Archive for July, 2016

AWEgust for AWEtism 2016

Monday, July 11th, 2016

The I CAN Network have just launched AWEgust for AWEtism, where people can join by taking on a personal challenge to raise funds for the I CAN Network over the month of AWEgust. Last year, people in the movement said I CAN to anything from a fitness challenge to facing a fear. They invited friends, family, and communities to join them in challenges, which started hundreds of new conversations about the exclusion of people on the Autism Spectrum in schools, workplaces and communities. They also managed to raise over $32,000 for the I CAN Network, which allowed them to create a year of huge impact.

Since last AWEgust, they have helped empower people on the Autism Spectrum:

  • They provided I CAN School programs (including mentoring, talks, and training) to two schools who couldn’t support us in their budget.
  • They offered six scholarships for young people on the Autism Spectrum to participate in our program.
  • They built ongoing mentoring relationships for 300 young people on the Autism Spectrum.
  • They created Humans on the Autism Spectrum, a campaign that shared the strengths-based stories of people on the Autism Spectrum. This dramatically increased the number of people hearing about the individual strengths of people on the Autism Spectrum.
  • They have provided more paid opportunities for people on the Autism Spectrum to empower others through their talks, training or mentoring.

Your support during AWEgust will help them reach more people, allow them to provide programs to schools in low socioeconomic areas, and provide more paid opportunities for people on the Autism Spectrum.

Prove you CAN. Sign up with a personal challenge. Invite your friends, family, or community to join you in your challenge, or ask them to sign up for a challenge of their own. Join them in empowering young people on the Autism Spectrum.
Contact Nick Fava for support and information at nick@ican.network

Sign up here.

Professional Mentoring for Job Seekers with Disability

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Opportunities available in big organisations/ government departments in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth!

PACE – Positive Action towards Career Engagement Mentoring

  • Are you a student or jobseeker with disability and want some guidance on the best way to develop your career path?
  • Are you looking to advance your career opportunities?
  • Are you interested in networking in a professional setting?

PACE Mentoring is a mentoring program run by the Australian Network on Disability for students and jobseekers with disability.

For mentees, PACE offers the opportunity to develop essential skills and confidence in a workplace setting, which can assist with career planning, as well as aiding personal and professional development. PACE recognises that job seekers and students with disability frequently find themselves with little or no work experience. PACE aims to assist mentees to become ‘job-ready’ and reduce some of these hurdles.

During the program, the mentor and mentee will set goals which target the individual’s strengths and development needs to achieve clear outcomes. Activities may include:

  • Reviewing and improving resumes and cover letters
  • Mock interviews and how to tackle tough interview questions
  • Worksite visits to gain a complete picture of the work environment
  • Networking with industry professionals
  • Discussing workplace adjustments
  • Building confidence in your stand-out skills and abilities

The program will run between September and December. It will be a flexible arrangement that will include a minimum of six sessions at the mentor’s workplace over three months.

Apply here to be a mentee!

For more information about this program, please email applications@and.org.au or call our office on (03) 9621 2276.

Media Access Australia – Latest news

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Latest news

UK charity puts pressure on government to enforce web accessibility

Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion at Abilitynet, a UK disabilities charity, has written an open letter to the British Parliament, to put pressure on the people in power to fine organisations whose websites and apps fail to comply with WCAG 2.0.

Apple wins award for accessibility advances

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) has awarded Apple the coveted Robert S. Bray Award for their continued accessibility innovations, which will be presented on 4 July during the ACB’s annual conference and convention in Minneapolis, USA.

New ‘game-changing’ phone app enhances phone accessibility

‘OpenAccess Captions’ is a brand new application for iPads and iPhones that was developed by Brisbane-based charity Conexu Foundation. It is an app that aims to connect callers via a live captioner so that phone conversations can be read in live-time.

Featured accessibility article

Five common fails from web audits

Matthew Putland is a Digital Accessibility Analyst for Media Access Australia, based in Perth but working on projects all over the country. A lot of his work revolves around conducting accessibility audits on websites and digital media. He shares the five most common issues that he comes across in his web auditing, in an insightful and useful podcast and article.

Useful resource of the week

As this is a very useful resource and there is a limited amount of time left to enrol, we at Media Access Australia want to share with you the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility (PCWA).  Learn WCAG 2.0 from the experts – online in 6 weeks. The PWCA course is Australia’s only university-accredited web accessibility certificate for web professionals and will teach you the essential principles and techniques for achieving web and digital accessibility compliance. Learn more about the PWCA.

Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2016

Monday, July 11th, 2016
Professor Margaret Gardner, President and Vice-Chancellor, welcomes nominations for the 2016 Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity and Inclusion Awards. The Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity and Inclusion Awards recognise members of the Monash University community (staff and students) who have made an outstanding contribution to supporting diversity and fostering inclusion for:
  • Indigenous Australians
  • People with a disability, medical or mental health condition
  • Women in disciplines, professions, or roles in which they are under-represented
  • People with family or carer responsibilities
  • People from culturally/linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or queer (LGBTIQ)
  • Students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds
  • Students from rural or remote areas
Monash University has a total of $15,000 (with individual amounts of up to $5,000 per award) to recognise programs and initiatives that support the ethos of the Focus Monash Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 commitment to seek talented students and staff, irrespective of social or economic circumstances and build a connected community of students and staff in a diverse university that is deeply engaged with the wider community
Nominations should focus on one or more of the following areas:
  • Inclusive education: Developing teaching practice, curricula or learning environments that foster inclusion for a diverse range or students
  • Inclusive workplace: Building and supporting inclusion and diversity at work, fostering inclusive teams and positively influencing workplace culture
  • Connection and belonging: Enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community for students and/or staff
  • Community outreach: Engaging with the wider community to encourage participation by disadvantaged groups, promote inclusion and support diversity
The awards are open to staff and students of Monash University including:
  • Academic and professional staff (full-time, part-time, casual and sessional)
  • Monash University students (full-time or part-time)
  • Group projects (team, committee or work unit)
Nominations close Friday 19 August.
Further information can be found on the Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity and Inclusion Awards website.