6th International Forum on Disability Management (IFDM 2012)

10-12 September 2012

In the late 1990s a group of people who were committed to the ideals of best practice in disability management met in Ottawa. From that meeting came the agreement to collaborate on an International Forum to be held every two years in major locations throughout the world, with a focus on research and practice in the field of disability management. Each meeting would attract senior political representatives, and senior executives from government, labour and industry, to speak on the achievements and challenges in that country's efforts to address these problems.

The conference aims to gather representatives and stakeholders in disability management from all over the world, to assemble global perspectives on consensus-based best practices, cutting-edge research and successful disability management policies and programs. Disability management refers to the actions of the health and rehabilitation community to restore those disabled by injury or illness, to health and productivity.

Key sessions include:

  • The role of the national government and other players
  • Opportunities, challenges and best practices
  • Transforming models of disability
  • Work and employers issues
  • Disability management in practice

Invited speakers include:

  • Prof Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, England
  • Prof Sir Mansel Aylward CB, Chair, Public Health Wales and Director, Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research, Cardiff, Wales
  • Dr Bill Gunnyeon, Chief Medical Adviser and Director for Health and Wellbeing, Department for Work and Pension, England
  • Dr Denise Cosgrove, General Manager, Claims Management, ACC, New Zealand
  • Prof Marius Olivier, Centre for International and Comparative Labour and Social Security Law, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
  • And many more…

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Deadline for submission: 31 January 2012

Key topics:

Opportunities, challenges and best practices

  • Benefits and incentives for employers
  • Mobility of labour market
  • Issues around retirement
  • Trauma
  • Doctor knows best – medical models vs real life
  • Supporting sustainable careers

Transforming models of disability

  • How do you persuade the medical profession to change their approach to the models of disability?
  • How do you persuade Governments, internationally, to change their approach to engaging disabled people in society and the economy?
  • How do you persuade Intermediaries and Employers to change their approach to the models of disability when supporting or employing disable people?
  • How will the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and a quota system shape the employment of disabled people internationally?
  • What constitutes a 'good job'? What are the elements of a job that will facilitate the employment of disabled people?
  • The impact of economic recessions: Lessons learned

Disability management in practice

  • Disability management in different cultures – what can we learn from each other?
  • Work and mental health
  • Are people with learning disabilities getting equitable healthcare?
  • Cognitive behavioural therapy
  • Spinal muscular disorder and back pain
  • Patient empowerment – transforming recovery

The organising committee invites abstracts on any of the key topics above. Abstracts should relate to original unpublished work. Successful authors will be offered either a platform (oral) presentation of about 15 minutes within a workshop or a poster presentation. Workshops are intended to be interactive programmes (with audience participation) on one topic, usually with more than one presenter.

Two distinct types of abstracts may be submitted:

  1. Descriptions of active service applications or exciting, innovative and workable solutions in disability management
  2. Reports that describe disability management trials or projects

Abstract submission

The deadline for submission is now passed. If you have submitted an abstract, we will be in touch shortly.

Publications

All accepted abstracts will be published in the International Journal of Disability Management Research (Australian Academic Press) and may also be published on conference proceedings, available to all conference attendees.