Latest news, research and events from the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne
Our partners at the Building Better Homes Campaign need to call on your support again to ensure the inclusion of mandatory minimum accessibility standards in the National Construction Code (NCC).
What's happening now?
The Building Ministers are meeting on April 30 to discuss the inclusion of minimum accessibility standards in the NCC. They will be making a decision which will affect the lives of millions of Australians.
Because we want to see action on this important issue, last year we commissioned an independent economic analysis conducted by Mr Andrew Dalton, Director AdHealth Consulting and Emeritus Professor Rob Carter, Deakin University. Their analysis found the benefits clearly outweigh the costs of implementing a mandatory accessibility standard.
This was followed by a survey of people with disability conducted by Dr Ilan Wiesel, Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Melbourne and supported by Dr Andrew Martel, Lecturer in Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. The survey received more than 1000 responses in which people strongly supported minimum accessibility standards.
We've joined with the Building Better Homes campaign and nearly 100 other organisations to advocate for this important reform. In the weeks leading up to the Building Ministers Meeting, we need your help to make sure the Ministers understand the importance of this issue for ALL Australians.
Here is how you can help!
1. The Commonwealth has just appointed a new Chair for the ABCB Board, the Assistant Minister for Industry, Senator the Hon. Duniam. Help the new Chair understand the importance of this issue by writing a letter to Senator Duniam this week. You can use this template from the Building Better Homes campaign and email your letter to Senator Duniam at senator.duniam@aph.gov.au.
2. Please continue to share the link to the Building Better Homes petition at www.change.org/BetterHomes
Read more about the MDI's involvement in supporting mandatory minimum accessibility standards in the National Construction Code (NCC).
The Melbourne Disability Institute is joining with disability advocates across Australia to express significant concerns about the Federal Government’s planned changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and, in particular, the introduction of Independent Assessments (IA).The MDI submission focuses on three key deficiencies with the new compulsory assessments.
1. the absence of any evidence that the tools to be used in the assessments are valid; 2. The goals of NDIS participants should continue to influence the provision of support and should not be subsumed within an estimate of reasonable and necessary supports based on a mathematical formula; and
3. Appeal rights must be maintained so the rights of NDIS participants are safeguarded and there is natural justice. This includes ensuring the results of assessments are reviewable.
The submission also puts forward an alternative way forward, which is designed to ensure that assessments are valid, equitable and consistent and which would ensure that the NDIS is sustainable and aligned to the original vision of the NDIS.
Read our full submission with recommendations to the National Disability Insurance Agency on our website.
Read recent news coverage below:
ABC News | NDIS architect Bruce Bonyhady urges rethink of independent assessments
The Saturday Paper | The NDIS and Government Controls
DSW COVID-19 Vaccine Survey
COVID-19 vaccines are becoming available in Australia and our friends at the Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health are running a survey for Disability Support Workers who have been prioritised to receive the vaccine in the coming months.
Survey results will assist governments and disability organisations to effectively communicate and support Disability Support Workers, and people with disabilities, during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
This is an opportunity to share your thoughts, so please take the survey and feel free to share with any disability support worker friends or colleagues you may have. The survey is quick and there are gift vouchers available for your participation. More information about the study: https://credh.org.au/covid-19/dsw-vaccine/
ENVISIAGE PhD Scholarship Opportunity
Join the ENabling VISions And Growing Expectations (ENVISIAGE) research team, working to empower parents of children with neuro-developmental disability (NDD).
The PhD scholar will help develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a five-week online workshop for service providers who work with families of children with neuro-developmental disability (NDD).
Applications for this PhD scholarship close on 18 April.
People with disability or other lived experience of disability are strongly encouraged to apply.
CP Achieve PhD Scholarship Opportunities
The Centre of Research Excellence CP-Achieve at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has two PhD vacancies within their Building Supportive Environments stream. The research aims to investigate factors that may impact the transition to adulthood and identify modifiable barriers and facilitators to goal achievement for young people with cerebral palsy.
Interested candidates can request an application at
cp-achieve@mcri.edu.au. Applications close April 16th, 2021.
National Disability Research Partnership
Call for Papers
The National Disability Research Partnership (NDRP) have conducted a mapping exercise of disability research from 2018-2020. The mapping was based on systematic searches of academic databases and ‘grey’ literature from reports. It is important that they have fully captured the existing disability research through this process. The NDRP needs your help!
The NDRP is checking in with disability researchers across Australia to add any papers that they may have missed in the initial search. Below are links to the bibliography of included papers and the inclusion criteria for the papers.
Could you please review both bibliographies and if you identify a missing paper, please add the citation (and if possible a pdf of the paper) to the shared drop-box via the links below. The deadline to submit is 9 April.
Please email Ivy Yen, for technical assistance with uploading papers and citations: ivy.yen@sydney.edu.au
Tender Success!
Congratulations University of Melbourne Researchers!
Last month ANROWS announced the 2020–2022 ANROWS Core Grant Research Program, funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.
Big congratulations to Dr. Georgina Sutherland, Research Fellow, Disability and Health Unit, University of Melbourne for being one of only 8 projects selected for funding.
Dr. Sutherland's project will focus on building a framework to prevent and respond to young people with disability who use violence at home.
Congratulations to Dr Zoe Aitken, Professor Anne Kavanagh, Dr George Disney (Disability and Health Unit), Professor Rebecca Bentley (Healthy Housing Unit) and the rest of the research team for their tender from the Commonwealth Department of Social Services titled Identification of people with disability in linked administrative data for service use and outcomes reporting.
This important project will provide evidence of the potential for a disability data asset for monitoring, evaluation and research by government and approved independent researchers.
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
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