SP Week Booklet 2023_WEB

Communication disability in Australia*

Communication disability affects a person’s ability to understand and be understood by others. Levels of limitation range from mild to profound and can be temporary or last a lifetime. Communication disabilities can range from mild to severe and can impact on the way a person participates in family life, education, the workforce, and the wider community. There are an estimated 1.2 million Australians with communication disability. People with communication disability are less likely to have qualifications additional to school (42%) than people without communication disability (61%). Thirty-eight per cent (38%) of people with communication disability are participating in the labour force compared with eighty per cent (80%) of people without communication disability.

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/disability

*Australian Bureau of Statistics (www.abs.gov.au)