Supported accommodation evaluation framework (SAEF) guide

High hopes for the NDIS are that people with disability will be able to live as independently as they choose, with the housing of their choice, and with the paid support that suits their preferences and life goals. Research conducted by the Social Policy Research Centre for the NSW government about disability housing support that is like the NDIS found that most people did achieve some positive outcomes. Least change was evident in people’s interpersonal relationships and employment, and some people did not live in housing that met their needs.&nbsp

Is investment in Indigenous land and sea management going to the right places to provide multiple co-benefits?

Indigenous land and sea management (ILSM) has been the focus of large government investment in Australia and globally. Beyond environmental benefits, such investments can deliver a suite of social, cultural and economic co-benefits, aligning with the objectives of Indigenous communities and of governments for culturally appropriate socio-economic development. Nevertheless, there have been very few studies done on the spatial distribution of this investment and the extent to which its associated co-benefits address socio-economic disadvantage, which is unevenly distributed across Australia. This study draws on Australian ILSM programmes to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of investment for ILSM between 2002–2012 and considers implications for the distribution of associated co-benefits. Mapping and analysis of 2600 conservation projects revealed that at least $462M of investment in ILSM projects had occurred at 750 discrete sites throughout Australia. More than half of this investment in ILSM has been concentrated in northern Australia, in disadvantaged remote and very remote areas where a high percentage of the population is Indigenous, and Indigenous land ownership extensive. Our research has shown that ILSM investment has successfully been spatially distributed to areas with high needs for multiple social, economic, environmental and health and well-being co-benefit outcomes

Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women with Spinal Cord Injury

This study represents the first known research addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States. Women in this population face unique barriers that put them at elevated risk for compromised quality of life, risk that was magnified by physical and social restrictions imposed during the pandemic. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of women with SCI and the effect of the pandemic on their lives. The predominantly White and relatively well-educated sample of 105 women with traumatic SCI was diverse in age, injury characteristics, and geographic representation. Recruited across the USA, participants in an online psychological health intervention trial were asked to respond to the item, Please tell us how COVID-19 has affected you and your life , administered May-October, 2020. An overall sentiment rating of impact was coded as well as the impact of COVID-19 on eight individual themes: Physical Health, Mental Health, Social Health, Activities of Daily Living, Exercise, Work, Activities Outside the Home, and Activities at Home. Sentiment responses were rated as positive, negative, a mixture of positive and negative impacts, or neutral impact. Participants described the overall impact of COVID-19 as negative (54%), positive (10%), mixed (21%) or neutral (15%). Sentiment ratings to individual themes were also described. Our findings highlight the importance of providing access to disability-sensitive and affordable support, resources, and interventions for women with SCI, especially during a public health crisis

Interpersonal Violence Against Women With Spinal Cord Injury: Adding Insult to Injury

BACKGROUND: Mounting empirical evidence suggests that, compared to women without disabilities, women with disabilities are more likely to experience interpersonal violence (IPV). However, there is extremely limited research attention on IPV against women with spinal cord injury (SCI), a particularly understudied and underserved population. OBJECTIVES: To conduct the first known examination of lifetime IPV experience in women with SCI, to explore demographic and disability-related correlates of IPV, and to examine the health impacts of IPV. METHODS: The sample included 175 women with traumatic SCI from across the United States who enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of an online psychological health promotion intervention. The data, which included a brief measure of lifetime abuse, were collected as part of the baseline survey administered prior to randomization to the intervention or control conditions. RESULTS: The majority (55%) of the women described experiencing some abuse in their lifetime, with 43% reporting physical abuse, 32% reporting sexual abuse, and 23% reporting disability-related abuse. Sixteen percent of the women indicated that they had experienced all three (physical, sexual, disability) types of abuse. Few demographic and disability characteristics were related to overall lifetime IPV experience; however, disability characteristics were associated with disability-related IPV victimization. In addition, those with a history of IPV had poorer self-reported health and greater depression. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that IPV is common among women with SCI. More research is needed to understand the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of IPV against women with SCI to help inform policy and practice

Factors that help people with disability to self-manage their support

Disability policy in many countries encourages people to self-manage their disability support funds, yet few people do. This is also the case with Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Little is known about who chooses self-management and how they sustain it. This project explored the conditions and resources conducive to self-management in the interests of the person with disability. It used Katzman and Kinsella’s typology of self-management work to analyse the current conditions that facilitate or hinder self-management. The research demonstrated unequal take-up of self-management, particularly by location and disability type. Often, a family member self-manages on behalf of the person with disability. Conditions and resources people needed to sustain self-management included prior experience and socio-economic advantage, or resources to fill these gaps. Implications are that resources such as advocates, peers, organisations or support coordination can help fill the gap between people with and without personal and social advantages

Self-Esteem in Second Life: An inWorld Group Intervention for Women with Disabilities

We are developing and investigating the feasibility of a self-esteem enhancement intervention in Second Life for women with physical disabilities. We adapted the curriculum of a previously tested workshop intervention to include features unique to this environment. Results of the beta test were very positive. Everyone involved showed considerable enthusiasm for exploring the new world of SL. The group leaders were challenged to resolve technical problems on every occasion, but these diminished and were perceived as manageable as the intervention progressed. Beta testers gave positive ratings to the information presented, organization, and usefulness of the intervention and found it very enjoyable although fatigue and stress limited the participation of some. They appreciated the use of Internet technology as an accommodation to their disability, in place of requiring transportation and additional energy expenditure to attend face-to-face meetings. Research issues related to engagement, measurement, and participant safety, as well as future research directions, are discussed. We conclude that SL has great potential for delivering health promotion interventions to women with physical disabilities

Guidelines for OLAC Video Game Genre Terms (olacvggt)

A thesaurus of video game genre terms with a corresponding MARC authority record