Some of Our Parts

Andrew Follows is an inspiring photographer with a social conscience, who is quickly making a name for himself within the arts community. Diagnosed with an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a condition,  Andrew has forged an impressive career in photography with one eye completely blind and with ever diminishing tunnel vision in the other. He can see three metres to most people’s seventy metres, and that is through a foggy haze.

Check out his website, Blinkie Photography, and some of the amazing prints in his portfolio.

Scarp Face, Beechworth

Stepping In… interships offer programs designed specifically for university students with disabilities.

Current deadlines and upcoming internships:

• Applications for the 2015 Department of Agriculture Graduate Development Program opened last week and will close on 14 May 2014 at 2.00pm (AEST).
• Applications for the 2015 Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Entry Level Professional Program are not yet open but will open in due course. These programs are suitable for students who have already graduated or are completing their final year of study this year.

Check out the Department of Agriculture Graduates website or their Facebook page for more details.

On the recommendation of one of our students, we have spent the morning watching the CODA Brothers videos. CODA is an acronym for Children of Deaf Adults, and as the student so rightly suggested, they are really funny for the deaf and non-deaf alike.

Check out The Funny Things Hearing People Do, There’s a Deaf Guy for That and What Deaf People LOVE About Interpreters on Youtube!

For those of you who have been following the Stepping Into posts on this blog will know that the program offers paid internship programs specifically designed for students with disabilities who want a paid, hands-on work experience that is relevant to their degree and chosen field of study.

Winter internships for this year are still open until the 21st April:

• Department of Agriculture – Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide (Degrees in Human Resources, Business, Plant Science or Agriculture an advantage but not required)
• Department of Industry – Canberra, Sydney (Degrees in Business, Pharmaceuticals or Science, Engineering, Economics or Applied Science, Financial Accounting, Communications, Public Policy, and Law etc)
• Henry Davis York – Sydney
• Sparke Helmore – Sydney
• Crown Solicitors Office – Sydney
• NSW Ombudsman – Sydney
• Telstra – Sydney, Melbourne (Degrees in Business, Business Admin, Commerce, Visual Design)
• Australian Financial Securities Authority (AFSA) – Sydney, Melbourne (Degrees in HR, Management, Accounting and Law)
• Department of Human Services VIC – Melbourne (Degrees in Public Policy, Communications, Community Development and Law)
• IBM – available in 2 weeks
• Department of Social Services – Tasmania (Degrees in Business and Contract Management – closes April 27)

Apply by downloading the application form and submitting to applications@and.org.au with your cover letter (addressed to AND), your CV and transcript.

Hi everyone! It’s been a while between posts, but we’re back with more of the best disability-related links from around the web.

• A Queensland PhD student has debunked some serious myths about the Autism Spectrum
• Ever thought about going to Study Abroad? Check out Juanita’s amazing story!
• Looking for a wardrobe update with the winter weather coming in? Check out the range at IZ Adaptive Clothing.
• On the significance of charity names.
• NDIS delays? What does this mean for you?

Keep dry and warm out there!

The Quantum Print Disability Scholarship and Award Program aims to assist individuals who are unable to access printed material, either because they are vision impaired, or have a cognitive or learning disability, such as dyslexia.

To be eligible to apply for the Scholarship Program, applicants must:

• Have a print disability (low vision, blindness or a learning difficulty)
• Be currently enrolled in a primary, secondary, tertiary educational institution or TAFE
• Provide a referee for your application. Eligible referees include: teacher, supporting teacher, disability consultant/support officer, allied health professional, e.g. occupational therapist, or assistive technology consultant.
• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Teachers or parents may apply on behalf of their child or student if the criteria above can be satisfied for the applicant.

Applications close on Friday 11 April 2014.

For further information on eligibility, the application process and prizes visit The Quantum Scholarship website.

New Opportunities Advertised!!!

Stepping into… is a paid internship program specifically designed for students with disability, who want a paid, hands-on work experience that is relevant to their degree and chosen field of study. Our winter 2014 Stepping into program is underway and we continue to invite students to apply for the internship opportunities relevant to their degree.

Stepping into has been successfully assisting students to obtain paid internships since 2005

We invite you to search the internship opportunities on our website. You can apply by downloading the application form and submitting to applications@and.org.au with your cover letter (addressed to AND), your CV and transcript.

Organisations that are offering the paid internships below are members of the Australian Network on Disability (AND), and are participating in Australia’s leading internship program for university students with disability. Participating organisations include both corporate and government organisations.

The organisations that are offering opportunities this winter are:

• Department of Agriculture – Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide
• Department of Industry – Canberra, Sydney
• Henry Davis York – Sydney
• Sparke Helmore – Sydney
• Crown Solicitors Office – Sydney
• NSW Ombudsman – Sydney
• Telstra – Sydney, Melbourne
• Australian Financial Securities Authority (AFSA) – Sydney, Melbourne
• Department of Human Services VIC – Melbourne
• IBM – locations TBC
• Department of Social Services – Tasmania

To find out about the opportunities and how to apply, visit AND’s website

• Look under “Apply for Winter 2014”
• You can find out more about “Stepping into…” under “Information for Students”
• You can download application form under webpage

Important:

You will be required to attend a briefing session to be considered for an internship, as part of the selection process and determining your suitability. Please refer to the details on the website.

For updates, like us on Facebook

For further enquiries, contact:

Jenny Watts-Sampson
Stepping into… Program Manager
jenny.watts-sampson@and.org.au

The Bridges to Higher Education consortium, in partnership with the Universities Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT), has been working collaboratively to widen participation at universities for everyone.

As a result Make Your Mark is an exciting new website designed to be the first port of call for information to help those from under-represented communities to discover future life opportunities through further education. This brand new website aims to provide early information about tertiary education options, for those whom further study is not an obvious choice.

Make your Mark offers information on useful topics such as financials assistance, academic supports at university as well as real life success stories of students with disabilities taking on tertiary education. You can also see some real-life Monash examples here!

The website also has a range of resources for prospective TAFE students as well as resources for parents.