Had the tragic accident occurred before his 65th birthday his circumstances would have been altogether different.

The fall resulted in Mr English becoming a quadriplegic. To add insult to injury, given he was 69, Mr English was entitled to only the aged care supplement, rather than the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The former jeweller and his wife Bobbie are starting a petition, calling for people who acquire a disability when aged over 65 to have access to the NDIS. It will be aired in parliament this December.

The couple, now of Tullimbar, south of Wollongong, want all people with disabilities to be able to access the NDIS no matter the age of when their illness or injury occurred.

Mr English is reliant on an aged care supplement which is capped at $50,250 annually - less than half of what he would be eligible for with an NDIS package. Mr English's family provides the majority of the 24/7 care he now needs.

Kiama Lions Club has provided huge support, Mrs English said. Many members helped Mrs English get their house in Kiama ready to sell and visited Mr English at Prince of Wales Hospital on a regular basis.

Lions Club members Chanel and Denis Bourke helped Mrs English in starting a petition earlier this year which now boasts more than 14,000 signatures.

Mrs English wants elderly disabled people to be covered under the same scheme.

Since the petition started, the couple have received phone calls from people in different parts of Australia facing the same issue.

"We're lucky, we have family and friends around us to help," Mrs English said. "People have it a lot worse than us."

Mrs English said they were also hopeful of starting an e-petition later this month.

She is confident the petition has met the guidelines and is optimistic it will be aired in federal parliament on December 3 - the International Day of Disabled Persons.