Researchers at UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales) and Black Dog Institute are seeking volunteer research participants to learn how photography can be used as a tool to better understand the experience of disability, especially for women with physical and/or sensory disability, to address negative attitudes around disability.
This research is part of a PhD study undertaken by student investigator Diane Macdonald, supervised by Professor Katherine Boydell from Black Dog Institute and Dr Angela Dew from the School of Social Sciences at UNSW Sydney.

What does participation in this research require, and are there any risks involved?

Completion of a photographic series for a public exhibition
If you decide to take part in the research study, we will ask you to take a series of photographs on your identity. You will be guided in the process and you will create a public photographic exhibition on identity and inclusion together with other women with disability. You will be identified as the artist behind your work and you will be identifiable by name and by portrait. This research project aims to bring fresh voices to the art world, as well as to better understand the experience of disability and share this knowledge in a public setting.

You will be required to attend five meetings at the Black Dog Institute in Randwick Hospital Road, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia.
These meetings will be held on:
Saturday, 16 March 2019: 10am to 1pm
Saturday, 30 March 2019: 10am to 12pm
Saturday, 13 April 2019: 10am to 12pm
Saturday, 4 May 2019: 10am to 12pm
Saturday, 18 May 2019: 10am to 1pm
The study should take approximately three months to complete with active involvement of about two to three hours a week.


Participation in a video interview
If you decide to take part in the research study, you will be asked to participate in two video interviews. You will be asked questions about photography, disability and how you view your identity. Each interview should take approximately 10 minutes to complete and will be done at your choice of location.

If you decide to take part in the research study, the research team we will ask you to take 20 to 40 photographs over the course of five meetings and participate in group discussions at each meeting. It should take approximately three months to complete the task and about two to three hours each week. A researcher will help you with any technical issues or problems.
There is no financial reimbursement or payment for this research.
If you experience discomfort or feelings of distress while participating in the research and you require support, you can stop participating at any time. You can also tell a member of the research and they will provide you with assistance.

What are the possible benefits to participation?
We hope to use information we get from this research study to benefit others who have disability and feel excluded, and with any luck, change perceptions of disability by those without disability.


WHO CAN TAKE PART?
We would like to assemble a group of 10 women to create a series of photos on disability identity and inclusion, with support available at every step.
Would the research study be a good fit for me?
The study might be a good fit for you if:
You are a woman over 18 years old
You really like taking photos
You want your photos to be recognised in public as yours – you will be identified and given credit as the artist behind the work
You have a physical or sensory disability since birth*
*Including: Physical impairment (e.g., cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida) and/or Sensory impairment (e.g., blindness and low vision, hearing loss and deafness). Excluding: Intellectual and cognitive impairment (e.g., intellectual disability, Autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder)
You can use or instruct someone to use a digital camera to take photos
You can email photos to one of the researchers
You can work together with the other photographers in the group and together choose 20 to 30 photos for a group series (2 to 3 each)
 For more information on how the research process will work: access the project guidelines here
For more information about your rights and consent: access the consent form here

If you would like to know more about this study, you can contact us to discuss. 
Please email Professor Katherine Boydell at k.boydell@blackdog.org.au
or
registrations open 1 February 2019

This research has been reviewed and approved by the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have any complaints or concerns about the research study, please email humanethics@unsw.edu.au or phone +61 2 9385 6222 quoting the following number HC180845.
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