Exciting new podcast launched today!
It’s been hard keeping this under wraps but the day is finally here - launch day!

Melbourne Disability Institute and the ABC have partnered to create a ground breaking podcast series to uncover what's really going on for people with disability in Australia today.  

Kurt Fearnley and Sarah Shands have travelled across Australia speaking to people with disability, their families, advocates and researchers about all the big issues - like transport, living with COVID, education and employment. 

Episodes will be released weekly with the first full episode due on September 14. You can find the podcast on the ABC listen app, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Kurt Fearnley AO is an Australian television host, Paralympian, teacher, dad and proud person with a disability.

Sarah Shands is a mum of a child with disability, the wonderfully curious Gillian, who joins Kurt to talk to Australians with disability about whether they get a fair go. 

We are thrilled to be able to support this podcast - follow the link below and come along on the journey with us.

Closing Soon! PhD Scholarship Opportunity! Disability and Inequality
There is new and emerging evidence that much of the poorer health experienced by people with disability is avoidable. However, very little is known about the health inequalities people with disability in Australia face and how they can be closed.

If you would like to be part of changing this picture, this PhD scholarship may be just right for you. We are looking for a PhD student to join an existing research team looking at health inequalities, disability and the NDIS. 

Closing Soon! Disability Research Seed Funding for University of Melbourne research projects
The Melbourne Disability Institute (MDI) is focused on developing much needed evidence, data and research to address the complex problems facing people with disability in this country. To do this, we want to facilitate research that is driven by people with disability and their families and that will make a real difference in their lives. 

We are excited to announce our latest round of seed funding is now open for University of Melbourne Researchers. Grants of up to $30,000 will be awarded to facilitate research that is driven by people with disability and their families and that will have real world policy or practice impact.

Registrations are now open for the 2022 Virtual Disability Conference to be held on 21 September!
This fully online one day conference features an exciting and a diverse program exploring the theme “Raising Expectations.” The keynote presentation will be delivered by Senator Jordon Steele-John. Other presentations explore such issues as disability and intersectionality, promoting and achieving choice and self determination, what we need from a quality disability workforce, employment and universal designed.

The Melbourne Disability Institute is pleased to collaborate with the VDC on a symposium titled Inequality, inequity and inclusion – What exactly do we expect the National Disability Insurance Scheme to deliver?

We hope you can tune in. Please register by Tuesday 20th September 2022.

Seeking allied healthcare clinicians - Share your thoughts and ideas on physical activity participation interventions for children born very preterm
This is an invitation to participate in an interview about your ideas on physical activity interventions for 8 –14-year-old children born preterm. The information from this interview will be used in future projects aiming to co-design a community-based physical activity participation intervention.
What would I need to do?
This project involves participating in a 45–60-minute interview via online video conference (Zoom).
Who can participate?
Allied healthcare clinicians, working in Victoria with experience working with children born preterm at 8-14 years of age in the past 5 years.
What else do I need to know?
This research is being conducted by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. It is funded by the Centre of Research Excellence in Newborn Medicine and has ethics approval.
If you would like to participate, or would like further information about this study, please email Kate Cameron on kate.cameron@mcri.edu.au

Now Open! Melbourne Social Equity Institute - Community Fellows Program 
The Melbourne Social Equity Institute’s Community Fellows Program supports research collaborations between community organisations and university-based researchers.

Through the program, Community Fellows receive mentoring, research training, access to a hot desk and to University library facilities. Grants of $7,000 are made available to the community-based organisations to compensate them for the time that Fellows spend working on their research projects. 

Applications for the 2023 Community Fellows Program are now open - use the link below to read more about the program. https://socialequity.unimelb.edu.au/community-fellows-program

Accessibility standards to be implemented in the National Construction Code! 
Last month Building Ministers from all around the country announced that  minimum accessibility standards will be included in the National Construction Code from May 1 next year, with the transition period ending in October.

This means from Oct 1 next year every new home built in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, and the ACT will have basic accessibility features included.

This is fantastic news and a result of years of tireless work by people with disability and their representative organisations and more recently the fabulous Building Better Homes campaign (MDI is a proud supporter!).

But there is still more work to do. Western Australia and New South Wales have not yet  signed up to these new standards. You can help us keep the pressure on - find out more on the Building Better Homes website: 
https://www.buildingbetterhomes.org.au/

School to Work National Disability Employment Conference - "Securing Futures, Shifting Mindsets"
The employment rate for people with disability across Australia is poor and this increases dramatically for people with significant disability. This conference is aiming to raise expectations as to what is possible, what success looks like in other jurisdictions and considerations needed in moving forward if systems, funding and supports are designed to achieve successful employment outcomes in the open market.

Find out more and register here: https://schooltowork.org.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