While anyone can experience loneliness, there are certain groups within the community who face more barriers in creating social connections. Women with disabilities are one such group, with their rates of loneliness often driven by the social isolation that they are more likely to experience.
Sophie Cusworth, CEO of Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA), sees loneliness as a huge issue within the disability community.
“Women with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience loneliness and social isolation than women without disabilities,” Cusworth says.
“Many people with disabilities face real barriers to leaving home and connecting with others as much as we’d like to, which limits opportunities to participate fully in our communities.”
This year, rates of loneliness increased among people with a disability in Australia compared to 2023. Indeed, the latest Medibank Loneliness Population Index shows that 42 per cent of people with a disability surveyed scored high on the UCLA Loneliness Scale in 2024 – a figure that should concern all of us.
Cusworth says the loneliness experienced by people with disabilities is connected to the broader discrimination and ableism they face.
“Inaccessible public spaces, community events that are not inclusive, economic insecurity, and greater risk of experiencing violence and abuse are all linked to increased loneliness and isolation,” Cusworth says.
“Addressing loneliness within the disability community means addressing these structural issues and ensuring that everyone has access to safe, inclusive environments.
“People with disabilities have the same needs for connection, community and belonging as non-disabled people – but we often face more barriers to being included.”
How do we make social connection more accessible?
Simple solutions like making transport and public venues more accessible, as well as better catering to diverse communication and sensory needs are key steps, according to Cusworth.
Creating welcoming and supportive social environments can go a long way in helping people with disabilities to feel more accepted too.
For 28-year-old Claire Bertholli, a youth worker, advocate and Youth Development Officer at WWDA, loneliness started to take a toll on her personally when she had to isolate herself physically during the COVID lock downs.
“The reason I started my work with WWDA in 2021 as a volunteer, [is that] I wanted to find people who understood how complex living with a disability can be,” she shares.
“But what I found was people who can also relate to the joys of being a young person and finding themselves. Through connecting with young people at WWDA I was able to chat about learning how to do adult things like advocating for yourself, finding work, and what the best bed sheets are.”
As Claire explains, for people with disabilities, it’s not as easy as simply putting yourself “out there” to create social connection. It’s incredibly important to feel comfortable and to find situations and people who meet your needs.
“Sometimes the places we would like to socialise are not accessible to us for a number of reasons, whether it be a lack of physical access, sensory overload, being immune compromised or being in an environment with people or things that make us feel unsafe.”
Claire says she gets messages from young people and case workers every week who are looking to find activities and work that will assist with social connection.
“I try my hardest to find things that work for them but unfortunately there are not enough services or support for young disabled people to just hang out and connect with others,” she says.
“These people want to participate in something that gives them purpose. Disabled people want to go out and engage in social activities, the arts and sports, go dancing… Anything that our non-disabled friends can do!”
It’s also common for women with disabilities to look to online spaces as a source of community connection, particularly if they are not able to participate in-person in community activities. And while the internet can be a great source of connection, it’s not accessible for everyone and it also comes with its own set of safety risks.
Meanwhile, the practical task of organising of social activities in ableist settings can be another barrier to socialising for people with disabilities.
“It is often up to the disabled person to do a lot of the research, planning and organising of social activities – and this takes time and energy away from doing the activity,” Claire says. “This is often so they can ensure that their access needs are met.”
“People with disabilities really appreciate when their friends and family can help them do this extra research as it means they have more time and energy to enjoy the activity.”
To learn more about Medibank’s commitment to reducing loneliness, head to We Are Lonely | Medibank.
About the research
Research commissioned by FiftyFive5 on behalf of Medibank. Research was conducted in July 2024, among a sample of (n=4,131) Australians.
If you need to speak to someone now, you can reach Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.