The Need for New Models for Delivery of Therapy Intervention to People with a Disability in Rural and Remote Areas of Australia

Therapy service delivery models to non-Indigenous and Indigenous people living in outer regional, remote, and very remote areas of Australia have typically involved irregular outreach from larger regional towns and capital cities. New South Wales (NSW) is the most populous Australian state with 7.23 million people of whom 4.58 million live in the capital city, Sydney. With the state of NSW covering 801,600 square kilometres, the experience of NSW residents with a disability provides a useful overview of the challenges involved in accessing therapy services in rural and remote areas of Australia. NSW government policy advocates for early intervention and person-centred therapy services (New South Wales Government, 2002, 2006, 2007). While in keeping with best-practice principles, these policy goals must be translated on the ground in rural and remote areas. Innovation is required, and collaboration between rural and remote therapists, people with a disability and their carers, and researchers could provide opportunities to develop, implement, and evaluate collaborative new service delivery models that meet local needs across the disability sector. (Contains 1 note.)