People with a disability in Victoria

A disability can be any physical, sensory, intellectual, cognitive or psychiatric impairment that affects a person’s ability to undertake everyday activities.

A disability can occur at any time in life. People can be born with a disability or acquire a disability suddenly through an accident.

Some forms of disability are episodic, others are temporary. Some disabilities may be obvious while others are hidden.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 provides a comprehensive definition of disability.

The Disability Act 2006 (Victoria) reaffirms and strengthens the rights of people with a disability. The act provides a framework for the provision of high-quality services and supports for people with a disability. For more information, see the Disability Act 2006 on our Services website.

People with a disability currently experience more disadvantage than other Victorians.

Research has found:

• In Victoria, 26 per cent of people with a disability do not study beyond year 10, compared to 18 per cent of people without a disability
• People with a disability are almost five times more likely to live in state-supported rental accommodation, than people without a disability
• The average weekly income of Victorians with a disability is 48 per cent less than the population without a disability
• In 2009, the labour force participation rate for Victorians with a disability of working age was 52 percent, compared to 83 per cent for Victorians without a disability
• People with a severe or profound disability experience even greater disadvantage, with a labour force participation rate of only 32 per cent.

In 2009, there were 5.44 million Victorians, and of these, one million were people with a disability (18.4 per cent). This figure includes:

• People with different types and levels of impairment
• Children
• Young people
• Older people
• Women
• Men
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• People living in rural or regional area
• People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Approximately one-third of people with a disability or 6 per cent of the total Victorian population (338,200 people) have a profound or severe disability (source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011).

The Victorian Disability Advisory Council was established in July 2007 under the Disability Act 2006.

Find out more about the Victorian Disability Advisory Council.