Aruma partners to improve health outcomes for people with disability 

One of Australia’s largest disability providers, Aruma is leading the charge to work with universities, academics and partners across NSW and the ACT to improve health outcomes for people with intellectual disability.  

Aruma today announced that it has kicked off four separate multi-sector partnerships that support Aruma’s Preventive Health Strategy that aims to help reduce chronic disease and improve health outcomes for Aruma’s NDIS participants.   

Dr Martin Laverty, Aruma’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “People with intellectual disability experience greater health disparities relative to the general population and generally have higher rates of some modifiable health risk factors and behaviours than people without disability, such as overweight and obesity.  

“As a provider of NDIS supports for close to 4,000 people across the east coast of the country, Aruma has an important role to play to educate and upskill the sector on preventive health, as well as help our participants improve their health with practical and simple steps, like a yearly dental check-up. We’re very pleased to partner with academics, health professionals, technology specialists, government agencies and other disability service providers to move this agenda forward.” 

Detail of the four partnerships include:  

  1. A $75,000 National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health (NCEIDH) Seed Innovation Grant awarded to Aruma to develop 18 microlearning modules with animated videos that aim to improve the health literacy of people with intellectual disability and their formal and informal supporters.  More detail here: Recipients of the 2025 Innovation Seed Funding Grants | National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health 
  2. Aruma is one of two industry partners in a $1.8M Department of Health and Aged Care research grant awarded to Macey Barratt from University of Canberra to lead a 3-year research project to tailor the SPECTROM program to the Australian context.  The project aims to improve support workers’ knowledge and informed decision-making around the use of psychotropic medicines for people with intellectual disability. More detail here: UC secures $1.87 million to improve outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disability – University of Canberra  
  3. Aruma will serve as a Chief Investigator in a $1.3 M Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant awarded to Assoc Prof Margo Barr from UNSW to codesign and pilot a generative AI Health Assessment and Planning Tool that will improve the detection of subtle signs of physical and mental health deterioration by carers and support staff. More detail here: UNSW secures $3.3 million to improve health outcomes for people with intellectual disability 
  4. Aruma will serve as an Associate Investigator in a $1.6 M MRFF grant awarded to Prof Nathan Wilson from University of Western Sydney to co-produce a workforce capacity building program for support workers to promote better oral preventive healthcare for people with intellectual disability. More detail here: Western receives $1.6 million to improve health outcomes for people with intellectual disability 

Aruma launched its inaugural Preventive Health Strategy in early 2025. You can read the strategy here: Aruma Preventive Health Strategy 2025-2027. For more information on Aruma’s research projects visit: Research at Aruma | Aruma.  

For further information please contact:  

Kata Farrell, 0400 799 270 

Head of Media and Communications, Aruma