Some of Our Parts

Dear Student

Blind Cricket is a sport that’s been around in Australia since 1922, with the Victorian Blind Cricket Association playing cricket in Melbourne since 1928.

Cricket is an integral part of most Australians lifestyles, allowing us to keep fit, whilst playing an exciting sport that is both intense in its rivalries, as well as being a great outdoors activity to promote both fair play in sport and health.

Blind Cricket Australia is the governing body for blind cricket in this country, and in conjunction with our state partners, we’re excited to promote our growing sport to all young blind and Vision Impaired students.  Blind Cricket is a participation sport for everyone and we welcome interest from both female and male athletes wishing to come and play our great game.

With the Ashes series against the English coming up in January 2016, and a world cup in India late next year to worry about, we are keen to encourage new players to come along and play in their home states.  Blind Cricket offers great opportunities to play cricket at a local social level, as well as progressing to represent both your State and Country at various national championships as well as international tournaments, both home and abroad.

So, how can you get involved in playing the number one participation sport for Vision Impaired athletes around the country?

Pop an email through to Marco Curralejo at secretary@blindcricket.org.au and let’s chat about getting you in touch with your local State and get you  involved in playing some blind cricket and who knows, maybe you too can one day represent your state or even your country internationally.

Kind Regards

Marco Curralejo

Secretary-Blind Cricket australia

Phone: +61 (0)412 128 429

Stepping Into…^TM is a paid internship program specifically designed for students with a disability, who want paid, hands-on work experience that is degree-relevant.

To find out what opportunities are available over Summer 2015/16, visit their website. More opportunities will be added as they become available. To keep up-to-date with what’s on offer, follow them on Facebook. Opportunities are currently being advertised for the following organisations:

• Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (Canberra): applications close Thursday 27 August 2015
• Westpac Group (Melbourne and Sydney): applications close 6 September 2015
• Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet (Melbourne): applications close 13 September 2015

You must be in your penultimate or final year of a Bachelor or Postgraduate degree to participate in Stepping Into, and must be registered with Disability Services at your university, or provide relevant medical documentation with the application. For full details on eligibility requirements, please click here.

Placements will commence from November 2015 to January 2016, allowing you to complete the internship during the summer university break. Placements are for a minimum 152 hours (unless otherwise specified in the job description). These hours can be worked either full time or part time depending on your requirements for workplace adjustments.

If you are a first year student, or you are not in your penultimate or final year, you may be interested in a mentoring opportunity through PACE Mentoring. PACE gives students with disability the opportunity to develop skills and confidence in a workplace setting, which can assist in planning career goals, as well as aiding personal and professional development. For more information on PACE Mentoring, please visit their website.

Happy Friday everyone!

• Maddie Stuart, a model with Down syndrome, lands her first gig with fitness brand Manifesta.
• Findings that highlight how brain’s ‘plasticity’ allows congenitally blind and sighted children to adapt to sensory experiences could inform future treatments.
• The Ouch Blog discusses calls for better diagnosis for adults with ADHD.
• Lip-reading technology that promises to make hearing aids more human.

The first few weeks of semester can be enjoyable and exciting, but they can also be overwhelming and daunting. During weeks four and five, student associations run Survival Week as a chance to check in and ask yourself how you’re coping so far.

The following campuses are hosting Survival Week activities:

• Berwick (24 – 27 August)
• Caulfield (17 – 27 August)
• Clayton (17 – 21 August)
• Peninsula (17 – 21 August)

Check out the Survival Week website for more information on activities and practical survival skills, including course and unit choice, study skills and life balance.

Happy Friday everyone,

• Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte talks showbiz and disability, on this month’s Ouch Talk Show.
• Holly Bourne explores OCD and relapse in her new book Am I Normal Yet?
• Jade French discusses the challenging of the tick-box culture of disabled arts, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
• Inclusive education means all children are included in every way, not just in theory – Kathy Cologan discusses examples of exclusion that are claimed to be inclusion-not-working.

The NDCO Programme at UWS is very excited to launch a number of new additions and major updates to the popular Get Ready for Study and Work resources.

Check them all out today: www.uws.edu.au/ndco/getreadytoptips

The series now includes:

Get Ready for Study and Work: Top tips for young people with disability 6^th edition, June 2015

This workbook targets young people in their final years of school and those still considering their career options. It contains information, contacts and activities to help young people make a successful transition into tertiary study, work or post-school programs.

Get Ready for Study and Work: Tips for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability

1^st edition, July 2015

Adapted for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, this workbook also contains ATSI specific information and links. It features graphics and artwork by De Greer-Yindimincarlie from Yindi Artz.

Get Ready for Study and Work: A Guide for Parents 3^rd edition, July 2015

Complementing our workbooks for young people is this guide for parents and carers. Fully updated and with a fresh new look.

Easy Read and plain text versions, plus PDFs you can complete and save or print!

Our brand new Easy Read workbooks present the information in a way that is very easy to understand. They use images to support text, large font sizes and plenty of white space. Plain text versions are also available, and each PDF now has the capability to allow activities to be completed electronically, saved and/or printed.

Access the whole range now for FREE from this site: www.uws.edu.au/ndco/getreadytoptips

(please note if you have accessed this site before you may need to press Ctrl and Refresh/Reload your browser to clear your cache and access the updated site).

Are you a student with disability who wants to:

• Gain paid work experience in a leading organisation?
• Build a network of contacts?
• Develop valuable skills and experience?

Stepping Into…^TM is a paid internship program specifically designed for students with a disability, who want paid, hands-on work experience that is degree-relevant. We have been successfully assisting students to obtain paid internships since 2005.

To find out what opportunities are available over Summer 2015/16, visit the Australian Network on Disability website. More opportunities will be added as they become available. To keep up-to-date with what’s on offer, follow them on Facebook.

You must be in your penultimate or final year of a Bachelor or Postgraduate degree to participate in Stepping Into, and must be registered with Disability Services at your university, or provide relevant medical documentation with the application. For full details on eligibility requirements, please click here.

Placements will commence from November 2015 to January 2016, allowing you to complete the internship during the summer university break. Placements are for a minimum 152 hours (unless otherwise specified in the job description). These hours can be worked either full time or part time depending on your requirements for workplace adjustments.

If you are a first year student, or you are not in your penultimate or final year, you may be interested in a mentoring opportunity through PACE Mentoring. PACE gives students with disability the opportunity to develop skills and confidence in a workplace setting, which can assist in planning career goals, as well as aiding personal and professional development. The Spring program is due to commence in September, so apply now for opportunities with ANZ, IBM, Cummins South Pacfic and more!

For more information on PACE Mentoring, please visit the website.

The NDIA Graduate Program is part of our Graduate Entry Pathway. As an employee in the NDIA Graduate Program you will have the opportunity to contribute to the work of the Agency to support Australians with disability and their families.

Opportunities exist in the National Office based in Geelong and Sydney (Actuarial Only) along with possible opportunities in our regional locations.

The 10 month program runs from February 2016 to December 2016 and includes the following:

• Participation in the Australian Public Service Commission’s (APSC) Graduate Development Program.
• Two work placement rotations allowing you to experience the diversity of work undertaken by the Agency.
• The opportunity to develop excellent networks including the allocation of a buddy and an executive level mentor.
• Ongoing training, development and career opportunities.
• A permanent position with the NDIA upon completion of the program.
• Competitive remuneration and generous superannuation.
• Flexible working conditions that support a positive work-life balance.

Eligibility

To be a part of the NDIA Graduate Program you must also meet the following criteria:

• Be an Australian citizen at the time of application.
• Have completed a minimum of an Australian recognised bachelor degree in the last three years. You can apply while still studying as long as you will have graduated by the time you start in the program.
• Provide evidence of your qualifications.
• Undergo pre-employment checks including a Police Records Check, Working with Children Check and/or health check.

How to apply

Apply here which will take you to the job ad on the NDIA’s website.

Applications close as of 16 August 2015.

Please note Assessment Centres will take place in Melbourne, VIC from mid-September for successful applicants.

We actively encourage applications from people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Where can I find more information?

ndis.gov.au/jobs

1800 242 560

NDIA.Graduates@chandlermacleod.com

For people with hearing or speech loss:

• Speak and Listen 1800 555 727
• For people who need help with English: TIS 131 450

Happy AWEgust!

AWEgust for AWEtism is finally here, and so is the next edition of Grapevine.

In addition to the AWEgust campaign (which has amassed over $15,000 so far) also look at the first primary school mentoring program, and hear from a new blogger and one of the can volunteers.

Read Grapevine here.

What will you say ‘I CAN’ to this AWEgust?

Have you signed up to an AWEgust challenge yet? For those struggling for ideas, here is a list to get you started. Or, you can choose your own challenge! Pick a challenge and click “Sign Up”!

• Give up a daily luxury
  • Video games, TV, coffee, chocolate, makeup
• Step outside of you comfort zones
  • Give a speech or performance to your class or workplace
• Conquer a fear
  • Like heights!
• Challenge yourself
  • Set a fitness goal, be healthy or go vegetarian for the month
• Change your ‘look’
  • Chop off your dreadlocks or dye your hair
• Learn something new
  • Take up that thing you’ve been putting on the backburner