People with disability disproportionately experience family and domestic violence. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in a 2016 report, almost 16 percent of women with disability or a long-term health condition reported experiencing violence in the previous year – more than three times the rate of people without disability.  

Not only do people with disability experience far more violence in their lives, they experience it in unique ways. And they have their own set of barriers that stop them reporting violence or doing something about it. Understanding the domestic circumstances of people with disability who experience violence, particularly women and children, is crucial for giving them support.