Associate Professor, Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University

Paul Ramcharan has been involved in research with, for and about people with intellectual disability for 23 years and has maintained an interest in the development of self advocacy for most of those years. He was involved in evaluating the Welsh national strategy which ran from 1983 to 1993. He then co-ordinated the National learning disability research initiative in the UK which supported the implementation of Valuing People, the first English strategy for people with intellectual disability for forty years.

Paul has been involved with Chris Bigby, Patsie Frawley and the History Group at Reinforce in examining the meaning and outcomes of self advocacy in Victoria over the years. Paul is also working on the development of a resource for achieving dignity without restraint funded by the Office of the Senior Practitioner which builds on research which listened to the voice and views of people with disabilities and family carers.