A report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that nearly 70,000 people with a disability were assisted by services provided under the Commonwealth/State Disability Agreement (CSDA) in 1995-96. (Figures for the ACT are unavailable and have not been included.) Of the people who received support:
- 58% reported intellectual disability as the primary disability type;
- 44% reported more than one significant disability type; and
- 58% were male, and 55% were aged between 15 and 39 years.
Services provided under the CSDA are designed for people who need ongoing support in everyday life activity areas.
- Over 86% of recipients needed support in the areas of self-care, mobility or communication.
- Between 30% and 40% of recipients reported a need for continual support in seven out of ten activity areas. These were self-care, managing emotion, home living, learning, self direction, social skills, and 'other' day activities.
These services were provided by more than 5,000 agencies, of which:
- 67% were non-government agencies, and 33% government;
- 45% were for accommodation support, covering 19,000 recipients living in institutional settings and community settings, such as group homes and family homes;
- 20% were for community support, which includes speech, occupational and physio- therapies, early childhood intervention, counselling and recreation programs;
- 15% were for employment support, covering open labour market services, as well as sheltered and supported employment services;
- 11% were for community access (both social and educational activities), and 8% were for respite care.
The data collection was the second national data collection on services funded by the CSDA, and is published under the title Disability Support Services Provided under the Commonwealth/State Disability Agreement: Available Data 1996.
