Building Citizenship Capacity in Young Adults With and Without Cerebral Palsy. This project will investigate practical aspects of citizenship participation within the context of a young adult population, as different from frequently reported theoretical views on citizenship. Specifically, the aim is to identify strategies necessary for building citizenship capacities for young adults with cerebral palsy (CP), as they are now living longer, but not eligible for care at the same level as during sc ....Building Citizenship Capacity in Young Adults With and Without Cerebral Palsy. This project will investigate practical aspects of citizenship participation within the context of a young adult population, as different from frequently reported theoretical views on citizenship. Specifically, the aim is to identify strategies necessary for building citizenship capacities for young adults with cerebral palsy (CP), as they are now living longer, but not eligible for care at the same level as during school years. Gaining capacities for success as a participating community member, young adults with CP need opportunities to manage not only physical and economic demands, but also develop knowledge and competencies necessary to engage in civic and social reciprocity within the community.Read moreRead less
Quality and outcomes of individual supported living arrangements for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This project identifies service quality aspects contributing to positive outcomes in individual supported living arrangements that enable adults with developmental disabilities to live in their own homes. 150 arrangements will be evaluated across Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, providing evidence of service quality in support of people with disability hav ....Quality and outcomes of individual supported living arrangements for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This project identifies service quality aspects contributing to positive outcomes in individual supported living arrangements that enable adults with developmental disabilities to live in their own homes. 150 arrangements will be evaluated across Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, providing evidence of service quality in support of people with disability having choice and control in their living arrangements.Read moreRead less
Developing and testing a decision system for identifying housing options, mapping preferences and evaluating priorities in the disability market. Disability housing is problematic, largely because stakeholders find it difficult to agree on priorities whilst incorporating consumer needs and wants for housing. This project seeks to develop a systematic approach to improve multi-stakeholder decision making that can increase the reliability of decisions and improve consumer outcomes. Innovation lies ....Developing and testing a decision system for identifying housing options, mapping preferences and evaluating priorities in the disability market. Disability housing is problematic, largely because stakeholders find it difficult to agree on priorities whilst incorporating consumer needs and wants for housing. This project seeks to develop a systematic approach to improve multi-stakeholder decision making that can increase the reliability of decisions and improve consumer outcomes. Innovation lies in its customer oriented design and application of business models in the disability sector as well as its integrated disciplinary approach. The research design has not been applied in the Australian research context and aims to provide a much needed blueprint for market investment to develop viable, consumer directed, disability housing options.Read moreRead less
The prevalence and impact of intellectual disability among Indigenous Australians in Western Australia. There is limited information on the extent and impact of intellectual disability among Indigenous Australians. The proposed project will develop a credible baseline picture of intellectual disability among Indigenous Australians in Western Australia by investigating the true prevalence, clinical and sociodemographic correlates, and morbidity and mortality patterns. It builds on a successful co ....The prevalence and impact of intellectual disability among Indigenous Australians in Western Australia. There is limited information on the extent and impact of intellectual disability among Indigenous Australians. The proposed project will develop a credible baseline picture of intellectual disability among Indigenous Australians in Western Australia by investigating the true prevalence, clinical and sociodemographic correlates, and morbidity and mortality patterns. It builds on a successful collaborative relationship between Disability Services Commission of WA and academia; and is unique in integrating information from multiple data sources. The findings will have direct health and social benefits by providing information on which to base appropriate health strategies and care networks to service particular needs.Read moreRead less
Detection and elimination of resting spores of Olpidium vectoring lettuce big-vein disease in lettuce seedling nursery production. This project will devise nucleic acid and serology methods for detection of Olpidium brassicae, vector of lettuce big-vein disease (LBVD), during various phases of lettuce seedling production in nursery environments. It will be the first study to develop sustainable and environmentally responsible nursery best-practice protocols for integrated management of O. brass ....Detection and elimination of resting spores of Olpidium vectoring lettuce big-vein disease in lettuce seedling nursery production. This project will devise nucleic acid and serology methods for detection of Olpidium brassicae, vector of lettuce big-vein disease (LBVD), during various phases of lettuce seedling production in nursery environments. It will be the first study to develop sustainable and environmentally responsible nursery best-practice protocols for integrated management of O. brassicae in routine seedling production and for management within the lettuce industry. These protocols will ensure that the spread of LBVD from contaminated lettuce nurseries to farms is prevented. It will also be a unique study of the establishment of a disease in new land with different soils and agricultural practices.Read moreRead less
Support services for people with intellectual disability: the cost of meeting and not meeting the need. Presently, governments in Australia operate in the absence of rigorous empirical data on the real cost of providing and not providing the support that people with intellectual disability need in order to participate in the life of our community. This research will provide unique information which will be of value to governments as they assess policy frameworks and budget priorities associate ....Support services for people with intellectual disability: the cost of meeting and not meeting the need. Presently, governments in Australia operate in the absence of rigorous empirical data on the real cost of providing and not providing the support that people with intellectual disability need in order to participate in the life of our community. This research will provide unique information which will be of value to governments as they assess policy frameworks and budget priorities associated with the provision of support services that people with intellectual disability and their families need. The contribution this research will make to government decision making will ultimately benefit all people with intellectual disability, their families and our community.Read moreRead less
Transition to retirement by adults with chronic disabilities: increasing community capacity. This project will contribute to healthy, productive ageing by people with chronic disabilities. This group are living longer and will retire from their disability-specific supported employment and day program services. They then risk social exclusion, loneliness and associated poor health outcomes. This project will provide training and support to local community groups and voluntary work settings, to in ....Transition to retirement by adults with chronic disabilities: increasing community capacity. This project will contribute to healthy, productive ageing by people with chronic disabilities. This group are living longer and will retire from their disability-specific supported employment and day program services. They then risk social exclusion, loneliness and associated poor health outcomes. This project will provide training and support to local community groups and voluntary work settings, to increase community capacity to support this group to participate actively in and contribute to their community in retirement. This will result in increased participation by this group and improvements in their well-being. Training resources developed by the project will be available to disability service providers nationally.Read moreRead less
Race status, sources of resistance and mechanisms of resistance to Peronospora parasitica, a major threat to oilseed Brassica production in Australia. Through successful identification of mechanisms and molecular characterisation of resistance to Peronospora parasitica races and the identification of sources of host resistance against these races, breeders, for the first time, will be able to develop cultivars with resistance against the full spectrum of P. parasitica races occurring across sout ....Race status, sources of resistance and mechanisms of resistance to Peronospora parasitica, a major threat to oilseed Brassica production in Australia. Through successful identification of mechanisms and molecular characterisation of resistance to Peronospora parasitica races and the identification of sources of host resistance against these races, breeders, for the first time, will be able to develop cultivars with resistance against the full spectrum of P. parasitica races occurring across southern Australia. Benefits include prevention of severe losses in canola from downy mildew, and more viable and sustainable production with less reliance upon fungicides. This research addresses the National Research Priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia' and the Priority Goal of 'Transforming existing industries', and will particularly benefit southern Australian rural communities.Read moreRead less
Race status, resistance mechanisms, and new sources of resistance to Phytophthora clandestina, a major threat to subterranean clover production. Devastating outbreaks of disease caused by Phytophthora clandestina (Phytophthora root rot) since the late 1970s demonstrated the capacity of this disease to impact severely on clover pasture production across southern Australia, particularly as new races of Phytophthora have rapidly emerged to overcome the resistance of all commercial cultivars. The p ....Race status, resistance mechanisms, and new sources of resistance to Phytophthora clandestina, a major threat to subterranean clover production. Devastating outbreaks of disease caused by Phytophthora clandestina (Phytophthora root rot) since the late 1970s demonstrated the capacity of this disease to impact severely on clover pasture production across southern Australia, particularly as new races of Phytophthora have rapidly emerged to overcome the resistance of all commercial cultivars. The proposed research seeks to delineate new races of the pathogen, to identify the histological and biochemical mechanisms by which resistance to Phytophthora root rot is expressed, and to identify new sources of host resistance. This proposed research will enable breeders, for the first time, to incorporate multiple types of resistance and against different races into new host varieties.Read moreRead less
Advanced water treatment technologies to minimise nitrogenous disinfection by-products in drinking water: understanding the role of organic nitrogen. This project will identify improved methods for treatment of drinking water to prevent the formation of potentially hazardous disinfection by-products. It will assist water resource managers and regulators to select the most economical and safe treatment for each type of water source and to plan for future demands on our limited water supplies.