Congratulations to the recipients of the Melbourne Disability Institute's Disability Research Fellowships!
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of MDI's inaugural disability research fellowships, Dr Raelene West and Dr Yi Yang.

We are looking forward to working together with Rae and Yi over the next three years to develop a multi year, multi project program of work across both the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Australian Disability Strategy. They will join a community of academics and experts working together at the University of Melbourne to strengthen the evidence base and inform future research, policy and practice in this dynamic area.

Both Rae and Yi bring to MDI a wide range of experiences and outstanding skills and expertise. We are very lucky to have them join the team! Please check out the MDI website to learn more about their previous work - and stay tuned for updates as their fellowships progress.

RSVP for the 2023 Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Oration on Health hosted by the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences 
We are pleased to share that the 2023 Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Oration on Health will be delivered by our friend and colleague, Keran Howe OAM, advisor to the National Disability Research Partnership and former Executive Director, Women with Disabilities Victoria

Keran Howe is a national leader in the fields of disability, violence prevention, women's health and human rights. Drawing on her lived experience and extensive policy and practice work, Keran is recognised for her advocacy in changing the landscape for women with disability.

The annual oration, which will be held on 7 March at 5:30 pm, honours the life and work of Priscilla Kincaid-Smith AC CBE, who was the first female professor at the University of Melbourne. Please use the link below to read more about this event and to RSVP.

Opening the Door Project - Rights and Inclusion Australia
The Opening the Door project strives to support people with disability to achieve choice and control with their housing options. This week Rights and Inclusion Australia are hosting a number of online and in-person forums designed to both share information and gather experiences. You can find more details about the project as well as register for the online information sessions and workshops here.

New Chapter! The Lives We Lead
The Lives We Lead is a social media project which aims to promote the contributions people with disability make to the economic, social, cultural and political life of the community.

In this brand new chapter, we learn about what is possible when people with disability are given the right support to find a home of their own. We encourage you to check out the videos and photo stories using the link below! 

Sun, Sand and Surf: Benefits, Elements and Pathways to Accessible Beaches
Improving the accessibility of the beach helps people of all abilities fulfill their human right to meaningful participation in all aspects of community life. This research shows clear evidence of the benefits of accessible beaches to the wider community – with beach matting, for example, being used by many members of the public for diverse purposes.

MDI was proud to support this project through a community-based research grant in 2019. You can read more about the research and the findings using the link below. 

Designing Learning Spaces for Diversity, Inclusion and Participation – Pilot Project
The goal of this project was to gain insights from young people with disability, parents/caregivers, disability advocacy organisations and educators about what is needed to design schools and learning spaces to ensure all students can participate in learning and school life.

MDI was proud to support this project through a seed funding grant in 2020. You can read more about the research process and outcomes on our website using the link below.

Impact of COVID-19 remote learning on Victorian students with disability
Significant challenges for school systems around the world rapidly came into focus as the global COVID-19 pandemic materialised in early 2020. This study looked at the impact of remote learning on families of students with disabilities in Victoria during 2020 and 2021.

MDI was proud to support this project through a seed funding grant in 2020. 

Disability and Screen Work in Australia: Report for Industry 2023
This project explores the experiences of and attitudes towards disabled people working in the Australian screen industry. The first research of its kind in Australia, this report is based on a national survey and in-depth interviews with people working in the Australian screen industry.

MDI was proud to support this project through a community-based research grant in 2021. 

MDI has a new office location on the University of Melbourne Campus!
After three years of remote working and a long search, MDI finally has a new office, located centrally on the Parkville campus. We hope this new space will help us to do what we love best - collaborate across the university and with the broader disability community.

The office needs some changes before it meets all our needs. While we are waiting for those to be finished, we will continue to divide our time between coming to campus and working remotely. 

Stay tuned for more updates about our progress and in the meantime, please reach out with any questions via our email address: md-i@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