Supporting young people with complex disability to participate in important life situations

Summary Supporting young people with complex disability to participate in important life situations

Project Details

Being able to attend and be involved in a variety of activities and meaningful life situations is a strong contributor to long-term health and wellbeing. Young people who have intellectual impairments, with or without associated physical impairments, often experience restrictions in their participation in community life, including employment and recreation. Programs are being designed that aim to support the learning of skills needed to effectively navigate the environments in which community activities occur. Development of participation-supporting skills (e.g. setting participatory goals, determining relevant barriers and supports, gaining self-advocacy skills) is critical to enabling increased participation.

This work sits within the NHMRC funded Centre for Research Excellence CP Achieve program, and is targeted towards investigating the feasibility, effect and potential for up-scaling of a participation-focused intervention, suitable for those with intellectual impairments.

There is an opportunity for a doctoral student within this program of work. We hope to recruit a high-quality allied health, psychology or educational professional into this PhD position and experience in disability is desirable. Interested applicants should email Professor Christine Imms at christine.imms@unimelb.edu.au