A systematic literature review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement with disability services

Abstract

This systematic review aims to identify the factors that facilitate or impede the engagement of Aboriginal people living with a disability with disability services through review of the current academic and industry literature. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are twice as likely to experience disability as non-Indigenous Australians, yet often have more difficulty accessing support. 17 documents were included in the final review. The review revealed the super-ordinate theme of culture and Indigeneity which pervades the three additional themes of accessibility, engagement and lack of support. All four themes can be viewed as barriers or facilitators of engagement for Aboriginal people. Quality assessment highlighted the need for research exploring the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disability and for more culturally appropriate and scientifically rigorous research. The findings provide guidance for policy makers and service providers in relation to supporting Aboriginal people living with disability.

Points of interest

• Aboriginal people living with a disability experience numerous barriers to positively engaging with disability services.

• The current literature that examines the lived experience of Aboriginal people living with a disability is limited in scope and quality.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access and engagement with disability services may best be facilitated through the consideration of Aboriginal cultural beliefs, individual cultural needs, and Aboriginal perspectives of health.

• There is a need for disability services to become more culturally aware and more inclusive of Aboriginal cultural understandings to better inform inclusive policy and practice.

• The study recommends more collaborative research into the lived experience of Aboriginal people living with a disability, particularly relating to the way that inclusion can improve wellbeing and engagement with support services.

Keywords:

• Indigenous
• NDIS
• service engagement
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr Paul Ireland and Mr Rod Carracher for their assistance and support in the development of this review paper. We would also like to thank Dr Scott Avery and the First Peoples Disability Network for peer-reviewing this manuscript. Thank you to Mr Michael Evans and Uncle John Baxter for their guidance and support throughout this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was co-funded by the Social Innovation Research Institute and Yooralla.