1. Executive Summary

Research Objective

RPH Australia and its members had little recent information regarding the size and profile of their target audience and the reach of its services amongst the target audience. Research was commissioned in 2002, and revisited in 2007 to measure and profile the target audience nationally, as well as profile the audience by location and print disability type.

Approach

Secondary research was identified as the most efficient and accurate means of identifying the size and profile of the population of Australia with a print disability. Methodological concerns arise when considering conducting primary research with people with disabilities, and therefore publicly-available data sources were considered the most appropriate for this project.

Summary of Findings

The following table provides the total number of people with a print disability in Australia, profiled by impairment type. This audience figure represents the total available audience Australia-wide, not considering actual access to radio services. The total of 3 635 869 Australians with a print disability represents almost 18.4% of the population. The population referred to in this document is 19 855 288 people¹. Not every individual who suffers any form of a print disability would acknowledge themselves as such, therefore may not necessarily identify RPH Australia members as a service provider relevant to their needs.

This total figure is recognised as a conservative estimate. As pre-existing data sources were not always available, estimates erring on the side of caution have been employed throughout the research.

Table A: Print Disabled Population of Australia by Impairment Type

TOTAL	Vision	Physical	Literacy	Learning	Total
2002	193 300	205 723	2 607 400	298 216	3 304 639
2007	187 000	318 200	2 515 300	635 369	3 655 869

2. Background and Objectives

The Federal Department of Communications Review 1986 defined print disability as “Australia’s print handicapped population consists of people who through age, disability or literacy problems are unable to physically handle books or newspapers or to read or comprehend written material”. RPH services around Australia provide a unique radio reading service to the population with a print disability via scheduled radio programming and broadcast free to air.

RPH services in Australia had little recent information regarding the size and profile of their target audience and the reach of their services amongst their target audience. Therefore, in 2002 research was commissioned to measure and profile the target audience nationally as well as profile the audience by location and print disability type.

Specifically, the aim is to profile the potential audience:

• Nationally

• By state

• By country/metropolitan split

• By print disability type

2007 updated research findings will be used to determine the scope of the potential audience to potential sponsors and Governments, to demonstrate the value of RPH programming. It is hoped that, if funding can be acquired, RPH Australia will conduct further research into the needs to the RPH audience with the aim of modifying service provision accordingly and therefore, better meet the needs of people with a print disability through RPH services.

3. The Approach

Secondary research, that is accessing pre-existing data sources, was identified as the most efficient and accurate means of identifying the size and profile of the population of Australia with a print disability. Methodological concerns arise when considering conducting primary research with people with disabilities and therefore, publicly available data sources were considered the most appropriate for this project.

The following is the list of sources consulted in gathering the findings.

Literacy Impairment	Vision Impairment	Learning/ Attention Impairment	Physical Impairment	Other
Australian Bureau of Statistics Adult Literacy Council Australia	Australian Bureau of Statistics Association for the Blind WA Royal Blind Society of NSW Royal Institute for the Blind SA Royal VIC Institute for the Blind Lion’s Eye Institute Centre for Eye Research Australia Eye Health Promotion Unit Vision Australia Foundation Vision 2020 Australia	Dyslexia-Speld Foundation WA Speld VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS Learning and Attention Disorder Society Australia (LADS)	Australian Bureau of Statistics Arthritis Foundation WA, NSW, SA, QLD, VIC, TAS, ACT, NT Paraplegic – Quadriplegic Association WA, NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS, SA, NT, ACT Spinal Cord Injury Australia Multiple Sclerosis Society of NSW, WA, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS Cerebral Palsy Association WA, NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS, SA, NT, ACT	Australian Bureau of Statistics Disability Services Commission and other respective State bodies Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) Office of Disability

Recognising Potential Limitations of Research Approach

Limitations of this research approach arise in areas where the available information is limited. Funding-constrained disability organisations find it challenging to keep ongoing and accurate statistics. In most instances, only member numbers are kept which is not always an accurate representation of the actual number of sufferers. As such, extrapolation of available data and estimations has been used in place. These instances are all clearly identified in the body of the report.

The State/Territory and country/metropolitan profiles specified in the objectives of the project have been, in some cases, impossible to determine as a result of the lack of disaggregated statistics held by both Federal and State government agencies and representative associations consulted.

The secondary research approach applied to this project has consulted a wide variety of independent sources in gaining the relevant information. There has been no way to determine whether people with multiple print disabilities, for example those who are blind and have arthritis, have been counted twice. In an effort to avoid this duplication, some areas of disability have been deliberately omitted. For example, the aged have not been counted as the aged with a print disability would probably have been accounted for in the arthritis and other print disability type categories.

A third limitation encountered in the research process has been conflicting statistics. In these instances, the integrity of the source has been investigated as much as possible, and a decision made on these findings. Such instances have been noted and clarified.

4. Total Potential Audience

The following table provides the number of people with a print disability in Australia, profiled by impairment type. Exact State/Territory profiles and country/metropolitan profiles have not been available due to the lack of disaggregation of available statistics. The total of
3 635 869 Australians with a print disability represents almost 18.4% of the population. Also approximately 36 900 of the Australian population use a reading or writing aid.² Of course, not everybody who may have any form of a print disability would acknowledge themselves as such; therefore they may not necessarily identify RPH Australia members as a service provider relevant to their needs.

The figure representing the total Australian population with a print disability is a conservative estimate. Throughout the secondary research process, a lack of data was encountered. In these instances, conservative estimates based on consultation with relevant organisations have been employed in deriving the total figure.

Table 1: Print Disabled Population of Australia by Impairment Type

TOTAL	Vision	Physical	Literacy	Learning	Total
2002	193 300	205 723	2 607 400	298 216	3 304 639
2007	187 000	318 200	2 515 300	635 369	3 655 869

5. State and Region Break Down

Accurate State/Territory profiles and country/metropolitan profiles have not been available for each impairment type due to the lack of disaggregation of available statistics. Table 2 represents the population for each State and Territory with a print disability as extrapolated from the total population figures and the total potential audience figure found in Table 1.

Table 2: Print Disabled Population of Australia by State/Territory³

	% of Total Australian Population 2002	% of Total Australian Population 2007	Print Disabled TOTAL 2002	Print Disabled TOTAL 2007
New South Wales	34%	33%	1 123 580	1 206 437
Victoria	24%	25%	793 117	913 967
Queensland	19%	20%	627 885	731 173
South Australia	8%	8%	264 375	292 470
Northern Territory	1%	1%	33 049	36 559
Australian Capital Territory	1%	2%	33 049	73 117
Tasmania	3%	2%	99 117	73 117
Western Australia	10%	10%	330 467	365 587
TOTAL	100%	100%	3 304 639	3 655 869

Table 3 represents the population with a print disability for each capital city in Australia as extrapolated from the total population figures for each capital city and the total potential audience figure.

Table 3: Print Disabled Population of Australia by Capital City

	% of State Population in Capital City 2002	% of State Population in Capital City 2007	Print Disabled in Capital City 2002 TOTAL	Print Disabled in Capital City 2007 TOTAL
Sydney	62%	63%	696 619	760 055
Melbourne	72%	73%	571 044	667 195
Brisbane	44%	45%	276 256	329 027
Adelaide	73%	73%	192 993	213 503
Darwin	44%	55%	14 451	40 214
Canberra	99%	99%	32 718	72 386
Hobart	41%	42%	40 637	30 709
Perth	72%	74%	237 936	270 534
AVERAGE/ TOTAL	63%	66%	2 062 654	2 383 623

The challenge for RPH Australia members now is to raise awareness of their service amongst the population with a print disability. Through the course of conducting the research, awareness of the RPH service around Australia was low even amongst representative associations for people of which the services would directly cater. Potentially, partnerships with such organisations could serve to greatly increase awareness amongst the target audience.

In thinking about possible future communications plans to target potential audience members, this breakdown is very useful. Dissemination of promotional information through representative organisations, government service providers and private service providers will all help to steer communications and any future research. Those with an identified learning or literacy impairment will be more difficult to target, as these conditions may go unnoticed by people with these impairments.

Table D represents the population with a print disability for each main region in NSW as extrapolated from the total population figures for region and the total potential audience figure.

Table D: Print Disabled Population of Australia by Region

	% of State Population in Region	Print Disabled in Region TOTAL
Albury-Wodonga (NSW/ VIC)	2.0%*	18 279
Bendigo (VIC)	1.7%	15 537
Shepparton (VIC)	0.9%	8 226
Geelong (VIC)	3.3%	30 161
Warragul (VIC)	0.3%	2 742
Warrnambool (VIC)	0.6%	5 484
Mildura (VIC)	0.9%	8 226
Launceston (TAS)	20.9%	15 281
Wollongong (NSW)	4.0%	48 257
Newcastle (NSW)	7.5%	90 483
Wagga Wagga (NSW)	0.8%	9 651
Albany (WA)	1.6%	5 849
Esperance (WA)	0.7%	2 559
Kalgoorlie/ Boulder (WA)	1.4%	5 118
Broome (WA)	0.7%	2 559
Geraldton (WA)	1.0%	3 656
TOTAL/ Average	3.0%	272 068

*Please Note: VIC population data used for percentage of state

Please Note: ‘Statistical District Figures’ were used for all regions except; Warragul where the ‘State Suburb Figure’ as there was no statistical district figure. Also all Western Australian regions use ‘Local Government Area’ Statistics with the exception of Kalgoorlie/Boulder which used a ‘Statistical District Figure’.

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