Women with Disability and Domestic Violence
Women with disability face a higher risk of domestic violence than any other group. For many, escaping violence feels like standing in front of two doors: one marked “Domestic Violence Support” and the other “Disability Services.” Neither door truly opens to safety. One is blocked by stairs or narrow hallways. The other doesn’t connect to the help they urgently need.
The numbers are shocking. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), women with disability are almost twice as likely as women without disability to experience physical or sexual violence from a partner in just a 12-month period (2.5% compared to 1.3%). Emotional abuse is also higher: 6.3% compared with 4.1%. Over their lifetime, about 40% of women with disability have experienced physical violence since the age of 15, compared with 26% of women without disability. And in some parts of Australia, the situation is even worse. In the Northern Territory, 65% of women with disability report experiencing family or domestic violence since age 15. In South Australia, the figure is 44%.
These aren’t just statistics — they are stories of women living in fear, women not believed, women pushed into silence.
Barriers pile up. Many shelters are not physically accessible. Staff often lack the training to support women with disability in a safe and respectful way. Too often, when abuse is reported, women are met with disbelief or even blame. And for those who rely on carers, medication, or mobility devices, perpetrators sometimes use these as tools of control — locking away equipment, withholding medication, or refusing assistance. Violence takes many forms, and for women with disability, it often targets the very supports they depend on to live.
The challenges grow even more complicated when child protection systems are involved. Mothers with disability may hesitate to seek help for fear that their children will be taken away. Instead of being supported, they are judged. Disability is too often mistaken for parental incapacity, and this bias traps many women in unsafe homes.
So how do we make sense of this crisis? Some argue it is primarily a gendered issue — violence against women rooted in power and patriarchy. Others say it’s first and foremost about disability rights — because when a woman cannot even enter a refuge in her wheelchair, that is blatant discrimination. Policy voices remind us it’s also about systems that don’t talk to each other: domestic violence services, NDIS supports, and child protection often operate in silos, leaving women to fall through the cracks. The truth is, all three views are right. The violence sits at the messy intersection of gender inequality, disability discrimination, and policy failure.
And yet, there are solutions. Advocacy groups across Australia are showing what’s possible. Some refuges are redesigning spaces so they are physically accessible and sensory-friendly. Staff are being trained in disability awareness and trauma-informed practice. Programs that bring together housing, counselling, and NDIS supports are creating safer pathways for women to leave violence without losing access to essential care. But for this to work, governments and agencies must commit long-term funding and policy reform so inclusion is not optional — it’s standard.
At its heart, this issue is about dignity. Women with disability deserve the same right to safety, freedom, and justice as anyone else. They should not have to fight two battles — one against violence and another against inaccessible systems. Breaking the cycle means removing the barriers, funding inclusive services, and listening to the voices of women who know this reality better than anyone.
If you or someone you know is a woman with disability experiencing violence, please reach out. Our team can connect you with safe, inclusive NDIS supports. No one should have to face this alone.