Inquiry into Disability Inclusion Bill 2024
For a long time, disability has been widely defined through a ‘deficit’ lens – a ‘problem’ to fix. While
in our and our members’ work, we see that the symptoms of mental health conditions cause
significant distress for those with lived experience, their carers, and kin, there is far more to the
picture. The symptoms of mental health conditions are exacerbated by exclusion. Stigmatising
attitudes around mental ill-health may lead to feelings of shame, which has the effect of deepening
distress. Experiences of discrimination are further destabilising and may cut people off from the
means to find necessary support.