Latest news, research and events from the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne
We are pleased to extend a warm welcome to Kirsten Deane OAM, who is joining the team as MDI's new General Manager.
With more than 15 years of experience in the disability sector and a background in research, policy, advocacy, campaigning and communications, Kirsten brings lived experience, passion, commitment and resilience to driving disability policy and practice change, underpinned by a deep commitment to co-design. As a strategic and dedicated leader, Kirsten has been a powerful advocate through Every Australian Counts (EAC), the grassroots campaign that fought successfully for the introduction of the NDIS. With her ability to bring people together and her clear communication skills, Kirsten played a critical role in building political and public support for this world-leading reform. Since then, she has continued to push for the NDIS to
achieve its original vision. Kirsten has also worked as an executive director at the National Disability Insurance Agency and served on numerous ministerial councils and advisory committees, including Co-Chair and Deputy Chair of the National People with Disability and Carer Council. "We are exceptionally pleased to welcome Kirsten, whom I have known for more than a decade, to the Melbourne Disability Institute," said Professor Bruce Bonyhady, MDI’s Executive Chair and Director. "Her deep knowledge of and commitment to evidence-based policy reform and advocacy,
coupled with years of experience working with the disability community, make her ideally positioned to help lead MDI going forward.” Reflecting on her appointment Ms Deane said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining the team. I have always been passionate about the role data, research and evidence can and should play in driving change. And I am thrilled to have the chance to work closely with everyone to see the vision of the Melbourne Disability Institute realised. I am particularly looking forward to meeting the many University of Melbourne researchers with an interest in disability and to building and strengthening the relationship between MDI and the broader disability community.” Kirsten has been an incredibly effective change agent, from her work authoring the influential Shut Out Report to leading EAC. She has played an important role in disability reform over many years and we look forward to everything she will bring to the Melbourne Disability Institute. Kirsten will begin in early March.
NDRP: APO Disability Research Collection and Newsletter In December we shared the NDRP and Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO) Disability Research Collection. The collection has been established to share evidence and knowledge on a range of topics for policy makers, researchers, advocates, people
with disability and their families and carers, service providers and practitioners.
If you haven't checked it out already, we encourage you to have a look at the collection here and sign up to the NDRP's monthly newsletter which features the latest additions to the collection, guest editorials and news updates.
Right now, nearly three quarters of Australians with mobility impairment live in housing which does not meet their needs. Many people with disability say poor housing design means they cannot visit friends and family. In some cases, housing quality is so low that people are unable to leave the house at all. This has to change - it’s time to make housing accessible for all Australians. The Building Better Homes Campaign is a coalition of disability and seniors organisations working to change the National Building Code to make accessibility standards mandatory for all new residential homes. Join us and sign the petition to tell State and Federal Building Ministers that they must make accessibility standards mandatory for all new residential homes.
Better Together hosted by AusACPDM and IAACD
Call for Abstracts
This March, the Australasian Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AusACPDM) and the International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability (IAACD), invite you to the Joint 11th AusACPDM biennial, and 3rd IAACD triennial international conference in Melbourne, Australia 1-5th March 2022. The Scientific Committee invites you to submit abstracts now for scientific free papers, posters, instructional courses, breakfast seminars, PhD platforms and other presentation types. Read more.
A new scholarship is being offered to investigate issues of disability, technology and society
The MDI and Centre for AI and Digital Ethics (CAIDE) partnership invite proposals from applicants interested in undertaking research into the role of new and emerging technologies in the lives of people with disabilities, and particularly people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities. People with cognitive disabilities may include older people with age-related impairments and disabilities, such as dementia. Applications provisionally close April 2nd 2021. Read more and apply.
Congratulations to Professor Nathan Grills
A heartfelt congratulations to Professor Nathan Grills, who achieved promotion to full professor in 2020. Nathan's expertise includes the areas of disability inclusion, community health evaluation/monitoring and primary health care systems. We've had the pleasure of working alongside Nathan for several years and celebrate his commitment to disability research and international health and development.
Congratulations to Dr Tania King
Dr Tania King has received an Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council. Tania King's research into adolescents' health and well-being will continue with a new project: Hidden in the margins: the lives and trajectories of young carers. This project examines the social, educational, economic and health-related experiences of young informal carers and will lead to quantification of the determinants and consequences of being a young informal carer in Australia. In doing so, this project will provide critical information to policy makers and deliver
significant benefits to young carers by identifying ways to support them. Read more here. We're pleased to be supporting Tania and this important work through a PhD Scholarship.
ONEINFIVE PodcastCheck out MDI's podcast, ONEINFIVE, which explores some of the most complex issues facing people with disability today. All seven episodes are available for download through
iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocketcasts or RSS
The Melbourne Disability Institute was established in 2018 to build a collaborative, interdisciplinary and translational research program to improve the lives of people with disability. The MDI program of research aims to capitalise on national reforms and active partnerships with the disability sector to deliver evidence for change and is centered around providing much-needed evidence for the disability sector and broader community to address the complex problems facing people with disability, their families and carers.
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