A critical comparison of the similarities and differences in the conceptualisation of disability between Indigenous people in Australia and New South Wales disability service agencies

Abstract

This thesis critically compares the conceptualisation of disability in the public discourse between Indigenous people and New South Wales (NSW) government and non-government disability service agencies. This study explores intersections of the conceptualisations of disability at the Cultural Interface using the Occupational Justice Framework (Gilroy, 2009; Durocher, Gibson and Rappolt, 2014). This thesis consists of two sections. Section 1: Literature Review Section 2: Journal manuscript The first section of this thesis is the literature review. The literature review examines the low participation rate of indigenous people in disability services and the need for culturally appropriate disability services for Indigenous people. In order to ensure culturally appropriate services are provided for Indigenous people, the Western and Indigenous perspectives of disability need to be understood and each are discussed in turn in the literature review. The review initially discusses the Western conceptualisation of disability, followed by the Indigenous conceptualisation of disability. The review also explores how both Indigenous and Western perspectives on disability influence each other. The developments in disability conceptualisation throughout history are also discussed, followed by the current literature that led to the development of this study. The second section of this thesis is a journal manuscript. The journal manuscript explores the intersections and tensions between Indigenous people and NSW government and non- government disability service agencies regarding the conceptualisation of disability. The journal manuscript also examines the outcomes and implications of the findings.