Bridging the gap between theory and practice - an emerging partnership between a disabilities research unit and a community-based rehabilitation programme

Abstract

Australia has a well documented history of providing community-based individualised support services to people who have an intellectual disability. Equally, the country has played a considerable role in generating a significant body of research in relation to this particular disability group. 21st Century Australia has a large number of Non Government Organisations (NGOs) providing both open employment and independent living support services to people with an intellectual disability, but what happens when an NGO finds itself with an increase in clientele who have a dual disability, that is people who have both an intellectual and a psychiatric disability? Metro Adelaide Community Living was one such NGO which provides individualised support services, through the employment of support workers, to enable their clientele to both secure and establish independent housing, and to develop and/or maintain the skills, resources and confidence they need to live in the community. In order to assist their clients with a dual disability, Metro Adelaide Community Living collaborated with the University of Adelaide’s Disabilities Research Unit to develop a program focussed upon improving service delivery. This was initiated by conducting a series of individual interviews and semi-structured focus groups with the identified clients and their support workers to examine the specific issues and to identify any agency training needs. A training program was implemented and relevant resource materials were identified to ensure optimal service delivery by support staff. This poster will highlight the issues relating to dual disability, as identified by the program’s participants, and will include recommendations for improving service delivery to this particular client group. Further, a proposed model for developing a similar partnership between an NGO and a research institution will be presented.