The Donald Beasley Institute

The Donald Beasley Institute is a national, independent, non-profit organisation based in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Institute's mission statement is

To advance the well-being of people with disabilities in New Zealand through applied research and education with a primary focus on intellectual disability.

Specific objectives and goals held by the Institute are:

To identify critical issues affecting the lives of people with disabilities in New Zealand.
To disseminate relevant research evidence in critical issues.
To undertake and disseminate research which contributes to an understanding of the critical issues.
To deliver evidence-based information, consultancy services, education and training.

Governed by a Trust Board, the Institute's activities are carried out by a research and administration team of twelve. The Institute is largely dependent on external research grants for the majority of its research. The Institute has special research and education links with a range of tertiary institutions including University of Otago, Massey University, and the Otago Polytechnic. These valuable links promote multidisciplinary research and education and facilitate the dissemination of the Institute's philosophy. Also critical to the Institute's research development are the numerous formal and informal links that the Institute and its research staff enjoy with international researchers and research teams.

The Donald Beasley Institute has strong links with the disability community and takes active steps to develop and maintain relationships with people with disabilities, families, and disability organisations. These on-going relationships ensure that research carried out by the Institute reflects relevant and critical issues that have been identified by this community.

Promoting research and education in the field of intellectual disability.