A new disability app providing accessible and culturally contextual information on the National Disability Insurance Scheme is being rolled out to improve uptake among remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The need for the application called ‘The Disability in the Bush app’ was felt as even though Indigenous Australians experience disability at twice the rate of those who are non-Indigenous, many Aboriginal people in remote communities are unaware of the NDIS’s existence.
It offers plain language, culturally-relevant information, and video stories to bridge the knowledge gap making it hard for Indigenous people to connect with the scheme, says a news report.
Tammy Abbott, community engagement officer and Indigenous lead for the project, said the app was developed by Indigenous communities.
“By bringing the government, science, and community together in a shared space, we have created a tool to get vital information to remote communities. This app combines knowledge translation principles and technology and is designed by Aboriginal people,” Abbott said.
The app’s development followed extensive research across five Indigenous communities around Indigenous people’s understanding of disability and the NDIS.
Researchers found that official information was too often delivered using unfamiliar language and concepts, or through different channels.
