Resources

This research report is about the disability rights movement and the history of disability activism and advocacy in Australia. It highlights how hard people with disability, advocates and activists have fought for the same rights as others, and to gain the protections offered by equality, inclusion and justice. It also reminds us of how important the outcomes of the Royal Commission will be for hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability.

This overview summarises the responses to the Promoting inclusion Issues paper that was released in December 2020.  It outlines what should be done to promote a more inclusive society that supports the independence of people with disability and their right to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Respondents proposed a raft of changes for the Royal Commission to consider including The lack of focus on prevention of abuse and neglect of people with disability and the need to identify the factors that potentially place individuals at higher risk of abuse. The importance of creating a service culture amongst disability service providers and support workers that respects human rights and does not tolerate violence or other abuses was also highlighted.

The report examines existing research to gain a better understanding of both risk and protective factors relating to why some members of society cause harm to people with disability. A rapid review process was used to identify 168 papers in the peer-reviewed literature. The researchers found that the majority of studies focused on the risks for people with disability while only few looked at the risk factors which enable perpetrators, or systemic issues that enable violence.