The Disability Services
Commission has developed
this training package for
public authorities to use in
staff training
About Disability
Section One
This section covers:
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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
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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