Pring, Abbigael Rose (2024) Disability Advocacy Services within Australian Social Domains: Strategies for Enhancing Reach and Community Engagement. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
There is significant disparity in health outcomes for people living with and without disability, and research into the social determinants of health for this population may help to close this gap (Krahn, et al., 2015; Johnson et al., 2013). Disability advocacy services work to provide people with supports and resources which facilitate improvements in functional domains, health and well-being for individuals living with disability (Department of Social Services, 2020). Research suggests that despite the potential benefits of these services, access and engagement with these services is limited (Clemente et al., 2022). This qualitative study aimed to investigate the experiences of and barriers to accessing disability advocacy services and health care for people living with a disability from rural and regional areas of Queensland in Australia. Nineteen participants aged 18 years and over who identified as having a disability and had been engaged with a disability advocacy service were recruited into the study. Participants completed a survey and qualitative interview to explore their lived experience of disability advocacy services and how individual advocacy contributes to changes in social determinants of health throughout components of their life. Thematic analysis allowed for three themes to emerge from the data: ‘experiencing challenges and barriers to getting needs met’, ‘facilitating self-advocacy and community engagement’, and a sense of empowerment and trust in relationship’. These findings suggest that disability advocacy services are not well known to the public, and that accessing these services can be difficult for those with disabilities. Geographic location and proximity to services coupled with a limited availability of services that are inadequately staffed meant that accessing much needed support at critical time was often fraught with issues. Furthermore, when these services were provided with special attention to the relational and communication components of their service delivery, the experience was empowering for the individual. The implications of these results suggest disability advocacy service recipients would benefit from increased support associated with geographical isolation and financial hardship, parsimonious administration processes, and continuity of care between clients and service providers. It offers support to disability advocacy service providers and funding entities informing decision making and allocations for those with disability, in particular those living in regional and rural areas.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Dr Dallinger, Vicki |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Jan 2026 05:09 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Jan 2026 05:09 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | disability, advocacy, social determinants of health, barriers. |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520304 Health psychology |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53109 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
