Saplings: Indigenous Research Pathways Growing First Nations Disability Research Leadership
Tracks
Ballroom 4 - In-Person Only
| Monday, October 12, 2026 |
| 2:05 PM - 2:25 PM |
| Ballroom 4 |
Overview
Jasmine Thorburn, Girra Maa Indigenous Health Disability Wellbeing, University Of Technology Sydney
Three Key Learnings
1. Indigenous-led approaches can create and expand pathways for people with lived experience to engage in research
2. Relational, mentoring-based models strengthen confidence, capability and long-term participation in the disability sector
3. Embedding cultural safety enables lived experience and Indigenous leadership to shape research systems
Presenter
Jasmine Thorburn
Research Business Manager
Girra Maa Indigenous Health Disability Wellbeing, University Of Technology Sydney
Saplings: Indigenous Research Pathways Growing First Nations Disability Research Leadership
Presentation Overview
The Saplings Indigenous Research Pathways Program is an Indigenous-led model that strengthens pathways into research across the disability, health and community sectors.
Saplings has been designed and established through Girra Maa Indigenous Health at the University of Technology Sydney in response to a critical gap in who is supported to enter and lead research. In the disability space in particular, First Nations perspectives, lived experience and cultural knowledge remain underrepresented in how research is designed, delivered and translated into policy and practice.
Saplings is open to participants from diverse backgrounds, while being grounded in Indigenous leadership, cultural knowledge and community priorities. It creates a different entry point by centring cultural safety, relational learning and community connection, alongside disability leadership and lived experience.
Through induction, a residential gathering and ongoing mentoring, the program actively creates and expands opportunities for people with lived experience of disability, or working within disability contexts, to engage in and lead research. Participants are supported to explore pathways in ways that align with their identities, responsibilities and aspirations.
Rather than focusing on outputs alone, the program prioritises confidence, capability and belonging. It recognises that strengthening disability inclusion requires more than representation. It requires building pathways where Indigenous leadership and lived experience shape research, while creating inclusive environments that support a diverse cohort to engage meaningfully.
This presentation shares the design, implementation and early learnings from Saplings, including participant experiences and program structure. It offers a practical model for how Indigenous-led, culturally grounded approaches can strengthen disability research, workforce development and wellbeing outcomes across sectors.
Saplings has been designed and established through Girra Maa Indigenous Health at the University of Technology Sydney in response to a critical gap in who is supported to enter and lead research. In the disability space in particular, First Nations perspectives, lived experience and cultural knowledge remain underrepresented in how research is designed, delivered and translated into policy and practice.
Saplings is open to participants from diverse backgrounds, while being grounded in Indigenous leadership, cultural knowledge and community priorities. It creates a different entry point by centring cultural safety, relational learning and community connection, alongside disability leadership and lived experience.
Through induction, a residential gathering and ongoing mentoring, the program actively creates and expands opportunities for people with lived experience of disability, or working within disability contexts, to engage in and lead research. Participants are supported to explore pathways in ways that align with their identities, responsibilities and aspirations.
Rather than focusing on outputs alone, the program prioritises confidence, capability and belonging. It recognises that strengthening disability inclusion requires more than representation. It requires building pathways where Indigenous leadership and lived experience shape research, while creating inclusive environments that support a diverse cohort to engage meaningfully.
This presentation shares the design, implementation and early learnings from Saplings, including participant experiences and program structure. It offers a practical model for how Indigenous-led, culturally grounded approaches can strengthen disability research, workforce development and wellbeing outcomes across sectors.
Biography
Jasmine Thorburn is a Wiradjuri and Ngāpuhi woman and Research Business Manager for the First Nations Disability Research Footprints program within Girra Maa Indigenous Health at University of Technology Sydney. She leads governance foundations supporting culturally grounded, community-led research across Australia. Her work strengthens systems that uphold cultural integrity, advance data sovereignty and create pathways for First Nations leadership in disability research. Working across research, community and policy, she examines how lived experience shapes knowledge production and influences systems and inclusion. Through Saplings Indigenous Research Pathways Program, she supports emerging Indigenous disability researchers in pipeline led by Professor Scott Avery.
