Monash University has led the creation of a new Disability Wellbeing Index to better measure outcomes for people with disability. Supported by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), the Index aims to enhance services and inform disability policy across Australia.
Launched by Monash University’s Centre for Health Economics, the new Disability Wellbeing Index (DWI) was developed across four years through a multi-phase research project in consultation with more than 3,500 Australians with disability, their families, carers, and support networks.
The DWI aims to be a measure of outcomes for adults and young people (aged 15 years and above) with disability across 14 key items covering ten life domains, including health, safety, relationships, personal care, meaningful activities, finances, learning and support.
Professor Gang Chen (Adjunct), a project lead in quality of life and health economics research at Monash’s Centre for Health Economics, said the Index can be used to help measure the impact of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and other agency services in a way that is meaningful for all people with disabilities.
“Measuring wellbeing through the DWI over time will help the NDIA, providers and other agencies in the community to improve services for people with disability,” Professor Chen said.
“Looking at the Index results over time and across services for diverse groups of people with disability can inform better planning decisions and assist in prioritising resources.”
The Index was developed using a preference-based scoring system that captures what matters most to people with disability, enabling a more person-centred measurement of wellbeing. A total of 1,983 NDIS participants (1,470 adults and 513 young people) completed the final valuation survey, which informed the weighting and scoring of the index.
Co-author of the research, Professor Dennis Petrie, an inequities in health researcher from Monash’s Centre for Health Economics, said this is the first time a wellbeing index has been built from the ground up by and for people with disabilities.
“It captures what really matters to the participants, not just what systems think should matter. This will enable smarter, more compassionate investments in disability services and supports,” Professor Petrie said.
The Index score for each person is calculated on the basis of responses to a short questionnaire, which can be completed by either the person themselves or with the assistance of a supporter.
“The questionnaire seeks responses to statements such as ‘I am satisfied with my mental health,’ ‘I have enough money to meet my needs,’ and ‘I am satisfied with how people treat me,’ to capture each participant’s experiences at the time of responding and assess personal outcomes in key life areas including mental wellbeing, interpersonal relationships, and finances,” Professor Petrie said.
Health economics expert and co-author of this research, from Monash’s Centre for Health Economics Professor, Anthony Harris, said the DWI was designed to measure the performance of services and supports delivered to people with a disability, to promote those that perform better, and allow participants to make better choices.
“Ultimately, if adopted as a routine measure of performance by providers, we hope that it will lead to better support for people with a disability, and improved value for money as investment shifts to services that contribute more to wellbeing,” Professor Harris said.
To make the Index questionnaire more accessible, researchers developed an “Easy English” version in collaboration with the Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability (VALID).
Mr Fionn Skiotis, Chief Executive Officer at VALID, said they were proud to support the creation of the Easy Read version of the DWI.
“This ensures people with diverse communication needs can use the tool, express what matters to them, and be counted. Making the DWI more inclusive means it can better reflect the experiences and well-being of all people with disability,” Mr Skiotis said.
This project was led by Monash University in partnership with researchers from Flinders University and the University of Sydney. The research was supported by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
Professor Anthony Harris from Monash University’s Centre for Health Economics is available for interviews regarding the Index.
