What is disability?

Disability is an interaction between:

• permanent or long-term impairment (i.e. vision loss, dementia, amputation)
• activity limitation (i.e. difficulty communicating, with self-care, making decisions)
• participation restriction (i.e. inclusion in work, community and family life).

Participation is also affected by factors in our social and physical environments such as attitudes, processes, equipment and building inclusion for people with disability.

How many people have disability?

Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) Queenslanders live with disability and rates are 1.8 times higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In the Metro South region:

• more than 180,000 residents have disability
• 1 in 20 residents (4.8%) experience severe or profound disability and need support for everyday activities.

Types of disability

Sensory disability
Affects senses such as vision or hearing.
Examples: Deaf or hard of hearing; blind or vision-impaired.

Physical disability
Affects strength, dexterity, movement or physical function.
Examples: Person uses a wheelchair; rheumatoid arthritis.

Intellectual or cognitive disability
Affects thinking, memory, or ability to make decisions.
Examples: Down Syndrome; dementia; Autism.

Psychosocial disability
Persistent mental health issues which affect function.
Examples: Schizophrenia; Bipolar Disorder.

Neurological disability
Conditions which affect the brain, spine or nerves.
Examples: Stroke; brain or spinal injury; Multiple Sclerosis.

Medical/Diverse disability
Medical conditions can have diverse impacts on function.
Examples: Chronic fatigue; chronic pain.

Multiple disability
People may experience multiple disabilities.

Coming to hospital

Please tell us if you or your family member have any disability needs – this helps us provide better care. This could include:

• having a carer or support person with you
• if you need an interpreter
• if you need disability equipment (such as hoists)
• if a phone or telehealth appointment is possible
• asking if your carer can stay overnight
• if you can bring your own food
• if you have severe difficulty waiting (fear/distress/discomfort)
• if you need help for meals, showering or self-care.

Please share any care documents which tell us about your care needs – this could include your copy of the Julian's Key Health Passport or a Positive Behaviour Support Plan.

It can also be really useful to tell us if you are an NDIS participant. Feel free to remind our staff to update your medical records. This helps us to coordinate your discharge with NDIS services.

We welcome your feedback

We welcome feedback about our services from people with disability, carers and support workers. Your feedback helps us improve our care. Find out how to provide feedback.

Free advocacy services help people with disability to make decisions and resolve issues with services – including health services.

Disability Royal Commission

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability runs until 2023.

• If you need support because of issues raised by the Royal Commission, please access support services.
• If you want to access your Metro South Health medical records for a submission to the Royal Commission, you can find information on how to access your records here.

Staff factsheets

These fact sheets assist Metro South Health staff to work with people with disability, and highlight possible reasonable adjustments that might be required.

• Accessible Meetings (PDF, 4.35 MB)
• Asking about disability (PDF, 1.6 MB)
• Working with people who are blind or have low vision (PDF, 7.29 MB)
• Working with people who are Deaf or hard of hearing (PDF, 5.12 MB)
• Working with people with intellectual disability (PDF, 4.5 MB)

Addiction and Mental Health Services

Metro South Health is a leading provider of inpatient, hospital-based and community mental health services. We also provide community alcohol and drug services. As well as working with people with mental health issues and psychosocial disability we have key projects in the areas of:

• Deafness and Mental Health Service
• Dual Disability Coordinator: helps improve care for people with both intellectual disability and mental health issues.

Rehabilitation services

Metro South Health is a leading Queensland provider of specialist rehabilitation services. The Division of Rehabilitation (DoR) focusses on services for people with acquired brain injury (ABI), amputation, persistent pain, spinal cord injury (SCI) and other disability:

• Brain Injury Rehabilitation
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Persistent Pain Management

Health Equity and Access Unit

The Health Equity and Access Unit helps to improve Metro South Health services for people with disability. Our team works to:

• build inclusive policy
• provide information and skills development to people with disability
• deliver health improvement projects
• partner with Metro South services to improve care for people with disability.

Nurse Navigator Services

Nurse Navigators help people with complex care needs to get the health services they need and to improve their care. At Metro South we have dedicated Disability Nurse Navigators to assist people with disability. We also have other Nurse Navigators who work in specialist medical areas. If you need extra help coordinating and navigating health services – ask your GP or your Metro South Health team about Nurse Navigators.

Julian's Key Health Passport

Julian's Key helps people with disability and carers to document their care and support needs. People can then choose to give this to their health workers so they can provide better care. Julian's Key is available as a smart phone or tablet app in the Apple and Google App stores or a PDF can be downloaded here.

Healthy eating in supported accommodation toolkit

The Healthy eating in supported accommodation toolkit (PDF, 6.13 MB) contains practical information about providing nutritious food for supported accommodation residents, adjusting meals for residents with special needs, and how the surroundings of facilities can help residents to make healthier choices. This toolkit can also be used by clinicians working with people living with a mental illness and/or intellectual disability.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

Metro South Health works closely with the NDIS to make sure that our consumers can go home safely and get the community supports they need. The NDIS enables people with disability to access the supports, equipment and home/vehicle modifications they need. Learn more about the NDIS on their website and Metro South Health's NDIS work here.

Disability training and awareness

The Health Equity and Access Unit provides training to Metro South Health staff and volunteers. All Metro South Health staff now receive disability content as part of their orientation training when they start work with us.