Living with Disability in New Zealand

Date of publication: October 2004
ISBN 0-478-28305-9
HP 4002

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Table of Contents:
Index
Foreword
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
2 Patterns of Disability
3 Support, Equipment and Services
4 Education
5 Employment and Income
6 House and Home
7 Travel and Transport
8 Māori and Disability
9 Pacific Peoples and Disability
10 Adults with Disability Living in Residential Facilities
11 Future Focus
Glossary
Appendix 1: Classification of Disability Type
Appendix 2: Relative Sampling Error (RSE) Cut-off Points Used for this Report and Appendix Tables
Appendix 3: Tables in Excel format
References

6 House and Home

Within this section:
Key points
Introduction
Household composition
Social marital
Home ownership
Housing tenure
Rental payments
Financial help for accommodation costs
Access to telephone, fax and internet
Modifications in and around the home
Government loans or grants to help with alterations
Comparing 2001 and 1996

Key points

This chapter examines features of the home life and home environment of the estimated 626,500 adults and 90,000 children with disability living in private households. Topics covered include household composition (with whom people live), whether people have a partner or spouse, and home ownership and rental. The chapter also looks at the different kinds of building modification that people with disability said they needed in and around their home to assist them.

Household composition

Adults

• In 2001, 66 percent of adults with disability, an estimated 413,000 adults, lived in one-family households. A further 19 percent, an estimated 120,700 adults, lived by themselves.
• In every adult age group, except 15-24, adults with disability were more likely than adults without disability to live alone. For example, in the 45-64 age group, 16 percent of people with disability lived alone, compared with 11 percent of people without disability.
• Older adults with disability were more likely than younger adults with disability to live alone, with 24 percent of adults aged 65-74 and 42 percent of adults aged 75 and over living alone.
• Most adults with disability who lived by themselves were on low incomes. Seventy-six percent of adults with disability who lived alone had household incomes of $15,000 and under per year.
• Four percent of adults with disability, an estimated 24,200 adults, lived in two-family households. This was similar to adults without disability (3 percent).

Children

• Ninety percent of children (aged 0-14) with disability lived in one-family households. This was similar to the percentage of children without disability living in one-family households (89 percent).
• A further 4 percent of children with disability, an estimated 3300 children, lived in two-family households. This was similar to children without disability (5 percent).

Had a partner or spouse

• Just over half (54 percent) the adults with disability had a partner or spouse, while 37 percent did not. For the remaining 8 percent, no information was available on whether they had a partner or spouse.
• Men with disability (62 percent) were more likely than women with disability (48 percent) to have a partner or spouse.
• Nearly two-thirds of adults with hearing disability (61 percent) had a partner or spouse, compared with 39 percent of adults with psychiatric/psychological disability and 29 percent of adults with intellectual disability.
• In every adult age group except 15-24, adults with disability were less likely than adults without disability to have a partner or spouse.

Home ownership

• Half (52 percent) the adults with disability, an estimated 327,600 adults, owned or partly owned the house, apartment or other kind of dwelling in which they usually lived.
• In every adult age group from 25-44 to 75 and over, adults with disability were less likely than adults without disability to own or partly own their home.

Housing tenure

• Fifty-eight percent of adults with disability and 49 percent of children with disability were living in a home owned or partly owned by the usual residents.
• A further 23 percent of adults and 34 percent of children with disability were living in a home not owned by the usual residents and where the usual residents paid rent or did not pay rent.
• The ownership and rental status of the homes of the remaining 19 percent of adults and 17 percent of children with disability could not be identified.
• Children with disability (34 percent) were more likely than children without disability (28 percent) to be living in a house not owned by the usual residents.

Financial help for accommodation costs

• Thirteen percent of adults with disability, an estimated 84,400 adults, were receiving an Accommodation Supplement. Thirty-seven percent of adults with disability had not heard of the Accommodation Supplement.
• Other kinds of financial help for accommodation costs, such as special benefits or Special Needs Grants to assist with the costs of moving house or paying bonds to landlords, were each being used by only small proportions of adults with disability (1-2 percent each).

Phone, fax and internet

• Eighty percent of adults with disability had a working telephone or cellphone available in their home. Pacific (71 percent) and Mäori (74 percent) adults with disability had lower rates of home telephone access than European adults with disability (83 percent).
• Twenty-six percent of adults with disability, an estimated 162,200 adults, had access to the internet at home. This was a lower rate of home internet access than for adults without disability (39 percent).
• Children with disability (77 percent) were slightly less likely than children without disability (81 percent) to have a telephone or cellphone in their home.
• Children with disability were also less likely than children without disability to have access to the internet (34 percent compared with 40 percent).

Modifications in and around the home

• Sixteen percent of adults and 3 percent of children with disability, an estimated 97,500 adults and 2600 children, had certain kinds of built-in modifications in or around their home because of disability.
• Adults with severe disability (34 percent) were the most likely to have modifications in and around their home, compared with 22 percent of adults with moderate disability and just 4 percent of adults with mild disability.

Modifications inside the home

• Twelve percent of adults with disability, an estimated 74,200 adults, had some kind of built-in modifications inside their home because of disability.
• The most common modifications inside the home were grab or hand rails, used by 10 percent of adults with disability (an estimated 61,900). The two next most common modifications were wet-area showers and easy-to-get-at toilets, both used by 2 percent of adults with disability.
• Four percent of adults with disability indicated there were certain modifications they did not have inside their home that they needed. The most common modifications required, needed by an estimated 15,600 adults with disability, were grab or hand rails.
• Of the 90,000 children with disability, 2 percent or an estimated 2000, had one or more built-in modifications inside their home because of disability. Grab or hand rails were the most common modifications used by children.
• Parents or caregivers of 2 percent of children with disability indicated their children had unmet needs for disability-related modifications inside their home.

Modifications for entering or leaving the home

• Nine percent of adults with disability, an estimated 55,700 adults, were using certain kinds of built-in modifications to assist with entering or leaving their house, such as ramps or widened doorways.
• Modifications most commonly used for this purpose were hand rails at steps or doorways, used by 7 percent of adults with disability. The next most commonly used modifications were easy-to-get-at driveways, ramps and street level entrances, used by 3 percent of adults with disability or an estimated 19,200 adults.
• An estimated 3900 adults with disability used easy-to-get-at driveways or passenger drop-off or pick-up areas outside their house. An estimated 3800 used automatic or easy-to-open doors, while 1800 used elevators or lift devices.
• Three percent of adults with disability, an estimated 19,000 adults, indicated that their home did not have certain built-in modifications for entering or leaving the house that they needed. Of this group, an estimated 12,000 said they needed hand rails at steps or doorways, 5900 needed easy-to-get at driveways, ramps and street level entrances, and 1600 needed widened doorways.
• Approximately 1 percent of children with disability, an estimated 1200 children, used built-in modifications in and around their home to assist them with entering or leaving. The most common was easy-to-get at driveways, ramps or entrances.
• Parents or caregivers of 1 percent of children with disability indicated their house did not have certain modifications they needed for getting their children into and out of the house. The modifications most commonly needed were hand rails at steps or doorways.

Introduction

This chapter examines features of the home life and home environment of the estimated 626,500 adults and 90,000 children with disability who were living in private households in 2001. [Chapter 10 indicates the types of accommodation used by adults with disability living in residential facilities.] It begins by looking at how many people with disability were living in a family situation, how many were living alone and how many had a partner. It also examines how many people with disability owned their home and how many lived in rental accommodation. This is followed by a look at the different kinds of building modification people with disability had in and around their home because of disability, and people's unmet needs for building modifications.

The material in this chapter has particular relevance to Objective 8 of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, which is to 'support quality living in the community for disabled people' (Minister for Disability Issues 2001: 22). This includes increasing the opportunities for people with disability to live in the community in affordable, quality housing and to support the development of independent communication for people with disability. [Other issues under Objective 8 are covered in other chapters. In particular, transport issues are covered in chapter 7 and access to health services is covered in chapter 3.]

Household composition

By anonymously linking data from the 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings with data from the 2001 Household Disability Survey, it is possible to estimate how many adults and children with disability were living in:

• a one-family household
• a two-family household
• other multi-person households
• a one-person household.

Figure 6.1 summarises these findings for adults and children.

Figure 6.1: Percentage of people (adults and children) living in households, by household composition, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

N/A Not applicable

- Percentages too small to report (estimated frequencies outside the 70 percent relative sampling error cut-off point).

Note: Data in Appendix Tables 6.1 and 6.3.

Adults

One-family households

In 2001, 66 percent of adults with disability, an estimated 413,000 adults, lived in one-family households. A one-family household is defined as a household containing a single family, with a family defined as a single parent or caregiver plus one or more children, a couple plus one or more children, or a couple without children. [A couple may be same-sex or opposite-sex.]

In every adult age group from 15-24 to 65 and over, adults with disability were less likely than adults without disability to live in one-family households (Figure 6.2). For example, in the
45-64 age group, 80 percent of people without disability lived in one-family households, compared with 69 percent of people without disability.

Figure 6.2: Percentage of adults with and without disability living in one-family households, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Notes:

- Data in Appendix Table 6.1.

- A one-family household is defined as a household containing a single family, with a family defined as a single parent or caregiver plus one or more children, a couple plus one or more children, or a couple without children.

Rural-dwelling adults with disability (76 percent) were more likely than urban-dwelling adults with disability (64 percent) to live in one-family households.

Adults with disability with household incomes of $15,000 and under per year were markedly less likely than adults with disability in the higher household income groups to live in one-family households. Only 21 percent of adults in the $15,000 and under annual household income group lived in one-family households, compared with 73 to 87 percent of adults with disability in each of the other, higher household income groups.

One-person households

Nineteen percent of adults with disability, an estimated 120,700 adults, lived in one-person households, meaning they usually lived alone.

In every adult age group, except 15-24, adults with disability were more likely than adults without disability to live alone (Figure 6.3). For example, in the 45-64 age group, 16 percent of people with disability lived alone, compared with 11 percent of people without disability.

Figure 6.3: Percentage of adults with and without disability living alone in households, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.1.

Older adults with disability (24 percent of adults aged 65-74 and 42 percent of adults 75 and over) were more likely than younger adults with disability to live alone. Reasons for this would include older adults being generally less likely to have children living with them and less likely to have a partner living with them, perhaps because the partner has died or lives elsewhere.

Most of the adults with disability who lived alone were on low incomes. Three-quarters (76 percent) of adults with disability who lived alone had household incomes of $15,000 and under per year.

Twenty-six percent of adults whose main disability was a seeing disability were living alone, as were 25 percent of adults whose main disability was a mobility disability. By contrast, only 15 percent of adults whose main disability was a psychiatric/psychological disability were living alone, as were 15 percent of adults whose main disability was a hearing disability, and 17 percent of adults whose main disability was an agility disability. [The number of adults with a main disability that was an intellectual disability who were living alone was too small to report.]

Two-family households

It was relatively rare for adults with disability to live in a household containing two families. [Data for adults living in three or more family households could not be reported due to small numbers. The household composition of 6 percent of adults with disability could not be identified.] Only 4 percent of adults with disability, an estimated 24,200 adults, lived in two-family households. This was similar to the situation for adults without disability, 3 percent of whom lived in two-family households.

Other multi-person households

The category 'other multi-person household' refers to non-family households containing two or more people.

Four percent of adults with disability lived in other multi-person households such as multi-person flats, compared with 6 percent of adults without disability.

Adults with intellectual disability (16 percent) and psychiatric/psychological disability (11 percent) were more likely than adults with other types of disability to live in multi-person households.

Children

Ninety percent of the estimated 90,000 children (aged 0-14) with disability lived in one-family households. This was similar to the percentage of children without disability (89 percent).

Four percent of children with disability, an estimated 3300 children, lived in two-family households. This was similar to the percentage of children without disability (5 percent).

Eleven percent of Pacific and 6 percent of Mäori children with disability lived in two-family households, compared with just 1 percent of European children with disability (Table 6.1).

Table 6.1: Household composition for children (aged 0-14) with disability, by ethnic group, 2001

	One-family household	%	Two-family household	%	Household composition unidentifiable	%	Total	%
European	49,100	94	800	1	2,400	5	52,300	100
Mäori	24,000	85	1,800	6	2,500	9	28,400	100
Pacific peoples	4,600	81	600	11	-	-	5,700	100
Asian/Other peoples	1,800	82	-	-	-	-	2,200	100
Not specified	1,200	90	-	-	-	-	1,400	100
Total	80,800	90	3,300	4	5,800	6	90,000	100

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

- Population estimates or percentages too small to report (estimated frequencies outside the 70 percent relative sampling error cut-off point).

Note: A one-family household is defined as a household containing a single family, with a family defined as a single parent or caregiver plus one or more children, a couple plus one or more children, or a couple without children.

Social marital status

The term 'social marital status' refers to whether a person has a partner or spouse. ['Social marital status' is the term used by Statistics New Zealand with reference to this type of census data. 'Partners' include same-sex or opposite-sex partners.] Just over half (54 percent) of all adults with disability, an estimated 340,000 adults, had a partner or spouse. Adults with disability in the 45-64 age group (67 percent) were more likely to have a partner or spouse than adults with disability in the 65-74 (63 percent) and the 75 and over (41 percent) age groups.

Thirty-seven percent of adults with disability, an estimated 234,900 adults, did not have a partner or spouse.

Information on social marital status was not available for the remaining 8 percent of adults with disability.

Adults with disability were generally less likely than adults without disability to have a partner or spouse (Figure 6.4). In every adult age group, apart from 15-24, a smaller percentage of adults with disability had a partner or spouse than adults without disability. This difference was most marked in the 25-44 age group where 54 percent of people with disability had a partner or spouse, compared with 67 percent of people without disability.

Figure 6.4: Percentage of adults with and without disability living in households who had a partner or spouse, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.5.

Men with disability (62 percent) were more likely than women with disability (48 percent) to have a partner or spouse. This difference probably relates at least in part to women with disability being generally older than men with disability, so more likely to have lost a partner or spouse through death.

Europeans with disability (57 percent) were more likely to have a partner or spouse than Mäori or Pacific adults with disability (44 percent and 48 percent respectively). Adults with disability living in rural areas (66 percent) were also more likely to have a partner or spouse than adults with disability living in urban areas (52 percent).

The proportion with a partner or spouse was relatively high among adults with hearing disability (61 percent), but relatively low among adults with psychiatric/psychological disability (39 percent) and intellectual disability (29 percent) (Figure 6.5).

Figure 6.5: Percentage of adults with disability living in households who had a partner or spouse, by disability type, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings.

Notes:

- Data in Appendix Table 6.6.

- If individuals reported more than one disability type, they were counted in each applicable disability group.

Similar percentages of adults with mild (54 percent), moderate (55 percent) and severe disability (52 percent) had a partner or spouse.

Home ownership

The 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings asked adult New Zealanders if they personally owned or partly owned the dwelling in which they usually lived. [This section refers topersonalhome ownership, rather thanhousing tenure, which is whether a dwelling in which an individual lives is owned byanyof the usual residents or is rented (see next section).] By anonymously matching the results for this question with results from the 2001 Household Disability Survey, it was possible to estimate how many adults with disability owned or partly-owned the dwelling in which they lived.

Half (52 percent) of adults with disability, an estimated 327,600 adults, owned or partly owned the house, apartment or other kind of dwelling in which they usually lived. Thirty percent did not own or partly own their home, while the home ownership status of the remaining 18 percent was unknown.

In every age group from 25-44 to 75 and over, adults with disability were less likely than adults without disability to own or partly own their home (Figure 6.6). In the 75 and over age group, for example, 63 percent of people with disability owned or partly owned their home, compared with 73 percent of people without disability.

Figure 6.6: Percentage of adults with and without disability living in households who personally owned or partly owned the dwelling in which they usually lived, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.7.

Europeans with disability (58 percent), were more likely than Mäori (31 percent) and Pacific (24 percent) adults with disability to own or partly own their home.

Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of adults with hearing disability owned their home, but rates of home ownership were lower for adults with mobility (54 percent), agility (52 percent) and seeing (49 percent) disability, and even lower for adults with psychiatric/psychological (35 percent) and intellectual (23 percent) disability (Table 6.2).

Table 6.2: Adults with disability who owned or partly owned the dwelling in which they usually lived, by disability type, 2001

Disability type	Population estimate	%
Mobility	186,600	54
Agility	140,900	52
Hearing	132,200	62
Seeing	32,500	47
Intellectual	6,600	23
Psychiatric/psychological	32,900	35
Other	113,900	46
Total	327,600	52

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: If individuals reported more than one disability type, they were counted in each applicable disability group.

Rates of home ownership were higher for adults with mild and moderate disability (57 percent and 51 percent respectively) than for adults with severe disability (40 percent).

A relatively high percentage of adults with a main disability caused by ageing (66 percent) owned or partly owned their home. This contrasts with adults who had a main disability caused by a condition present at birth, only 27 percent of whom owned or partly owned their home.

Housing tenure

The 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings included questions aimed at identifying whether members of a household rented or owned the dwelling in which they lived. By anonymously matching results for these questions with data from the 2001 Household Disability Survey, it was possible to determine the mortgage and rental status of the dwellings occupied by adults and children with disability.

Adults

Fifty-eight percent of adults with disability, an estimated 361,400 adults, were living in a home owned or partly owned by the usual residents. [The category 'living in a dwelling owned or partly owned by usual residents' has a different meaning from the category 'owned or partly owned the dwelling in which usually lived' used in the previous section. The latter refers to situations where adultspersonallyown or part own the house or other kind of dwelling in which they live. The former is a more general category describing the tenure or ownership status of the dwelling. A person with disability living in the dwelling may not necessarily be the owner or part owner of the dwelling.] This included an estimated 148,200 (24 percent of adults with disability) who lived in homes where the usual residents made mortgage payments, and an estimated 208,000 (33 percent of adults with disability) who lived in homes where the usual residents made no mortgage payments (Table 6.3).

Table 6.3: Ownership and rental status of the private dwellings occupied by adults with disability, 2001

	Estimated number of adults with disability	Percentage (%)
Dwelling owned or partly owned by the usual resident(s)
Usual residents make mortgage payments	148,200	24
Usual residents do not make mortgage payments	208,000	33
Mortgage arrangements of the usual residents not further defined	5,300	1
Dwelling not owned by the usual resident(s)
Usual residents make rent payments	121,500	19
Usual residents make no rent payments	18,600	3
Rental arrangements of the usual residents not further defined	4,400	1
Ownership and rental status of dwelling not specified	120,600	19
Total adults with disability living in households	626,500	100

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: The sum of the values for each category may differ from the total due to rounding.

A further 23 percent of adults with disability, an estimated 144,500 adults, were living in a home not owned by the usual residents. Of this group an estimated 121,500 (19 percent of adults with disability) lived in homes where the usual residents paid rent. An estimated 18,600 (3 percent of adults with disability) lived in homes where the usual residents made no rent payments.

The home ownership and rental status of 19 percent of adults with disability, an estimated 120,600 adults, was not able to be identified.

Age and housing tenure

In all age groups except 15-24, most adults with disability lived in a house owned or partly owned by the usual residents, rather than in other kinds of dwellings such as rental accommodation not owned by the residents (Figure 6.7).

Figure 6.7: Percentage of adults with disability living in households, by ownership of the dwellings they occupied, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.9.

Younger adults with disability made greater use of rental accommodation, with 47 percent of adults aged 15-24 and 34 percent of adults aged 25-44 living in houses, flats or other kinds of dwelling not owned by the usual residents.

Housing tenure and other factors

Compared with European (16 percent) and Mäori (36 percent) adults with disability, a relatively high percentage of Pacific adults with disability (43 percent) were living in a house or other kinds of dwelling where the usual residents paid rent.

Urban adults with disability (21 percent) were more likely than rural adults with disability (11 percent) to be living in dwellings where the usual residents paid rent.

Adults with disability living in the Northern region (26 percent) were more likely than adults with disability living in the Southern region (16 percent) to reside in a dwelling where the usual residents paid rent.

In contrast to adults with psychiatric/psychological disability (46 percent) or intellectual disability (36 percent), a relatively high percentage of adults with hearing (66 percent), mobility (57 percent) or agility (56 percent) disability lived in a home owned or partly owned by the usual residents. However, it is important to note that information was not available on the home ownership and rental status of 19 percent of adults with disability, including 25 percent of adults with intellectual disability and 20 percent of adults with psychiatric/psychological disability.

Fifty percent of adults with severe disability lived in a house owned or partly owned by the usual residents and 29 percent lived in a house not owned by the usual residents. For adults with moderate disability the corresponding rates were 60 percent and 20 percent; and for adults with mild disability they were 58 percent and 24 percent.

Adults with and without disability

Compared with adults with disability living in households, adults without disability had a generally similar pattern of home ownership and rental status. In 2001, 60 percent of adults without disability lived in homes owned or partly owned by the usual residents compared with 58 percent of adults with disability. Twenty-three percent of adults with and without disability lived in houses not owned by the usual residents.

Examining these figures in more detail, older adults both with and without disability were more likely to live in a mortgage-free home than younger adults. Also, in every age adult group from 15-24 to 75 and over, a slightly smaller proportion of people with disability lived in a mortgage-free home than people without disability (Figure 6.8).

Figure 6.8: Percentage of adults with and without disability living in a dwelling owned or partly owned by the usual residents and where the usual residents do not make mortgage payments, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.9.

In each age group, adults with disability were more likely than adults without disability to be living in a house or other kind of dwelling where the usual residents paid rent (Figure 6.9). This was especially so in the 15-24 age group, where 44 percent lived in a dwelling where the residents paid rent, compared with 30 percent of people without disability.

Figure 6.9: Percentage of adults with and without disability living in a dwelling where the usual residents paid rent, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.9.

Children

Of the estimated 90,000 children with disability living in New Zealand households in 2001, 49 percent were living in a home owned or partly owned by the usual residents. This included 36,600 or 41 percent of children with disability who lived in homes where the usual residents made mortgage payments and 7400 or 8 percent of children with disability who lived in homes where the usual residents made no mortgage payments (Table 6.4).

A further 34 percent of children with disability were living in a home not owned by the usual residents. Of this group, 28,300 or 31 percent of children with disability lived in homes where the usual residents paid rent. Another 1800 or 2 percent of children with disability lived in homes where the usual residents paid no rent.

The ownership and rental status of the homes of 17 percent of children with disability were not able to be identified.

Table 6.4: Ownership and rental status of the private dwellings occupied by children with disability, 2001

	Estimated number of children with disability	Percentage (%)
Dwelling owned or partly owned by the usual resident(s)
Usual residents make mortgage payments	36,600	41
Usual residents do not make mortgage payments	7,400	8
Mortgage arrangements of the usual residents not further defined	-	-
Dwelling not owned by the usual resident(s)
Usual residents make rent payments	28,300	31
Usual residents make no rent payments	1,800	2
Rental arrangements of the usual residents not further defined	-	-
Ownership and rental status of dwelling not specified	15,000	17
Total children with disability living in households	90,000	100

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings.

- Population estimates or percentages too small to report (estimated frequencies outside the 70 percent relative sampling error cut-off point).

Note: The sum of the values for each category may differ from the total due to rounding.

Children with disability were more likely than children without disability to live in homes not owned by the residents (34 percent compared with 28 percent). They were correspondingly less likely to live in homes owned by the usual residents (49 percent compared with 56 percent).

Rental payments

Adults

In 2001, of the estimated 121,500 adults with disability living in homes where the usual residents made rental payments, 29 percent lived in homes where the rental payments totalled less than $100 per week. Only 5 percent lived in dwellings where the rental payments were $300 or more per week.

The weekly rental payments made by adults without disability were generally higher than those made by adults with disability (Figure 6.10). Only 16 percent of adults without disability lived in dwellings where the weekly rental payments were under $100 per week; whereas 14 percent lived in dwellings where the occupants paid a total of $300 or more in rent per week.

Figure 6.10: Total weekly rental payments for accommodation used by adults with and without disability living in households, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings.

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.13.

In the 25-44 and 45-64 age groups, people with disability were more likely than people without disability to live in rental accommodation where the total weekly rent paid was under $100. However, the opposite was the case for people with disability aged 75 and over.

Children

The levels of weekly rental payments made for dwellings occupied by children with disability were generally similar to those made for dwellings occupied by children without disability. However, children with disability were slightly more likely than children without disability to live in the cheapest rental accommodation (with rental payments of under $100 per week) (Figure 6.11).

Figure 6.11: Total weekly rental payments for accommodation used by children with and without disability living in households, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings.

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.14.

Financial help for accommodation costs

The 2001 Household Disability Survey asked adults to specify, from a list of options, the kinds of financial help, if any, they were getting for their accommodation costs.

Seventy-three percent of adults with disability were not receiving any of the listed kinds of financial help for accommodation costs. [The listed kinds of financial help were: the Accommodation Supplement; Special Benefits for accommodation purposes; Tenure Protection Allowance; Special Needs Grant for moving costs or bond; ACC assistance; Ministry of Health services; Other.]

Accommodation Supplement

The Accommodation Supplement is a non-taxable government subsidy to help with accommodation costs. Eligibility depends on where in New Zealand people are living, their income and the costs of their accommodation (rent or mortgage) (Work and Income New Zealand 2004).

Thirteen percent of adults with disability, an estimated 84,400 adults, were receiving the Accommodation Supplement.

The proportions receiving the Accommodation Supplement were highest among adults aged
15-24 (18 percent) and 25-44 (24 percent) and lowest among adults aged 65-74 (6 percent) and 75 and over (5 percent).

Women with disability (16 percent) were more likely than men with disability (10 percent) to be receiving the Accommodation Supplement.

Mäori (24 percent) and Pacific (22 percent) adults with disability were more likely than European (11 percent) and Asian/Other (13 percent) adults with disability to be receiving the Accommodation Supplement.

Other kinds of financial help

Other kinds of financial help for accommodation costs such as Special Benefits or Special Needs Grants to assist with the costs of moving house or paying bonds to landlords, were each being used by a small proportion of adults with disability - no more than 1-2 percent in each case.

Awareness of the Accommodation Supplement

All adults with disability who were not getting the Accommodation Supplement were asked whether they had heard of it. Half (49 percent) said they had heard of it, while 43 percent said they had not. This indicated that 37 percent of the entire population of adults with disability, an estimated 232,100 adults, had not heard of the Accommodation Supplement. [These figures include adults living in dwellings owned by the usual residents as well as adults living in rental accommodation.]

Awareness of the Accommodation Supplement was relatively low in the 15-24 and 75 and over age groups (32 percent and 35 percent respectively), but higher in the other age groups (from 52 to 55 percent).

A slightly higher percentage of Mäori adults with disability (53 percent) knew about the Accommodation Supplement than European (49 percent), Pacific (44 percent) and Asian/Other (34 percent) adults with disability.

Access to telephone, fax and internet

The 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings included questions designed to identify the kinds of telecommunications devices people had in their homes. Matching the results of these questions with information from the 2001 Household Disability Survey makes it possible to estimate how many people with disability had access to a telephone, a fax or the internet in their home.

Adults

Eighty percent of adults with disability, an estimated 502,400 adults, had a working telephone or cellphone available in their home. This was almost the same as the rate of home telephone access for adults without disability (82 percent). [Information on access to telephone, fax and internet communications was not available for 16 percent of adults with and without disability.]

Pacific peoples (71 percent) and Mäori (74 percent) with disability had lower rates of access to a telephone or cellphone at home than Europeans (83 percent).

Nineteen percent of adults with disability, an estimated 119,400, had access to a fax at home, compared with 25 percent of adults without disability.

Twenty-six percent of adults with disability, an estimated 162,200, had access to the internet at home. This was a substantially lower rate of home internet access than the 39 percent identified for adults without disability.

Rates of internet access at home were highest among adults with disability in the age groups from 15 to 64 (from 30 to 32 percent), and lowest in the 65-74 (19 percent) and 75 and over (9 percent) age groups.

Rates of internet access were lower in all age groups for adults with disability, compared with adults without disability (Figure 6.12).

Figure 6.12: Percentage of adults with and without disability living in households, with internet access at home, by age, 2001

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings.

Note: Data in Appendix Table 6.17.

Children

Children with disability (77 percent) were slightly less likely than children without disability (81 percent) to have a telephone or cellphone in their home. They were also less likely to have access to the internet at home (34 percent compared with 40 percent).

Modifications in and around the home

Sixteen percent of adults and 3 percent of children with disability, an estimated 97,500 adults and 2600 children, had certain kinds of built-in modification in or around their home because of disability.

Adults with severe disability (34 percent) were the most likely to have modifications in and around their home, compared with 22 percent of adults with moderate disability and just 4 percent of adults with mild disability.

Children with disability requiring the use of technical aids (29 percent) were more likely than children with other types of disability (for example, intellectual - 11 percent; psychiatric/ psychological - 7 percent; chronic condition/health problem - 5 percent) to have modifications in and around their home.

Modifications inside the home

The 2001 Household Disability Survey included questions examining how many adults and children with disability had modifications inside their home because of disability. The focus of the questions was items or features attached to the inside of the house, such as grab or hand rails or easy-to-get-at toilets, rather than portable equipment or appliances such as special chairs or stools.

Adults

Twelve percent of adults with disability, an estimated 74,200 adults, had some kinds of built-in modification inside their home because of disability.

By far the most common modifications were grab or hand rails, used by 10 percent of adults with disability (an estimated 61,900 adults).

The next two most common modifications were wet-area showers (2 percent of adults with disability or an estimated 14,600 adults) and easy-to-get-at toilets (2 percent of adults with disability or an estimated 14,800 adults). In addition the homes of an estimated:

• 6100 adults had lever door handles
• 6000 adults had emergency call systems
• 5500 adults had widened doorways or hallways
• 3300 adults had automatic or easy-to-open doors or windows
• 2800 adults had audio warning devices
• 2700 adults had lowered benches or sinks
• 2400 adults had bed or bath lifts
• 1800 adults had lowered switches or power points.

Older adults were most likely to use these kinds of modification inside their home, with 30 percent of people with disability aged 75 and over using one or more of these features, compared with just 4 percent of adults aged 25-44 with disability.

Women (15 percent) were more likely than men (9 percent) to use one or more of these features.

Seventeen percent of adults whose main disability was a mobility disability used one or more of these features, as did 15 percent of adults whose main disability was an agility disability, 12 percent of adults whose main disability was a seeing disability and 7 percent of adults whose main disability was a hearing disability. [Only a small percentage of adults whose main disability was an intellectual disability used any of these kinds of modification, and the actual percentage is statistically too unreliable to report. The same is the case for adults whose main disability was a psychiatric/psychological disability.]

Twenty-eight percent of adults with severe disability used one or more of these kinds of feature, compared with just 3 percent of adults with mild disability.

Unmet need for modifications inside the home

Four percent of adults with disability, an estimated 26,600 adults, indicated there were certain kinds of modification they did not have inside their home that they needed. More than half (59 percent) of this group, an estimated 15,600 adults, said they needed grab or hand rails. As well, an estimated:

• 6700 adults indicated they needed wet-area showers
• 2600 adults indicated they needed an easy-to-get-at toilet
• 1800 adults indicated they needed an emergency call system.
• 1800 adults indicated they needed bed or bath lifts.

When these adults were asked why they did not have these modifications, the most common reason was that the modifications were unaffordable (39 percent).

Seventeen percent indicated they did not know where to go to get the modifications they needed.

As well, 17 percent indicated they did not have the modifications they needed because they did not know where to go to apply for financial help to pay for them or were unaware financial help was available.

Other reasons adults gave for not having the modifications they needed included: they did not know the modification existed; their condition was not serious enough; or the modification was needed only occasionally.

Children

Of the 90,000 children with disability, 2 percent or an estimated 2000 children, had one or more kinds of built-in modifications inside their home because of disability.

Grab or hand rails were the most common types of modification used by this group (used by 30 percent of all children with modifications inside their home). [Because of small numbers, it is not possible to report any further specific modifications made to children's homes.]

The caregivers of 2 percent of children with disability (an estimated 2200 children) indicated there were special features inside the home that their child did not have, but needed. [The results for the question asking about which particular features children needed, but did not have, were not available from Statistics New Zealand at the time of writing.]

The most common reason for not having these features was affordability (reported by the parents or caregivers of an estimated 1300 children with disability). [The number of parents or caregivers giving other reasons were too small to report.]

Modifications for entering or leaving the home

The 2001 Household Disability Survey included questions to identify how many adults and children with disability were using any kinds of built-in modification in or around their home, such as ramps or widened doorways, to enable them to enter or leave their home more easily or safely.

Adults

Nine percent of adults with disability, an estimated 55,700 adults, used one or more built-in modifications to assist them to enter or leave their home.

The most common modifications for this purpose were hand rails at steps or doorways, used by 7 percent of adults with disability or an estimated 43,400 adults.

The next most commonly used modifications were easy-to-get-at driveways, ramps and street level entrances, used by 3 percent of adults with disability or an estimated 19,200 adults.

• An estimated 3900 adults with disability used easy-to-get-at driveways or passenger drop-off or pick-up areas outside their house.
• An estimated 3800 adults with disability used automatic or easy-to-open doors.
• An estimated 1800 adults with disability used elevators or lift devices.

Unmet need for special features for entering and leaving

Three percent of adults with disability, an estimated 19,000 adults, indicated their home did not have certain built-in modifications they needed for entering or exiting.

Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of this group, an estimated 12,000 adults, indicated they needed hand rails at steps or doorways. One-third, an estimated 5900 adults, indicated they needed easy-to-get-at driveways, ramps and street level entrances. An estimated 1600 adults needed widened doorways.

When these adults were asked why they did not have these modifications, the most common reason they gave was that the modifications were unaffordable. Forty-four percent, an estimated 8300 adults with disability, gave this as a reason.

Nineteen percent, or an estimated 3600 adults with disability, indicated they did not have the modifications they needed because they did not know where to go to apply for financial help to pay for them or were unaware financial help was available. Seventeen percent, an estimated 3000 adults with disability, indicated they did not know where to go to obtain the modifications they needed.

Children

Of the 90,000 children with disability, about 1 percent or an estimated 1200 children, used built-in modifications in or around their home to assist them with entering or leaving the house. Ninety-two percent of children did not use any of these types of modification. [Information on the use of special features for getting into or out of the house was not available for 7 percent of children.]

The most frequently reported modifications used by children were easy-to-get-at driveways, ramps and street level entrances. Over half (56 percent) the estimated 1200 children who used some kind of modifications to assist them with getting into or out of the house used easy-to-get-at driveways, ramps or entrances.

About 1 percent of children with disability (an estimated 1300 children) did not have the built-in modifications they needed for getting into and out of the house. The modifications most commonly needed were hand rails at steps or doorways, required by over half this group of children (57 percent). [The number of parents or caregivers reporting particular reasons for not having these modifications was too small to report except for the category 'other reason', which applied to 800 children.]

Government loans or grants to help with alterations

Three percent of adults with disability, an estimated 20,200 adults, had modifications made to the inside or outside of their home in the previous 12 months because of disability. Of this group, a third (32 percent), an estimated 6400 adults, received a loan or grant from a government agency such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development or Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), to pay or partly pay for these alterations.

Parents or caregivers of 2600 children (3 percent) reported their homes had been modified inside or outside because of their child's disability. The majority (73 percent) of these parents or caregivers had not received loans or grants from government agencies to pay for these alterations.

Comparing 2001 and 1996

Adults

The proportion of adults with disability living alone was the same in 2001 as in 1996 (19 percent). However, in 2001 a slightly smaller proportion of adults with disability lived in one-family households (Table 6.5).

Table 6.5: Summary comparison of 1996 and 2001 Household Disability Surveys for adults

	Estimated number of adults with disability living in households		Percentage of total number of adults with disability living in households (%)
	1996 survey	2001 survey	1996 survey	2001 survey
Household composition
Living in one-family household	404,800	413,300	70	66
Living in two or more family household	19,800	25,200	3	4
Living in other multi-person household	26,600	27,900	5	4
Living alone	110,200	120,700	19	19
Not identified	18,500	39,400	3	6
Social marital status
Partnered	335,900	340,000	58	54
Non-partnered	203,900	234,900	35	37
Not identified	40,600	51,600	7	8
Need to have new or changed features to enter or leave home
Yes	13,900	19,000	2	3
No	550,200	561,100	95	90
Not specified	16,300	46,300	3	7
Need to have new or changed features inside home
Yes	30,100	26,600	5	4
No	534,300	553,400	92	88
Not specified	16,000	46,300	3	7
Types of financial help used for costs of accommodation
Accommodation Supplement	76,700	84,400	14	13
Special benefits	13,800	11,900	2	2
Tenure protection allowance	-	2,300	-	0
Special Needs Grant for moving costs or bond	-	5,700	-	1
ACC assistance	N/A	7,700	N/A	1
Ministry of Health services	N/A	3,200	N/A	1
Other	N/A	14,700	N/A	2
None of these	469,300	460,500	84	73
Did not know if got help	9,600	5,000	2	1

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey and 1996 Household Disability Survey.

- Numbers too small to report (estimated frequencies outside the 70 percent relative sampling error cut-off point).

N/A Not applicable.

Note: As indicated on the table by N/A, categories for financial help for accommodation costs were different in 1996 and 2001, which may explain at least part of the difference for the results for the 'none of these' category.

Compared with 1996, in 2001 a slightly smaller percentage of adults with disability had partners.

In both years a comparatively small proportion of adults with disability (2-3 percent) identified a need for new or upgraded features in their home to assist them with entering or leaving the house.

The proportion of adults with disability receiving the Accommodation Supplement was similar in both years (14 percent in 1996 and 13 percent in 2001).

Children

In 1996 and 2001 the same proportion of children with disability lived in one-family households (90 percent) (Table 6.6).

Table 6.6: Summary comparison of 1996 and 2001 Household Disability Surveys for children

	Estimated number of children with disability living in households		Percentage of total number of children with disability living in households (%)
	1996 survey	2001 survey	1996 survey	2001 survey
Household composition
Living in one-family household	84,100	80,800	90	90
Living in two or more family household	5,900	3,400	6	4
Not identified	3,900	5,800	4	6
Need to have new or changed features for entering or exiting home
Yes	-	1,300	-	1
No	91,800	82,400	98	92
Not specified	1,300	6,200	1	7
Need to have new or changed features inside home
Yes	2,600	2,200	3	2
No	90,100	81,500	96	91
Not specified	1,300	6,200	1	7

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001 Household Disability Survey, 1996 Household Disability Survey

- Numbers too small to report (estimated frequencies outside the 70 percent relative sampling error cut-off point).

In both years, only a small proportion of children (3 percent or less) had unmet needs for new features in their home to assist with disability.