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People with disability face heightened vulnerability during disasters due to functional limitations and inadequate support. This study explores disaster preparedness, capabilities, and support needs among Australians with disability. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, aligned with the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) framework: a co-designed and tested framework that helps people with disability assess their capabilities, identify their needs, communicate with others, and plan for different emergency scenarios. Data collection involved self-administered online surveys and interviewer-administered telephone surveys through convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics and regression modelling were employed for data analysis. Of the 138 respondents, most were female (68.1%) and aged 60–69 (23.9%). While 60.3% had emergency plans, motivators included enhancing survival chances (36.7%) and past disaster experiences (22.7%). Barriers included uncertainty about preparation (22.0%) and difficulty obtaining information (11.3%). Those perceiving bushfire risk were more likely to have a plan (p = 0.004), while individuals living alone were less likely (p = 0.019). Common preparedness actions included safely storing important documents (57.5%), but fewer had backup plans for support workers (9.2%) or home generators (9.7%). Respondents with disaster experience highlighted diverse support needs, encompassing health, emotional well-being, and practical assistance. Inclusive disaster risk reduction should involve individuals with disability in assessing their capabilities and support requirements. This study underscores the necessity of tailored emergency preparedness measures to safeguard the well-being of this demographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a paucity of robust nationally representative data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on the prevalence and risk factors associated with exposure of women with/without disability to either discrimination or violence. We undertook secondary analysis of data collected in Round 6 of UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) involving nationally representative data from 29 countries with a total sample size of 320,426 women aged 18 to 49 years. We estimated: (1) prevalence rates for exposure to discrimination and violence among women with/without disabilities in the previous year in a range of LMICs; (2) the relative risk of exposure when adjusted for demographic and contextual characteristics; (3) the relative risk of exposure associated with specific functional difficulties associated with disabilities; and (4) the association between country-level estimates and national wealth and human development potential. Our results indicated that women with disabilities were approximately twice as likely as women without disabilities to be exposed to violence and discrimination in the past year, and approximately one-third more likely to feel unsafe in either their home or local neighbourhood and to be at greater risk of domestic violence. Risk of exposure was associated with national characteristics (national wealth, human development potential) and within country factors, especially relative household wealth and level of education. These results must be of concern on two counts. First, they attest to the ongoing violation of the human rights of women with disabilities. Second, they point to increased exposure among women with disabilities to several well-documented social determinants of poorer health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern has been expressed about the extent to which people with disabilities may be particularly vulnerable to negative impacts of the 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic. However, to date little published research has attempted to characterise or quantify the risks faced by people with/without disabilities in relation to COVID‐19. We sought to compare the impact of the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic and associated government responses among working age adults with and without disabilities in the UK on; COVID‐19 outcomes, health and wellbeing, employment and financial security, health behaviours, and conflict and trust. We undertook secondary analysis of data collected in four UK longitudinal surveys; the Millennium Cohort Study, Next Steps, the British Cohort Study and the National Child Development Study. Combining analyses across surveys with random effects meta‐analysis, there was evidence that people with disabilities were significantly more likely to report having had COVID‐19 and had significantly increased levels of stress, less exercise, poorer sleep patterns, more conflict with their partner and others in their local area, and to have less trust in the government. While most outcomes did not differ significantly between participants with and without disability, the findings suggest that in the early days of COVID‐19 a detrimental impact emerges for those with disabilities which is more pronounced among older people with disabilities. Future research is needed to determine the longer‐term impact of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the extent to which children and adolescents with disabilities are exposed to child labour. Objective: To estimate prevalence rates and adjusted rate ratios of exposure to child labour among children and adolescents with/without disability in middle‐ and low‐income countries and to determine whether these rates vary between functional limitations associated with disability. Participants and Setting: Nationally representative samples involving 142,499 children aged 5–14 from 15 countries. Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected in UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Results: Overall children and youth with disability were not at significantly greater risk of exposure than children without disability to child labour when demographic and contextual factors were taken into account. However, children and youth with disability were at significantly greater risk of exposure than children without disability to hazardous child labour (adjusted relative risk [ARR] = 1.15 [1.10–1.21], P < 0.001). Specifically, children and youth with impairments related to poorer mental health or cognitive functioning were at significantly greater risk of exposure to hazardous child labour (e.g., ARR for learning impairment = 1.27 [1.14–1.42], P < 0.001). In contrast, children with impairments related to sensory functioning, mobility and expressive communication were at no greater risk of exposure than children with no disability. Conclusions: Children and youth with disability are at greater risk of exposure to hazardous child labour than children with no disability in middle‐ and low‐income countries. Responses to eradicate hazardous child labour need to take account of the situation of children and youth with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing recognition of the value of coproduction and inclusion of people with disability in research, and a growing literature on inclusive methods, particularly involving people with intellectual disability. This article critically examines the ways leadership by, and collaboration and consultation with, people with disability informed the development of a framework to monitor Australia's progress on reducing inequalities in the social determinants of health and wellbeing for people with disability. It focuses especially on the contribution of an expert panel of advice comprising people who live with disability. Input from the expert panel resulted in changes to the language, shape, and detail of the framework and highlighted the complexity easily hidden when people's lives and experiences are measured and quantified. The article provides a practical illustration of the value of lived expertise and challenges universities and researchers to work harder to ensure people with disability shape the research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academy should be a welcoming environment for people with disability. Across Australia, however, there is a current shortage of programmes supporting people with disability to develop their careers as researchers. This article critically investigates current practice and experiences concerning universities and the employment and career development of people with disability as advised by the literature, and how this practice aligns with the lived experiences of several of our authors. Our review of the literature utilising Scopus, PsycINFO and ProQuest databases found a deficiency of research attention on this topic, with only 16 relevant articles identified. This paucity of literary evidence has been augmented in the article by personal stories shared by four of its authors. By focusing on evidence-based measures with potential to support disability employment and career pathways throughout universities in Australia and elsewhere, this article challenges leaders to address ableism and to advance a more inclusive academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This exploratory case study was undertaken to inform capacity development of the rehabilitation workforce in member nations of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Method: Participants at the 1st Pacific CBR Forum in June 2012 were key informants for this study. They comprised the disability focal points from government departments in each of the 14 countries, representatives of DPOs and disability service providers. The study was conducted in 3 phases: a template to gather data on rehabilitation workers; key informant interviews; and, stakeholder workshops to identify strengths and needs of the rehabilitation workforce in the Pacific. Results: The detailed case study findings suggest two critical drivers for rehabilitation health workforce development in the Pacific context. The first is leadership and commitment from government to serve rehabilitation needs in the community. The second is the urgent need to find alternative ways to service the demand for rehabilitation services as it is highly unlikely that the supply of specialist personnel will be adequate. Conclusions: A multi-sectoral view of health and social service systems is a key element for the development of a rehabilitation health workforce. The endorsement of the WHO Global Disability Action Plan by the World Health Assembly in 2014 further enhances the opportunity to work collaboratively across sectors in Pacific countries. Specialist personnel are and will remain in short supply. There is opportunity for the region to lead the development of alternate workforce mechanisms through the training and supply of skilled community-based rehabilitation personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the situation of health-related rehabilitation and traditional health practices in the Pacific Islands. Rehabilitation is a health strategy for improving the lives of people with disabilities through improving function and addressing environmental barriers. The World Report on Disability states that current healthrelated rehabilitation services are deeply inadequate for meeting need. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments to increase and strengthen rehabilitation systems with the WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014-2020. At the same time WHO have a long history of promoting the value of traditional health systems and their contribution to health and well-being. WHO support and encourage governments to strengthen quality of traditional health practises and integrate them in to their health systems. Yet the possibility of health-related rehabilitation and traditional health practices integrating and coordinating care is largely unexplored. Research investigating this knowledge gap is underway in the Solomon Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background News media frames public perceptions. As such, news media becomes a useful source of analysis to understand the presence (or otherwise) of people with disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities, within parenting discourses in Australia. Method Using Critical Discourse Analysis, this article examines major Australian newspapers over the period from January 2004 to December 2008, critiquing the construction of parenting and disability. A small number of articles are examined in close depth for tone, polarity syntactic and paradigmatic choice, deconstructing the underlying discourses that shape the article and thereby popular perceptions of parenting and disability. Discussion Discourses of care and child protection are emphasized in news articles about parenting, creating perceptions that negate the role of people with disabilities as parents. Such perceptions result in a systematic symbolic castration of people with intellectual disabilities from the role of parent in Australian society. Conclusion By providing a framework for understanding the public perceptions of parents with disabilities (particularly intellectual disabilities), this paper demonstrates that changes are necessary in Australian media reporting on parents with disabilities to bring such reporting more closely in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Audit of Disability Research in Australia (hereafter the Audit) identified research about people with disabilities, including psychosocial disability, and their families and carers living in Australia. The Audit covered both scientific and grey literature published in Australia between the years 2000-2013. Because the National Disability Research and Development Agenda (Disability Policy and Research Working Group, 2011) identified four cohorts that experience particular disadvantage, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women with disabilities, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and those living in rural and remote Australia, the Audit included a search based on geography. This paper reports on studies identified in the Audit that address disability and mental illness in the rural and remote context. In the literature unclear and overlapping definitions of mental illness and psychosocial disability were considerable challenges for the reviewers and these difficulties may potentially impact on how psychosocial disability is conceptualised. Of particular concern is the scant research that reflects the experiences of, and issues faced by, people living with disability and mental illness in rural and remote Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Carol Thomas, individuals with impairment are subjected to disablism. They are disadvantaged in material areas of life and also in the non-material domain of psycho-emotional well-being, by the impact of negative ideas, images and stereotypes about impairment and disability. Families with children with impairment have also been described as disadvantaged. Whether this disadvantage is the result of disablism is unknown. This study explored how disadvantage affects families with a child with impairment using Thomas' iteration of the social model of disability. Twelve mothers were interviewed to understand their everyday routines and the influence of impairment in their family life. Family members did encounter prejudice associated with impairment, however, the mothers were able to ‘stand aside’ from this such that their psycho-emotional well-being was not harmed as Thomas describes for individuals with impairment. These families are nevertheless disadvantaged in that they do not enter social interactions on an equal footing with others. This paper describes the ways in which the mothers resisted prejudice. It also suggests that Thomas' model may benefit from considering the harms of disablism from this perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employment is a crucial avenue through which young people with disability can experience material wellbeing and social participation. While the low employment rates of young people with disability are well established, little is known about the stability of employment status -- that is, the degree to which individuals remain in or move in and out of employment. This article uses longitudinal data from a large Australian national data set to investigate the transitions between full-time, part-time and non-employment for young people with and without disability. Considerable mobility was found between employment states for both young people with and without disability, with young people with disability more likely than their peers without disability to transition to reduced levels of employment and less likely to transition to increased levels of employment. Social background and contextual factors predicted employment for young people with disability; however, disability represented an additional penalty even after taking these factors into account. Findings suggest a need for social policy targeted specifically towards the barriers to maintaining and increasing employment experienced by young people with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: To identify barriers and facilitators experienced by women with physical disability having a mammogram. Method: Direct observation of the mammography procedure for women with a range of physical disability at screening facilities of BreastScreen NSW Australia. Results: A volunteer sample of 13 women with varying degrees of physical disability participated in the study. The outcomes suggested that many barriers for women with physical disability can be ameliorated by environmental adaptations and guidelines for both radiographers and women. Some women however cannot be screened successfully, or can be screened only with a level of trauma and/or pain which militates against their continuation within the screening program. This study has identified physical limitations which preclude a successful outcome, those which increase the discomfort/pain of the procedure and aspects of the procedure which can be improved to minimise the experience of discomfort/pain. Conclusion: From the outcomes of the study the development of a decision tool is indicated as a method of providing information for women with physical disability and their doctors as to the likelihood of a successful outcome to participation in mammography screening. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background The supports paradigm has shifted focus from assessing competence and deficits among people with disabilities to identifying supports needed to live meaningful and productive lives in inclusive settings. Consequently, a rigorous and robust system is required that is capable of accurately determining the type and intensity of support needed and of allocating resources accordingly. The aim of the present study was to develop such a system to identify and classify support needs of people with disabilities based on the conceptual framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) [WHO, The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), Author, Geneva, 2001], and the supports concept [ Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Support, 9th edn (1992), 10th edn (2002), American Association on Mental Retardation, Washington, DC). Method A total of 1012 individuals with disabilities who were supported by accommodation and day programme organizations across the eastern states of Australia were assessed. The instrument was used in a team setting involving the person, their family and friends and staff as appropriate. Version 1 was administered with 595 people with disability. This version was refined according to qualitative and quantitative analyses. Another 342 individuals were assessed using Version 2, resulting in a combined data set for 936 individuals. Version 3 was then trialled with a further 76 individuals with disabilities. Results Ten domain scales in Health and Well Being (HWB) and Activities and Participation (A&P) were explored and refined. The scales effectively discriminated a range of intensities of support for people with various disabilities, with the highest support needs generally recorded by individuals with multiple disabilities who were ageing. The instrument can be used to develop a profile of needed supports across the domain scales. These measure current and predicted support needs, and contribute to future planning. The team approach proved beneficial in this regard. Conclusions The I-CAN is a useful instrument for effectively assessing the support needs of people with a disability using a person centred approach. It is effective in identifying support needs across health and well-being areas, and activities of daily living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is an urgent need for developing reliable, valid and practical instruments that assess and classify the support needed by persons with disability to function in their chosen living, working and social environments. I-CAN is an instrument that addresses the frequency and level of support needed (not individual skills or deficits) for each individual with a disability. Method Studies were conducted to assess the test–retest reliability and inter-rater reliability. Concurrent validity was investigated by exploring the relationship between the I-CAN domain scales and the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP) ( Bruininks et al. 1986 ) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q) ( Schalock & Keith 1993 ). Predictive validity studies were undertaken using day- and night-time support hours. Regression analyses were run using these measures with I-CAN domain scales. Two independent studies were also conducted to ascertain the practical utility of the instrument. Results The I-CAN instrument demonstrated excellent inter-rater and test–retest reliability in the Activities and Participation domains. Low-to-moderate test–retest results in Physical Health, Mental Emotional Health and Behaviour domains were tracked to actual change in support needs in these areas. Validity proved acceptable. The relationships between I-CAN domain scales and adaptive behaviour were mixed but in the expected direction. Low-to-moderate correlation coefficients were evident between the I-CAN scales and the QOL-Q Total, but greater support needed in certain domains was associated with less empowerment and independence, and less community integration and social belonging. Attempts to explain current support hours against the I-CAN scales were disappointing and suggest that a number of other factors apart from individual support need to play a significant role. There was general satisfaction with the assessment process from stakeholders and participant groups. Conclusions I-CAN is a reliable, valid and user-friendly instrument for assessing the support needs of people with disabilities. It uses a process that involves the persons with disability, their family and friends and staff as appropriate. It is also apparent that the current provision of paid support hours by agencies is a complex phenomenon that is not based solely on individual support needs. Further research is warranted on the influence of the environment and the perceptions of need for support based on negotiable and non-negotiable support needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the relationship between family life variables and out-of-home placement tendency for families of school-age children with disabilities and high support needs.This study was a prospective cohort study of 81 families with children with disabilities and high support needs aged between 6 and 13 years. There were two waves of data collection 12–18 months apart involving in-depth interviews with the primary carer.Out-of-home placement tendency was associated with three interrelated family life variables: (i) difficulty balancing the demands of caring and the needs of other family members; (ii) sharing workload and responsibility; and (iii) integrating the child into the everyday world.Family capacity to continue balancing the demands of caring and the needs of other family members is central to maintaining family-based placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to obtain sound prevalence and outcomes data on parents with disabilities and their children in statutory child protection proceedings.Method: The court files of all care and protection matters initiated by the statutory child protection authority and finalized in a 9-month period (n=285) at two Children’s Courts in NSW, Australia were reviewed.Results: Parents with disabilities featured in almost one-third of the cases (29.5%). Parental psychiatric disability was most prevalent at 21.8% followed by parental intellectual disability (mental retardation) at 8.8%. Significant associations were found between parental disability and court outcome with a disproportionately large number of children of parents with intellectual disability being made wards of the state.Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that parents with disabilities are significantly over-represented in statutory child protection proceedings and that the outcomes of these proceedings vary according to disability type. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Children with disabilities in high-income countries are more likely than their peers to be exposed to violence. To date, only two studies have reported nationally robust data on the association between child disabilities and exposure to violent parental discipline. To estimate prevalence rates and adjusted rate ratios of exposure to violent parental discipline among children with and without disabilities in middle- and low-income countries. Nationally representative samples involving a total of 206,147 children aged 2−14 from 17 countries. Secondary analysis of data collected in UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Children with disabilities were at significantly greater risk of exposure than children without disabilities to all eight forms of violent parental discipline and the total number of forms they were exposed to. For what could be considered the most abusive form of violent discipline (beating a child up 'as hard as one could') they were 71 % more likely to have been exposed in the previous month than other children (age and gender adjusted prevalence rate ratio = 1.71 (95 %CI 1.64−1.78), p < 0.001). Children with functioning difficulties related to poorer mental health or cognitive functioning were at significantly greater risk of exposure to violent parental discipline. In contrast, children with impairments related to sensory functioning, mobility and expressive communication were at no greater risk of exposure than children without disabilities. Children with disabilities are at greater risk of exposure to all forms of violent parental discipline than children without disabilities in middle- and low-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As noted in the preamble to the 2007 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 'persons with disabilities continue to face barriers in their participation as equal members of society and violations of their human rights in all parts of the world'. In this paper we present nationally representative data on the nature and level of disadvantage faced by young Australians with a long-term health condition, impairment or disability in 2001 and 2006. The results suggest that: (1) when compared with their non-disabled peers, young Australians with a long-term health condition, impairment or disability face pervasive social and material hardship and have lower subjective well-being; (2) no progress was made between 2001 and 2006 in equalising the opportunities of young Australians with a long-term health condition, impairment or disability; (3) lower subjective well-being is not inherently associated with disability, but is contingent on the experience of social exclusion and material hardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]