ABSTRACT
Successive Australian governments since the late eighties have increasingly pursued policies aimed at stemming the growing numbers of citizens who are claiming the Disability Support Pension. The previous Labor government in 1990–91, introduced the Disability Reform Program (DRP) to improve the participation of individuals with disabilities in employment, particularly those with significant disabilities (Baume and Kay, 1995). The DRP had special provisions for people with psychiatric disabilities. Before its introduction individuals with psychiatric disabilities were seen as the responsibility of state governments, not the Commonwealth, and were not eligible for Commonwealth funded employment and training services available to individuals with other disabilities (Whitford et al., 1993). The DRP granted this group access to mainstream training, rehabilitation, and other disability employment support services. However, access to programs cannot result in successful employment outcomes unless the programs meet the specific needs of the individuals. Evaluation of the DRP indicated that it had failed to meet the employment needs of those with severe disabilities, and this included psychiatric disabilities (Baume and Kay, 1995).
