**About the Editor**

### **Patricia O'Brien**

From 2009 to 2020, Professor Emerita Patricia O'Brien was Director of the Centre for Disability Studies, affiliated with the University of Sydney. Prior to this role, Patricia held respective academic appointments at Trinity College, Dublin, as Director of the National Institute for Intellectual Disability and at the University of Auckland as Dean, Postgraduate Studies and Research.

Patricia's research interests and publications cover deinstitutionalisation, individual supported living, housing, advocacy, inclusive education, community participation, service design, and support. She is known for leading inclusive research initiatives where people with intellectual disabilities are involved as co-researchers. Patricia's work has also seen the development and mentoring of two major Inclusive Research Networks (IRN) one across Ireland and later in Sydney where researchers both with and without disabilities have co-designed areas of research interest with international dissemination of their findings. Also, as a strong advocate for inclusive education within university settings, Patricia introduced the "uni 2 beyond"program at the University of Sydney where students with intellectual disabilities can audit courses. Patricia has co-edited three books that promote the need for value-based inclusion both within education and community based service design. She is a Fellow of the Australasian Society of Intellectual Disability and is active in the non-government disability organisation sector as a Non-Executive Director of both Achieve Australia and The Achieve Foundation.
