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This editorial introduces a two-part Special Issue on the Disability Royal Commission and People with Intellectual Disabilities in Australia. The Commission was established in 2019 to investigate violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of people with disabilities. The Commission's Final Report, delivered in 2023, included 222 recommendations, some of which were not unanimous. The report covers a wide range of issues and includes the perspectives of people with disabilities. The Commission's work involved public hearings, private sessions, and community engagements. The report has generated controversy, as it focuses on negative experiences and poor-quality services, without exploring positive experiences and factors contributing to good quality services. The text also discusses the challenges faced by governments in responding to the Commission's recommendations and mentions the release of the Independent Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which intersects with the Commission's recommendations. The text provides guidance on accessing the Commission's publications, submissions, public hearings, and other resources. It introduces the articles in Part 1 of a Special Issue that critically analyze the Commission's findings and recommendations on various topics related to people with intellectual disabilities. The text concludes by mentioning that Part 2 of the Special Issue will include additional articles on education, health, and Positive Behaviour Support. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines two recent scandals of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities, namely the death of Ann Marie Smith in Australia and the Whorlton Hall scandal in Britain. The facts of both cases have been established from the formal reports and records of legislators and regulators about the scandals, supplemented by publicly-available court documents and media reports. Using high-level thematic analysis, institutional responses to the two cases are compared by examining the conclusions and recommendations of the resulting formal inquiries. The article identifies lessons from the two cases for improving the safeguarding of people with disabilities, namely for: improved information flows and coordination; strengthened legislation; processes for identifying people at risk; improved outputs of quality audits; enhanced resourcing of advocacy; and the extension of community visitor schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demands of commissions of inquiry, legislators, and regulators that disability service providers' boards of directors have greater involvement in the governance of quality and safeguarding have been increasing, both in Australia and overseas. However, there is no empirical literature on how disability service provider boards might govern for quality and safeguarding. In contrast, there is a substantial literature on the impact of boards on the quality of care in the hospital sector and a small but developing literature on board influence on work health and safety. This article examines what might be learnt from both literatures and considers what findings might – and might not – be hypothesised to be transferable to the governance of disability service providers. Further, the article outlines a model for researching the boards of disability service providers and their influence on quality and safeguarding, and contributes ideas towards a research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian Royal Commissions on aged care quality and safety, and on violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability, have raised important questions about the degree to which boards of directors of aged care and disability support providers are assuring that the organisations they govern are providing quality and safe services. This article addresses the question of to what extent changes in legislation and regulatory standards in aged care and disability create new expectations of these boards and directors. Although directors have long been held to have a duty of care and diligence, and to have responsibility for determining and monitoring an organisation's services, these expectations have been elevated to a new level in relation to quality and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) frequently experience balance and mobility impairments, including reduced trunk stability. Pilates-based core stability training, which is aimed at improving control of the body's stabilising muscles, is popular as a form of exercise with people with MS and therapists. A replicated single case series study facilitated by the Therapists in MS Group in the United Kingdom (UK) provides preliminary evidence that this approach can improve balance and mobility in ambulant people with MS; further evidence is needed to substantiate these findings to ensure that limited time, energy, finances and resources are used to best effect. This study builds upon the pilot work undertaken in the case series study by implementing a powered randomised controlled study, with the aims of: 1 Establishing the effectiveness of core stability training 2 Comparing core stability training with standardised physiotherapy exercise 3 Exploring underlying mechanisms of change associated with this intervention Methods This is a multi-centre, double blind, block randomised, controlled trial. Eligible participants will be recruited from 4 UK centres. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of three groups: Pilates based core stability training, standardised physiotherapy exercise or contract-relax relaxation sessions (placebo control). All will receive face to face training sessions over a 12 week period; together with a 15 minute daily home programme. All will be assessed by a blinded assessor before training, at the end of the 12 week programme and at 4 week follow-up. The primary outcome measure is the 10 metre timed walk. Secondary outcome measures are the MS walking Scale (MSWS-12), the Functional Reach (forwards and lateral), a 10 point Numerical Rating Scale to determine "Difficulty in carrying a drink when walking", and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. In addition, ultrasound imaging of the abdominal muscles will be performed before and after intervention to assess changes in abdominal musculature at one of the four centres (Plymouth). Discussion This pragmatic trial will assess the effect of these exercise programmes on ambulatory people with MS. It may not be possible to extrapolate the conclusions to those who are non-ambulatory. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01414725