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----- Original Message -----
From: dsrc
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, May 01, 2009 4:49 PM
Subject: Re: Australian Disability Research Agenda Collaboration (ADRAC) Paper
Dear Colleagues,
Recently researchers interested in disability research were invited to a workshop to discuss how to facilitate the develop a national research agenda. A document outlining the conclusions from this meeting is below. The summary has preliminary suggestions about the ADRAC process; questions about possible research agenda content, process and governance; and opportunities to participate in ADRAC. We are now seeking comment from those who were unable to attend the workshop and would like to be involved.
Australian Disability Research Agenda Collaboration (ADRAC)
1 Background. 1
2 ADRAC process. 1
3 Research agenda content 2
4 Research agenda process and governance. 3
4.1 Organising disability researchers. 3
4.2 Principles for disability studies research. 3
4.3 Disability research activities. 3
5 Opportunities to participate in ADRAC.. 4
6 Abbreviations and explanations. 4
1 Background
A number of Australian disability research, policy, politics and advocacy activities are contributing to calls to establish an Australian disability research agenda. These activities include the National Disability Strategy (NDS) process; the Disability Investment Group; statements by the Parliamentary Secretary for Disability, Bill Shorten and in COAG; and discussions in disability research and community meetings and conferences. For example, in March COAG announced $10 million for disability research over 5 years.
Disability researchers attended a workshop on 2 April to discuss how to facilitate the development of a national disability research agenda. Other researchers who could not attend also expressed an interest in being involved.
The workshop resolved to form an inclusive collaboration of people interested in disability research to develop a national agenda. The Disability Studies and Research Centre (DSRC) offered to coordinate the collaboration until an alternative governance structure is agreed upon.
This document summarises the conclusions from the workshop as a way of seeking participation and comment from other people who wish to be involved. The summary has preliminary suggestions about the ADRAC process; questions about possible research agenda content, process and governance; and opportunities to participate in ADRAC.
2 ADRAC process
The ADRAC process will be inclusive of anyone with an interest in disability research from a social perspective. Examples are researchers, disability community organisations and other people with disabilities. The collaboration will encourage diverse participation, in terms of disability, discipline and research experience. Other people and organisations may be interested in knowing what ADRAC is doing and choose not to become actively involved.
The processes will be public, such as distributing written materials for consultation, inviting participation to meetings and events, and seeking comment on progress towards a research agenda.
The goal of the process will be to reach broad agreement on the content, process and governance of an Australian disability research agenda.
The preliminary steps towards that goal will be:
· National and local meetings of interested people
· Distribution of written materials for comment from interested people
· Engagement with government over steps to implement the broadly agreed research agenda.
The timeframe will be to conclude the preliminary steps in 2009.
Primary communication about the process, steps and progress will be through the ADRAC website. DSRC will coordinate the collaboration until an alternative governance structure is agreed upon.
3 Research agenda content
The goal of a research agenda would be to develop an Australian body of knowledge on disability theory, methodology and practice.
A research agenda would set priorities for research. Priorities would have indicative timeframes linked to disability community preferences for prioritised research evidence. Decisions about research priorities would be informed by the gap between what we would aim to develop in an Australian body of knowledge and where we are now.
For example, the NDS process included national community consultations. It identified the priorities from community members for content in a NDS, including priorities for an Australian response to its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The NDS consultations could be one source of priorities for national and international research projects.
Examples of broad areas that could be prioritised include citizenship, rights, entitlement, social inclusion, participation, control of disability research, meanings of the lived experiences of disability, national survey of disability, commonalities and differences in experiences, life course, social interventions, cultural research and applied research.
Challenges to establishing a research agenda include the potentially cross-disciplinary nature of disability research, the small Australian disability research base, the small pool of disability researchers with experience of rigorous research and the urgent demands for an Australian body of knowledge and for research training.
4 Research agenda process and governance
4.1 Organising disability researchers
Questions about organising disability researchers that the ADRAC process will address include
· Whether a research agenda requires an organisation to design, set priorities and implement them? If so, what governance structure is necessary to maintain rigorous research processes? Are governance structures such as ARACY or AHURI suitable?
· Whether a research agenda requires government funding or other sources of funding? How would the funding be allocated to researchers?
· Whether national network of disability researchers should be established to implement or inform a research agenda? For example, do we need an Australasian disability studies society, association and journal? What would its purpose be? How would it relate to other discipline specific networks?
· How do we ensure local participation in a research agenda to build the local research capacity of people with disabilities, disability community organisations, disability researchers and other people who conduct or apply the research?
4.2 Principles for disability research
Questions about principles for disability research that the ADRAC process will address include
· What should the role of people with disabilities in the research agenda? Roles include choosing priorities, designing and conducting research and disseminating and applying?
· Similarly, what is the role of disability community organisations?
· How would we bridge the gap between goals and capacity in principles for good quality disability research?
4.3 Disability research activities
Questions about disability research activities that the ADRAC process will address include what should research agenda funding be spent on? For example
· Seed funding to scope larger projects that would be funded from other sources, such as ARC, NHMRC, government, competitive and commissioned research, NGOs, business? Or a smaller number of larger projects fully funded by the agenda?
· Baseline datasets about experience of disability on which to build for future research agendas?
· Resources for disability researchers - clearinghouse of national and international research, web resources, partnerships, journal, knowledge management, dissemination?
· International opportunities for collaboration?
· Disability research training - education, training, mentoring, internships, students, scholarships?
5 Opportunities to participate in ADRAC
Information about ADRAC is currently available at http://dsrc.arts.unsw.edu.au/adrac.html. To register your interest or add your comments, events or for more information visit the website or contact [log in to unmask]
We encourage you to
· Comment on this paper and any other material about a research agenda
· Let other people who might be interested know about ADRAC so that they can participate
· Organise your own meetings about ADRAC or the research agenda. Please let us know so that we can publicise it on the website to other people in your area and share the outcomes from the events.
You can also participate in discussions about the research agenda at the
· Disability Studies Conference Australia, Towards a National Disability Research Agenda, 26-27 June 2009
http://dsrc.arts.unsw.edu.au/conference/dsc2009/index.html
· Disability Session at the Australian Social Policy Conference 8-10 July 2009,
http://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/ASPC2009/index.htm
Both events are at UNSW, Sydney for more information please visit the websites above.
.
6 Abbreviations and explanations
ADRAC Australian Disability Research Agenda Collaboration
AHURI Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
ARACY Australian Research Alliance of Children and Youth
CRPD United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
COAG Council of Australian Governments
DIG Disability Investment Group
DSRC Disability Studies and Research Centre
FAHCSIA Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (responsible for disability policy)
NDA National Disability Agreement
NDS National Disability Strategy
Disability Studies and Research Centre (DSRC)
For now the ADRAC process is coordinated by the Disability Studies and Research Centre (DSRC) at the University of New South Wales. DSRC is a national disability studies centre. DSRC applies a critical social perspective to disability studies and research across disciplines. DSRC supports disability studies in Australia and the Asia Pacific to inform an equitable, participatory and accessible society for people with disabilities.
Information will be made available on the ADRAC site: http://dsrc.arts.unsw.edu.au/adrac.html
Please note, we would like to receive feedback before the 18th May, so the revised document could be circulated to delegates prior to attending the Disability Studies Conference, Australia on 26-27 June.
Thanks in advance,
Duncan
--
Duncan Aldridge
Administration Officer
Disability Studies and Research Centre (Wed, Thurs, Fri)
University of New South Wales
Email: [log in to unmask]
Phone: + 61 2 9385 9908
Towards A National Disability Studies Agenda
Disability Studies Conference, Australia 26-27 June 2009
URL: http://dsrc.arts.unsw.edu.au/conference/dsc2009
Register here: http://www.hotelnetwork.com.au/conferences/conferences/disability_studies/registration
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