In general, people with disability report poorer general health and higher levels of psychological distress than people without disability, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
That’s just one good reason to support the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) this Friday, 3 December.
IDPwD is a United Nations-observed day aimed at increasing public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability.
According to the UN, more than one billion people, or about 15 per cent of the global population, live with some form of disability, with 80 per cent of those in developing countries.
The AIHW estimates that 1 in 6 people in Australia (17.7 per cent or 4.4 million people) had disability in 2018, including about 1.4 million people (5.7 per cent of the population) with severe or profound disability.
Significantly, 32 per cent of adults with disability experience a high or very high level of psychological distress compared to 8 per cent without disability.
Find out more about disability and mental health.
Find resources to help you mark IDPwD and maybe plan an event.