Providing services to customers with disabilities 008-01030000

Around 4.4 million people in Australia (or 1 in 6 people) have a disability. Another 5.5 million people have a long-term health condition, but no disability.

Staff should be aware of the disabilities and medical conditions that customers could have. This will help to ensure our services are accessible, simple, helpful and respectful.

Customers seeking help from Services Australia (the agency) may have one or more of the following conditions:

• musculo-skeletal conditions
• mental health conditions
• neurological conditions
• intellectual disability
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/ acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
• acquired brain injury
• vision loss
• deaf, hearing loss or, speech disability
• childhood disability
• common medical conditions for aged customers
• developmental disorders

Customers who have similar conditions may have differing:

• functional abilities
• limitations, and
• methods of coping

This requires staff to adjust and tailor the delivery of services and assistance. It also requires staff to understand that customers may react or behave in different ways depending on their condition. This helps staff understand that some customers may require more personalised and tailored help.

Customers with disability or medical conditions can face barriers when seeking help and when accessing services.

Many customers with disability or medical conditions require little or no support. Others, may require more significant help and support. If a customer discloses that they need more support because of their medical condition or disability, support should be provided.

Examples of support include:

• A nominee acting on the customers behalf
• Advocacy or support services helping the customer. This includes when contacting the agency
• Use of an Auslan interpreter
• Use of an assistance animal (being a dog or other animal). Assistance animals are specially trained to alleviate the effects of a person’s disability, are recognised under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and must be given full access to public facilities. The regulatory schemes governing assistance animals is the responsibility of the state and territory governments
• A person with Autism may feel best supported to interact in a quiet space

Knowing about these supports helps our staff to provide better and more accessible services. This also helps to avoid any misunderstandings, or concerns about access to our services.

Understanding how conditions may affect customers helps staff to:

• provide assistance, and
• respond appropriately to any issues that may arise

Staff should be aware of the customer’s:

• disability
• medical conditions, and
• suitable services and assistance that may be offered

The DDA says that disability discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably, or not given the same opportunities as others in a similar situation, because of their disability.

The DDA protects people with disability who may be discriminated against because they are accompanied by:

• an assistant, interpreter or reader
• a trained animal such as a guide, hearing or assistance dog; or
• because they use equipment or an aid, such as a wheelchair or a hearing aid

The DDA makes it against the law to discriminate against a person because of their disability either:

• by refusing to provide them with goods or services or make facilities available; or
• because of the terms or conditions on which, or the manner in which, the goods, services or facilities are provided

A proactive MSP may be set up for customers experiencing vulnerability or barriers that need extra support to access Services Australia services.

Discussions about MSPs and servicing strategies with a customer should be supportive and positive. Customer input and engagement is more likely to lead to an effective MSP.

If a proactive MSP is appropriate or for more information, see Customer aggression - Managed Service Plan (MSP) .

There is a range of support services and payments for customers with disability or medical conditions and for their carers, including:

Payments

• Disability Support Pension
• Mobility Allowance
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP) and Youth Allowance (YA) (Incapacitated)
• Carer Payment
• Carer Allowance

Support Services

• Accessible letters for customers with vision loss
• Social work services
• Community Engagement Officers
• People with disability Services Australia website
• Australian Government’s JobAccess website
• National Relay ServiceDisability Gateway
• National Disability Insurance Scheme
• Australian Disability Enterprises
• Disability Employment Services
• Supported Wage System
• Continence Aids Payment Scheme