People with disability are diverse. They can differ in:
- culture
- language
- sexuality
- gender identity
- age
- ability
- socioeconomic status
- life experiences.
People’s experiences of disability are also different, as disability can be:
- visible or invisible
- permanent or episodic
- from birth or happen at any point during someone’s life.
Australia
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics:
- 17.7% (4.4 million) of Australians have disability.
- 32% (1.4 million) of people with disability have a severe or profound disability.
- 47.8% (nearly 5 out of 10) people with disability are employed, compared with 80.3% (8 in 10) people without disability.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:
- The prevalence of disability generally increases with age. In Australia:
- 7.6% of children aged 0–14 have disability
- 9.3% of people aged 15–24 have disability
- 13% of people aged 25–64 have disability
- 50% of people aged 65 and over have disability.
- 76.8% of people with disability (nearly 3 in 4) have a physical disability as their main type of disability.
- 23.2% of people with disability (1 in 4) have a mental or behavioural disability as their main type of disability.
- Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples are 1.9 times more likely to have disability or restrictive long-term health conditions, compared to non-Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples.
- 41% of people with disability aged 15–64 have income from wages or salary, compared with 73% of people without disability.
According to People with Disability Australia, 1 in 4 people with disability in Australia are culturally and linguistically diverse.
According to LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, 39% of LGBTQIA+ people aged 14–21 identify as having disability or a long-term health condition.
Boroondara
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics:
- an estimated 11.4% (20,500) of Boroondara residents have disability.
- 4.5% (7,516) of Boroondara residents have a severe or profound disability, compared to 5.8% of residents across Australia.
- Compared to Boroondara residents aged under 65, residents aged 65 and over have 10 times the rate of severe or profound disability.
- More females in Boroondara have disability than males.
- There are 2,395 National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants in Boroondara. The most common primary disabilities of these participants are:
- autism (849 people)
- psychosocial disability (310 people)
- intellectual disability (305 people)
- developmental delay (188 people).
- 14.3% of Boroondara residents are carers, which is higher than the national average of 11.9%.
- 60% of carers in Boroondara are female.
According to the NDIS:
- 24 (1%) NDIS participants in Boroondara who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander
- 305 (12.7%) NDIS participants in Boroondara who identified as culturally and linguistically diverse.
- The most common age groups in Boroondara who are part of the NDIS are:
- 0–6 years (298 people)
- 7–14 years (591 people)
- 45–54 years (252 people)
- 55–64 years (325 people).