The need for new models for delivery of therapy intervention to people with a disability in rural and remote areas of Australia

Early therapy intervention by occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech pathologists (therapists) is recognised to yield benefits across the lifecourse (Carpenter, 2007; Law, 2002; Thomaidis, Kaderoglou, Stefou,8 Damianou, & Bakoula, 2000; Ziviani, Feeney, Rodger, & Watter, 2010). As a result, there have recently been increases in funding for therapy positions in disability services in New South Wales (NSW), Australia (New South Wales Government, 2006). However, research by Keane, Smith, Lincoln, and Fisher (2011), Chisholm, Russell, and Humphreys (2011), and Denham and Shaddock (2004) indicated that there is a shortage of therapists living and working in rural and remote areas of Australia. Australia is the world's sixth largest country in terms of landmass covering 7,686,850 square kilometres. However, the approximately 22 million people who live in Australia are largely concentrated in urban areas along the coastal fringe of the eastern states. Increasing distance from the coast means lower population density and reduced access to health services, including therapy. The shortage of rural-based therapists means that a person with a disability in a rural area is significantly disadvantaged in accessing early therapy intervention compared with peers living in metropolitan areas (Doherty, 2007).