Meet Our Speakers
Dr Jacquie Ripat
Jacquie Ripat is a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy and the Vice Dean Academic in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. She holds the inaugural research chair in Technology for Assisted Living in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Manitoba. In her research program, she uses qualitative, participatory, and mixed methods research approaches to understand how people with disabilities, emphasizing those who use assistive technologies or devices, engage within their physical, socio-cultural, and attitudinal contexts. She then uses that understanding to create, implement and evaluate strategies, primarily through using technologies or modifying contexts, to promote life, home, and community participation and engagement. She credits her collaborative and inter-professional research relationships with assistive technology users and colleagues from various disciplines, including engineering, nursing, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, kinesiology, architecture, interior design, computer science, and library science, for greatly strengthening her research program.
Professor Simon Darcy
Simon Darcy is a Professor of Social Inclusion at the UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney. He is a transdisciplinary mixed methods researcher with expertise in developing inclusive organisational practices through codesign processes with marginalized groups. Simon’s academic and industry-based work has traversed the built environment, transport, tourism, employment, entrepreneurship and disability services through collaborations with private, government and 3rd sector organisations. Simon has a high level spinal cord injury and is a power wheelchair user who brings an insider's perspective to translating academic research into policy and practice for a more inclusive society.
Associate Professor Libby Callaway
Professor Libby Callaway is a senior occupational therapist with over 30 years’ experience working with people with disability, across both hospital and community settings in Australia and the United States.