Every Day Matters: Reducing School Non-Attendance in Autistic Students. Autistic children miss one day a week of school, three times more than their peers. This significantly impacts their learning, wellbeing and later, their vocational outcomes. This project aims to identify the factors that put autistic children at increased risk of missing school and map the supports and interventions used to reduce school non-attendance. Expected outcomes include an autism-specific model of the how and why s ....Every Day Matters: Reducing School Non-Attendance in Autistic Students. Autistic children miss one day a week of school, three times more than their peers. This significantly impacts their learning, wellbeing and later, their vocational outcomes. This project aims to identify the factors that put autistic children at increased risk of missing school and map the supports and interventions used to reduce school non-attendance. Expected outcomes include an autism-specific model of the how and why school non-attendance is elevated for autistic students. It is anticipated that this model make the important step of enabling teachers and professionals to identify which autistic children are most at risk of absenteeism and select the best strategies to support a positive and beneficial return to school.Read moreRead less
3D Printed Food for People with Swallowing Disability. This project aims to identify ways that 3D food printing (additive manufacturing using real food in a device like a ink-jet printer) could be used to improve the visual appeal of puree meals for people with swallowing difficulty, who make up ~8% of the world's population. This study will be the first to include people with swallowing disability (e.g., related to cerebral palsy, stroke, older age) and their supporters in examining the views a ....3D Printed Food for People with Swallowing Disability. This project aims to identify ways that 3D food printing (additive manufacturing using real food in a device like a ink-jet printer) could be used to improve the visual appeal of puree meals for people with swallowing difficulty, who make up ~8% of the world's population. This study will be the first to include people with swallowing disability (e.g., related to cerebral palsy, stroke, older age) and their supporters in examining the views and experiences of stakeholders on the impact of 3D food printing on quality of life, enjoyment, participation, and safety. Outcomes include new knowledge on factors affecting the implementation of 3D food printing in disability and aged care services, to inform policy, practice, and future research.Read moreRead less
Social outcomes, behaviour and emotional well-being of adults with autism. It is recognised that autism results in substantial life-long disability. Severe emotional and behavioural problems are likely to be a key factor in precluding adults with autism from work, independent living, social contact, and undermine their quality of life, thus increasing support needs. This project aims to address a major gap in our current knowledge - the association between severe emotional and behavioural proble ....Social outcomes, behaviour and emotional well-being of adults with autism. It is recognised that autism results in substantial life-long disability. Severe emotional and behavioural problems are likely to be a key factor in precluding adults with autism from work, independent living, social contact, and undermine their quality of life, thus increasing support needs. This project aims to address a major gap in our current knowledge - the association between severe emotional and behavioural problems in adults with autism and social outcomes. Identification of markers of adult outcomes aims to lead to an improved understanding of the pathways to better social outcomes, facilitating the development of specific interventions to provide much needed improvements in outcomes for adults with autism.Read moreRead less
Young People with Disability & Young Carers: Opportunities & Contributions. This project aims to examine opportunities that young people with disability and young carers (aged 12-24) value and access, and contributions they make to families, communities and society. Using novel conceptual framing, qualitative research and large-scale survey data, the project expects to provide new knowledge on how policy can support access to valued opportunities and contributions for young people with disabilit ....Young People with Disability & Young Carers: Opportunities & Contributions. This project aims to examine opportunities that young people with disability and young carers (aged 12-24) value and access, and contributions they make to families, communities and society. Using novel conceptual framing, qualitative research and large-scale survey data, the project expects to provide new knowledge on how policy can support access to valued opportunities and contributions for young people with disability and young carers to support them to reach their full potential. Young people are centrally involved as co-researchers and the project is guided by a Policy Advisory Group. Benefits include evidence for a strengths-based policy approach to disability and care, longer-term economic gains and improved social cohesion.Read moreRead less
Investigating and promoting resilience in children with intellectual disabilities. Disability is a significant risk factor that threatens health and well-being. For the estimated 4% of 0-14 year old children with diagnosed intellectual disabilities in Australia, early intervention is crucial for promoting resilience and preventing an accumulation of risk. By promoting resilience and thereby reducing the cost of lifelong support, evidence-based interventions produce huge social and economic benef ....Investigating and promoting resilience in children with intellectual disabilities. Disability is a significant risk factor that threatens health and well-being. For the estimated 4% of 0-14 year old children with diagnosed intellectual disabilities in Australia, early intervention is crucial for promoting resilience and preventing an accumulation of risk. By promoting resilience and thereby reducing the cost of lifelong support, evidence-based interventions produce huge social and economic benefits for the nation, as well as for individuals, families and communities.Read moreRead less
Improving the life chances of young disabled Australians. This project will determine the social and economic impact of disability on young people and identify why some young people experience more negative outcomes. The outcome will be a model of the impact of disability which can be used to guide and monitor progress towards Australia's social inclusion agenda for people with disabilities. A substantial benefit will be growth in Australia's capacity in disability disadvantage research.
Engaging Outsiders in Sport: Transforming Sport Event Legacy Planning . The project aims to investigate intersectional inequities in sport participation for girls, women and non-binary people in Queensland by working with them to envision legacies for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Using a co-creation approach this project expects to identify how and what benefits can be achieved through legacy planning that engages with end-users who have historically been marginalised in sport. In doin ....Engaging Outsiders in Sport: Transforming Sport Event Legacy Planning . The project aims to investigate intersectional inequities in sport participation for girls, women and non-binary people in Queensland by working with them to envision legacies for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Using a co-creation approach this project expects to identify how and what benefits can be achieved through legacy planning that engages with end-users who have historically been marginalised in sport. In doing so, the expected outcomes of the project include the development of evidence-based resources to improve engagement in sport and to build capacity and sustain meaningful change for communities and organisations.Read moreRead less
Biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. This project aims to develop a class of porous, biocompatible, biofunctional and biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds with designed pore architecture and mechanical properties mimicking those of natural bone for tissue engineering applications. These magnesium alloy scaffolds will be biocompatible, able to bear loads, and will be gradually replaced by natural bone. The outcomes are expected to benefit the ageing population a ....Biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. This project aims to develop a class of porous, biocompatible, biofunctional and biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds with designed pore architecture and mechanical properties mimicking those of natural bone for tissue engineering applications. These magnesium alloy scaffolds will be biocompatible, able to bear loads, and will be gradually replaced by natural bone. The outcomes are expected to benefit the ageing population and people with bone abnormalities.Read moreRead less
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
Realising an 'ordinary life' for people with intellectual disabilities: Developing a theoretical framework for group home outcomes. Explaining why group homes produce variable outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities will make it more likely they live healthy, productive and fulfilling lives. Such outcomes are central to policies of inclusion and fundamental to human rights. The Australian community will be enriched by the inclusion of all people with disabilities and become a more jus ....Realising an 'ordinary life' for people with intellectual disabilities: Developing a theoretical framework for group home outcomes. Explaining why group homes produce variable outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities will make it more likely they live healthy, productive and fulfilling lives. Such outcomes are central to policies of inclusion and fundamental to human rights. The Australian community will be enriched by the inclusion of all people with disabilities and become a more just society. The research will support the translation of social policy into practice and adoption of good management practices. It will enable more effective use of the $2 billion spent on disability accommodation, and will bolster the arguments for community rather than institutional living, demonstrating investment in community services is a sound use of public moneyRead moreRead less