Risk factors

Violence is linked to ableism – which is a form of discrimination.  For people who have ableist attitudes and beliefs, disabled people are sometimes seen as less important, less believable, or easier to control — which increases their risk of violence, abuse or neglect. 

Harm is often ignored or treated as normal.  

When abuse is not taken seriously for a long time, people may start to think it is just part of everyday life.   

This can happen:  

• in a disabled person’s own home or flat 

• in residential care or supported living services  

• it can also include disabled people being violent towards others.      

Discrimination gives some people more power than others. 
When disabled people have less power, they’re more at risk of violence, abuse and neglect, and may find it harder to get help or stay safe.

When people don’t get the communication support they need, it becomes much harder - and sometimes unsafe - for them to speak up about abuse or neglect. For example, if people need access to:  

• interpreters  

• accessible information (i.e. that’s easier to understand and use)  

• supported decision-making

• assistance to enable them to express themselves. 

If someone’s communication is controlled or restricted, they may not be able to reach out for help at all. 

When someone relies on others for daily tasks (such as transport, personal care, or communication), those providing support may be able to control or block access to important things such as money, devices, information, or safe people. 

Caregivers and others charged with providing support may have (and hide) attitudes and behaviours that reduce dignity, respect, confidence and trust.

In these circumstances, dependence can make it hard to leave an unsafe situation or ask for help, because doing so might mean losing the support needed for everyday life. 

Some people may not realise they are being harmed, especially if the abuse has been happening for a long time, has been made to look like ‘care’, is caused by someone the disabled person trusts, or has become normal in their everyday life.   

Some people need support to make decisions.

People may avoid seeking help because they’re scared or shut down, have had bad experiences before, find communication difficult, or worry that others won’t believe them.

Being treated differently or excluded can isolate disabled people, which can increase the influence and control others have over them.  

Social isolation increases risk because it reduces access to trusted people, limits opportunities to disclose harm, and makes it easier for abuse to remain hidden. 

Isolation can also be created on purpose – when a person with more power limits another person’s movements, relationships, or communication. This makes it much harder for them to reach out for help or find safety.

The risk of a disabled person experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect increases when disability overlaps with other ways they might be left out or treated unfairly in society - such as due to their ethnicity, gender, economic status or money worries, or sexuality. 
 
Called intersectionality, these factors can stack up, interacting with systems and services, and often making discrimination and harm more likely and making it harder to access support and safety.

If services don’t have safe and accessible reporting systems; don’t have systems and culture in place to prevent harm; don’t adequately detect abuse or respond properly; and don’t make support accessible, disabled people miss out on their basic rights and on safety and security. 

Disabled people can be left unsafe and can stop believing that there is a solution to their problem. 

Institutional (or organisational) risks are the systemic conditions within organisations, services, or care environments that increase the likelihood of abuse or neglect. These risks arise from structures, policies, routines, cultures, or power arrangements rather than from isolated acts by individuals.  

In disability settings, institutional risks are heightened because disabled people may rely on organisations for daily living support, communication, decision-making, health care, personal care, or safety. Where oversight is weak or power is concentrated with providers rather than service users, abuse can occur, and harmful practices can become normalised, overlooked, or justified as “routine care.” 

• The findings of New Zealand’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care show how organisational cultures, weak regulation, and power imbalances enabled widespread abuse of disabled people in state and faith-based care.

Institutional risks arise not from a single incident,

but from the way services are designed,

managed, and routinely operated,

particularly where power imbalances, 

rigid systems, or poor oversight exist.