floors | Accessible bathroom basins, wheelchair-friendly layout | Emergency power, assistive tech readiness | High-impact materials, secure windows and doors |
| Additional supports | Visual assistance lines, task lighting | Automation-ready doors and windows | Structural provisions for ceiling hoists, wider doors | Soundproofing, retreat areas for staff |
| Safety features | Clear lines of sight for support workers | Accessible kitchen appliances | Heating/cooling systems, household communication tech | Laminated glass, high-impact wall linings |
Having the right SDA design category is important to ensure you get the maximum benefit from your SDA home. This can enhance your overall well-being by helping you live your best life. Having the right category ensures your home isn’t just a place to live, but a space that truly supports your health and quality of life.
To find out more about other design categories, check out our guide on SDA design categories.
The Improved Liveability SDA design aims to provide a reasonable level of physical access and additional features to promote safety and comfort. Below are the different types of Improved Liveability design features and how they can help people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairments.
If you’re an NDIS participant with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairments, you might be eligible for Improved Liveability SDA Housing.
To qualify, your NDIS plan needs to include SDA funding and you must demonstrate a need for housing with enhanced physical access and features tailored to your specific needs. You’ll need supporting evidence from medical professionals explaining that this housing will support your independent living goals and overall quality of life.
To be eligible for SDA Improved Liveability funding, you may require one or more of the following.
The NDIS may ask for proof in the form of reports from your Allied Health Professional or other documents outlining your daily support and housing needs. This may include a Functional Capacity Assessment or a Home and Living Supporting Evidence Form provided by your Support Coordinator.
Try our SDA eligibility calculator, or read our guide to SDA funding.
Learn how Enliven Housing’s Improved Liveability apartments have empowered Matt to build his confidence and independence.
Learn how Enliven Housing’s Improved Liveability apartments have empowered Matt to build his confidence and independence.
Watch the storyAt Enliven Housing, our Improved Liveability SDA accommodation is designed to meet your needs. We put our tenants at the centre of the decision-making process throughout their SDA journey with us. We currently have SDA homes in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Perth.
We incorporate our Design Model in all our SDA housing. This includes prime location, on-site support hub and compatibility with all design categories including Improved Liveability SDA. Below, we break down what makes our apartments accessible for those classified within the SDA Improved Liveability category.
At Enliven Housing, we don’t just stop at Improved Liveability SDA — we go the extra mile to help you reach your NDIS goals. We’re committed to going above and beyond to ensure our tenants not only enhance their liveability but also enjoy their best life. With our state-of-the-art AT, Friendly Landlord Model and Access and Safety Provisions, our Improved Liveability SDA options are designed to make our tenants feel safe, comfortable and truly at home.
We design and deliver our Improved Liveability homes to meet the NDIS SDA Design Standard. Every home is independently assessed by accredited third-party SDA Assessors, both at the design stage and once the home is built. This gives you confidence that your home meets the standards required for SDA, now and into the future.
The SDA Design Standard supports better housing outcomes for people with disability. It sets clear, nationally consistent requirements that focus on independence, safety and comfort in everyday living. We use these standards to guide how we design our homes – always with the people who live in them at the centre.
Our Improved Liveability SDA also goes beyond the Livable Housing Australia (LHA) Silver Level Standard. LHA Silver is a nationally recognised benchmark referenced in the National Construction Code (NCC). It includes seven core design features that make homes more accessible and simpler to adapt over time.
What this means for you is peace of mind. You can stay in a home you know and feel comfortable in, even if your support needs change – without major renovations or having to move.
If you’re looking for SDA options, Enliven Housing is here to make your choice easier. We specialise in Improved Liveability SDA housing, offering modern, accessible living spaces tailored for individuals with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairments.
At Enliven Housing, we don’t just meet SDA requirements; we go above and beyond to ensure you feel at home.
Improved Liveability is an SDA design category for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment. It provides a reasonable level of physical access plus features like high-contrast surfaces, task lighting and simple wayfinding that make a home easier and safer to navigate.
People with sensory needs such as vision or hearing impairment, intellectual disability such as autism or Down syndrome, or cognitive impairment such as acquired brain injury or early dementia. It is one of the most common SDA categories.
Improved Liveability focuses on sensory-friendly design and easy navigation with a reasonable level of physical access. Fully Accessible provides comprehensive wheelchair access. IL suits cognitive and sensory needs, while Fully Accessible suits significant physical needs.
There is no fixed list. It often suits people with autism, Down syndrome, a vision or hearing impairment, an acquired brain injury or early dementia. Your assessment decides your category, and homes can blend features.
Location matters as much as design. Our homes sit in well-connected suburbs close to transport, health services and the people you already know.
One of the great things about shared living is that everyone’s support can be tailored to their individual needs. That
If you’re exploring shared living, you’ve probably come across terms like SDA, SIL and ILO. Understanding what each one means
If you have been searching for a disability group home, you have probably noticed the term pops up everywhere, often
"*" indicates required fields
Western Australia
South Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Western Australia
South Australia
Australian Capital Territory
"*" indicates required fields
