How One Founder Built a Leading NDIS Supported Independent Living Service in Sydney
Sydney, Australia – April 14, 2026 / Ability to Achieve Pty Limited /
What began as a single founder’s vision in 2018 has grown into one of Sydney’s most recognised names in disability support. Ability to Achieve Pty Limited, a registered NDIS provider based in Sydney, has built a reputation for delivering high-quality, person-centred Supported Independent Living services to participants across the city. With a team now exceeding 90 staff members, the organisation stands as a testament to what happens when genuine care meets determined leadership.
Deb Merhi founded Ability to Achieve Pty Limited after observing firsthand the gaps that existed in the disability support sector. Having worked closely with individuals living with disability, she recognised that many NDIS participants were not receiving the kind of support that truly reflected their individual needs, goals, or aspirations. The services on offer at the time often felt transactional, focused more on task completion than on building real independence. Deb believed there was a better way – and in 2018, she set out to create it.
Starting a registered NDIS provider from the ground up is no small undertaking. The regulatory requirements are rigorous, the expectations are high, and the responsibility of caring for vulnerable people is significant. But Deb approached every challenge with the same philosophy that would come to define Ability to Achieve Pty Limited: put the participant first, always. From the earliest days of the business, every decision – from hiring practices to service design – was made with that principle at its centre.
The organisation’s growth has been deliberate rather than rapid for its own sake. Deb understood that scaling too quickly in the disability support sector risks compromising the quality of care, and that was never something she was willing to accept. Instead, Ability to Achieve Pty Limited grew its team carefully, recruiting support workers, coordinators, and allied health professionals who shared the same commitment to participant dignity, choice, and genuine empowerment. Today, with more than 90 staff members, the organisation delivers services that remain as personalised and attentive as they were when Deb was working directly with her first clients.
At the heart of what Ability to Achieve Pty Limited offers is its NDIS Supported Independent Living program. SIL NDIS funding is designed to help participants who require assistance with daily tasks live as independently as possible, whether that is in their own home or in shared accommodation. For many participants, SIL accommodation is the bridge between institutional care and true independence – and Ability to Achieve Pty Limited has made it their mission to ensure that bridge is built with care, respect, and a deep understanding of each individual’s goals.
The ndis supported independent living model delivered by Ability to Achieve Pty Limited is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Every participant who enters their program is treated as an individual with a unique story, unique needs, and unique aspirations. The organisation works closely with participants, their families, and their support coordinators to develop living arrangements and support plans that genuinely reflect what each person wants from their life. This collaborative approach is one of the reasons Ability to Achieve Pty Limited has become a trusted name in disability support Sydney.
Support coordinators working across Sydney have increasingly come to rely on Ability to Achieve Pty Limited as a provider they can confidently recommend. The organisation’s transparency, responsiveness, and consistent service quality make the coordination process smoother for everyone involved. Families of participants also report a sense of reassurance knowing that their loved ones are supported by a team that genuinely understands the weight of the responsibility they carry.
The sil ndis services offered by Ability to Achieve Pty Limited cover a broad range of support needs. Participants may require assistance with personal care, meal preparation, household tasks, medication management, or community access. In all cases, the focus is on building skills and confidence rather than creating dependency. The organisation’s support workers are trained not just to complete tasks, but to actively encourage and support participants in developing their own capabilities over time. The goal is always greater independence – not a permanent reliance on support.
This philosophy extends to the way Ability to Achieve Pty Limited approaches SIL accommodation. The organisation understands that where a person lives has a profound impact on their wellbeing, their sense of identity, and their ability to participate in the community. Every living arrangement facilitated by Ability to Achieve Pty Limited is designed to feel like a home – a place where participants feel safe, valued, and in control of their own lives. Shared living arrangements are matched thoughtfully, with compatibility between housemates considered as carefully as the physical attributes of the property itself.
For Deb Merhi, the growth of Ability to Achieve Pty Limited from a start-up to a team of more than 90 staff has never been about business achievement in isolation. It has always been about impact. Every additional staff member represents more participants who can be reached, more families who can be supported, and more people living with disability in Sydney who have access to high-quality, genuinely person-centred care. The numbers matter because the people behind them matter.
The registered NDIS provider status held by Ability to Achieve Pty Limited reflects the organisation’s commitment to operating at the highest standard. Meeting the requirements for NDIS registration means demonstrating compliance with the NDIS Practice Standards, undergoing regular audits, and maintaining the documentation and governance frameworks that protect participants. For participants and their families, choosing a registered provider like Ability to Achieve Pty Limited offers an important layer of assurance about the quality and accountability of the services they will receive.
Disability support in Sydney is a growing and evolving sector, shaped by ongoing changes to the NDIS, increasing participant numbers, and a broader societal shift toward recognising the rights of people living with disability to live full, self-determined lives. Within this landscape, Ability to Achieve Pty Limited has positioned itself not simply as a service provider but as a genuine partner in the lives of the participants it supports. The organisation’s long-term thinking, its investment in staff development, and its commitment to continuous improvement all reflect a leadership team that understands what sustainable, high-quality disability support actually looks like.
Deb’s founding story is one that resonates with many in the sector – a professional who saw a problem, believed in a better solution, and had the determination to build it from scratch. But what sets Ability to Achieve Pty Limited apart is not just the story of how it started. It is the consistency of how it has continued. The values that shaped the organisation’s earliest days remain fully intact, even as the team has grown and the complexity of operations has increased. That consistency is rare, and it is noticed – by participants, by families, and by the support coordinators who work with providers across Sydney every day.
Looking at the broader picture of ndis supported independent living in Sydney, the need for quality providers continues to grow. More Australians are entering the NDIS, more participants are seeking SIL accommodation, and the demand for providers who can deliver genuinely person-centred support is increasing year on year. Ability to Achieve Pty Limited is well placed to meet that demand – not by simply adding capacity, but by maintaining the standards and values that have made the organisation what it is today.
For NDIS participants in Sydney who are exploring their options for supported independent living, for families trying to understand what good disability support looks like, and for support coordinators seeking providers they can trust, Ability to Achieve Pty Limited represents exactly the kind of organisation the sector needs more of. Built on lived experience, shaped by genuine compassion, and run with professional rigour, it is a provider that has earned its place as one of Sydney’s leading names in disability support Sydney.
Deb Merhi started Ability to Achieve Pty Limited with a belief that every person living with disability deserves support that truly sees them – their goals, their potential, and their right to live life on their own terms. More than six years on, that belief remains the foundation of everything the organisation does.
Learn more on https://abilitytoachieve.com.au/ndis-supported-accommodation-sydney/
Contact Information:
Ability to Achieve Pty Limited
Suite 2/ 6 Marco Ave, Revesby NSW 2212
Sydney, NSW 2212
Australia
Michael Jones
02 8311 7163
https://abilitytoachieve.com.au

