Ellen Fraser-Barbour

Dr. Ellen Fraser-Barbour (She/her) predominantly works in community for a social profit organisation JFA Purple Orange as a Research & Policy Lead. In her current role she continues to work in partnership with academics across universities and regularly conducts stakeholder engagement and research for private and public sectors.

Areas of interest (selected but not limited to): 

Ellen is passionate about a range of topics including (but not limited to)

• social issues of discrimination, harm, violence, abuse and neglect across all areas of community in the lives of people with disability and ways to prevent and address (e.g in group homes & institutions, education, employment, health and more). 
• Methodology and methods:  how we do codesign and/or embed leadership and influence of people with disability in our work in a meaningful way (relevant to research and policy as well as community projects and service design).
• inclusive governance: how boards, groups or organisations better work alongside people with disability in ways that are respectful and ethical. 
• Theoretical and philosophical perspectives useful for articulating and understanding the nature of marginalisation and ways to resist and confront.   

Ellen's perspective is informed by her professional and academic knowledge as well as her own lived experiences and embeddedness in disability community and culture. 

Recent advisory work (selected):

• Member for Disability Ministerial Council (2022-2024)
• Founding Member for the National Disability Research Partnerships Working Party and the South Australian Disability Ministerial Council (2020-2023).
• Member for the Health Performance council (statutory body in SA) providing advice to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. (2019-2021) - led audit on experiences of people with disability in health systems in South Australia.