Some of Our Parts

Delivering Ambulance Victoria’s First Accessibility Action Plan

Following an extensive consultation involving over 300 patients, paramedics and community members with or representing those with disability, Ambulance Victoria is proud to launch its Accessibility Action Plan. The plan outlines how Ambulance Victoria will better meet the needs of people with disability, including their patients, staff and community. The plan focuses on four key areas:

1. Inclusion and participation
2. Information, services and facilities
3. Employment, training and volunteering
4. Fairness, respect and safety

The Plan is available in a number of accessible formats that have been tested for screen reader compatibility.

While Ambulance Victoria’s Accessibility Action Plan is now live, their work to deliver a better and more accessible service that supports everyone in their time of need continues.

Please see the Ambulance Victoria web page with more information about its Accessibility Action Plan.

Shining a light on autism

Shining a light on autism and life on the spectrum, My Friend Autism is a podcast breaking down barriers, stigma and misconceptions around Autism.

Host Orion Kelly is autistic and aims to have open conversations that inform, engage and ultimately make the world a better place for autistic people. Orion is currently studying law at Monash.

*On this episode Orion is joined by the Founder and Chief Enabling Officer of the I CAN Network, Chris Varney – https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode/488614

Website: www.orionkelly.com.au

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OrionKellyInc

Monash Students Encouraged to Apply

The Hallie Bagley Scholarship was created to help students lift a little bit of financial stress off of their shoulders while also helping to strengthen our communities. Students from all majors and areas of study are encouraged to apply.

To be eligible, each applicant will be asked to submit a short essay of no more than 500 words. The award for this scholarship is $1,000 and all applications must be submitted by November 1, 2020. At the conclusion of the application period, a committee will confer and select a winner, we will notify the winner by December 1, 2020.

Please find more details below:

Eligibility:

You are eligible to apply for the Hallie Gay Walden Bagley Scholarship if you fall into one of the following categories:

1. You are a high school senior that has already been accepted into a US college or university.
2. You are a current college or university student – including Monash University students.

How Can You Apply?

Please use the following link to apply:
http://halliegaywaldenbagleyscholarship.com/

When Does an Online Video Need Audio Description?

*From Australian Network on Disability

A video with audio description will have a separate audio track that describes what’s happening on screen for those who can’t see it. Key visual elements, such as actions, scenery, expressions and on-screen text, are described by the narrator to ensure people who are blind or have low vision don’t miss out on important visual information.

Think about it in the context of a promotional video on your website, an instructional video within an online learning course, or a live interview shared on social media. Do all of these need audio descriptions to be accessible?

From an online and technical point of view, the answer lies with the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C. Through its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – the global standard for web accessibility – the W3C specifies three levels of conformance when it comes to audio description: Level A, Level AA and Level AAA. But unless you’re fairly well-versed in the Guidelines, deciding when audio description is needed can still be tricky.

Thankfully, Vision Australia has come up with three easy-to-follow decision trees to make it simpler….

*For more information, read the full article at Australian Network on Disability

Evacuation Procedures for People with Disability

*From Australian Network on Disability

Being an inclusive employer means taking every employee’s needs into consideration when implementing Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) procedures. Procedures for fire and other emergencies should always include provisions for the evacuation of people with disability.

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to make sure all employees are aware of the evacuation procedures in the workplace. Here is what you need to consider in order to ensure your evacuation procedure is inclusive of people with disability.

Always keep in mind, the nature of each person’s disability is unique and the best way to prepare is to discuss and develop evacuation procedures with the individuals.

Evacuation considerations

Appropriate structures need to be put in place to ensure all employees can evacuate in an emergency.

To ensure safe evacuation, a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) should be implemented for each individual with disability.

A PEEP is a practical measure to ensure appropriate, agreed actions are taken for the individual in an emergency. This customised document provides the framework for the planning and provision of emergency evacuation of a person with disability.

It is best practice to plan the assistance required (if any) well before any emergency occurs.

Essential steps

• A fire warden should be nominated for each work area, for example per floor in an office building, or a section of a warehouse or factory.
• A PEEP should be in place for any person with disability requiring assistance to evacuate in an emergency. The fire warden should be aware of any PEEPs in place for people with disability in their work area and have an understanding of the assistance that is required.
• Fire warden to advise emergency personnel (for example, firefighters and police) of the location of people with reduced mobility in refuge areas.
• Evacuation drills should be conducted regularly, including practice for evacuating people with disability.
• Emergency exits should be clearly shown using illuminated exit signs.
• Emergency and evacuation procedures should be clearly displayed on appropriate signage.

*For more information read the full article at Australian Network on Disability

JOIN THE TEAM! – Job Opportunities with I CAN Network

I CAN Network are very proud to be Australia’s largest Autistic-led organisation and currently provide paid employment opportunities to more than 30 Autistic young adults and adults across Australia.

They are particularly keen to attract and develop Autistics as mentors to meet the rapidly growing demand for our group mentoring via online and face-to-face programs, as the Autistic-lived experience is a cornerstone of our work.

I CAN also welcomes outstanding team members who, although not Autistic themselves, are passionate about supporting Autistic young people and view them through a strengths-based lens.

Mentoring Positions Available

Four Current Internships Available through Connect50

Connect50 (https://connect50.org.au/) is part of the Victorian Government’s economic participation plan for people with disability 2018-2020 and will be supporting 75 internship opportunities in regional Victorian organisations across Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, and the Latrobe Valley, and 10 internships in Victorian Disability Advocacy Organisations from now until February 2021. Internships will generally occur during the Winter and Summer semester breaks, but may also be announced at other times during the year.

There are 4 current opportunities advertised for the Summer 2019 / 2020 cohort on the Students page of the Connect50 website (https://connect50.org.au/students/) and they’re expecting another Legal Intern opportunity at Coulter Roache (Geelong) any day now.

Currently advertised opportunities include:

• Harwood Andrews (Geelong) – Legal Intern
• TAFE Gippsland (Morwell / Traralgon) – Report Writer Disability Action Plan Intern
• GForce Employment Solutions (Geelong) – Project Assistant Intern
• VALID (Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability) (Melbourne – Richmond) – Project Officer Intern

The internship roles run for 152 hours over the Summer semester break (Dec – Feb, actual dates TBC) and are open to students in their penultimate or final year of University, or studying a Cert IV or above at TAFE, who identify as having disability.

The formal closing date for the opportunity is Friday November 15^th, however applications will be left open until there are suitable candidates confirmed.

Students are asked to apply as soon as able so that interviews can be conducted and students can be offered pre-program support.

Students can also join the mailing list, to hear about opportunities as they are announced, via the Students page of the site or via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/73579LR

Current Internship Details

Internship No. 1

The first internship is a Legal Intern role at Harwood Andrews (Geelong), this role is open to Law students in their penultimate or final year of study.

This internship will provide some insight as to what it is like working in a law firm.  The successful candidate will get a practical hands on experience, working in a couple of different practice areas.

Harwood Andrews has advised that they are also open to placing the intern in a practice area that is of interest to them (if possible).

Internship No. 2

The second is for a Project Assistant Intern at GForce (Geelong). This intern will provide assistance and support in the delivery of a targeted project that will promote the benefits of employing persons with disability.

The opportunity is open to University students studying any degree – Business, HR, or Marketing desirable but not required – and TAFE students studying Cert IV and above.

Internship No. 3

The third internship is for a Disability Action Plan Report Writer role at TAFE Gippsland (based in Morwell / Traralgon) that is open to both eligible University and TAFE students studying any course.

The successful candidate will contribute to TAFE Gippsland’s commitment to provide an accessible educational environment by: Seeking feedback from relevant stakeholders as to the initiatives and actions required to create an accessible educational environment; and by assisting with the drafting and development of a Disability Action plan in line with policy requirements with stated actions, agreed time-frames and measurable outcomes.

Internship No. 4

The final and fourth internship opportunity is for a Project Officer Intern at VALID (Richmond / Melbourne).

VALID has received funding to run a project that focuses on identifying the barriers to effective disability support that people with intellectual disability face when they are involved in the criminal justice system. The Justice For All project has a number of key components, including the development of a Peer Action Group (PAG). The PAG will be comprised of people with intellectual disability who have lived experience of the criminal justice system, and will meet monthly to identify a range of systemic issues they would like to work on.

The successful candidate will support the work of the Advocacy Coordinator to develop and recruit participants to the Peer Action Group. This opportunity is open to University students in their penultimate or final year of study, ideally studying Social Work, Criminology, Community Development, or Law.

For more information contact:

• Emma Henningsen, Project Manager, Australian Network on Disability
• Level 1, Suite 1.08, 2 Queen Street, Melbourne, 3000
• T (03) 9629 2871 | W www.and.org.au  | E emma.henningsen@and.org.au

Re-thinking the Workforce: Seeing Machines Embrace an Innovative Pathway to Disability Employment

*From JobAccess

Road accidents involving commercial vehicles are a common cause of casualties worldwide.

In Australia alone, there were nearly 150 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks during the 12 months to March 2019¹. Canberra-based technology company Seeing Machines aims to change this.

Seeing Machines is at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) technology that equips machines to decipher facial expressions.

Preventing Accidents Through Technology

It uses its proprietary Guardian technology to help prevent accidents and improve safety through real-time driver monitoring and reporting of high-risk behaviours such as fatigue and distraction. So far, the technology has helped detect over 4 million distraction events and, over the past year, intervened in more than 109,000 instances of fatigue.

Until recently Seeing Machines offered 24-hour support to global logistical and transport enterprises from its Guardian Centre in Tucson, Arizona in the United States. An operational review to adopt a ‘follow the sun’ approach saw Seeing Machines launch a new monitoring centre in Canberra to share services with Tucson.

Encouraging Disability Employment

With a view to encourage disability employment, Seeing Machines introduced Project Embrace – an initiative to create targeted opportunities in Canberra for the local community of neuro-diverse candidates, including people on the autism spectrum.

*To read more, see the original JobAccess article.

Workplace Adjustments in Best-Practice Organisations

The Centre for Workplace Leadership, in consultation with the Australian Network on Disability, examined ‘best-practice’ organisations in Australia to understand how they utilised workplace adjustments towards the inclusion of people with disability in the workplace.

Twenty-six Australian organisations from the private, public and for-purpose sectors participated in the research, from which 48 managers and employees were interviewed about their implementation of workplace adjustments.

A series of findings and recommendations focused on systems and processes that contribute to inclusive workplaces are outlined in the final report: Improving Access and Inclusion in Employment for People with Disabilities.

*To read more, go to Australian Network on Disability’s web site.

Enhance Your Life Through Discovery

Members of the blind and low vision community are invited to our Sensory Scientific Exhibition and Discovery Day on Friday 6 December at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.

This exhibition is specifically designed for a blind and low vision audience, with tactile, sound, olfactory and low vision accessible displays and exhibits.

• Learn about cells and cell division, tumor growth and invasion, new and existing cancer treatments and more.
• This is a free event but registration is essential.

When

Friday 6 December – 8.45am – 12.45pm

Where

G54 Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Monash University, Clayton

Register

sensoryscientificexhibition2019.eventbrite.com

Enquire

BDI-SSD@monash.edu

monash.edu/discovery-institute

Program of Events

Registration opens at 8.45am for a 9.30am start and the event concludes at 12.45pm.

There will be a special presentation by Professor Roger Daly, Head of the Monash BDI’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Cancer Program, followed by morning tea and interactive breakout sessions. The sessions will include hands-on activities such as:

• 2D and 3D models
• Tactile poster creation
• Interactive manipulatives

Getting There

The event will be in G54, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Monash University, Clayton campus. See the Clayton Campus Map for directions.

There are many ways to get to and from Monash University, including public transport and driving. If you are driving, please provide us with your car registration so that we can ensure you will have a parking space.

• Please note a $12 parking fee will apply.
• For more information, visit: monash.edu/people/transport-parking.

Accessibility

• You are welcome to bring your guide dog with you
• A carer, family member or friend is welcome to attend with you, however they will also need to complete a registration form to ensure we can optimise your experience in the various group activities
• Volunteers will be present on the day for assistance.

Contact Us

• Monash BDI
• T: +61 3 9902 9656
• E: BDI-SSDD@monash.edu
• www.monash.edu/discovery-institute