Implication of Quality of Life Measurement on Ageing with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

The release of the 1983 Inquiry into Health Services for the Psychiatrically Ill and the Developmentally Disabled report, commonly known as the Richmond Report, provided an impetus to improve services to people with disabilities, to modify the way services were provided to people with disabilities, and to enhance the wider community's understanding of issues facing people with disabilities (NSW Audit Office, 1997). The Richmond Report was a catalyst in achieving a major change in service delivery for people with disabilities through the introduction of the Commonwealth Disability Services Act in 1986 and the NSW Disability Services Act in 1993. These Acts facilitated the development of clear policy directions that moved people away from institutionalised care and towards community integrated housing models. Some of the longer term implications of the Richmond Report are still taking place, in particular the issues of community placements for people ageing with a disability.