Communication and Financial Barriers

Communication barriers

• Limited access to written material or sign language interpreters for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Drug prescriptions, admission forms and health information is not generally available in accessible formats for people who are blind or have low vision, examples of these are large print, braille or digital formats

• Limited use of plain English in the health care setting which can make information less accessible to some groups of people, including people with intellectual disability

Financial barriers

• People with disability often report difficulty affording the costs of travel and medicine associated with health services, let alone the cost of a consultation. Where flexibility can be afforded, consider unpredictable public transport and compliance to treatment plans due to cost when scheduling appointments or establishing care plans

• 7.6% of people with disability under the age of 65 delayed or did not see their GP due to the cost 

(World Health Organisation)

Did you know that adults with disability are nearly twice as likely to request Telehealth services than those without disability? 
(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2022)