Listening to People with Intellectual Disability About Disability Institutions

Lead: Dr. Linda Steele, Faculty of Law

Duration: 2020 - 2021

Over the past 50 years in New South Wales, deinstitutionalisation has resulted in the closure of many large residential settings for people with intellectual disability. Despite the ongoing impacts of institutionalisation on many people with intellectual disability and their families and communities, the public knows little about these places and the people who lived there. Moreover, often disability institutions are redeveloped for other uses once they close, and their new uses do not provide opportunities for public engagement with these places’ disability histories – too often, their past is erased. Increasing public awareness about disability institutions and the experiences of people with intellectual disability who lived in these institutions might provide ways to bring about changes to community attitudes, policy and service delivery, and heritage and planning practices, and might also be a means for redressing some of the injustices of institutionalisation. However, a vital first step is to listen to people with intellectual disability about what, why and how remembering and learning should occur, and how to approach any specific future initiatives in ways that are respectful and ethical and centre the lived experience and leadership of people with intellectual disability.  

An interdisciplinary team of researchers across law, disability studies and industrial design, in partnership with People with Disability Australia and Council for Intellectual Disability are undertaking the research. They are conducting focus groups with people with intellectual disability, and plan to share the findings with people with intellectual disability, disability advocacy organisations, policymakers, local and state government planning authorities, and the Disability Royal Commission. 

What impact will we create?  

The project team will contribute to policy and law reform discussions around public education and public history on disability institutions, redressing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability, and the role of people with disability in heritage and planning practices related to former disability institutions. The project team is making a submission informed by the research to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.  

Who are we working with?

• People with intellectual disability

• Dr Phillippa Carnemolla, UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building 

• Rachel Spencer, Council for Intellectual Disability 

• Robert Strike, Council for Intellectual Disability

• Frances Quan Farrant, People with Disability Australia 

• Professor Leanne Dowse, UNSW

Funding Support

• Funding $13,000

• Disability Innovation Collaboration Seed Funding, UTS

•  Law Health Justice Research Centre, UTS  

Research design 

Stage 1 involves focus groups with people with intellectual disability. Stage 2 involves sharing the findings with people with people with intellectual disability, disability advocacy organisations, policymakers, local and state government planning authorities, and the Disability Royal Commission

Network Research Themes

• Inclusion and Participation 
• Social Justice, Diversity and Equity