Some of Our Parts

Enter the Lived Experience Photo Exhibition and Win a Prize

The AusACPDM and CP-Achieve are excited to announce the launch of their second Lived Experience Photo Exhibition.

Thee’re seeking people of all ages with lived experience of childhood-onset disability to help celebrate our diverse community by submitting quality original photographs within the themes of Family, Fun, Fitness or Friends.

Photos that meet the exhibition guidelines will be showcased on our website where the community will be able to cast a vote for their favourite.

One photo in each category will be selected as a winner, and the entrant will be awarded a prize of $100AUD.

Submit Your Photos Online

Submitted images may be used to complement future online and published work by the AusACPDM and CP-Achieve.

• To submit your photos, click on the link:

https://acu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3r7GpGH1RRecAbI

During the online submission process, entrants will be asked to agree to the exhibition terms and conditions.

There is a maximum of three entries per person.

Entries close midnight 11.59pm 21 December 2021.

The exhibition and voting will open on 31 January 2022 with winners to be announced on 4th March 2022.

CP-Achieve Understanding Survey

The CP-Achieve Understanding Survey is now live!

The survey will help CP-Achieve to learn more about the demographic and clinical characteristics of young people (aged 10-30 years) with CP (Cerebral Palsy).

It will also allow young people with CP to express interest in participating in future CP-Achieve studies.

• Click on the link below or scan the QR code from the flyer.

https://redcap.mcri.edu.au/surveys/

Access code: RPLP4EW84

For more information contact:

• Sevastine Katsakis B. Science (Psych), M.C
• Project Officer, Centre of Research Excellence: CP-Achieve Neurodisability and Rehabilitation
• E sevastine.katsakis@mcri.edu.au

Join the GradWISE Team for an Information Session

Join the GradWISE team for an information session to learn about the award winning program and supports available to students and graduates living with a disability, injury or illness in securing sustainable employment in their field of study.

• Register here to save the date: Wednesday 24 November 2021 at 11am AEDT

GradWISE Student Testimonials

“Being mentored by Edward, Chardee and Grace over the last 5 months has really helped me keep on track with my studies by having people that I can report to and keep accountability with for maintaining good habits that will allow me to work towards my goals.

“The Neurozone report was a good way to reflect on areas I can improve on, like having better nutrition and being able to discuss and tailor weekly plans was a good way to stay on top of taking care of my mental and physical health. Additionally, since I have recently graduated and am on the hunt for jobs, it has been reassuring to be able to send my resume and cover letters to be checked prior to applying for roles.

“GradWISE takes a holistic approach to supporting their students and would definitely recommend more students partake in their program as they have a lot to offer and genuinely care about our wellbeing.”

And this:

“…GradWISE is fantastic because I found my dream job through this program!

The head of GradWISE, Edward and the program manager, Chardee have encouraged me and guide me to apply the graduate positions through the disability pathway.

“I was so excited after the first meet with them; they are so friendly and professional. They have not only brought me the valuable information but the hope in getting a graduate job that I really want.”

And finally this:

“A program like GradWISE which informs and guides you about your future options and gives you the much needed assurance that you are not on your own, is indeed a very good idea.

“I think it fills a gap that exists during the transitional period between finishing studies and starting work. Feeling supported and guided during this period saves students from unnecessary anxiety born out of uncertainty.

“Because help via GradWISE comes to you at your campus, all students have an equal opportunity of getting guidance and support.

“The neurozone Survey is a good way to assess where each individual student is at so that then they may be helped to shape their thoughts and actions in a beneficial way. The positive mindset can help in all areas of life including finding jobs and maintaining good work ethics.”

Universal Design for Learning in Tertiary Education

How I Use the Principles of UDL in Online Tertiary Education

By Dr Erin Leif, Senior Lecturer at Monash University

My teaching is underpinned by the notion that optimal learning outcomes can be achieved when students are:

• (a) provided with a clear unit structure and learning objectives,
• (b) given frequent opportunities to actively respond,
• (c) provided with frequent feedback, and
• (d) assessed on practical skills that mimic the activities commonly performed by professionals working in the field.

To achieve this, I have adopted the Universal Design for Learning Framework (UDL) to guide the design and delivery of my online units.

The graphic below illustrates my iterative process of unit design and delivery:

Asynchronous Online Interactive Lessons

When designing online activities, I provide students with a set of asynchronous online interactive lessons that are directly aligned to the weekly learning objectives.

Lessons consist of a series of video recorded lectures interspersed with active learning activities designed to meet the learning objectives and provide multiple representations of concepts, including:

• Text descriptions of a concept
• Mini video lectures to supplement the readings or provide real world examples
• Video bytes (which are typically short clips illustrating various concepts in action)
• Links to websites, blogs, or podcasts, where students can find out more
• Images or graphics illustrating key concepts
• Interactive formative knowledge checks (e.g., multi-choice, true/false, matching, fill-ins, drag and drop text, etc.), which provide immediate embedded feedback for correct and incorrect responses
• Post-class timed quizzes, designed to build fluency with basic concepts and principles
• Moderated post-class discussion forums, which allow students to apply what they have learnt to a case scenario, ethical challenge, or professional practice question

I collect data on student engagement and evidence of learning early and often throughout the delivery of the unit (formative assessment).

This includes:

• Weekly synchronous tutorials, in which we use polling and group discussion to provide students with the opportunity to actively respond and the teaching team with the opportunity to (a) gauge student understanding of the material and (b) present additional instruction if needed
• Post-class discussion forums, which (a) allow the teaching team to gauge understanding in students who may not have otherwise indicated that they were confused, (b) gives students the opportunity to teach material to each other, which requires that they define, synthesise, and relate the material that is being discussed, and (c) gives students the opportunity to prepare for the assessment tasks
• Moodle analytics and completion settings on Moodle.
• We teach students how to use their Moodle ‘progress trackers’ to self-monitor their completion of the online learning activities on Moodle. We review the progress trackers at specific points throughout the semester, and check in on students who appear to be falling behind or who are not showing evidence of active engagement with the unit content

My approach embraces the diversity of learners by providing students with clear and measurable learning objectives, flexible methods of engagement and assessment, and accessible learning materials and technologies.

Through my use of the UDL framework, I can model a variety of inclusive, evidence-based instructional strategies to my students, which students can then replicate and adapt for use in their own professional practice.

Student Final Year Project Opportunities with the Rail Accessibility Research Group

The Monash Institute of Railway Technology’s Rail Accessibility Research Group (RARG) is a focused group of multidisciplinary academics, designers and engineers who are leading research in Australia to deliver innovative solutions to improve accessibility to railway networks (including light rail).

Their research also covers stop and station design. There is the need to be adaptive and considerate of a range of user needs to deliver multimodal, seamless accessibility for:

• People with a disability
• Older people
• Parents with prams
• And bike riders, as examples of the diversity in user groups.

The research group is mindful that accessibility and equity for all should not just be limited to the station area. There should be seamless access to the surrounding precinct, providing connectivity to dwellings, streets, and neighbourhoods as well.

Final Year Project For Civil Engineering Students

RARG offers a range of research and/or design and build projects for undergraduate students, such as students undertaking their final year projects in engineering.

At present, the following final year project is available for Civil Engineering students at Clayton:

Railway Station Accessibility in Victoria: Improving Information Availability for Users

One or two students are sought to compare and contrast suggested practices for providing railway station accessibility information to people with disabilities, and benchmark these suggested practices against current practices being used elsewhere in the country (or the world).

Guided by their findings, the student(s) will design and develop two or three models for providing accessibility information to the public; with the option of potentially presenting these models to members of the disability community for critique.

• For further information regarding the above project, please contact Dr. Wynita Griggs at wynita.griggs@monash.edu.

Event Reminder — NCSEHE & EPHEA World Access to Higher Education Day

We hope you can join us for WAHED Australasia on 17 November (national times below) hosted by the NCSEHE and Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia (EPHEA).

The free online event will feature a keynote from Prof. Maria Raciti (USC) as well as a disability practitioner and student panel, discussing important accessibility considerations when returning to an on-campus learning model.

The 2021 Champions for Change will be recognised for their extraordinary efforts in supporting students to succeed in higher education.

WAHED 2021 will also mark the introduction of the NCSEHE and EPHEA Australasian Spotlight on Equity: Grants for recognition of impact. Winners will be announced on the day.

Event Highlights

Keynote: Prof. Maria Raciti — Navigating heightened risk among low SES students in VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) times: What’s the next best step?

Disability practitioner and student panel — Accessibility considerations when returning to an on-campus learning model

Awards and grants announcements —

• Champions for Change
• Australasian Spotlight on Equity: Grants for recognition of impact

Event Details and Registration

Wednesday 17 November 2021

Online via Zoom

• 9:30 am–11:30 am AWST
• 11:00 am–1:00 pm ACST
• 11:30 am–1:30 pm AEST
• 12:30 pm–2:30 pm AEDT
• 1:30 pm–3:30 pm NZS

This is a free event, registration is essential.

The webinar will be live captioned and recorded. If you cannot attend, please register anyway and you will be sent a link directly to the recording, slides and transcript post-webinar.

• Register here: https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/event/ncsehe-ephea-wahed-2021/

We look forward to seeing you there!

Student Talent – Casting Call

Universal Design for Learning in Tertiary Education – eLearning Launch Event

Join us on International Day of People with Disability, Friday 3 December from 1pm-2:15pm AEDT as the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training launch Australia’s first free online Universal Design for Learning in tertiary education eLearning training.

To mark this special occasion, Dr Frederic Fovet, Associate Professor, School of Education and Technology, Royal Roads University, Canada will be our guest speaker, followed by an official launch of the Universal Design for Learning in Tertiary Education eLearning Training.

• 1pm – 2:00pm AEDT: From curiosity to systemic implementation: Making UDL buy-in a strategic institutional reality presented by Dr. Frederic Fovet. Includes question and answer opportunity.
• 2:00pm – 2:15pm: Universal Design for Learning in Tertiary Education eLearning Training official launch

REGISTER HERE

Dr Frédéric Fovet

Dr Frédéric Fovet is Associate Professor in the School of Education and Technology at Royal Roads University.

He has previously held the position of Assistant Professor within the Faculty of Education of the University of Prince Edward Island.

Over the duration of his PhD., he was Director of the Office of Students with Disabilities at McGill University.  He has also served as a teacher and principal in the K-12 sector.

He is an inclusion specialist with a specific interest in social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD), critical pedagogy and universal design for learning (UDL).

Frederic also has a strong grounding in Disability Studies. He acts as a consultant, both nationally and internationally, in the area of UDL and inclusion – in the K-12 and the post-secondary sector. He was the instigator and program chair of the first three pan-Canadian conferences on UDL in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Presentation Overview

From curiosity to systemic implementation: Making UDL buy-in a strategic institutional reality

There has been growing but sporadic interest around Universal Design for Learning across the post-secondary sector in most jurisdictions over the last decade.

This, in itself is encouraging and there is no doubt that the notion that inclusion must be achieved through proactive inclusive design rather than through retrofitting and accommodations is finally gaining in popularity and visibility.

While many of the initiatives seeking to implement UDL are effective and credible, these are usually led by individual instructors or small communities of practice.

As such, they represent powerful illustrations of UDL in action but they fail to tackle the complexity of how systemic implementation can be achieved across institutions.

This presentation will offer an ecological view of the numerous factors that come into play when institutions consider campus-wide UDL implementation, and will prepare participants to proactively prepare for this complexity.

It is undeniable that the COVID pandemic and the pivot to online teaching and learning have further muddied the waters, and the presentation will seek to explore what specific post-pandemic UDL efforts are now necessary.

• If you would like to showcase some of the work you have been involved with in implementing UDL principles please contact admin@adcet.edu.au  

REGISTER HERE

Short-Term Admin Job Opportunity Available for Monash Students

The Jobs for Students team is seeking a student to support the Department of External Relations Development and Alumni with some administration work.

This work will take place on-site at Clayton campus, up to four days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday) for approximately 2-3 weeks.

The pay rate is HEW 3, $36.98 per hour.

Starting on Monday 22 November, you will be scanning graduation programs, and sorting them into Google folders.

You will need to be comfortable to stand for long periods to use the photocopier.

• If you are interested and available at the stipulated times, please submit your application here by 5pm Thursday 11th November.

You Are Invited to Participate in Focus Groups at Monash

Monash students are invited to participate in a series of focus groups discussing student support services at Monash, including the Monash Library, Disability Support Services, English Connect, and Peer Mentoring.

These focus groups will run for 90 minutes and all participants will be given a $25 Coles or UberEats digital gift card.

• To participate in these focus groups, please register your interest here.