About our community

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).