Associate ProfessorKim Bulkeley

Current Research:

To develop innovative models that maximise access to supports for people with a disability through partnerships with communities, service providers & policy makers to develop relevant research approaches to translate research into practice. Through my research I intend to reduce the inequities in access to services for people with a disability, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Current and completed projects (last 5 years):

Nov 2024 ARC Linkage Grant - Towards Formal Sector Employment for People with Disability in Timor Leste $237,899; To commence in Sept 2025. This project will focus on employers as a key mechanism of inclusion of people with disability in the workforce. We have Honours students engaged with this project from Occupational Therapy and Social Work.

Mar 2024 SSSHARC Accelerator Impact Grant, Rural early childhood supports, community partnership team development $32,000 a partnership with Monaro Family Support Services exploring the design of wrap around early childhood supports in the context of the NDIS and rural community needs.

Nov 2023 Sydney South East Asia Centre SSEAC Multidisciplinary Incubator Program for Timor Leste disability employment project $50,000; survey of 1000 participants in Dili, Timor Leste on attitudes to people with disability including attitudes to employment. Analysis is underway with in country partners; We have two honours students engaged with this survey analysis, one from Occupational Therapy looking at people with intellectual disability and one from Social work exploring gender in relation to attitudes towards people with disability.

Nov 2023 ANZAHPE education fund for Survey of Health Professional educators attitudes to students with disability $10,000: Publication under review; presentations at national and international conferences

June 2022 - Aug 2025Disability Wellbeing Index development, qualitative study with people with disability. $95,532 Disability Wellbeing Index accessibility versions development/ consultation/implementation for preference studies $205,000 Launch in Aug 2025; Resources and reports on qualitative phases led by USYD available on https://www.dwi.org.au/ Publication on accessible online surveys in draft.

June 2021 Tapping into Tech, action research in partnership with Alison Gerlach from Victoria University, Vancouver Foundation exploring the use of technology to deliver supports to rural and remote families with children with complex needs and disability $200,000 Resources available: https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/tappingintotech/

Jan 2020 ASPECT Evaluation- Therapy support workers in remote communities including telepractice. $70,000 Report available on https://www.aspect.org.au/uploads/documents/Therapy/Therapy-Assistant-Evaluation-Report.pdf

July 2019 MacKillop Family Services Evaluation - Therapy support workers in remote communities; worked with Mackillop to develop their approach to training and support for their therapy support workers in a time of transition the NDIS individual planning model.

Dec 2018

ARC Indigenous Grant - Retention of the Aboriginal health and disability workforce $471,000; this project commenced in 2019 with an extension due to COVID 19 and has been completed and we are generating publications from this work.

ARC Indigenous Grant - Planning for a better life under the National Disability Insurance Scheme $1,051,000; this project commenced in 2019 with an extension due to COVID 19 and has now been completed with a focus on rural and remote NDIS participants and planners. We have generated publications and an online training resource https://heart-led.org.au/ which is being used by the NDIA for planner training.