Advocates are pushing for older people with disabilities to be covered by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Thousands of Australian have been locked out of the scheme because they were over 65 when the NDIS was rolled out.

This leaves them unable to access funding for important “assistive technology”, such as wheelchairs and hoists for people who caught polio decades ago, before a vaccine was available.

Lauren Henley from the Council on The Ageing (COTA), Victoria, says there are issues for hundreds of thousands of disabled Australians aged over 65.

“Funding for assistive technology outside the NDIS is currently spread across multiple departments at both the state and commonwealth level,” she told the ABC.

“There's about 46 different funding streams.”

Ms Henley said there is not enough money to meet demand.

“The funding is vastly insufficient, they're incredibly long waiting lists for support — we're talking upwards of 18 months to even get any sort of government funding,” she said.

“We are increasingly concerned about the level of unmet need that exists for older people.”

A large group of organisations, including COTA Victoria, have come together to form the Assistive Technology for All alliance.

The alliance is calling on the Federal Government to make special funding available for assistive technology for those who cannot access it through the NDIS.

Ms Henley said improving the organisation of existing funding streams would be a good first step in solving the problem.

“We're certainly not advocating that the National Disability Insurance Scheme be expanded to cover everyone. We don't think that's feasible,” she said.

“All we're asking for is people to be given equitable access to the services they need.”

A delegation from the alliance is travelling to Canberra next month to lobby senior government ministers.