In our Disability Needs Assessment we reviewed Canberra Health Services data and local and national reports.

In consultation with the ACT DIsability Reference Group we identified the following themes about the experience of people with disability in health care:

  • Diagnostic overshadowing
  • Knowledge, assumption and negative attitudes of team members
  • Intersectional issues
  • Medical versus Social Model of disability
  • Specialist support
  • Long wait times
  • Integration of Disability and Health Services
  • Inaccessible infrastructure
  • communication
    • Lack of information sharing between services
    • Accessibility of communication for people with disability


We have used the themes and information gathered from the review to inform the actions in the draft Canberra Health Services Disability Access and Inclusion Plan.