Mental illnesses are not an 'ideal type' of disability for disability income support: Perceptions of policymakers in Australia and Canada.

Abstract

Aim: This article aims to explore how policymakers conceptualise a person suitable for disability income support (DIS) and how this compares across two settings - Australia and Canada. Methods: A constructivist grounded theory approach was used; 45 policymakers in Australia and Canada were interviewed between March 2012 and September 2013. All policymakers are or were influential in the design or assessment of DIS. Results: Results found that the policymakers in both jurisdictions define a suitable person as having as an 'ideal type' of disability with five features - visibility, diagnostic proof, permanency, recognition as a medical illness and perceived as externally caused. Many of the po..