Lived Experience of Disability

Disability Research and Australian Disability Policy

Dr Damian Mellifont PhD, Dr Jennifer Smith-Merry PhD, Dr Damian Mellifont PhD

• Publisher: Lived Places Publishing
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781918026030
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781918026047
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

What does it truly mean to live with disability, and how do policy gaps shape everyday experiences?

Lived Experience of Disability, edited by Damian Mellifont, brings together voices of people with lived experience and committed allies to explore critical issues in Australian disability policy.

Covering topics from restrictive practices and healthcare disparities to barriers in research participation and academic inclusion, this book examines how policy intentions often fall short of meeting real needs. With insights on linguistic deprivation, rural challenges, sensory impairments, and disability leadership, it not only critiques current systems but also points to evidence-based directions for reform.

This is more than an academic resource—it is a call for genuine inclusion, representation, and systemic change. Lived Experience of Disability is ideal for students, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in disability studies and policy.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• Content warning
• Learning objectives
• Introduction
• 1 Who has lived experience of disability?
• 2 What does ‘good’ disability policy look like?
• 3 Seeing the person before the problem: Using lived experience perspectives to eliminate restrictive practices
• 4 Policies to address information deprivation for people with disability
• 5 Epistemic gaps and policy absences: The plight of older people living with dual sensory impairment
• 6 Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in rural Australia: A retrospective analysis of research and policy observation
• 7 The lived experience of neurodivergence in academic research studies: A neuro-affirming methodology
• 8 Towards a comprehensive research agenda: Fostering disability inclusion in research and innovation at the University of Queensland
• Discussion questions
• Recommended further reading
• Index