Experiences and concepts of disability among First Nations peoples of Australia: A systematic review

Abstract

First Nations peoples of Australia do not access disability support services at rates commensurate with need, and it is widely reported that Western concepts of disability do not reflect First Nations values, beliefs and social practices regarding health and bodily function. We undertook a systematic review of published literature on how First Nations peoples of Australia conceptualise and experience disability. Our methods were informed by best-practice systematic review principles and an Indigenous research methodology. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Our meta-synthesis confirms that First Nations understandings of ‘disability’ do not necessarily align with conventional Western conceptualisations, and that First Nations people make sense of their experiences and conditions in a variety of ways. Some broad commonalities emerge in the literature in First Nations peoples’ conceptualisations of disabilities as conditions that pertain to family groups as well as individuals. For First Nations peoples, family and community life may involve socially meaningful activities and represent important domains of ‘participation’. Culturally safe disability support services require service providers and policymakers to consider what ‘disability’, ‘participation’ and ‘caregiving’ may mean from a First Nations community’s perspective. Achieving cultural safety in disability support services will require reform at service provider, organisational, systemic and conceptual levels.