Centre for Disability Research and Policy

CENTRE FOR DISABILITY RESEARCH AND POLICY

Maximisingeconomicandsocial participationofpeoplewithdisabilities

THE CENTRE FOR DISABILITRESEARCHANDPOLICY

The Centre for Disability Research and Policy will make a significantcontributiontonationalandregionaleffortsto redresstheprofounddisadvantagesfacedbypeople

withdisabilities.

Ouraimistoenablepeoplewithdisabilitiestohavean equalopportunitytorealisetheirpotentialandparticipate productivelyinsociety.

Ouremphasisisonresearchandreal-worldanalysis oftheproblemsfacedbypeoplewithdisabilities,and onprovidingpracticalpolicysolutionstogovernments, serviceprovidersandpolicymakers.

THE PROBLEM

In2011thefirst-ever

World Report on Disability suggested that more than a billion people worldwide experiencedisability.

Thisfigureisexpected

toriseduetopopulation ageing,growthinchronic healthconditionsand

inresponsetotrendsin

environmentalfactors.

Peoplewithdisabilitiesexperience

moredisadvantagesthanthosewithout disabilities.Theseincludepoorerhealth; lowereducationlevels;lessemployment andlowerearningswhentheyare employed;lowerlevelsofsocial

contact;andhigherratesofpoverty.

Globally, disabilityismorecommon amongolderpeople, thepoorand women.Alargeproportionofthe world’sdisabled, 650million, liveinour region, theAsiaPacific.

Formoreinformation, visit

EliasBahamid,Selfportrait,

papercollage

Coverartwork:Helen Cooke,Self-portrait,papercollage

AllartworkscontainedinthisbrochureareproducedbyartistssupportedbyTheLorna

HodgkinsonSunshineHome’s CommunityAccessProgramArtStudio

THECENTREFORDISABILITY RESEARCHANDPOLICy

THECHALLENGE WE FACE

About15percentof Australiansexperience disabilitylastingfiveyearsor longer.Howcanweensure theyhavetheopportunityto fullyparticipateinsociety?

ManyAustraliansarelivingwithlong- termphysical, sensory, intellectualor mentaldisabilityorachronichealth condition.notallofthesedisabilities areobvious;mentalillness, intellectual disability, diabetes, arthritis, heart diseaseandchronicpainareoftennot evidenttothecasualobserver.

Peoplewithdisabilitiesexperience significanteconomicandsocial disadvantages.youngdisabled Australiansareparticularlyvulnerable. Theyarefivetimesmorelikelyto experiencelong-termunemployment thanotheryoungpeople, andareless likelytobeabletoobtainyear12or post-schoolqualificationsandmore likelytoliveinajoblesshousehold thannon-disabledyouth.

Between2001and2011thegap betweenyoungdisabledandnon- disabledAustraliansactuallywidened.

Thelackofopportunityforpeople withdisabilitiestoparticipatefullyin employmentandsocietyresultsin

ahugelosstoindividuals,families, communitiesandtheeconomy.

Governmentsneedbetterknowledge andevidencetodeveloplegislationand buildprogramstoenablepeoplewith disabilitiestoparticipatemorefully.We needeffectivemonitoringsystemsto assessthescaleoftheproblemandto measuretheimpactofpolicies

andprograms.

Ross Bennett,LostinSpace,

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OURCENTRE

TheCentreforDisability ResearchandPolicywill bringtogetherleading academicsindisability

toexplorenewfrontiers ofknowledgeand

effectchange.

OURMISSION

TheCentreforDisability ResearchandPolicyis inspiredbytheUnited nationsConventionon

theRightsofPersonswith Disabilities,ratifiedbythe Australiangovernment

in2008.

TheConventionaimsto“promote, protectandensurethefullandequal enjoymentofallhumanrightsand fundamentalfreedomsbyallpersons withdisabilities, andtopromoterespect fortheirinherentdignity”.

Wewillworktoachievethegoalsofthe Convention, whichincluderedressing theprofoundsocialdisadvantageof peoplewithdisabilitiesandpromoting

theirparticipationinthecivil, political, economic, socialandculturalspheres withequalopportunities.

Inadditiontoitsresearchandpolicy focus, thecentrehasateaching functionandastrongcommitmentto communicatingitsknowledgetobenefit peoplewithdisabilitiesandthe

widercommunity.

RiadMoujalli,Abstractcolours,

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Wewillfocusonresearch, policy developmentandteachingacross fivestreams:

–disabilityanddisadvantage

–disabilityservices

–disabilityinclusivedevelopment

–disabilityandmentalhealth

–thenationalDisability

Insurance Scheme.

Thestreamsareallledbyprofessors fromtheUniversityofSydney’sFaculty ofHealthSciences.

AFOCUSONCOLLABORATION

Wewillworkcloselywithotherbodies withintheUniversityofSydney, includingtheSydneyMedicalSchool, SydneyLawSchool, theFacultyof ArtsandSocialSciences, theMenzies

CentreforHealthPolicyResearch, and theCentreforDisabilityStudies,to addressthereal-worldproblemsfaced bypeoplewithdisabilities.

TodeepenAustralia’sunderstanding andknowledgeaboutdisability,wewill alsopartnerwithacademicinstitutions bothinAustraliaandoverseasand

formlinkageswithdisabledpeople’s organisations, serviceproviders, governments, non-government organisationsandinternational agencies.Wewillworkclosely

withpeoplewithdisabilities, and theirorganisations.

AlisonHall,CricketTime,

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QUESTIONS WE WANTTO ANSWER

Anumberofkeyquestions willinformourwork.

DISADVANTAGEWhatisthenatureofthe disadvantageanddiscrimination thatpeoplewithdisabilitiesinour

regionface?

Whatarethepersonal, socialand economiccosts?

Arecertaingroups, suchas aboriginalandtorresstrait islanderpeoples,womenand olderpeople,atmoreriskof disabilityanddisadvantage?

Howwellisdisadvantageand discriminationbeingcombated?

Whathelpssomepeoplewith disabilitiesbemoreresilientin thefaceofdisadvantageand discrimination?

MONITORING AND OUTCOMES

Howcanwebetterrecordand reportondisadvantageand discrimination?

Australialacksanationalsystem ofmeasuringoutcomes.whatwouldonelooklike?

Whataretheoutcomes forpeoplewhouse disabilityservices?

Howcanmainstream interventionsbeadaptedtomeet theneedsofspecificgroups?

Whatarethebarrierstopolicy implementation, andtothetake- upofsuccessfulpractices?

Howcanweimprovethe

accessofaboriginalandtorresstraitislanderpeoplesto disabilityservices?

THE REGION: ASIAPACIFIC

Howdowepreventandrespond tothedisablingconsequences

ofdiseasessuchasdiabetesand heartdisease,roadaccidents, naturaldisasters, dietand substanceabuse?

Whatmodelscanwedevelopto supportandempowerpeoplewith disabilitiesinbothcommunityand specialistservices?

Howcanwemakethesemodels accessibletopolicymakersin thosecountries?

Whatistheexperienceofpeople withdisabilitiesofinstitutional andcommunity-based rehabilitation?whatarethe respectivebenefits?

NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME

Underthenationaldisability insurancescheme, howshould resourcesbestbeallocatedto individuals?

Howshouldtheschemelinkwith othersupportsystems, suchas health, housing, compensation, incomesecurityandworkforce development?

Howcanaccesstoservices– includingmainstreamservices– beimproved?

Whatisthebestwaytodevelop dataabouttheschemeandlink thattootherdisabilitydata?

Whatimpactwillthescheme haveondisadvantagedgroups?

MENTALHEALTH- RELATED DISABILITY

whatarethedeterminantsof mentalhealth-relateddisability?

howdowemeasuremental health-relateddisability?

howwillthenationaldisability insurancescheme help people withthisdisability?

whatarethementalhealthissues forpeoplewithotherdisabilities?

OUR RESEARCHERS

Thecoreofourresearch teamistheUniversity

ofSydney’sFacultyof

HealthSciences.

Ourresearchers’expertiseisenhanced andbroadenedbystrongcollaboration withotherfacultiesoftheUniversity, aswellasotheracademicinstitutions.

Thecentre’sdirector, Professor GwynnythLlewellyn, Professorof FamilyandDisabilityStudies, guides thecentre’sstrategicthinkingandkey

partnershipsandoutputs. Herresearch iscommittedtofindinghealthand socialpolicyandpracticesolutionsto enablepeoplewithdisabilitiesandtheir familiestofullyparticipateinsociety.

Ourotherleadresearchersare:

–ProfessorStewartEinfeld, Professor ofMentalHealth

–ProfessorEricEmerson, Professorof

DisabilityPopulationHealth

–ProfessorRichardMadden, Professor ofHealthStatistics

–MsRosMadden, Director, Australian ICF DisabilityandRehabilitation ResearchProgram

–ProfessorLuis Salvador-Carulla, ProfessorofDisabilityand MentalHealth

–ProfessorRogerStancliffe,Professor ofIntellectualDisability

OUR TEACHING

Oneoftheaimsofthe centreistodisseminate itsresearchfindings,

whichmeansthatteaching acrossdisciplinesis fundamentallyimportant.

Wewillstrivetoattractthemost promisingstudents, includingpeople withdisabilities.Thecentrewilloffer communityengagementmeetingsand forumswithgovernmentandbusiness groups, serviceproviders, aidagencies anddisabledpeople’sorganisations

toignitedebate, shareideasand encouragenewthinking.

Lefttoright:Professor EricEmerson,Professor Gwynnyth Llewellyn,

ProfessorRogerStancliffe, ProfessorLuisSalvador- Carulla,MsRosMadden,

ProfessorStewartEinfeld, ProfessorRichardMadden

GENERALENQUIRIES

T+61293519721

MOREINFORMATIONProfessorGwynnythLlewellyn Director,CentreforDisability ResearchandPolicy

T+61293519985

sydney.edu.au/health-sciences/cdrp

TheCentre for Disability Research and Policy has joined the campaign for a modern,person-centred support system,helping hundreds of thousands of Australians

with disabilities,and their families, to have the opportunity to participate actively in their communities by providing targeted support aligned to need.

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