People with disability in Australia

Introduction

People with disability may have specific housing-related needs. These can include modifying their dwelling, moving to more suitable accommodation, or moving closer to other services.

Home modifications

Some people with disability may need modifications to buildings or fittings to help them move around or live with greater independence.

Of people living in private dwellings:

• 1 in 8 (12% or 511,000) with disability, and 1 in 4 (26% or 314,000) with severe or profound disability, have had modifications to their home because of their condition or age
• 1 in 5 (20% or 359,000) aged 65 and over with disability, and 2 in 5 (41% or 210,000) aged 65 and over with severe or profound disability, have done so
• those with disability aged under 25 (5.0% or 32,000) or 25–64 (7.0% or 124,000) are less likely to have done so than those aged 65 and over (20% or 359,000) (Table NEEDS.1).

Notes:
** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.

1. Data are for people with disability living in households.

Source: ABS 2019; see also Table NEED2, Data tables – Housing-related needs. View data tables

The percentage of people with disability living in private dwellings who have had modifications to their home varies by disability group: 

• People with head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury are more likely to have modifications made to their home than any other disability group. One in 7 (14%, or 24,000) of those aged under 65 with disability caused by head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury and 38% (42,000) of those aged 65 and over have modifications made to their home.
• The age-related increase in home modifications is smallest for people with sensory or speech disability, and those with sensory or speech disability aged 65 and over are also least likely (21%, or 178,000) to have had modifications to their home compared with people aged 65 and over of any other disability group (Table NEEDS.2).

Note: Data are for people with disability living in households.

Source: ABS 2019; see also Table NEED4, Data tables – Housing-related needs. View data tables

The most common types of home modifications are modifications to toilet, bath or laundry, installation of handrails or grab rails, and ramps. For those with disability whose home was modified:

• almost half of those aged under 65 (47% or 74,000) had the toilet, bath or laundry modified, and 47% (or 168,000) of those aged 65 and over
• almost half of those aged under 65 (46% or 72,000) had handrails or grab rails installed, compared with 3 in 4 (74% or 264,000) of those aged 65 and over
• 23% (or 36,000) of those aged under 65 had ramps installed, and 21% (or 74,000) of those aged 65 and over (Figure NEEDS.1).

Figure NEEDS.1: Types of home modifications, for people with disability whose home was modified, by disability severity and age group, 2018

Notes:
* Relative standard error of 25–50% and should be used with caution.

1. Data are for people with disability living in households whose dwelling has been modified because of their condition or age.
2. People may have more than one type of modification in their home. Percentages will not add up to 100%.
3. ‘Technological changes’ include remote controls, new or changed heating or air-conditioning, installed home automation / smart home or environmental control systems, and telemonitoring systems.
4. ‘Other’ modifications include kitchen modifications, doors widened and other changes to dwelling.

Source data tables: Data tables – Housing-related needs. View data tables

In summary, whether a person with disability has their home modified, as well as types of modifications, varies by age and level of disability. For example:

• older people (aged 65 and over) with disability, and those with severe or profound disability, are the most likely to have their home modified (Table NEEDS.1)
• while handrails and grab rails are a common adjustment for all age groups, this modification is more common among older people (Figure NEEDS.1)
• some modifications (such as structural changes) are more often made for younger people (aged under 65) than for older people (aged 65 and over) (Figure NEEDS.1).

Satisfaction with home and neighbourhood

In 2021, about 1 in 9 (11%) people aged 15–64 with disability were not satisfied with their home, compared with 1 in 20 (5.3%) of those without disability. The levels of satisfaction with their home were similar for males and females, across different disability groups and levels of remoteness, but varied with severity of disability. People aged 15–64 with severe or profound disability were more likely (18%) to be not satisfied with their home than those with other disability status (9.6%) (DSS and MIAESR 2022).

People with disability aged 25–44 were the least likely to be highly satisfied with their home (60%), compared with those aged 65 and over (83%), and those aged 15–24 (75%) (DSS and MIAESR 2022). This pattern was similar to what was observed for people without disability.

People with disability aged 15–64 were more than twice as likely (13%) to be not satisfied with their neighbourhood as those without disability (5.9%). Among people with disability, there were no big differences in neighbourhood satisfaction for males and females, across disability groups or for people with severe or profound disability, nor by remoteness of the areas people with disability lived in. Those aged 65 and over, however, tended to be more satisfied with their neighbourhoods: 75% of people with disability in this age group were highly satisfied with their neighbourhood, compared with 59% of those aged 15–64 (DSS and MIAEST 2022).

Moving house

In 2021, 12% of people with disability said they had moved house in the previous year or since their last interview. Younger people with disability aged 15–24 or 25–34 were more likely (24% and 29%, respectively) to have moved house than those aged 55–64 (9.4%) or 65 and over (4.9%) (DSS and MIAESR 2022). This was similar for people without disability.

For people aged 15–64:

• 16% of those with disability had moved house in the previous year or since their last interview and 18% of those without disability
• those with disability living in Major cities were less likely (14%) to have moved than those in Inner regional areas (20%), or Outer regional, remote and very remote areas (19%)
• those with psychosocial disability (20%) were more likely to have moved than people with intellectual disability (12%)
• the reasons for moving were similar for people with and without disability, and included: family or lifestyle reasons (both 32% of people with disability who had moved), property no longer being available (17% of people with disability who had moved), to get a larger or better place (14%), and job or study (8.7%)
• just under a half (48%) of continuing respondents with disability who have moved house since their last interview moved less than 10km from their previous home, 1 in 3 (33%) moved between 10km and less than 100km, and 1 in 5 (19%) moved 100km or more (DSS and MIAESR 2022).

Need to move house

In 2018, about 1 in 12 people with disability (8.6% or 358,000) said they had to move house at least once in their lifetime because of their condition or age. People with severe or profound disability (15% or 187,000) were more than twice as likely as people with other disability (5.8% or 172,000) to have done so. Younger people (aged under 65) with disability (8.2% or 197,000) were about as likely as older people (aged 65 and over) with disability (9.3% or 164,000) to have done so (Figure NEEDS.2).

Of the people with disability who had ever had to move house, 23% (or 82,000) had moved more than once: 24% (or 45,000) of those with severe or profound disability, and 21% (or 37,000) of those with other disability status (ABS 2019). People with disability aged under 65 were more likely to move more than once (32% of those who had to move, or 64,000) compared with those aged 65 and over (11% or 18,000) (ABS 2019).

People aged under 65 with psychosocial disability (15% or 119,000) or with disability caused by head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury (20% or 34,000) are more likely to have moved house because of their condition or age than those with sensory or speech disability (8.7% or 49,000), intellectual disability (9.7% or 52,000) or physical restrictions (11% or 146,000) (ABS 2019).

Figure NEEDS.2: People with disability who had ever have to move house due to their condition or age, by disability severity and age group, 2018

Note: Data are for people with disability living in households. 

Source data tables: Data tables – Housing-related needs. View data tables

Needs in social housing

Proximity to services

Being able to access services, such as medical centres or public transport, is important for better health, social and economic outcomes. Compared with other social housing households, those that have at least one person with disability are less likely to have their needs for access to services and facilities met (Table NEEDS.3).

Source: AIHW 2022, Table S4.3.

Home amenities

Social housing households that have at least one person with disability are less likely than those without disability to say that their needs are met for a range of housing amenities, including:

• structural modifications for special needs (72% compared with 83%)
• fixtures for special needs (75% compared with 85%)
• energy efficiency (69% compared with 81%) and thermal comfort (66% compared with 77%)
• safety and security, whether in the home (75% compared with 83%) or in the neighbourhood (70% compared with 78%)
• ease of access and entry (90% compared with 96%) (AIHW 2022).