Intellectual disability in courts and police cells. Benefit to the nation accrues because offenders with intellectual disability will be accurately identified early in their contact with the criminal justice system (CJS), and appropriate diversions from the CJS as well as rehabilitation programs can be implemented, thus producing cost-savings in all jurisdictions. The community benefits because offenders with ID can receive appropriate service provision, based on evidence provided by this study ....Intellectual disability in courts and police cells. Benefit to the nation accrues because offenders with intellectual disability will be accurately identified early in their contact with the criminal justice system (CJS), and appropriate diversions from the CJS as well as rehabilitation programs can be implemented, thus producing cost-savings in all jurisdictions. The community benefits because offenders with ID can receive appropriate service provision, based on evidence provided by this study. The individual's ties to the community will be maintained and on the community will be supported to assist the individual. Justice health systems, in staff management and training areas, will benefit. The outcomes will benefit educational programs for the judiciary, police and lawyers.Read moreRead less
Innovative hands-free technology to give the severely disabled greater mobility control. Half of the serious neurological injuries in Australia result in tetraplegia. Combined with other disabilities that involve severe mobility impairments the cost to the community economically, psychologically and socially is huge. This new Australian technology will facilitate effective sharing of control between a disabled person and a computer control system, taking advantage of their unique strengths and e ....Innovative hands-free technology to give the severely disabled greater mobility control. Half of the serious neurological injuries in Australia result in tetraplegia. Combined with other disabilities that involve severe mobility impairments the cost to the community economically, psychologically and socially is huge. This new Australian technology will facilitate effective sharing of control between a disabled person and a computer control system, taking advantage of their unique strengths and enabling each to aid the other in areas of weakness. The social and personal benefits are potentially very large. Scope also exists to significantly reduce healthcare costs and to develop a new industry in hands-free technology.Read moreRead less
Moving beyond crisis management: Creating a future for people with disabilities living with ageing parents. The needs of thousands of people with disabilities being cared for by ageing parents are beyond the capacity of our existing formal mechanisms for providing care. In order to mitigate this national crisis in support, this research will establish effective, resource efficient support strategies where there are currently no plans in place for future care arrangements. By enhancing the capaci ....Moving beyond crisis management: Creating a future for people with disabilities living with ageing parents. The needs of thousands of people with disabilities being cared for by ageing parents are beyond the capacity of our existing formal mechanisms for providing care. In order to mitigate this national crisis in support, this research will establish effective, resource efficient support strategies where there are currently no plans in place for future care arrangements. By enhancing the capacity of the community to provide support the benefit of existing formal supports will be extended to address the needs of more families. This project will position Australian disability research and support at the forefront of international efforts to legitimize the claim of people with disabilities and their families on community resources.Read moreRead less
The impact and cost of short-term health staffing in remote communities. This project aims to examine the impact of the increasing levels of short-term health staffing in remote communities upon service acceptability to patients, workload and attitudes of long-term resident primary health care staff, and the effectiveness and cost of health services. There is a dearth of information about this 'fly in/fly out' (FIFO) workforce in remote communities, which have the worst health outcomes in the co ....The impact and cost of short-term health staffing in remote communities. This project aims to examine the impact of the increasing levels of short-term health staffing in remote communities upon service acceptability to patients, workload and attitudes of long-term resident primary health care staff, and the effectiveness and cost of health services. There is a dearth of information about this 'fly in/fly out' (FIFO) workforce in remote communities, which have the worst health outcomes in the country. The project aims to inform consumers, health practitioners, health service planners and policy-makers about the impact of FIFO, as well as to contribute to the development of strategies designed to stabilise the remote health workforce.Read moreRead less
Advancing understanding of health professionals' work and communication patterns and the effectiveness of work reform initiatives. Health systems internationally need to improve productivity and the way hospital staff work together. Yet we have surprisingly poor data about these and few measurement techniques. This project will deliver new methods, information and theoretical advances to support the design and evaluation of future workforce reform initiatives.
Enhancing the independence of the severely disabled: Improving the detection rates of an EEG based brain computer interface (BCI). Severe disability costs the Australian economy and society billions of dollars each year and the population of severely disabled is steadily increasing. Also, disability results in impairments that can traumatically alter a person's life. The outcomes of this project will result in substantial national benefits by (i) optimising technology that will greatly improve t ....Enhancing the independence of the severely disabled: Improving the detection rates of an EEG based brain computer interface (BCI). Severe disability costs the Australian economy and society billions of dollars each year and the population of severely disabled is steadily increasing. Also, disability results in impairments that can traumatically alter a person's life. The outcomes of this project will result in substantial national benefits by (i) optimising technology that will greatly improve the life of the disabled by enhancing their ability to control their environment, (ii) situating Australia in the forefront of disability technology research and development, and (iii) enhancing the development of knowledge in research training students in the biomedical area. Read moreRead less
The effect of acquiring a disability in adulthood. This project aims to analyse the effect the acquisition of a disability in adulthood has on subsequent socio-economic circumstances (employment, housing, education, income, social capital, wealth) and wellbeing. Researchers from epidemiology, econometrics and statistics will use longitudinal data to model the patterns of disability and subsequent socio-economic and health circumstances over time. The methods aim to make causal statements and pro ....The effect of acquiring a disability in adulthood. This project aims to analyse the effect the acquisition of a disability in adulthood has on subsequent socio-economic circumstances (employment, housing, education, income, social capital, wealth) and wellbeing. Researchers from epidemiology, econometrics and statistics will use longitudinal data to model the patterns of disability and subsequent socio-economic and health circumstances over time. The methods aim to make causal statements and provide a template for research and evaluation in this field. Outcomes are expected to set priorities for action to improve socio-economic conditions, productivity and health for people with disabilities.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of deficits in driving performance and self-regulation practices among older drivers with bilateral cataract. Despite the high prevalence of cataract among the older population, there is limited evidence on the impact of first and second eye cataract surgery on driving outcomes. This prospective study will use naturalistic in-vehicle driver monitoring devices and a state-of–the-art driving simulator to examine the association between clinical measures of vision, refractive manag ....Characterisation of deficits in driving performance and self-regulation practices among older drivers with bilateral cataract. Despite the high prevalence of cataract among the older population, there is limited evidence on the impact of first and second eye cataract surgery on driving outcomes. This prospective study will use naturalistic in-vehicle driver monitoring devices and a state-of–the-art driving simulator to examine the association between clinical measures of vision, refractive management, driving patterns, self-regulation and driving performance for bilateral cataract patients before first eye surgery, between surgeries and after second eye surgery. The results will inform Ophthalmology and licensing authorities regarding surgical and refractive management as well as fitness to drive assessments for older drivers with bilateral cataract.Read moreRead less
Discriminatory acts and young adults with disabilities in public places. Young Australians with disabilities face pervasive disadvantages and institutional discrimination in many areas of life excluding them from social and economic participation. This project builds on this knowledge to investigate the inter-personal discrimination young people with disabilities experience in public and the impact of this discrimination on their social, economic, cultural and emotional lives. The potential outc ....Discriminatory acts and young adults with disabilities in public places. Young Australians with disabilities face pervasive disadvantages and institutional discrimination in many areas of life excluding them from social and economic participation. This project builds on this knowledge to investigate the inter-personal discrimination young people with disabilities experience in public and the impact of this discrimination on their social, economic, cultural and emotional lives. The potential outcome of this project will be a better understanding of the range and impact of actions and behaviours that young people with disabilities experience as discriminatory, violent or unsafe in public in Australia today.Read moreRead less
Can technology make communication in complex systems safer and more efficient? Evaluation of an electronic test management system in health care. In many industries poor communication has a major impact on safety; in health, missed test results have impacts ranging from inappropriate antibiotic therapy to missed cancer diagnoses. This research will evaluate new information technology which can improve health outcomes and communication between clinicians, laboratories and patients.