Suchergebnisse

The inclusivity of neurodiversity conferences is a new field of research. Utilising Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as an example, this study aims to critically investigate issues of inclusivity in the flyers advertising these conferences. This exploratory research is informed by 22 conference flyers and 14 scholarly articles retrieved from respective internet and Google Scholar enquiries. These articles offered evidence-based justifications for a greater inclusion of OCD-focused content in neurodiversity conferences. The study cautions that the lack of explicit inclusion of OCD as a topic among conferences can be harmful to persons who identify with this particular type of neurodivergence. This study offers a sound base from which future research focusing upon other forms of neurodivergence and issues of neurodiversity conference inclusivity and intersectionality can develop.

Discrimination can closely follow disclosure of neurodivergence in the workplace. This traditional review of the literature therefore aims to (a) critically explore factors that facilitate and inhibit mental discrimination in workplace environments, and (b) produce an evidence-based, anti-discrimination guide supporting neurodivergent employees. Applying content analysis to 64 scholarly articles retrieved from Scopus, ProQuest Central and PsycINFO (via OvidSP) databases, this traditional review offers three main messages which should be of value to HR policymakers and practitioners. First, the spirit of diversity and inclusion needs to be practically applied in recruitment processes so that neurodivergent applicants are not exposed to discrimination. Second, employees or prospective employees should not feel that they will be punished for disclosing their neurodivergence. Finally, sanist workplaces that refuse to be inclusive and accommodating of neurodivergent persons might experience lost productivity as a result.

The need to advance mental health through greater levels of social and economic inclusion represents a pressing policy issue. Within Australia, this policy focus has been progressed at a national level. This exploratory study aims to critically investigate The Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan in terms of its potential to help reduce mental stigma and discrimination within Australian workplaces. Qualitative content analysis was applied to the national policy document as well as to 12 academic texts retrieved from a Google Scholar search and meeting inclusion criteria. Stage one of the content analysis process revealed themes of representation, education, research, and activism, while stage two added those of language, legal, and media. This study posits that workplace anti-mental stigma and sanism measures as identified within the Plan are limited in the sense that they represent only a subset of those currently available. This research also supports the prospect of these measures operating in a collaborative manner. Finally, it is proposed that potential exists throughout Australian workplaces to implement stigma and sanism reduction measures that specifically target the health and peer workforce.

Social justice requires that the "nothing about us without us" disability inclusion mantra not be rejected or watered down in knowledge production activities. Appreciating the need for a greater representation of disability in these activities, this investigative study aims to (a) determine if there is a statistically significant difference in the median research attribute reporting scores between articles whose content refers to the term "researchers with lived experience" and articles whose content refers to "non-disabled researchers," and (b) to critically discuss how the scholarly literature reports on the attributes of researchers with and without disability. Enabling this exploration, this study has applied the Mann-Whitney U test and thematic analysis to a purposive sample of 20 articles that were retrieved from a Scopus database search. Findings reveal that the median score of reported research attributes was statistically significantly higher in the group of articles whose content referred to the term researchers with lived experience than in the articles that referred to non-disabled researchers. Results also highlight attributes of empathy, ability, rigor and activism that are reportedly shared across the two groups of articles. Crucially, attention is given to a theme reported as unique to the researchers with disability group. This is the attribute of having firsthand knowledge of disability (i.e., lived experience). The study concludes by recognising that lived experience, when incorporated throughout the research process, can help to redress deficiencies that might otherwise be present.

The need to advance mental health through greater levels of social and economic inclusion represents a pressing policy issue. Within Australia, this policy focus has been progressed at a national level. This exploratory study aims to critically investigate The Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan in terms of its potential to help reduce mental stigma and discrimination within Australian workplaces. Qualitative content analysis was applied to the national policy document as well as to 12 academic texts retrieved from a Google Scholar search and meeting inclusion criteria. Stage one of the content analysis process revealed themes of representation, education, research, and activism, while stage two added those of language, legal, and media. This study posits that workplace anti-mental stigma and sanism measures as identified within the Plan are limited in the sense that they represent only a subset of those currently available. This research also supports the prospect of these measures operating in a collaborative manner. Finally, it is proposed that potential exists throughout Australian workplaces to implement stigma and sanism reduction measures that specifically target the health and peer workforce.

Employment outcomes for Australians with disability are weak and worsening. Aiming to assist in better understanding and redressing this troubling policy issue, this investigative research aims to (a) determine as to whether or not a significant relationship exists between disability type (i.e., physical or psychiatric) and long-term employment; and (b) identify evidence-based measures that might assist to improve the long-term employment of neurodiverse disability employment services (DES) clients. Addressing the first of these aims, an IBM SPSS-based chi-square analysis was conducted utilizing disability employment data sourced from the Australian Government. Targeting the second aim, a literature search was conducted utilizing Google Scholar, and thematic analysis was, then, applied on the results of this enquiry. Results of the chi-square analysis reveal that a DES client's disability type appears to be associated with whether or not they attain long-term employment. From the 79 possibly relevant articles obtained from the Google Scholar enquiry, 13 were deemed relevant after applying the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis constructed themes of resourcing, personalized support and education. In addition to offering a good practice employment guide based upon these themes, the study concludes by challenging Australian policymakers to consider the kinds of DES provider results that might not warrant reward.

Research which is led by mentally diverse persons offers a variety of benefits. Crucially, this research holds potential to target wide-ranging social inclusion issues. Recognizing that these studies cannot lay claim to be commonplace, the aim of this investigation is to inform and improve policy supportive of lived experience-led studies by critically investigating evidence-based factors influencing a greater presence of this genuinely inclusive style of research. Following purposive sampling, thematic analysis was applied to twelve articles meeting with inclusion criteria and retrieved from Scopus, Medline, PsycINFO and ProQuest databases. This investigation reveals three key findings. First, this exploratory study identifies factors supporting and resisting lived experience-led research across micro, meso and macro levels. Second, investment in future research is needed to identify evidence-based measures with capacity to redress factors constraining opportunities for mentally diverse persons to develop research careers and to potentially lead the way in reforming mental health and other services. Finally, any assertions of neurodiverse researchers as necessarily being lacking in professional qualifications or reliant upon the assistance of neurotypical colleagues should be critically questioned.

AbstractIn Australia there is a significant gap in employment rates between people with disability and those without. This is in the context of general gaps in the disability sector workforce, which has been the subject of recent policy concern. Our study critically investigates (a) data on the employment of people with disability in Australian disability services; (b) data on disability awareness training in disability services; (c) these results in the context of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) National Workforce Plan: 2021–2025 and the NDIS workforce Capability Framework. We undertook a mixed methods study that brought together descriptive statistics from the National Disability Services Workforce Census data and qualitative content analysis of the NDIS National Workforce Plan and the NDIS workforce Capability Framework. We found that 50% of disability service organisations employ at least one person with disability in their organisations, with 20% employing less than three people with disability. Only 24% of organisations include a person with disability on their board, and 19% of organisations employ people with disability in management positions. Policy document analysis shows policies support key areas for increasing employment of people with disability and disability inclusion. Employment of people with disability at all levels of disability services remains poor in Australia. We argue that 'soft' approaches to addressing low employment levels need to be supplemented by harder approaches that take full advantage of the levers available to government through the operation of the NDIS.

AbstractThe National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was designed to support Australians living with disability. However, public data evidence the low number of people with psychosocial disability in the Scheme. One reason for these low numbers is that many people with psychosocial disability have still not applied to receive NDIS support. The aim of this review was to analyse and synthesise previously reported barriers preventing people with psychosocial disability applying to the Scheme. A search of seven databases identified 61 relevant documents including peer‐reviewed research, published expert opinion pieces, newspaper articles and government and independent enquiries and reports. Thematic analysis revealed five overarching barriers to applying: social inequities acting as barriers to applying; stigma, trauma and previous negative experiences; barriers to finding supports needed to apply; challenges understanding the relevance of the Scheme; and experiences and symptoms of mental illness extend and exacerbate barriers. These barriers signpost problems inherent within an application process designed without engaging or being responsive to the expertise of and insights into people living with psychosocial disability. Resolution of these substantial barriers will not be a small task. It will require commitment to redesigning the Scheme's application process through a genuinely codesigned approach.