Learn about the unmet service needs among people living with co-occurring physical disabilities and mental health conditions and consider how these barriers may affect newcomers accessing services.
Authors:
Yu-Ling Yin, Irma Molina, Kamalpreet Rakhra, Frank Sirotich, Christine L. Sheppard
Location:
Ontario
Background:
People living with cooccurring physical disabilities and mental health conditions are an increasingly common yet underexamined population. Limited evidence exists on how service needs differ for this group compared to people living with mental health conditions alone, particularly in communitybased settings.
This study examined service needs among people with both physical disabilities and mental health conditions who were receiving mental health services and supports from community-based mental health agencies. The analysis draws on data from the Ontario Common Assessment of Need (OCAN), a standardized needs assessment tool used widely across Ontario’s community mental health sector. The analysis also included advisory consultations with service users and a frontline provider to better understand findings and inform interpretation.
Findings:
Compared to community mental health service users with mental health conditions only, those with co-occurring physical disabilities had significantly higher levels of need in several domains, particularly those related to daily functioning and physical well-being.
Key findings include:
- Higher overall and unmet needs related to physical health, self-care, looking after the home, transportation, psychological distress, and social connection.
- Physical health needs were, nearly universally, higher among people with physical disabilities and were substantially more likely to be unmet.
- Self-care and household maintenance needs, including personal hygiene and homemaking, were significantly more common and more likely to remain unmet.
- Transportation barriers were more prevalent and frequently prevented access to medical appointments and essential services.
- Psychological distress was common across both groups, but unmet psychological distress needs were higher among those with physical disabilities.
- Individuals with physical disabilities were more likely to rely on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) as their primary income source, underscoring the role of financial constraints in shaping unmet needs.
Advisory consultations reinforced these findings and highlighted intersecting barriers, including low income, limited access to assistive devices, transportation challenges, and gaps in provider knowledge related to physical disabilities. Service users emphasized that unmet physical health and personal care needs often compound mental health challenges and place additional strain on family caregivers.
How does this research apply to my work?
Although this study was conducted among community mental health service users and did not specifically focus on newcomers, the findings may help health, settlement and social service providers better understand disability-related barriers that some newcomers experience. These findings highlight how transportation, personal care needs, income constraints and service navigation challenges can affect well-being and access to supports, and may help professionals working with newcomer populations consider disability-related perspectives in their practice. Future research should explore the intersecting experiences of immigration and disability to better understand the unique barriers and needs of newcomers with co-occurring physical disabilities and mental health conditions.
What should I take away from this research?
These findings highlight the need to move beyond a narrow focus on mental health symptoms only toward addressing the broader social, economic, and service conditions required for people with disabilities to thrive and live healthy, engaged lives. Key areas for action include:
- Strengthening access to transportation supports, including better coordination across municipal and provincial programs to address gaps in affordability and reliability.
- Expanding access to personal and household care supports, especially for working-aged adults who are often ineligible for existing programs.
- Enhancing capacity within community services, including settlement services, through training and system supports to improve understanding of physical disabilities and related service navigation.
- Addressing financial barriers, including the adequacy of income supports, which affect access to food, assistive devices, and transportation.