Sex worker reveals how Aussies with ‘invisible illnesses’ can claim thousands from the NDIS like she does – even though she can make up to $10,000 a week from her job

A sex worker who claims to receive around $60,000 a year in NDIS funding has provided a guide on how people with ‘invisible diseases’ can also access it.

Estelle Lucas, 33, from Melbourne, who uses their pronouns, receives funding from the National Disability Program 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 in the week or two before their period.

Lucas shared a series of YouTube videos in December and January this year, giving other people with ‘disability or neurodivergence’ tips on what to say to successfully apply for NDIS funding.

“For a psychosocial disability like me, that’s $60,000 that you don’t have to work to survive because that’s what I used to pay for, like help around the house and just being a functioning human being,” she said.

Just months after posting the video, Lucas claimed they could make up to $10,000 a week through sex work. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest she earns that amount every week.

The NDIS is not means tested and does not take your income or assets (such as your home or investments) into account when determining your eligibility.

Estelle Lucas, 33, from Melbourne and who uses these pronouns, receives funding from the National Disability Program 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, having had mental health issues since they were teenagers.

In a three-part video series uploaded to their YouTube account, Lucas shared what ‘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 capacity to carry out daily tasks, increasing independence and helping them participate in social, work and study life.

Psychosocial disabilities refer to disabilities resulting from psychological problems.

In their videos, Lucas took potential applicants through a series of questions they had to answer to prove that their lives had been significantly affected.

The 33-year-old shared a guide on how people with ‘invisible diseases’ can access NDIS funding

‘The purpose of this video is to inform you about what the NDIS is, to help you perhaps clear out some of the internalized ableist rhetoric that makes you feel unworthy of access to this service, or that you do not. deserve it and also to demystify the process a bit.’

Lucas said they receive about $100 a week for travel expenses because sometimes they can’t drive or use public transportation.

They said they had also used some of their NDIS funding to pay their brother to do some garden work around their home.

Lucas gave tips about the type of information the information requesters would be questioned about and what they should say about it.

This included the need to meet criteria on topics such as self-care, mobility, learning, socializing and communication.

Those applying for NDIS funding who have psychosocial disabilities must provide statements from doctors stating that there are no treatment options.

Lucas said they receive about $100 a week for travel expenses because sometimes they can’t drive or use public transportation

Lucas shared a three-part video series on YouTube explaining their mental health issues and why they were accessing 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 history.”

The 33-year-old said their daily lives were affected by their own ‘invisible illnesses’ and there were often days when they could not get out of bed.

They said people often associated disability with something physical you could see, but added that there were many “invisible diseases” that were “just as devastatingly difficult to live with as, for example, not being able to move your legs”.

Lucas has had access to NDIS funding since 2022.

‘I didn’t see myself as disabled. I refused to be sick, but that also came at the expense of my health,” they said in a video.

“When I go behind closed doors I fall apart, and it hurts too much and I’ve hurt myself in so many ways. It took me more than fifteen years to accept that I was disabled.’

Lucas explained that they did not immediately seek support from NDIS because they ‘didn’t feel worthy’ and did not want to ‘steal’ from others who needed it.

They said they were making good money and didn’t think this was an option for them.

The sex worker said they were fully eligible 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 it’s affecting your daily life,” Lucas said.

‘I didn’t want to steal from people who deserved it more because they couldn’t work, unlike me who could and made a lot of money.

‘What really sold me on 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 then I realized that I deserve help.

‘These are not handouts like I am fully eligible for this and I know there are many (sex) workers who are fully eligible for the NDIS and just don’t know how to start the process.’

Lucas runs a peer education platform for sex workers called Bigger Sister Channel, which aims to give people in the sector access to basic financial tools and resources.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lucas for further comment.