Building Ministers agree to include mandatory minimum accessibility standards in the National Construction Code

It has taken many years to get here, but from next year all new homes in Australia will be built to meet minimum accessibility standards. 

Last week Building ministers convened to discuss the proposal to include mandatory minimum accessibility standards in the NCC. With support from Victoria, Northern Territory, Queensland and the ACT, an agreement has been reached to make the 'Silver level standard' mandatory for all new housing.The Gold Standard will also be included in the NCC as a ‘technical referral’ meaning states and territories can decide to upgrade to Gold voluntarily. 

While there is still work to do to secure a mandatory Gold Standard, this is a big win for people with disability, seniors and indeed all Australians. Congratulations to everyone who has worked over many many years to secure this critical reform. 

MDI was a proud partner in the Building Better Homes campaign. You can read their update on the good news here: Building Better Homes Campaign. 

Free music workshops for children on the autism spectrum

Music making and singing in groups is a great way for children and young people to socialise and work together. The University of Melbourne is running a series of 10 music workshops as part of a research project to learn more about how music making helps social connections and wellbeing.

This project is for:
- Children in Grades 5 & 6 (or aged between 10-12 years old) with a diagnosis of autism
- Children who would feel comfortable to participate in a small group of 10

No music training is needed to participate, but children with auditory sensitivities may not wish to participate. The workshop facilitators will have excellent knowledge of working with autistic children, and you are welcome to inquire further with the team.

Workshop details:
Fridays 4:15-5:15pm (starting soon)
Keon Park Children’s Hub, 1-7 Dole Avenue Reservoir, Victoria 3073
The research is funded by The University of Melbourne and the workshops are offered free of charge.

COVID-19 Vaccine and the Disability Support Workforce

Between March and April 2021, researchers from the University of Melbourne and UNSW Canberra conducted an online survey of over 350 disability support workers (DSWs) about their opinions and needs surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.  Findings show that trust in independent medical advice is strongly associated with vaccine acceptance. 

Access the full report here. 

Vaccinating the highest-risk groups first was the plan. But people with disability are being left behind
Written by: Professor Helen Dickinson & Professor Anne Kavanagh

With Australia’s COVID vaccination campaign set to open up to over 50s on May 3, many at-risk Australians eligible under phase 1A are still waiting. Last week we learned only 6.5% of residents in disability care homes had received the vaccine. Aged care is faring slightly better, with roughly 30% of aged-care facilities having received both vaccine doses. But that’s still some way to go. Also worrying, an estimated 15% of aged-care workers and only 1% of disability-care workers have so far been vaccinated. Read more.

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has just announced they will conduct a one day hearing to examine the approach of the Australian government to the vaccination of people with disability and their support workers. The hearing will be held on May 17. You can read more about the hearing here and you can watch a live stream of the hearing on the Commission’s website. 

NDRP Governance Model
The NDRP are also meeting with interested people and organisations to ask for their thoughts on the governance model that best supports the future National Disability Research Partnership. The consultations will be based on two key documents and a survey:

Governance Issues Paper which includes the context, future governance options, critical success factors, key issues and questions for consideration. 
Background Research paper which outlines key findings from a desktop review of governance models of Australian research institutes and partnerships that have a similar purpose as the NDRP. 
Governance Model Survey which is best completed after reading the issues paper or meeting with us. The link is in the Issues Paper. 

You can access these documents and sign up for a consultation on the NDRP website here.

We need to invest in the careers of researchers and policy makers with disability
Written by: Ellen Fraser-Barbour & Professor Sally Robinson

It doesn’t seem too much of an ambit claim to say we have reached a crossroads in terms of inclusive research practice. There are increasing expectations that people with disability will feature in research projects through co-researcher and lived experience positions, and to a limited extent, this is increasingly reflected in guidelines for grants and funding. However, we are yet to see this expertise translate into opportunities that encourage significant investment in career development of disabled scholars and researchers and to building a ‘third wave’ of inclusive research where leadership is by disabled people, above and beyond our contribution to research practice (valuable as this is). Read more.

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