There’s just 5 days to go until the Disability Sport & Recreation Festival at Federation Square, 3rd December.

It’s free! It’s fun! And, it’s all about better health for Victorians with disability through accessible sport and recreation.

Enjoy the full program of special events and great activities, like:

• Scoring the Equaliser Mini-Conference (8.45am – 11am)

• Community exhibition (10am-3pm)

• Sport and recreation activities to try (10am – 3pm)

• Corporate Wheelchair Basketball Challenge (11am – 1.30pm)

• Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards (12pm – 2pm)

We hope to meet you there!

Community Exhibition 10am – 3pm

Visit 35 sport, recreation, disability and community organisations exhibiting at the Festival.

Come and Try Activities 10am – 3pm

Have a go! There’ll be miniature ponies, lawn bowls, AFL, football skills, badminton, personal training and much more.

Scoring the Equaliser Mini-Conference, Deakin Edge, 8:45am – 11am

Learn about the role of allied health professionals and disability support planners as sport and recreation champions for Victorians with disability. Tickets are free, but strictly limited. Registrations must close this Friday 29th November, unless sold out earlier. See the full program and registration here.

Cheer on the teams at the Corporate Wheelchair Basketball Challenge (Forecourt area, 11am – 1.30pm)

Eight teams will take on the wheelchair basketball challenge in this friendly knock-out competition. Paralympian Sam Bramham and AFL star Glenn Archer are among the DSR All Star team taking on the Victoria Police in the first round.

Celebrate excellence at the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards (Deakin Edge, 12pm – 2pm)

Show your support for excellence in sport and recreation at the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards. Supported by the Carbine Club, awards will be presented by Australian sports stars such as James Tomkins (Oarsome Foursome) and Glenn Archer (North Melbourne Football Club).

For more information, visit the Disability Sport and Recreation Festival website – www.dsrf.org.au

The “I CAN” network is now on various social media platforms, to spread the “I CAN” message.

If you have a twitter account, you can follow us (@I_CAN_Network).
If you don’t have an account, you can go to http://twitter.com/I_CAN_Network to view our tweets.

Twitter is a very quick and easy way to say a short (max 140 characters) statement, or get a message out. So far, details of the “I CAN Monash network” gatherings and camp planning sessions have been posted on twitter, as well as the link to @chrisrvarney’s TEDxMelbourne talk and @PennyRobaus’s “Working Successfully with Aspergers Syndrome” talk.

There is also a “I CAN Monash network” secret group on Facebook. The aim of the Facebook group is to enable students in the “I CAN Monash network” to communicate – either with the group as a whole (on the “wall”), or directly with other individuals who have joined the group through the “inbox” (private message).

On Facebook, there are three types of groups:

• “Open” – your other friends know you’re a member of a group, and what you write on the group wall.
• “Closed” – your other friends know you’re a member of a group, but can’t read the group wall.
• “Secret” – your other friends can NOT see you’re a member of the group, nor can they see the wall.

We have decided to make the group secret, for everyone’s privacy.

So to join the group, send Penny a “friend” request on Facebook (and write a short private message to her), and she can then add you to the group. https://www.facebook.com/PennyRobinson.aus

Stay tuned for the “I CAN network” Facebook group which can go on mass!

In breaking news, there is now an email address for the “I CAN” network.
You can now email the team at the following email address: the.ican.network@gmail.com

We are having a gathering to celebrate the end of the exams. Originally, the plan was to have a “pub night”, but we’ve decided to meet at Penny’s new house in Sandringham instead.

Date: Sunday 24th November

Time: arrive between 12:30 – 1 pm.

Where: Penny Robinson’s house (contact her to get the address)

Bring a plate of food to share – preferably onion/garlic free. (And a foldable picnic chair, if you’ve got one!)
Meat can be cooked on the electric griller, or in frypan on the gas stove. (No BBQ outside – yet!)
There is a supermarket (Coles) near Sandringham station, if anyone needs to buy food on the way.

Transport options:

Drive: there is car parking in side streets, with no time limit.

Public transport: Get the Sandringham line train to Sandringham station, and then either walk (1.3 km), or get the 822 bus from Sandringham station to the “John Batman Gardens” stop on Bay Road.

RSVP to Penny Robinson (Penny.Robinson@monash.edu), preferably by Fri 22 November.

This event is also listed in the “I CAN Monash network” secret Facebook group.

Just a reminder to complete the DLU annual student survey if you haven’t already done so. Your feedback is important and helps shape DLU services.

Survey closes on 31 December 2013

Hello SWOTVAC Friday!

Hope everyone is studying hard and keeping themselves sane!

• The University of Washington have developed something they’re calling ‘Eyes-Free Yoga’ for the vision impaired.
• How was your Halloween? Celebrating this weekend? Check out some more disability-friendly costume ideas.
• Any budding disability scholars should check out the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity held in May next year – they’re calling for papers now!
• Consider yourself a bit of a wordsmith? Writer’s Victoria are holding Writeability workshops for writers with disabilities in November and December in the Melbourne CBD.
• Ever wanted to ride in an off-road mountain-wheelchair?
• It’s not new, but it’s pretty great! Service dogs and Sesame Street!
• More animals! Meet Thumper – a very special kitty with a very tiny adorable walker!

Check out Noah Sheldon’s Cats Wearing Clothes featuring this adorable vision impaired feline!