The Australian Sporting Alliance for People with a Disability (ASAPD) is proud to present 3 Minute Research, an exciting session at this year’s ASAPD Sport and Disability Forum, in partnership with Griffith University.
In this dynamic showcase, selected researchers from across Australia will share their latest projects in just three minutes each, sparking new ideas, insights, and collaborations across the disability and sport sectors.
Each presentation reveals how evidence-based innovation is driving inclusion, wellbeing, and participation in sport and community life.
Tickets are now available at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/asapd-sport-and-disability-forum-tickets-1603964905209?aff=oddtdtcreator
Featuring:
Georgia Munro-Cook – Addressing the Gender Gap in Disability Sport
Georgia Munro-Cook is a Research Fellow at Griffith University and captain of the Australian wheelchair basketball team. Her presentation draws from a national project exploring how to close the persistent gender gap in disability sport to create more opportunities for women, girls, and nonbinary participants. By understanding experiences and barriers, this research provides essential insights into transforming participation rates and advancing gender equity across the sector.
Dr. Angus Leahy – Scalable Physical Activity Intervention for Youth with Disability: Burn 2 Learn Adapted Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial
An early-career researcher in physical activity, health promotion, and disability, Angus has collaborated with the NSW Department of Education and Special Olympics Australia to improve physical activity outcomes for young people. His presentation highlights the design, implementation, and key findings of the Burn 2 Learn Adapted program, a large-scale school-based intervention supporting adolescent health in 28 NSW secondary schools.
Christopher Hastas – Reclaiming Power Through Powerchair Football
Currently undertaking a PhD on powerchair football, this research explores how para-sport shapes identity, confidence, and community among athletes with disability. As a member of the Australian Poweroos, Chris brings lived experience to his work, showing how sport helps in shaping identity and empowering one’s disposition.
Associate Professor Popi Sotiriadou – Vision in Motion: Active and Connected
A leading scholar in sport inclusion and management, Associate Professor Sotiriadou’s research demonstrates how co-designed digital platforms can expand access to movement and sport for people with visual impairments. Vision in Motion highlights how inclusive design fosters confidence, social connection, and wellbeing, creating scalable pathways for inclusion beyond traditional sport environments.
Dr Aurélie Pankowiak – A neurodiversity paradigmatic lens to trauma-informed participatory research with people with lived experience of child abuse in sport
Dr Aurélie Pankowiak is a Senior Research Fellow at Victoria University’s Institute for Health and Sport, where she leads the child safeguarding stream of the Safe and Inclusive Sport Research Group. Her work focuses on safeguarding children and young people from abuse in sport and centring victims and survivors in research, policy and practice. Her presentation shows how using a neurodiversity lens in participatory research with people who have experienced child abuse in sport reframes trauma as neurodivergence, supporting more accessible, inclusive practice and offering clear takeaways for safer sport environments.
Dr Mark Connick – Empower Project: A Person Led, Data-Driven Initiative to Empower Queenslanders with Disability in Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity
Dr Mark Connick is a postdoctoral researcher at Queensland University of Technology whose work integrates biomechanics, physiology and data systems to advance inclusive sport and physical activity for people with disability. His presentation introduces Empower – Count Me In, a Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy initiative building a state-wide data system and the Empower Atlas mapping tool to identify participation gaps, community needs and inclusive opportunities, guiding smarter investment and policy for lasting inclusion.
About the session
The 3 Minute Research session will take place during the ASAPD Sport and Disability Forum. It is designed to bridge the gap between academic evidence and community impact, inviting delegates to engage with the latest research shaping inclusive sport, health, and participation across Australia.
Media contact:
Sophie Kinnear
Communications Advisor, Australian Sporting Alliance for People with a Disability
Communications@asapd.org