The definition of disability in Australia: moving towards national consistency

Full publication

• The definition of disability in Australia (266K PDF)

Publication table of contents

• Preliminary material (19K PDF)
  • Title page and verso
  • Contents
  • List of tables
  • List of figures
  • List of boxes
  • Acknowledgements
• Chapters
  1. Why are consistent definitions needed? (21K PDF)
     1. Introduction
     2. Why define and measure disability?
     3. Variation in administrative definitions
     4. The context - disability services in Australia
     5. The drive towards consistency and relatability in Australia
     6. Outline of the paper
  2. National developments (24K PDF)
     1. An important time
     2. National policy and administrative developments
     3. Revision of the International Classification of Imparments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH)
     4. ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers
     5. Australian Disability Data Reference and Advisory Group
     6. National community services information agreement, development plan and model
     7. Conclusion
  3. International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH) (42K PDF)
     1. Introduction
     2. 1980 ICIDH and directions for change
     3. Revision of the 1980 ICIDH
     4. Incorporating Australia's perspective
     5. Beta-1 draft of the ICIDH-2
     6. Development of qualifiers for the participation dimension: a key area of Australian input
     7. Where to from here?
  4. Current concepts, terminology and definitions in use in Australia (110K PDF)
     1. Introduction
     2. Broad, inclusive definitions
     3. Generic services
     4. Income support: social security and insurance
     5. Disability support services
     6. Quality of life and health status measures
     7. Conclusion
  5. Issues for discussion (37K PDF)
     1. Terminology and definition: the yin and yang of policy and data
     2. Key concepts and terminology
     3. Key concepts and data definitions: is the ICIDH a possible cornerstone for Australian data definitions?
     4. Core questions for disability data?
     5. How to move towards consistency in Australia
     6. What next?
• End matter
  • Abbreviations (12K PDF)
    • References
  • Appendixes (76K PDF)
    • Appendix 1: Disability Data Reference and Advisory Group
    • Appendix 2: National Community Services Information Model
    • Appendix 3: One- and two-digit codes of the draft ICIDH-2
    • Appendix 4: Australian proposals about participation qualifiers (December 1996) - excerpt and adaptation