People with Disabilities
Last updated May 15, 2023
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2020) have found that people with disabilities face higher rates of emotional abuse, sexual violence, physical violence, and intimate partner violence.
People with disabilities who are impacted by DFV may face multiple barriers to disclosure, including:
- Shame
- Belief that they deserve to be abused
- Belief that they are being abused because they are disabled
- Not knowing that they have any rights or that there are laws to protect them
- Not realising that the treatment they receive is abusive
- Prior negative experiences with authorities
- Staying where they are and enduring the abuse may seem like a better option than poverty, homelessness, or institutionalisation
- Belief that the authorities don’t take domestic violence as seriously as other kinds of violence
- Isolation
- Lack of access to information
- Fear of negative outcomes.
Adapted from Family violence and victim/survivors with disability (Better Health Channel, 2021).
Supporting Disclosure
There are several ways practitioners and practices can support people with disabilities to disclose DFV. Some of these include:
- Providing information to patients that is easy to understand
- Utilising resources that support understanding of DFV
- Providing patients with opportunities to communicate with a practitioner in their preferred method, whether this be alone, with a support person, using a translator, or through writing
- Letting patients know they can raise concerns about DFV with you
Clinical Indicators
Where people with disabilities are impacted by DFV, they are likely to display some of the clinical indicators present in other adult victim/survivors of DFV. Older people may also display other clinical indicators including:
General Behaviour
- Being afraid of one or many person/s
- Irritable or easily upset
- Worried or anxious for no obvious reason
- Depressed, apathetic or withdrawn
- Change in sleep patterns and/or eating habits
- Rigid posture and avoiding contact
- Avoiding eye contact or eyes darting continuously
- Contradictory statements not from mental confusion
Physical Abuse
- A history of physical abuse, accidents, or injuries
- Injuries such as skin trauma, including bruising, skin tears, burns, welts, bed sores, ulcers or unexplained fractures and sprains
- Signs of restraint (e.g. at the wrists or waist)
- Unexplained behaviour changes suggesting under-medication or over-medication
- Unusual patterns of injury
Sexual Abuse
- Bruising around the breasts or genital area
- Unexplained genital or urinary tract infections
- Damaged or bloody underclothing
- Unexplained vaginal or rectal bleeding
- Bruising on the inner thighs
- Difficulty in walking or sitting
Emotional Abuse
- A history of psychological abuse
- Reluctance to talk, fear, anxiety, nervousness, apathy, resignation, withdrawal, avoidance of eye contact
- Rocking or huddling up
- Loss of interest in self or environment
- Insomnia/sleep deprivation
- Unusual behaviour or confusion not associated with illness
Economic Abuse
- History of fraudulent behaviour or stealing perpetrated on the patient
- Lack of money to purchase medication or food
- Lack of money to purchase personal items
- Defaulting on payment of rent or residential aged care facility fees
- Stripping of assets from the family home or use of assets for free
Neglect
- A history of neglect
- Poor hygiene, bad odour, urine rash
- Malnourishment, weight loss, dehydration (dark urine, dry tongue, lax skin)
- Bed sores (sacrum, hips, heels, elbows)
- Being over-sedated or under-sedated
- Inappropriate or soiled clothing, overgrown nails, decaying teeth
Broken or missing aids such as spectacles, dentures, hearing aids or walking frame
Taken from the RACGP White Book (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 2021)
Contacts
National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline
The National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline is a free, independent, and confidential service for reporting mistreatment of people with disability.
- Hotline? Ph: 1800 880 052
- TTY - Ph: 1800 301 130
- National Relay Service (NRS) - Ph: 1800 555 677
- hotline@workfocus.com
- Building Access Project
The Building Access Project is an innovative movement enabling Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) services to better meet the needs of women and children with disability. It can provide advice and resources on including accessibility for people with disabilities who are impacted by DFV.
1800 Respect Disability Support Toolkit
The Disability Support Toolkit has resources for frontline workers supporting people with disability who have been impacted by DFV. These includes "Easy English" Booklets and Videos for people with disability contacting 1800 Respect.
Additionally, there is information on the "Sunny" App which is designed to support people with disabilities experiencing DFV.
Sunny App
Sunny is 1800RESPECT’s app for women with disability who have experienced violence and abuse. Sunny has been co-designed with women with disability to make sure it provides the very best support for the people who use it.
References
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). People with disability in Australia.
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. (2021). Abuse and violence: Working with our patients in general practice.
- Better Health Channel (2021). Family violence and victim/survivors with disability.