IDA Magazine Vol 40 Iss 3 (Sep 2019)

RESEARCH PROFILES
many ways AAC can support a person’s communication, including
to extend the language of a young child who may have no or
even a few words, or adults in shared supported accommodation
to be engaged and enjoy social interactions.
Recently, AAC use seems to have narrowed in focus, such that
its full potential is not realised. There is a need for organisations
such as ASID to help spread the message about all forms of
communication being valued. If we apply the Social Model of
Disability, we realise that the best intervention is directed at
others in a person’s environment. We need to notice, interpret
and respond to all communication attempts. We need to learn
about how a person communicates, and then integrate those
means into our everyday interactions with that person. Finally,
we need to educate broader society to be communication savvy:
that is, to give power to subtle signals, recognise the meaning
behind challenging behaviours, and learn to understand words
expressed using means other than speech.
Teresa Iacono
Professor of Rural & Regional
Allied Health
La Trobe Rural Health School
Living with Disability Research
Centre
T.iacono@latrobe.edu.au
SALLY ROBINSON
Sally is the new Professor of Disability and Community Inclusion at Flinders University. Her research
is focused on promoting the rights and wellbeing of people with disability, particularly children and
young people.
What led you to work in this area?
I’ve worked alongside people with disability my whole working life. In that time, I’ve been lucky enough
to have colleagues with intellectual disability who gave me really important direction. My first piece of
research in the mid-1990s was as a practitioner researcher alongside self-advocacy leaders Robert
Strike and the late, great Kim Walker – what an introduction to how research could be! Without their
guidance, I wouldn’t have taken on my PhD research, which was about the emotional and psychological
abuse of people with intellectual disability in disability services. Since then, pretty much all of my work
has been co-produced with people with disability, and I’ve tried to make sure it is generated from their
priorities. This has taken us into such interesting and important territory – relationships, violence and
abuse, loneliness, belonging, quality of support – and also translated into the way we conduct research
and evaluation for government and NGOs.
What have been your highlights?
Being a part of focused communities working to raise expectations of a better life for people with
intellectual disability has been very important to me. I really don’t enjoy doing things by myself -
collaboration with Disabled Peoples Organisations and advocacy groups, other academic colleagues
and key change makers in and out of government has meant that I’ve been part of some really rich
partnerships.
26 www.asid.asn.au