Latest news, research and events from the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne
Congratulations to the new round of
Community-Based Research Program grant recipients!
Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council (NPY Women’s Council)
Project: Best Practice Model for Accessing Allied Health Services for children with a disability living in remote communities of Central Australia
https://www.npywc.org.au/
This project will look at developing an evidence base for the delivery of best practice early childhood early intervention models that meets the cultural needs of First Nations children with a disability, their families and communities. The project will also assist in the larger task of providing evidence to inform guidelines around the funding of therapy.
Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service Inc.
Project: Supporting wills as tangible decisions
https://villamanta.org.au/
This project will evaluate an initiative by Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Services to develop tools and resources to support people with intellectual disability to prepare a will.
Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS)
Project: Analysis of individual advocacy data to identify the prevalence and type of advocacy issues experienced by disabled young people
https://www.yacvic.org.au/ydas
This project will analyse individual advocacy data to identify common issues experienced by young people with a disability. The results will be used to provide provide recommendations on successful advocacy interventions and inform systemic advocacy for change.
Down Syndrome Association of Victoria (DSV)
Project: Closing the gap – Authentic inclusion in Education for people with Down syndrome
https://www.downsyndrome.org.au/vic/
This project will look at the experience of young people with Down syndrome transitioning from primary school to high school and will help develop resources to help young people and their families successfully transition to mainstream secondary education.
Brain Injury Matters Inc
Project: The Impact of Peer Support Groups on People with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
https://www.braininjurymatters.org/
This project will look at best practice tools and methods for peer support groups supporting people with an Acquired Brain Injury.
Scope Australia (& Funds in Court)
Project: Communication Facilitators Pilot Program - Civil Matters
https://www.scopeaust.org.au/
This project will evaluate Scope Australia's pilot program to provide targeted support to people who use alternative communication systems during civil court matters.
Congratulations again to the grant recipients. We are now in the process of matching researchers to the projects. If you are a UoM researcher who has relevant expertise to a project, please send an email and let us know which projects are of interest and your experience. We'll share another update shortly as the projects begin to take shape. If you have questions about the Community Based Research Program, please contact Campbell Message at campbell.message@unimelb.edu.au.
FREE music workshops for young adults on the autism spectrum
If you love singing or making music then these workshops may just be just for you.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne are organising eight free music workshops for young adults on the autism spectrum to help them connect and make music.
The workshops are for people aged between 18 and 25 years old who have a diagnosis of autism. They would suit people who feel comfortable participating in small groups of about 10 people. You may attend one, some or all of the workshops. You can also bring a friend if you like!
The workshops are free of charge. After attending participants will be invited to have an interview and answer some questions to find out if the workshops were helpful. The workshops and the research is funded by The University of Melbourne.
The workshops will run from 7th July to 25th August, from 4-6pm in Southbank, Melbourne. To register your interest or for more information contact Dr Grace Thompson graceat@unimelb.edu.au, or phone Grace on 03 9035 8978 and leave a message!
New survey! Understanding attendance at school for students with Autism
Researchers from University of Melbourne are looking to learn more about the experience of autistic young people who have difficulty regularly attending school (school refusal). The project will explore the experiences of young people and their families as well as the perspective of teachers supporting students on the autistic spectrum. Researchers are not only interested in capturing people’s experiences but examining what interventions can and do help.
Participation in this study is voluntary and would include participating in an online Zoom interview that will take place for 45 minutes. To learn more about the project and register your interest in participating visithttps://go.unimelb.edu.au/k76e . If you have any questions or want to learn more about the study please contact Johanna Taylor at johannat1@student.unimelb.edu.au.
Special election edition of the Reasonable and Necessary podcast
With the federal election just around the corner, our Executive Director Bruce Bonyhady and General Manager Kirsten Deane recently spoke to Dr George Taleporos to share their thoughts on recent announcements regarding disability policy.
Dr Taleporos has partnered with People with Disability Australia to produce a special election edition of his popular Reasonable and Necessary podcast.
The election special features interviews with Minister for the NDIS Linda Reynolds, Shadow Minister for the NDIS Bill Shorten and Greens spokesperson on Disability Rights and Services Jordon Steele John.
The series concludes with a special panel providing commentary including former Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes, PWDA President Samantha Connor and Bruce and Kirsten.
You can watch a stream of the interviews on the PWDA Facebook page on the following days:
Monday May 9 1pm AEST Linda Reynolds
Wednesday May 11 1pm AEST Jordon Steele John
Friday May 13 1pm AEST Bill Shorten
Monday May 16 1pm AEST panel discussion - Graeme Innes, Samantha Connor, Bruce Bonyhady, Kirsten Deane
Viewers of the livestream will be encouraged to leave comments and interact as the interviews progress.
Or you can listen and watch the podcast later at a time that suits you best. Just jump onto the Summer Foundation website - https://www.summerfoundation.org.au/resources/reasonable-and-necessary-podcast-series-2/
Our Deaf Ways - A new podcast by SBS and Deaf Australia
To celebrate Auslan Day 2022, SBS has launched its first ever Auslan video podcast series, which explores and celebrates everyday life as a Deaf person.
Over the course of six episodes, Our Deaf Ways features Deaf people from all walks of life and all ages to talk about Deaf Ways.
Released fortnightly, you can follow the series on the SBS Australia YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts and Pocket Casts.
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
