When funding is available or supports and service are limited due to not enough funding, then this places the participants at great risk.

Examples of risks are:

• Health risks
• Some musculoskeletal conditions
• Overweight and obesity
• Some forms of cancer
• Type 2 diabetes.
• High blood pressure
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke

Risk factors for high blood pressure include:

• poor diet (particularly a high salt intake)
• obesity
• excessive alcohol consumption
• insufficient physical activity.
• Behavioural risks
• Biomedical risk factors are bodily states that pose direct and specific risks for health—for example, overweight and obesity and high blood pressure.
• Modifying behavioural and biomedical risk factors can reduce an individual’s risk of developing chronic conditions and result in large health gains by reducing illness and rates of death.
• High staff turnover
• Perceived caregiver stress
• Power and control issues
• Negative attitudes towards people with disability demonstrated by family members
• Lack of awareness and use of formal supports
• Social isolation and lack of close relationship
• Communication difficulties
• Challenging, disruptive, reckless and/or risky behaviour
• Inappropriate sexual behaviour
• Learnt over-compliance or complete dependence on caregivers
• Limited physical mobility
• Limited sense of personal power, low self-esteem
• Low income or restricted access to resources
• Limited sex education or age-appropriate sexual experiences
• High tolerance of violence
• Lack of self-protection skills
• Limited life experiences
• Lack of knowledge of rights
• Environmental
• Cognitive disability may trust too much of others and be easier to trick, bribe, or coerce.
• A person who has a disability that impacts their ability to communicate face additional barriers to disclose abuse or assault.
• People with disabilities are told to be obedient, passive, polite, and to control difficult behaviours. This is called compliance training.
• People with disabilities sometimes grow up without sexuality education, abuse prevention information, or assertiveness education.
• People with disabilities may be misinformed about their bodies, healthy sexuality, or how to tell if someone is being abusive or not.
• A person with a mental health diagnoses may be taken advantage of by an abusive person if they cannot tell between reality and non-reality from their mental health symptoms.

Common hazards and risks in disability services:

• lifting, supporting and transferring clients.
• using equipment like wheelchairs and lifting hoists.
• work-related stress.
• occupational violence.
• slips, trips and falls.
• bullying and harassment