Academics from four Australian universities have been developing an education program and support package for people providing decision making support to people with cognitive disability. 

Having already piloted the education program, the researchers are seeking trial participants. 

Professor Christine Bigby, director of the Living with Disability Research Centre at La Trobe University, appealed for interested people with an intellectual disability or acquired brain injury, and their decision supporters.

“They could be a paid worker, a family member, a friend...” she said. 

The participants will be split into two groups, one of which will undertake the training, while the other is placed on a wait list. 

However, Professor Bigby said all participants would receive the training at the end of the 12-month process.

“Through the research we’ll see what needs to be refined,” she said.

The project was developed in response to a lack of evidence-based frameworks. 

“It is not yet known what processes work best for providing support for decision-making, including what kind of training and education works for people who are supporting others to make decisions,” the project website stated.

Professor Bigby said the study, led by La Trobe University, was particularly pertinent given the roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the decisions people with disability were required to make about their support needs.

The researchers said the five per cent of Australians with cognitive impairment as a result of intellectual disability or acquired brain injury constituted more than 60 per cent of NDIS participants.

“This large group requires significantly more support for decision making than other adults in the community,” the researchers said. 

In addition to La Trobe University, The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology, the study involves 12 industry partners. 

Chief investigators, aside from Professor Bigby, include Professor Jacinta Douglas, Dr Ilan Wiesel, Dr Shih-Ning Then, and Emeritus Professor Terry Carney.

For more about the study, or to get involved, click here.