The full set of data from the 2009 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) has now been made available by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The results of the Survey, undertaken between April and December 2009, provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date disability and carer data available for the Australian population. The survey also includes information on the population group of people who are aged 60 and over.

The SDAC defines 'disability' to include 'any limitation, restriction or impairment which restricts everyday activities and has lasted or is likely to last for at least six months'. This definition includes a range of conditions that result in mild to profound limitations. Therefore, the definition of disability used includes people who do not require informal assistance or disability services. The data can be analysed by varying levels of disability.

Results from the survey have been progressively released since December 2010. Much of the data can be downloaded from the ABS website.  NDS has purchased access to the full set of unpublished data on DVD.  Further commentary on the data is expected to be periodically released over time. A summary of some of the key findings is provided below.

Prior to the release of the 2009 data, we have had to rely on population data collected in 2003. The six-year gap between collections makes tracking the effectiveness of disability initiatives almost impossible. NDS continues to call on the Australian Government to undertake more frequent collections of disability data to enable meaningful measurement and tracking of performance under the National Disability Agreement. Options include: undertaking the SDAC every three years and including disability-specific questions in other ABS surveys.

The 2009 SDAC has some data improvements in comparison to the 2003 SDAC. The sample size used is significantly bigger. Additional data items (about need for assistance, use of computers and internet and so on) are included and data definitions have been refined to better align with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. The definitional changes makes it difficult to compare some findings with those from the previous disability surveys conducted in 1981, 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2003.

Key Findings

Prevalence of Disability

• 18.5% of Australians reported having a disability in 2009. While the prevalence of disability dropped by 1.5% from 2003, the estimated number of people with disability increased from 3.95 million to 4.03 million.
• The estimated rate of people with profound or severe limitation in core activities (i.e. a limitation in self-care, mobility and communication) also declined slightly from 6.3% in 2003 to 5.8% in 2009.

Need

• People with profound core activity limitation needed the most assistance with mobility (88) compared to self-care (66%) or communication (29%).
• People with moderate and mild core activity limitation needed the most assistance with property maintenance and household chores.

Assistance

• People with disability receiving assistance obtained this help from informal sources (87%) and formal sources (59%). Help could be obtained from multiple sources.

Unmet need

Of the people reporting requiring assistance with everyday living:

• 39% needed assistance with mobility but 9% did not get the help required;
• 25% needed assistance with self-care but 15% did not get the help required;
• 46% needed assistance with health care but 11% did not get the help required.

Employment

• 54% of people with disability aged between 15-64 and 'living in households' were in the labour force compared with 83% of people without disability.  NDS will looking further into employment intentions of people with disability from unpublished data.

Education

• 25% of people with a profound or severe core activity limitation aged between 15-64 and 'living in households' had completed Year 12 compared with 55% of people without a disability.
• Of those with a profound core activity limitation who had completed a non-school qualification, 57% had completed a certificate as their highest qualification compared to 40% of people without a disability,

Computer Access

• People with profound core activity were less likely than people with less severe disabilities to have a computer or access the internet in the twelve months prior to survey.

Transport

• 40% of people with mild limitations in core activities used public transport compared to 20% of those with profound limitations.

32% of people aged five years and more with reported disabilities had difficulty using public transport.