Our Team
Our Planning for a better life under the NDIS project team includes researchers from The University of Sydney, University of Canberra, Deakin University, and Flinders University, and partners from Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council and Northern Territory Disability Advocacy Service.
Professor John Gilroy
John is a Yuin man from the NSW South Coast and is a Professor of Indigenous health and disability, specialising primarily in disability studies. John has worked in disability and ageing research and community development with Aboriginal communities, government, and non-government stakeholders for most of his life. He is the first person to create Indigenous research methodologies in disability research. John is passionate about Aboriginal owned and driven research as means to influence policy. John has led many research projects in urban and rural/remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Dr Kim Bulkeley
Dr Kim Bulkeley is a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine Health. Kim coordinates the new interdisciplinary Disability and Participation Major, a member of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy, President of Disability SPOT and Co-Lead of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Strengthening Rehabilitation Capacity in Health Systems. Kim has a long history in the disability sector, working in front line roles, policy development and research for over 30 years. Kim is passionate about increasing access to high quality services and supports for people with disability, using mixed methods research approaches that engage directly with individuals, communities and stakeholders.
Professor Michelle Lincoln
Professor Michelle Lincoln is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health, The University of Canberra. Michelle is focused on promoting the role and impact of health and sport professionals on the lives of clients, patients and communities. Her second focus is on the preparation of the future allied health, nursing, midwifery, public health and sport workforce. This is reflected in both her leadership of the Faculty and her research. Michelle writes and researches in the areas of allied health service delivery and workforce particularly in rural, remote and Indigenous communities. Most recently her work has developed evidence for innovative allied health service delivery models in rural areas as well as strategies for retaining allied health professionals.
Professor Angela Dew
Professor Angela Dew, PhD is a sociologist with over 40 years’ experience in the Australian disability sector. Angela is Discipline Lead and Professor of Disability and Inclusion at Deakin University, Melbourne. Her research and teaching relates to understanding the intersections impacting on the lives of people with disability due to a range of complex support needs including people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those living in rural and remote geographic areas. Angela uses co-designed qualitative and arts-based methods within an integrated knowledge translation framework to create practical solutions that can be tailored to individuals and local communities.
Heather Jensen
Heather Jensen is an occupational therapist and academic who has been working in Central Australia for over 25 years. She worked at the Centre for Remote Health (now Flinders University Rural and Remote Health) where she was integrally involved in the development and delivery of a number of topics in the Masters in Remote and Indigenous Health program. She also developed and taught short courses in Recognising and Responding to Dementia in Indigenous Communities,Working with People with Disability in Remote and Indigenous Communities and Assessment and Care Planning in remote, rural and Indigenous communities to workers in the field. She has been the vice chairperson of Disability Advocacy Service in Alice Springs an active member of Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) and was NT representative on the SARRAH Advisory Committee for many years.
Penny Watson
Penny Watson has research experience working in the disability and mental health sector in Central Australia. She worked as a research assistant on the ‘Planning for a Better Life under the NDIS’ project with Flinders University and the University of Sydney. Most recently she worked on the development of a Lived Experience Peer workforce practice framework with Charles Darwin University in Alice Springs. She has had a long career working in a diverse range of community capacity building projects in the Northern Territory and NSW, including with First Nations communities.
Wayne Wright
Wayne Wright is a proud Wayliwan / Gamilaroi/ Wiradjuri man residing on Wiradjuri land. Wayne has worked as a Research Assistant for the Australian Research Council project on “Planning for a Better life on NDIS “ by the University of Sydney. Wayne also has a disability and is legally blind, so he has an understanding on how NDIS works in regional, rural, remote, very remote areas in NSW. Wayne is also a Community Engagement Officer at Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council working on an ILC-funded program called Wambinya Buwanha, which stands for Support to Grow. In his role, Wayne supports and mentors participants with pathways to employment and education vocational training. Wayne also works across culture and heritage, volunteering his time with Orange Local Land services and NSW Heritages. Wayne was named Aboriginal Student of the Year for TAFE NSW and Aboriginal Vocational Student of the Year in 2016 and also received a community award NAIDOC Award in Orange for Aboriginal Man of the Year 2016 and 2021 for his contribution to community.
Dr Genevieve Johnsson
Dr Genevieve Johnsson is a psychologist with over 15 years of experience working in the disability sector and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow with the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney. Genevieve is passionate about community-based participatory research and developing programs and services that improve access for children with a disability and their families. Genevieve completed a PhD with the University of Sydney on technology-based training for rural and remote staff supporting autistic children. Her research areas include family well-being and support, early childhood disability and inclusion, rural and remote service access, and the role of telepractice in providing quality support.