La Trobe University has academic experts available to talk to the media in relation to the Federal Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
Dr David Armstrong
Associate Professor in Inclusive Education and Specialist Education
Contact: D.Armstrong@latrobe.edu.au or 0434 099 616
Expertise: Dr Armstrong is an inclusive education academic who scoped the Disability Royal Commission Inquiry in 2020 on the educational exclusion of students with a disability. He was an expert witness.
Dr Armstrong can discuss the following topics:
- Disability
- NDIS
- Educational inclusion
- School attendance
- Occupational violence/behaviour in schools
- Developmental psychology
- Dyslexia
- ADHD
- Educational policy
- Educational trends
Professor Christine Bigby
Director, Living with a Disability Research Centre
Contact: C.Bigby@latrobe.edu.au or 0438 602 264
Expertise: Professor Bigby has a national and international reputation for her research on the social inclusion of adults with intellectual disabilities. Her work focuses on policy issues, program effectiveness and frontline practice that supports quality of life outcomes for people with intellectual disability. Professor Bigby has written extensively on group homes and supported decision making.
Professor Bigby can discuss the following topics:
- Homes/supported accommodation
- Supported decision making
- Service system /NDIS issues about service, quality etc.
Dr Piers Gooding
Associate Professor, Law
Contact: P.Gooding@latrobe.edu.au or 0406 323 168
Expertise: Dr Piers’ work focuses on the law and policy of disability and health. Dr Piers is the author of A New Era for Mental Health Law and Policy: Supported Decision-Making and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Dr Gooding can discuss the following topics:
- The recommendation for a Disability Rights Act and a Human Rights Act
- The Disability Discrimination Act reform
- ‘Restrictive practices’ and efforts to reduce and eliminate physical, mechanical and chemical restraint in disability services
- Community visitor schemes and monitoring of closed institutional settings
- Disability advocacy program
Contact details:
Elaine Cooney
E.Cooney@latrobe.edu.au
0487 448 734
