The Gallery subscribes to the social model of disability that distinctively signals the difference between a person’s individual condition or impairment, and the barriers they experience which are created by the environment and society around them. Rather than focusing on the individual and medical diagnosis the social model focuses on the ‘barriers’ that create disadvantage by limiting opportunity, participation, autonomy and self-expression.
Disability can be both permanent or temporary and invisible or visible. We include mental health within our definition of disability, as well as members of the d/Deaf community (who may not choose to identify as people with disability, but instead as part of a cultural and linguistic minority, with their first language being Auslan). We recognise that not everyone who faces these barriers chooses to identify as a person with disability and we understand that identity and disclosure in the context of disability is complex and very personal. We also understand the principles of universal design, that one size does not fit all and the complexities of intersectionality within disability.
Key statistics
Disability is a broad diversity group and is very commonly experienced across our community – with people either directly identifying themselves, being a carer for someone else or having a family member or close friend with disability. The statistics shared below demonstrate how widespread disability is with the role of care partner likewise prevalent across every geographic, demographic and socio-economic level of the community.
1 in 5 Australians are people with disability (17.7% or 4.4 million people). 19.4% of people in the ACT identify as people with disability.
More than 1 million people with disability are from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Just under half (45.1%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over experience disability.
People with disability are twice as likely to be in the bottom 20% of gross household incomes. (ABS 4430.0)
45% of those with disability in Australia are living either near or below the poverty line, more than double the OECD average of 22%. (Price Waterhouse Coopers, 2011. ‘Disability expectations – Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia.’)
45% of the population will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives. (ABS 4326.0 – National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 2007)
15% of Australians (3.4 million) have a physical condition.
Vision Australia estimates there are currently 357,000 people in Australia who are blind or partially sighted.
About 3.6 million Australians are impacted by some level of hearing loss.
Participation in cultural life
An Australia-wide survey in 2019 found that people with disability were more likely than people without disability to recognise the positive impacts of arts and creativity across all areas; to agree that the arts allow them to connect with others; to believe that the arts should receive public funding; and that artists make an important contribution to society.
People with disability were more likely than people without disability to give time or money to the arts; to be motivated to attend the arts; to improve their wellbeing and to express themselves; to creatively participate in the arts; and to engage with the arts online.
