Intellectual Disability

Under the law, intellectual disability in relation to a person over the age of 5 years, is defined as significant sub-average general intellectual functioning; and significant deficits in adaptive behaviour, each of which manifest before the age of 18 years.

Legal Responses

Legislation

Many intellectually disabled individuals are mis treated and discriminated against in the work place or the community. In response to this, two main acts have been established ; the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth) and the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). Although some forms of discrimination are not covered by legislation, parliament has ensured that people with an intellectual disability have equal access to resources such as accommodation, education and employment. Also, it is illegal to discriminate against a person based on his or her disability, which in turn protects an individual's rights.

Evaluation of effectiveness

First of all, legislation to prevent disability discrimination must be broad in its definition of disability, as any group of people who believe that they are disabled would be disadvantaged greatly if they were not included in the definition. A reason why this act is effective is that it covers discrimination that occurs because a person is presumed to have a disability, and also protects partners and family members of people with a disability from discrimination. Another reason why this act is effective is that it is enforceable; if an individual breaches this act, punishment is imposed. For example, the mis-treatment of staff is addressed by the legislation s. 297 of the Disabilitiy Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth) which enforces fines up to 50 penalty united (one penalty unit being $110) or six months o...

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...e positive outcomes.

Evaluation of effectiveness

Responsiveness: This organisation responds to the changing attitudes of society that de -institutionalizes the intellectually disabled and supports their integration into the community and the work place. However in terms of the organisation responding to the individual, it could take weeks if not months for any action to actually occur.

Resource efficiency: Non government organisations such as this would have difficulty acquiring economic resources thus their ability to provide for the disabled may be affected. They would usually have to rely on donations from the community which may be scarce.

Accessibility: A difficulty in terms of access to this form of support would be intellectual barriers for those without guardians and do not have the mental capacity to use the website and/or respond to it in any way.