Communicating disability research findings: Walykumunu Nyinaratjaku – to live a good life

Walykumunu Nyinaratjaku: To Live a Good Life

Women from the NPY Women’s Council recently met in Alice Springs for a three-day workshop to plan and develop resources for sharing findings from a collaborative research project about disability issues. Facilitated by the Poche Centre’s Deputy Director, Associate Professor Kerry Taylor, the workshop was another in a series that looked at the report ‘Walykumunu Nyinaratjaku: to live a good life’.

The women discussed key findings of the research that Anangu and Yarnangu with disabilities want more than anything, to stay in their home communities, regardless of a lack of services or resources. This was not to say people were accepting of a lesser standard for disability care, but that service providers need to help people stay on country as a matter of priority.

This research project gave an opportunity for Anangu and Yarnangu voices to be heard. The Malpa (Aboriginal researchers/mentors) then worked out how best to communicate the findings back to participants and their communities.

The strategies that the group came up with, include using community meetings and smaller family group meetings, artworks, DVD clips on key topics, books, magazines and radio scripts to ensure the findings can be understood and translated into actions to help people with a disability live a good life. They also recommended the findings be shared nationally and internationally at conferences and other forums.

It was a very busy few days, with a considerable amount of work ahead. However, even with or perhaps because of the women’s personal responsibilities as carers and as people with lived experiences of disabilities, the commitment to the job was high. The Poche Centre staff look forward to continuing our collaborations with NPY Women’s Council, The University of Sydney, the Centre for Remote Health and the amazing Malpa without whom this work would not be possible.

To live a good life
Malpa, Nurina Burton, Margaret Heffernan and Anne Jack developing materials for communicating the disability research findings to their communities
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Poche Centre for Indigenous Health