Trevor Parmenter holds appointments as Emeritus Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Professor in the School of Rural Medicine at the University of New England.
Former appointments include Foundation Chair of Developmental Disability and Director of the Centre for Developmental Disability Studies (CDDS) at the University of Sydney (1997-2009).
For more than 20 years before accepting the directorship of the CDDS in 1997, Trevor had been Professorial Fellow in the School of Education Macquarie University and Director of the Unit for Community Integration Studies.
Trevor's former international appointments include Adjunct Research Associate to the Beach Center on Families and Disability at The University of Kansas and Visiting Lecturer at Lancaster University, UK. He was the President of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities from 1996-2000.
His curriculum vitae includes teaching and administrative positions with the NSW Department of Education (1953-1973), and his areas of research expertise include: behavioural and emotional problems of people with disabilities; quality-of-life assessment; program evaluation; community living and employment for people with disabilities; assessing cognitive processes; brain injury; family studies; transition from school to further study, work and adult living; attitude studies and disability policy development.
Trevor is a Life Member of the Australian College of Educators; Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Fellow of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities; and Fellow of the Australasian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability.
He is noted for his ability to translate research outcomes into practice by the setting up model programs. Throughout his career he has maintained close contacts with people with disabilities, serving on several boards of service organisations, helping establish self-advocacy organisations, and serving on the Disability Council of New South Wales.
Although he retired on 4 December, 2009, Trevor has remained active in research, higher-degree research supervision and advocacy for people with disabilities.
He has published widely on disability issues including employment, supported living, classification of support needs, behaviour support, mental and physical health, quality of life, autism, family studies, ageing, policy development and program evaluation.
In 2005, Trevor was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contributions to research, teaching and services to people with developmental disabilities. In 2010 The Senate of the University of Sydney conferred on him the title of Professor Emeritus in recognition of his distinguished research and teaching career.
