Why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples Are Falling Through the Gaps.
By Ngarra Support Services
In Australia, disability support, mental health or health care in general is often talked about as if it’s equal, accessible, and fair. On paper, systems like the NDIS exist to support everyone. In reality, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability are still being left behind.
Not because support doesn’t exist — but because it doesn’t always reach community in the way it should.
The Reality on the Ground
For many Indigenous Australians, disability is not just a medical issue. It’s deeply connected to culture, community, Country, and family. Yet support systems are often built without understanding that rehabilitation and quality of life is also connected to culture and without systems built around this specifically we are always trying to catch up and we’re tired.
We see it every day:
People unsure how to navigate complex systems
Families acting as full-time carers without support
Services that don’t understand cultural context
Participants disengaging because they feel unheard or unsafe
When systems aren’t culturally responsive, people disengage — and that’s where the real harm happens.
Why Cultural Safety Matters in Disability Support
Cultural safety isn’t a “nice to have”. It’s essential.
When someone feels culturally safe, they’re more likely to:
Ask questions
Advocate for their needs
Engage consistently with services
Achieve better long-term outcomes
Without it, services risk becoming another barrier instead of a solution.
Our Approach at Ngarra
Ngarra was created to do things differently.
We believe support should be:
Human, not transactional
Culturally informed, not generic
Community-connected, not siloed
We work alongside people — not over them — to help navigate systems, build confidence, and strengthen independence in ways that make sense for their lives.
Looking Ahead
Closing the gap in disability support won’t happen through policy alone. It happens through trust, relationships, and listening to community voices.
That’s where we start.
