The Disability Services Commission has developed

this training package for public authorities to use in

staff training

About Disability

Section One

This section covers:

• What is a disability?

• Types of disability

• Causes of disability

• Impact of disability

• Prevalence in WA

• Future trends in disability

What is a disability?

• Any continuing condition that restricts everyday activities.

• Affects capacity to communicate, interact, learn and / or get about independently.

• Usually permanent but maybe episodic.

Types of disability

• Sensory

• Neurological

• Physical

• Intellectual

• Cognitive

• Psychiatric

Causes of disability

• Genetically determined

• Environmentally determined

• Of unknown cause

Impact of disability

The exact impact varies according to:

• the specific nature and severity;

• person’s strength, stamina, size, weight and age;

• person’s ability to cope; and

• the physical, social and economic environment.

Prevalence in WA

• 405,500 (20.6%) of Western Australians have a disability.

• 246,800 (12.6%) people are carers.

• One in 17 people aged 15 years and over has a disability and is a carer.

Future trends in disability

• The number of Western Australians with disabilities is increasing.

• There will be 615,500 Western Australians with a disability in 20 years time – a 115% increase.

Resources• WA Disability Services Act 1993 ww.slp.wa.gov.au

• Oral histories (by people in the disability field on their experiences with disability in Western Australia; housed at the Battye Library)

• Lost Generations project - (short films capturing the essence of individuals with disabilities; available through the Commission’s Accommodation directorate)

• Australian Bureau of Statistics www.abs.gov.au