Exclusive: of 900 people surveyed more than 40% have experienced violence or abuse because of their disability

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

More than half of Australians living with a disability do not have the support services they need, and many say they have experienced violence or abuse because of their condition, a new survey has found.

The survey of 900 people, collated by PricewaterhouseCoopers for People With Disability Australia, also found 61% lived on an income – either wages or welfare – that was insufficient for their basic needs.

The research was conducted as Australian civil society groups submitted a “shadow report” to the United Nations, which is set to evaluate Australia’s adherence to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities later this year.

Despite the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, more than 60% did not have access to support services they needed, such as disability or aged care, and only 28.5% had the equipment they required.

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“I’m severely disabled but can’t access NDIS because I need expert advice to prepare the application, can’t afford to pay an expert, and most funded advocacy groups have wait lists,” one respondent said.

About two-thirds had difficulty dealing with government services or agencies such as Centrelink, and many (44%-35%) did not have access to sufficient healthcare.

Ahead of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, more than 40% of survey respondents said they had experienced violence or abuse, compared with 33% who had not.

Three-quarters believed they were discriminated against because of their condition and only 2.5% felt the public had a good understanding of disability.

“I have been refused access to cinemas and laughed at because I take my guide dog. ‘How can a blind man see a [movie],’” one respondent said.

Carolyn Frohmader, the executive officer of Women With Disabilities Australia, said the findings were “really concerning”.

She said dissatisfaction with the NDIS was not surprising. Although people with disability supported the scheme, there were “problems with the implementation”.

She also said that 10% of all people with disabilities could access it and only 37% of participants were female.

“We found that a lot of people with disability were not aware of their rights and options, that they found that the process complex and confusing,” she said.

The NDIS, which has faced complaints about lengthy delays and a tough eligibility criteria, hit 300,000 participants last month.

The survey report noted a “concerning number of comments referring to suicide, or being better off dead”, which Frohmader said was “alarming”.

“I am so socially isolated and lonely here that I could scream,” one person said.

There were also positive responses, such as a respondent who said: “People assume my life is not worth living and that I can’t contribute to society. They are wrong. I love life and I bring a lot to the community.”

The civil society shadow report calls on the government to take steps to address “poverty, disadvantage and human rights violations” experienced by people with disability.

That included urgently addressing the over-representation of people with disability in the criminal justice system and urgent action on discrimination against parents with disability.

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org