Approximately 668,000 Australians live with intellectual disability — a condition characterised by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. Intellectual disability is diverse: from mild limitations that support largely independent lives, to significant disability requiring extensive daily support. The past decades have seen a fundamental shift from institutional care to community living — a shift driven by disability rights, evidence, and above all, by people with intellectual disability and their families. Grant funding supports community inclusion, employment, research, and the innovative services that make a good life possible.
Scale
What intellectual disability means
Intellectual disability is characterised by:
- Below-average intellectual functioning (IQ typically below 70)
- Significant limitations in adaptive behaviour (daily living skills, communication, social skills)
- Present before age 18
Mild ID (approximately 85% of people with ID):
- Can usually live independently or with some support
- Many work, have relationships, and participate fully in community
Moderate to profound ID (approximately 15%):
- May need significant daily support
- Can still live in community (not in institutions) with appropriate support
- Voice, choice, and relationships are central to quality of life
Transition from institutions
Australia has significantly de-institutionalised — most large institutions closed by 2000s. People now live in:
- Their own home (with support)
- Shared supported accommodation (group homes)
- Family homes
- Specialist disability accommodation (high needs)
NDIS
Primary funder for many people with ID:
- Support coordination
- Daily living support (personal care, community participation)
- Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) for high-needs
- Therapy
- Supported employment contributions
Education
Disability Employment Services (DES)
Employment support for people with disability including ID.
NHMRC
Research on ID causes, prevention, and support.
Down Syndrome Australia
National Down syndrome advocacy and support.
Inclusion Australia (formerly ACOSOP)
National intellectual disability organisation — advocacy and research.
Summer Foundation
Young people with disability in institutional settings — community living.
Synapse
Brain injury and intellectual disability services.
Carers Australia / state carer organisations
Carer support for families of people with ID.
Lotteries and gaming trusts
Significant funders of equipment, vehicles, and programmes for ID organisations.
Community living
People with ID have the right to live in community:
- Support to live in own home (tenancy support, daily living support)
- Transition from family home to independent or supported living
- Home modification grants
- Supported decision-making (rather than substitute decision-making)
- Housing advocacy
Employment
Employment rates for people with ID are very low despite capability — supported employment is transformative:
- Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs — formerly sheltered workshops)
- Open employment with support
- Job coaching
- Employer education and attitudes
- Social enterprise employment
Relationships and sexuality
An underserved and often taboo area:
- Relationships and sexuality education (people with ID have the same rights to relationships as others)
- Protecting against sexual abuse (people with ID are at very high risk)
- Supported decision-making in relationships
- Parenting with ID (parenting support, not automatic removal)
Health
People with ID often have poorer health access:
- Annual health checks for people with ID (evidence-based, underused)
- Dental health (very poor in people with ID — access and cooperation challenges)
- Obesity and metabolic health
- Mental health (often underdiagnosed in ID)
- Ageing with ID (earlier onset of ageing-related conditions)
Communication
Many people with ID benefit from communication support:
- Easy Read materials (simplified language and images)
- Makaton (signing system)
- AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
- Advocacy and communication training
Arts and creativity
Arts programmes for people with ID:
- Art studios for artists with disability
- Performance and music groups
- Exhibition and community performance
- Arts as employment and income generation
Ageing with intellectual disability
People with ID are living longer — but services designed for older adults don't always fit:
- Down syndrome and early-onset Alzheimer's (very high risk — AD-specific support needed)
- Transition from disability to aged care services
- Retirement planning for people with ID
- Specialist aged care for people with ID
Family support
Families of people with ID often provide lifelong care:
- Family carer support (respite, information, peer support)
- Sibling support (siblings of people with ID have specific needs)
- Future planning (what happens when parents can no longer care?)
- Individual advocacy
Self-advocacy
People with ID are increasingly leading their own advocacy:
- Self-advocacy organisations (e.g., Self Advocacy Sydney)
- Building self-advocacy skills
- Participation in policy and research
Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability:
- Extra chromosome 21 (trisomy 21)
- Approximately 13,000 Australians
- Associated health conditions: heart defects (approximately 40%), hearing impairment, thyroid conditions, Alzheimer's (very high risk from age 40)
- Life expectancy now approximately 60+ years (up from approximately 25 in the 1980s)
Down syndrome-specific programmes and organisations receive specific funding from parents and family foundations.
Community living as the default
No Australian with intellectual disability should be in a large institution — yet some remain in aged care, psychiatric facilities, or inadequate settings. Applications advancing community living and safe discharge from institutional settings are compelling.
Supported decision-making
The shift from substitute decision-making (others decide) to supported decision-making (the person decides, with support) is a human rights priority. Applications building SDM capability are well-aligned with Australia's CRPD obligations.
Relationships and sexuality equity
People with ID have the same rights to relationships, sexuality, and parenting as others — yet are often denied these rights. Applications in this underserved area demonstrate sophisticated rights-based practice.
Self-advocacy
Applications where people with ID are not just recipients but active participants — in governance, design, and delivery — demonstrate genuine commitment to inclusion.
Tahua's grants management platform supports disability funders and intellectual disability organisations — with participant tracking, outcome measurement, employment data, and the reporting tools that help intellectual disability funders demonstrate their investment in community living and full inclusion for Australians with intellectual disability.