Everyday steps to prevent everyday harms of people with disability
Project Details
Funding partner
Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP210200536)
Timeframe
2022 - 2026
Publications
Project website: www.everydayharm.org.au
This website shares a wide range of accessible resources about everyday harm and how to prevent and address it. These include videos, training guides, a board game and summaries of our ten journal articles.
Robinson, S., Ikaheimo, H., Fisher, K.R., Idle, J., Cresciani, R. & Smyth, C. (2026) Understanding everyday harm between young people with cognitive disability and support workers. Disability & Society https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2026.2615721
Idle, J., Robinson, S., Fisher, K.R., Ikäheimo, H., Smyth, C. & Yoon, J. (2024) Conceptualising the everyday harm experienced by people with cognitive disability: a scoping review of microaggression and emotional and psychological abuse. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2024.2336076
Smyth, C., Fisher, K.R., Robinson, S., Ikäheimo, H., Hrenchir, N., Idle, J. & Yoon, J. (2023) Policy representation of everyday harm experienced by people with disability. Social Policy and Administration, https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12985
Team
DCI researchers
Professor Sally Robinson (lead)
Dr Jan Idle
Eleanor Watson
Rachel High
Ruby Nankivell
Research partners
UNSW Sydney Social Policy Research Centre – Professor Karen Fisher, Dr Heikki Ikaheimo
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
VACRO - Dr Aaron Hart
Purple Orange - Robbi Williams
Northcott
SA Department of Human Services
Bedford Phoenix Inc
Mable
Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)
Novita
genU
Summary
Our research is about what to do when young people with intellectual disability are not treated well in their everyday support from their workers.
We call this everyday harm.
Everyday harm is things that make people feel sad or offended, like being ignored or spoken to in a nasty way.
Our project is about how people can take everyday steps in their work together that make it easier to stop everyday harm from happening. http://www.everydayharm.org.au
Impact
The project addresses a key national interest, the safety and wellbeing of people with disability. New evidence is needed to address the stark problems of abuse and neglect identified in the Disability Royal Commission. Incorporating new understandings of abuse, safety and wellbeing into national policy and practice collaboration will help organisations efficiently and safely improve the quality of disability support, improving effectiveness and value of key mechanisms such as the NDIS. The research contributes to achieving Australia’s Disability Strategy 2022-2032, addressing Outcome Area: Safety, Rights and Justice. It will also support conceptual and practical approaches to enhance safety and wellbeing in the related sectors of aged care and children’s services.
Resources
Go to the project website to find a wide range of resources about this project:
http://www.everydayharm.org.au