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To fully appreciate the background of how ANDSA came to be, and the history that has led our founder, Chris Nicholls, to ANDSA, allow us to walkthrough with you Chris’ story. A compelling video is coming soon about a remarkable journey.
Born to the parents of missionaries in Taiwan, Chris’ story starts as a young boy growing up in the Polio homes his parent’s founded. At the time, Chris’ wasn’t to know just how impactful this upbringing would be in his life, nor how witnessing first hand on a daily basis what life is like for those living with disabilities would mean to him later on in life.
One day, his mother came to him with the idea that he should start a baseball team. Chris initially protested, before realising that his mother was not really asking him so much as she was telling him and despite his best efforts to highlight reasons why it can’t be done, his mother found a way around them all….
To Chris’ surprise, after putting together a team with the other children in the Polio homes, they started competing against the other children who didn’t have polio… and winning! What happened next changed an entire nation’s approach to children with disabilities, sports, and how this baseball team became the inspiration to one of the world’s major sporting events 42 years later!
Contact us to hear Chris’ inspirational true-life story about “The Game that Changed a Nation”.
Upon returning to Australia, Chris began what would end up being an incredibly diverse and successful career in government, politics, media, communications and life as an entrepreneur. His career spanned from working for Department of Office of Prime Minister & Cabinet, to being Chief of Staff at a major television station and to investigative journalism for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Chris’ executive acumen and passion for justice meant that he was competently able to operate at the highest levels of business, and his experience in media and communications has given him great insight into how organisations work and how to keep their greatest assets (their staff) actively engaged, positive and thriving.
Fast forward to recent years, and Chris has found himself working in the disability sector once again – except this time it wasn’t to start a baseball team, it was front line disability care. In what Chris would describe as a totally life changing experience, he was moved deeply by coming full circle back into disability work, and understanding just how real the needs of those living with disabilities are. Many tears were shed in those first few months of disability work, and a passion for seeing the disability sector thrive was ignited in Chris.
Having seen first hand the complicated systems of those having to use current information systems in the disability sector, Chris quickly began putting his wide-spanning experience to work in developing a solution for NDIS service and system providers so that ultimately, those who are most vulnerable are able to be cared for as effectively as possible.
For Chris, ANDSA really is the culmination of an extensive and successful career, coming back to the cause that he was born into; helping those with disabilities thrive and achieve their best. Though the solution he has created in ANDSA is a long way away from the polio home he grew up in, ANDSA’s core purpose is to ensure that those living with disabilities are able to be effectively supported. There is a big hole in the NDIS sector when it comes to the efficiencies, effectiveness and robustness of their information systems. Without expert input and strategic development, the current systems used to operate businesses in the disability sector won’t stand the test of time, and that means the people they support are at risk of not receiving the support they desperately need.
Simply put, ANDSA helps businesses in the disability sector operate effectively, efficiently and with robust systems that aren’t susceptible to catastrophic failure that would leave the business unable to service clients. The ANDSA service is the answer to an incredibly significant issue facing the sector today, and we are proud to be apart of the solution.
We will come meet with you on-site at your business and provide some initial consultation around our process, what’s involved, and what outcomes we deliver.
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