Bellberry travel grant awarded to researcher focused on disability and inclusion

Sociologist, lawyer and Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, Dr Michelle King, was yesterday awarded the Bellberry Travel Grant at the Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law (AABHL) Conference 2023 in Brisbane.

The travel grant will assist Dr King to present a paper in Chicago at the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) World Congress in August next year.

Dr King said her work focuses on defining inclusion in research for people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities and how this inclusion is mediated by research ethics committees and rules.

“Research about the experiences and perspectives of people with profound intellectual disabilities is difficult,” said Dr King.

“Most research work is done with the people around the person with profound intellectual disabilities, like parents, support workers, or health professionals.

“Including someone with profound intellectual disabilities in research can also be made more difficult by research ethical clearance processes and committees.

“My paper considers the question of ‘nothing about us, without us’ for people who may not be able to include themselves,” she said.

Dr King is also the parent of an adult daughter with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

“I greatly value the opportunity to travel to the IASSIDD World Congress to share my results on ethics, decision-making and profound intellectual disabilities,” she said.

Bellberry’s CEO, Kylie Sproston congratulated Dr King on her ground-breaking research saying Bellberry was excited to support Dr King with a travel grant.

“This year marks 20 years of Bellberry and we are proud to partner with the 2023 AABHL Conference to offer a travel grant of up to $2000 to an early career or higher degree researcher to assist with travel to present research related to research ethics,” said Ms Sproston.

For further information please contact Alison Rogers on 0488 995 868 or alison@livingstories.net.au