Representation of acquired disabilities in Australian research, policy, and practice: A scoping review

Purpose: Emerging data shows that Australia has a significantly higher number of persons who acquired a disability after birth than persons with congenital disabilities. Little is known about the impact of acquired disabilities on employment outcomes to guide employers, disability service providers and policymakers. This scoping review outlines the gaps in knowledge about the impact of acquired disabilities on employment participation and discusses the conflicting positions of disability models. Method: A review was conducted of academic and grey literature on disability employment research and policy, published between 1990 and 2021. These were synthesised to analyse the representation of acquired disabilities in research and policy. Results: It was found that the term “acquired disabilities” is not clearly identified and defined in the literature and the application of terms of reference for disability vary between disability peak bodies and service delivery organisations. Conclusion: Future research on disability studies needs to capture the definition and identification of acquired disabilities and how they impact on employment outcomes, to foster a unified definition of disability and to devise a refined model of disability that would guide research, policy and practice.