Equal to life: empowerment through drama and research in a drama group for people with disabilities

This article draws from findings of qualitative research of a community- based drama and theatre group for adults with intellectual disabilities. The article considers constraints experienced by people with disabilities and explores the ways that experiences in drama and theatre can be particularly empowering for them. The article also reveals the ways that participants can increasingly become collaborators in the research and are empowered through the research process and through the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Time trends in socio-economic inequalities for women and men with disabilities in Australia: evidence of persisting inequalities

Introduction The socio-economic circumstances and health of people with disabilities has been relatively ignored in public health research, policy and practice in Australia and internationally. This is despite emerging evidence that the socio-economic circumstances that people with disabilities live in contributes to their poorer health. Compared to other developed countries, Australians with disabilities are more likely to live in disadvantaged circumstances, despite being an economically prosperous country; it is therefore likely that the socio-economic disadvantage experienced by Australians with disabilities makes a significant contribution to their health. Despite the importance of this issue Australia does not routinely monitor the socio-economic inequalities for people with disabilities. This paper addresses this gap by describing time trends in socio-economic conditions for Australians with and without disabilities according to the severity of the disability and sex. Methods Cross-sectional analyses of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers were carried out at three time points (1998, 2003 and 2009) to estimate the proportions of women and men (aged between 25 and 64 years) who were living on low incomes, had not completed year 12, were not in paid work, living in private rental and experiencing multiple disadvantage (three or more of the indicators). Results People with disabilities are less likely to have completed year 12, be in paid work and are more likely to be living on low incomes and experiencing multiple disadvantage. These conditions worsened with increasing severity of disability and increased or persisted over time, with most of the increase between 1998 and 2003. While women with milder disabilities tended to fare worse than men, the proportions were similar for those with moderate and severe/profound disabilities. Conclusion People with disabilities experience high levels of socio-economic disadvantage which has increased or persisted over time and these are likely to translate into poorer health outcomes. A large proportion experience multiple forms of disadvantage, reinforcing the need to tackle disadvantage in a coordinated way across sectors. People with disabilities should be a priority population group for public health. Monitoring socio-economic conditions of people with disabilities is critical for informing policy and assessing the impact of disability reforms.

Getting it right: participatory information research with people with disabilities

Over the past two decades there has been a growing understanding of consumer requirements and advances in the design and development of accessible technology. However, research over the past decade confirms that significant barriers still exist for people with disabilities. These individuals constitute a diverse group of consumers who experience physical, cognitive, literacy, financial and attitudinal barriers to the use of technology or information. They regard themselves as experts on their access issues yet have been provided with few opportunities to participate in technology research that seeks to explore issues and provide consumer-focused solutions.

In this paper, the benefits of collaborative research and the use of participatory methods in a funded research project on accessible telecommunications information are described. The target consumer group for the project was people with significant communication difficulties, a group who are particularly disadvantaged due to speech, literacy and physical access issues with technology and information. The strategies used to facilitate participation are discussed and criteria from Zarb (1992) and Barnes (2003) are used to evaluate the participatory aspect of the project.

Double disability : lived experience of Australian tertiary students with ME/CFS

This research is the exploration of the lived experience of tertiary students in Australia with the medical condition usually known as ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) seeking to explore issues of equity and human rights from the perspective of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Students feel that their difficulties are not caused just by the illness itself but by the failure of the tertiary institutions to understand the effects of this illness on them, the student, especially within the areas of accommodations and assessments. Their lived experiences are studied to ascertain if their experiences differ from those of other tertiary students. Forty participants came from every state and territory of Australia and twenty -four of Australia's universities as well as eight Technical and Further Education/Open Training Education Network (TAFE/OTEN) colleges are represented. The selection of the chosen methodology, Critical Ethnography from a Habermasian perspective, has been circumscribed by the medical condition which placed limitations on methodology and also data gathering methods. Non-structured stories, in which the participants wrote of their lived experience as students, were considered the most appropriate source of data. These were transmitted by electronic mail (with some by postal mail) to the researcher. A short questionnaire provided a participant background to the stories and was also collated for a composite overview of the participants. The stories are analysed in a number of ways: six selected stories are retold and the issues arising from these stories have been weighed against the remainder of the stories. Four intertwined themes were constructed from the issues raised in each story. Apparent infringements of the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) which impact on quality of life, human rights and equity are found. No accommodations are being made by the academic institutions for the cognitive dysfunctions and learning difficulties. Students are stigmatised and lack credibility to negotiate appropriate academic accommodations. A possible means of improving the ability of students to negotiate appropriate accommodations is explored. Finally the researcher reflects on her own involvement in the research as an 'insider' researcher.

Being 'fat' in today's world : a qualitative study of the lived experiences of people with obesity in Australia

Objective  To develop an in-depth picture of both lived experience of obesity and the impact of socio-cultural factors on people living with obesity.

Design  Qualitative methodology, utilizing in-depth semi-structured interviews with a community sample of obese adults (body mass index ≥30). Community sampling methods were supplemented with purposive sampling techniques to ensure a diverse range of individuals were included.

Results  Seventy-six individuals (aged 16–72) were interviewed. Most had struggled with their weight for most of their lives (n = 45). Almost all had experienced stigma and discrimination in childhood (n = 36), as adolescents (n = 41) or as adults (n = 72). About half stated that they had been humiliated by health professionals because of their weight. Participants felt an individual responsibility to lose weight, and many tried extreme forms of dieting to do so. Participants described an increasing culture of ‘blame’ against people living with obesity perpetuated by media and public health messages. Eighty percent said that they hated or disliked the word obesity and would rather be called fat or overweight.

Discussion and Conclusion  There are four key conclusions: (i) the experiences of obesity are diverse, but there are common themes, (ii) people living with obesity have heard the messages but find it difficult to act upon them, (iii) interventions should be tailored to address both individual and community needs and (iv) we need to rethink how to approach obesity interventions to ensure that avoid recapitulating damaging social stereotypes and exacerbating social inequalities.

People with disabilities, their rights and sense of citizenship in post-war Iraq

A one day videoconference comprising live interviews

Retirement or just a change of pace: an Australian national survey of disability day services used by older people with disabilities

The increasing number of people with disabilities surviving to old age raises questions regarding the type of day support programs necessary to meet their needs. In this paper the results of a national survey of specialist disability day programs used by older2 people with a lifelong disability are discussed. A postal survey of 596 day programs for people with disabilities was conducted, with a response rate of 28%. Findings show that only 19% of service users were aged over 55, and the largest subgroup were people with intellectual disability. Many older people attended programs that were not age specific and a typology of the seven program types utilised was constructed. Individualised planning, flexibility and choice were perceived as fundamental to a successful program. The location of activities in the community, maintenance of social relationships, and opportunities to develop new contacts were also seen as important. Little understanding, however, of the diversity of the ageing process or notions of healthy ageing was demonstrated by service providers, many of whom had limited expectations of older people. Challenges identified in providing day support for older people were lack of financial resources, knowledge and expertise amongst staff, and difficulties interfacing with other service systems.

Perceived fairness of pay among people with and without disabilities: a propensity score matched analysis of working Australians

OBJECTIVES: Equity and fairness at work are associated with a range of organizational and health outcomes. Past research suggests that workers with disabilities experience inequity in the workplace. It is difficult to conclude whether the presence of disability is the reason for perceived unfair treatment due to the possible confounding of effect estimates by other demographic or socioeconomic factors. METHODS: The data source was the Household, Income, and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey (2001-2012). Propensity for disability was calculated from logistic models including gender, age, education, country of birth, and father's occupational skill level as predictors. We then used nearest neighbor (on propensity score) matched analysis to match workers with disabilities to workers without disability. RESULTS: Results suggest that disability is independently associated with lower fairness of pay after controlling for confounding factors in the propensity score matched analysis; although results do suggest less than half a standard deviation difference, indicating small effects. Similar results were apparent in standard multivariable regression models and alternative propensity score analyses (stratification, covariate adjustment using the propensity score, and inverse probability of treatment weighting). CONCLUSIONS: Whilst neither multivariable regression nor propensity scores adjust for unmeasured confounding, and there remains the potential for other biases, similar results for the two methodological approaches to confounder adjustment provide some confidence of an independent association of disability with perceived unfairness of pay. Based on this, we suggest that the disparity in the perceived fairness of pay between people with and without disabilities may be explained by worse treatment of people with disabilities in the workplace.

Measuring the social inclusion of people with a disability in Australia : the first national 1-in-4 poll

 Measuring social inclusion of people with a disability in Australia: the first national 1-in-4 poll. Moore, M; Hagiliassis, N; McGillivray, J; Wilson, E; Campain, R; Graffam, J. & Bink, M. The ‘1-in-4 poll’ is a regular survey of people with a disability in Australia, beginning in 2010. Each survey will deal with a different topic with the first survey focusing on social inclusion. Social inclusion means being included in a society where we feel valued, and can participate in work, social and cultural activities. This conference paper explains how the first survey was developed. This involved looking at information from other research about the social inclusion of people with disability in Australia compared with the general population. Most surveys to date lack information about people with a disability. Our survey draws on questions asked in other surveys and will enable a better understanding of social inclusion for people with disability in Australia. This conference paper will also report on the problems and solutions of developing a survey that is easy to use and meaningful to a large population of people with a disability including people with an intellectual disability. This survey instrument will enable people with a disability to have a say about their social inclusion. There are three versions of the survey including an on-line version that works with a range of assistive technologies, an Easy English version with pictures, and a standard print version. Results from the survey will be shared with government with the aim of improving social inclusion for people with disability The conference paper shows how we have designed a survey that enables a very wide range of people with a disability to give information about their participation in society.

Community based rehabilitation for people with disability in Iraq

This thesis explores the role of government and non-government organisations and international agencies in community based rehabilitation in Iraq. It examines the possibility of initiating and running community-based rehabilitation programmes for people with disability by NGOs regardless of Iraqi government commitment or participation. The research results show that implementation of CBR in Iraq is vital but not widely- spread. Non-government organisations seem more active, committed and capable in the time being to initiate, run and manage CBR programmes compared to the government of Iraq. Despite the high numbers of people with disabilities and lack of capacity to respond to their needs, there is little evidence that the Iraqi government has made efforts in adopting CBR as a cost-effective response.

Accessible information for people with complex communication needs

Information can be empowering if it is accessible. While a number of known information access barriers have been reported for the broader group of people with disabilities, specific information issues for people with complex communication needs have not been previously reported. In this consumer-focused study, the accessibility of information design and dissemination practices were discussed by 17 people with complex communication needs; by eight parents, advocates, therapists, and agency representatives in focus groups; and by seven individuals in individual interviews. Participants explored issues and made recommendations for content, including language, visual and audio supports; print accessibility; physical access; and human support for information access. Consumer-generated accessibility guidelines were an outcome of this study.