Latest news, research and events from the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne
Trams are an important part of Melbourne's transport system, and one of the city's most recognisable icons. Yet the design of trams and tram stops, as well as issues such as overcrowding and limited coverage, means not everyone is able to use this resource to move around the city and beyond. The Victorian government has recently committed to investing in the renewal of Melbourne's tram network system. So, we are helping to gather evidence about the improvements necessary to make our trams accessible and inclusive for everyone.
How can you get involved?
We are gathering preliminary data through an online survey. The survey includes questions about how frequently you use trams and your experiences – both positive and negative – about using them to move around. The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.
If you choose, you can also provide us your contact details to participate in a follow up interview. The interviews will cover similar questions but will be open ended to get more detail about your experiences with trams.
The survey will be open during March and April 2022. Please share these survey links with anyone you think would be interested.
Completing the surveys is voluntary and responses are anonymous. If you have questions or would like more information about the project or the surveys, please visit our website or contact us at md-i@unimelb.edu.au.
Dr Rob Carter
Dr Raelene West
Dr Paul Jacobs
We are delighted to welcome Rob, Rae and Paul to the Melbourne Disability Institute.
Dr Rob Carter
Rob has taken up the new Chair in Disability Economics in the Melbourne Disability Institute (MDI), created with the support of the Brotherhood of St Lawrence. He has extensive experience in economic evaluation and health services research across a wide range of settings. Rob retired as an ‘Alfred Deakin Professor’ in late 2019 from Deakin University but continued his research interests, particularly in the economics of disability.
Dr Raelene West
Rae is currently working as a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Disability Institute. Passionate about creating positive social change, her research field is critical disability studies, with a focus on delivery of support services. She has a PhD in Sociology - Disability from the University of Melbourne and has worked for the last few years on a wide range of projects in disability and aged care.
Dr Paul Jacobs
Paul has joined the Melbourne Disability Institute as a Research Fellow. He has worked in the government, academic, educational, and service sectors. He holds a PhD in Education from the University of Melbourne and has been profoundly deaf since he was 5 years old. Paul specialises in evidence-based practice and policy.
You can read more about the MDI team here: https://disability.unimelb.edu.au/about/our-people
Inclusive Learning Focus Groups
A team of researchers at the University of Melbourne are running a series of focus groups to learn from people with lived experience of disability in education settings on how to create inclusive learning spaces in schools.The focus groups will run in late April and May, will be divided into three sessions and will cover the following topics:
Session 1 What does inclusive education mean to you?
Session 2 What enables and constrains inclusive learning spaces - indoors and outdoors?
Session 3 What knowledge is needed to better design and use learning spaces for inclusive education?
The following participant groups are invited:
Young adults with disability (+18), Parents of children with disability, Disability Representative Organisations (DROs), Special needs educators and teaching assistants, Allied health professionals working in schools, School students with disability (10-17 years – subject to ethics approval)
If you are interested in learning more, please email saumya.kaushik@unimelb.edu.au to register your interest.
Opportunity | Casual Research Assistants
The Scope Australia - University of Melbourne partnership is recruiting casual research assistants to work on a project linked to the Younger people in residential aged care (YPIRAC) Systems Coordinator Program.
The Program is a national initiative that engages younger people who reside in, or are at risk of entering, residential aged care (RAC), to help them to get the support they need to live in a home that is right for their age.
PhD candidates or emerging ECRs in the sociology of disability, ageing or health with qualitative research experience would be well-suited to apply.
Please see the position description for details and if you have any questions, please contact Julie.anderson@unimelb.edu.au
Community-Based Research Program | Accepting Applications!
Do you run a great program or service that is making a difference in the lives of people with disability and/or their families? Are you looking to show just how effective it is or what great outcomes you are achieving?
The Melbourne Disability Institute’s Community-Based Research Program meets the research needs of community organisations by providing research support and evaluation for strength-based and innovative programs that are making a difference in the lives of people with disability, their families and carers.
We are inviting applications from organisations who are running programs that are building the capacity of people with disability, their family or carers, to live engaged, self-directed and fulfilling lives.
Applications close Wednesday, 20 April 2022. If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please contact Campbell Message, Program Manager at Campbell.message@unimelb.edu.au.
Find out about opportunities and events that are happening in the community below. Interested in promoting your event, sharing a job posting, research opportunity or another item of interest? Send the details through to Sara.Donaldson@unimelb.edu.au.
The Melbourne Disability Institute was established in 2018 to build a collaborative, interdisciplinary and translational disability research program at the University of Melbourne.
Questions? Contact us at md-i@unimelb.edu.au
