Barriers Within Bars

Exciting Announcement: Barriers within Bars Receives NDRP Seed Funding

The BlakAbility team at the University of Melbourne are excited to announce seed funding through the National Disability Research Partnership (NDRP) for our latest initiative:
Barriers within Bars: A Knowledge Synthesis on Indigenous Prisoners Living with Disability
This project responds to an urgent and ongoing injustice: the over-incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disability, many of whom are punished for behaviours linked to unmet support needs. Instead of receiving culturally safe care, they are criminalised, isolated, and silenced within custodial systems.
Barriers within Bars is a first step — a seed-funded knowledge synthesis that aims to shift the lens from punishment to support, and from invisibility to justice. We will:
– Examine how disability, Indigeneity, and incarceration intersect in harmful ways
– Centre lived experience and cultural knowledge in shaping future research
– Lay the foundation for deeper, long-term reform through inclusive, ethical inquiry
We’re proud to collaborate with Dr Roslyn Sackley and AccessAble Braille Enterprises, and grateful to the NDRP for backing this foundational work.
Keep an eye on this page for updates and opportunities to participate. Questions can be directed to:

Dr Sharon Kerr

sharon.kerr@unimelb.edu.au