Shane Clifton

Associate Professor Shane Clifton is the Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney's Sydney School of Health Sciences (Faculty of Medicine and Health). As a quadriplegic (C5 incomplete), he integrates lived disability experience into teaching and research on ethics, disability studies, and occupational therapy. He also serves as President of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and a board member of The Disability Trust.

Research Focus: Shane's work bridges theology and disability studies, exploring issues such as disability leadership, flourishing amid impairment, and combatting ableism. His recent projects include investigating disability governance roles and the intersection of spinal cord injury with well-being interventions.

Teaching & Supervision: Leads disability and participation courses in occupational therapy and teaches bioethics. Supervises PhD students on spinal cord injury well-being and disability policy.

Key Contributions:

• Co-designed posttraumatic growth interventions for spinal injury survivors
• Authored influential works like Crippled Grace (2018) and Husbands Should Not Break (2015)
• Testified at Australia's Royal Commission into Disability Violence (2020)

Funding: Holds FMH start-up grants investigating disability leadership and governance board representation.

Media Engagement: Regular contributor to The Conversation on disability representation, co-hosts Change Podcast, and appears in media debates on disability rights and religious trauma.