Our Team

Dr Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes is a Gomeroi woman employed as a Lecturer in Indigenous Studies, (Deputy Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion, Disability), the University of Melbourne and is the initiator and leader of this project. She is herself vision impaired and has spent more than four decades as an activist regarding issues of disability, inequity, Aboriginality, and access to education. Before entering academia in 2012, Dr Daniels-Mayes worked for two decades in government and non-government organisations leading small to medium-sized multi-disciplinary teams of up to 30 staff with oversight of six-figure budgets, securing funding through competitive grant schemes for State and Federal governments in health and criminal justice. Additionally, CI Daniels-Mayes has more than two decade’s experience developing, implementing, and evaluating Indigenous Strategies, Reconciliation Action Plans and Disability Inclusion Access Plans including for the universities of Melbourne and Sydney, the South Australian government, and Vision Australia 

Professor Aaron Corn – Aaron is the Inaugural Director of the Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne. He has three decades experience of close collaborations with Indigenous communities across Australia. As a Chief Investigator on this project, he will be providing support and guidance to the whole research team to ensure that we observe all protocols to protect the interests of participants.  

Dr Anthea Skinner – Anthea is also a Chief Investigator and will collaborate on the development of the research design, conduct fieldwork, evaluate gathered data and co-design professional training resources. Anthea is a musicologist and a McKenzie Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. She is the co-ordinator of the Melbourne Youth Orchestras’ Adaptive Music Bridging Program, provided instrumental music education for children with disability.

 Dr Sharon Kerr – Sharon is employed as a Senior Research Fellow on the project and will be working closely with Dr Daniels-Mayes.  Her background both professionally and personally has been in supporting people living with a disability.  She has a Masters of Indigenous Education and her PhD focused on meeting the needs of Indigenous Students living with disability.  

Ms Imogen Howe – Imogen is an architect, employed as the project Research Assistant & Digital Access Worker providing digital access support to the team for systems that are inaccessible for those using assistive technologies to access reading materials. Additionally, Imogen is passionate about creating equitable building environments. She is currently undertaking doctoral research in inclusive workplace design at the Melbourne School of Design. Her research is focused on understanding physical and psycho-emotional barriers to workplace access and participation for persons with disabilities.