The NDIS is building a new disability market where people with disability and their families will have choice and control over the supports they receive. They need to know what works, for whom, under what circumstances and at what cost. Likewise, to be informed practice leaders and achieve the best outcomes, disability practitioners need reliable research evidence to inform their practice.

Typically though, disability related research evidence has been hard to find and apply to the ‘real world’, particularly for busy frontline practitioners. Much is written in difficult language or it may take a lot of time and searching to locate the kind of evidence you need. To help change this, the NDS Centre for Applied Disability Research (CADR) has launched a new Disability Knowledge Clearing House. More than an online library, the Clearing House is a hub for those seeking to learn, collaborate and better connect research evidence to policy, practice and life experiences.

“The Disability Knowledge Clearing House is designed to be a one stop shop for disability knowledge,” according to Gordon Duff, General Manager of Sector Development and Research at National Disability Services.

The Disability Knowledge Clearing House is a repository of links to a wide range of disability research, evaluation and other resources. It will assist NDIS participants to access the right supports and disability service providers to deliver evidence based best practice.

Key features of the Disability Knowledge Clearing House include:

• The contents of the 2014 Audit of Disability Research, which will be added progressively over time to complement a wide selection of other material.

• The opportunity for users to browse and find material relating to specific disability groups, support types, locations and formats, and organised by nine key domains of inquiry aligned to the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRDP).

• A growing collection of Research to Action Guides; accessible summaries of ‘what works’ across priority topic areas determined in consultation with key stakeholders. The website already hosts a Research to Action Guide on working at the health interface, written specifically for frontline practitioners.

“This resource comes at a crucial time with the roll out of the NDIS,” said Mr. Duff. “Please explore the site and send us your feedback to support the aim of building the most comprehensive collection of disability research evidence and resources for the Australian context, and putting that evidence into practice.”