Some of Our Parts

Are You an International Student with a Disability Living in Victoria?

Impact Co. is undertaking a project on behalf of the Department of Health to engage international students to better understand their experience studying in Victoria, with a particular focus on their mental health and wellbeing.

This project aims to improve the existing support services available to international students during their time in Victoria.

To accomplish this, they are seeking the participation of international students with disabilities.

They plan to conduct a 1.5 to 2-hour interview with participants to explore their unique experiences of living, working, and studying in Victoria.

They are particularly interested in understanding international students’ interactions and experiences, if any, with mental health and wellbeing support services.

• Additionally participants will also be reimbursed $175 for their valuable time.

Who Are They Looking For?

• You are 18+ and international student, living in Victoria. (This includes High school, TAFE, University, English Language Course, or other)
• You have a disability

What is Involved?

You will participate in one 1.5-2 hour interview which will explore:

• Your experience living, working and studying in Victoria
• Your interactions and experience (if any) with mental health and wellbeing support services

Will You Be Compensated?

• Participants will receive $175 for their time – *IF they are asked to participate in an interview – not for completing the survey
• If you wish to receive one, participants can receive a certificate of appreciation from Impact Co, The Department of Health and Study Melbourne
• If you are interested, please follow this link.

How to Improve Digital Accessibility at Your Workplace

It’s vital to ensure that your organisation’s digital platforms are accessible to everyone.

This can help people with disability who are your employees, customers and external stakeholders.

NDRC Professional Advisor Rob Crestani shares tips on becoming digitally inclusive and accessible.

Here are some do’s and don’ts to follow:

Do’s:

• Use alt text for images: Screen readers cannot see images. Alt text descriptions help people use screen readers to understand the image’s content.
• Use captions, transcripts and audio description for videos: making videos accessible to people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and people who are blind or low vision.
• Test digital content with assistive technology: This will help you identify any barriers to accessibility and make necessary changes to ensure everyone can access your content.
• Use simple and clear language: Avoid technical jargon or complex sentence structures that can be difficult for some people to understand.
• Use responsive design: Ensure digital content is accessible and looks good on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Don’ts:

• Don’t use colour alone to convey information: People with colour vision deficiency may be unable to differentiate between colours, so it’s important to use text or symbols.
• Don’t use flashing or moving content: This can cause seizures for people with epilepsy or other photosensitive conditions.
• Don’t use small font sizes: Small font sizes make text difficult to read, especially for people with visual impairments.
• Don’t use auto-play for videos or audio: This can be disruptive and overwhelming, especially for people with sensory sensitivities.
• Don’t use inaccessible PDFs: PDFs can be difficult for screen readers to navigate, so it’s essential to provide accessible versions or alternative formats.

JobAccess Celebrates 17 Years of Service and Innovation this July!

Since 2006, JobAccess has been the first port of call on everything related to disability employment.

Over the years:

• JobAccess has assisted more than 440,000 people – including jobseekers with disability, employers and service providers – with expert advice, support and information.
• JobAccess has managed over 63,000 applications for funding workplace modifications. And each one has made a difference in supporting the employment and retention of people with disability in the workforce.
• The National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) has partnered with over 380 large organisations to build their disability confidence and competence.
• Since 2012, the CRRS and the Hotline have lodged more than 15,700 complaints or reports of abuse to improve outcomes for people with disability and service providers.

You don’t have to go it alone when getting support or supporting someone at work. JobAccess is here to help.

• To find out more about how JobAccess could help your organisation, visit their website, call them on 1800 464 800 or email them at: JobAccess@workfocus.com.

Apply for this Free industry mentoring program for students & jobseekers with disability – Applications open

AND has applications for the Spring 2023 intake for their free national PACE Mentoring Program! Students, graduates and jobseekers with any types of disability, mental health condition or chronic illness will have the opportunity to be mentored by an industry professional from one of the Australian leading businesses and organisations from August to December 2023.

International students are welcome to apply too.

• Applications open now and close end of June (with potential of extension to July; late applications are welcome too).

Be Employed as Short Term RAs on Research Projects

This is a Monash wide scheme for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Coursework students to be employed as short term RAs on research projects.

• You can find info on research project opportunities here.

Summer and winter research scholarships are run over the summer and winter breaks.

If you’re interested in a research career or furthering your studies through an honours program, this is a great opportunity to get ahead over the holidays.

Research scholarships aim to provide you with:

• experience in an area of research
• an insight into future opportunities within research
• encouragement to pursue a career in research or academia.

If successful, you will take part in research-related activities.

Faculty of IT Student Team on Assistive Tech

Modelled off the very successful Faculty of Engineering model, the Monash IT Faculty has launched its own Student Teams initiative.

This is designed to get students together (not just from FIT) to work under the banner of a main idea/topic/initiative on semi-autonomous projects.

• You can find more information on Student Teams here. 

A dedicated team on Assistive Tech was launched and after a slow start is gathering some momentum.

You can find out about Assistive Tech here.

2023 Give Respect Art Competition Now Open!

We are excited to announce that the Give Respect Art Competition is open for submissions!

As an opportunity to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in our community, the competition challenges participants to create artwork that encourages reflection on these topics.

This year, we have revamped the creative challenge to align with the launch of Monash’s new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework.

We encourage Monash students and staff to submit an original piece of art that relates to this year’s theme: Art that evokes reflection about equity, diversity or inclusion.

• The competition is open until the end of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Week on Friday 8 September.

So, you have plenty of time to get into your creative flow and submit your artwork.

The winner will receive recognition for their contribution, as well as:

• $1000 for 1st place student
• $500 for 2nd place student
• and 2 x Gold Class movie vouchers for 1st place staff!

To learn more about the competition requirements and submission guidelines, please visit the Give Respect Art Competition website.

We encourage everyone to participate in this exciting initiative to promote respect and help contribute to thriving communities.

Disability Discrimination Commissioner – Applications open

The Australian Government is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified persons for appointment to the full-time statutory position of Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. The advertisement and candidate pack are accessible here.

The Disability Discrimination Commissioner is responsible for the promotion and advancement of rights of people with disability, including promoting understanding and compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

The candidate information pack includes a detailed description of the role, selection criteria and how to apply.

• Please note that applications close at 5:00pm on 30 June 2023.

Enquiries about the position can be emailed to appointments@ag.gov.au

One Month Left to Have Your Say In the Review of The Disability Transport Standards

Public consultation for the 2022 Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards) is open to 30 June 2023.

Further information about the review is available on the department’s website.

You can help assess whether the Transport Standards are reducing discrimination against people with disability and determine any necessary changes.

The Review is separate to the consultations held in 2021 and 2022 on potential ways to reform the Transport Standards. If you had your say as part of the reform process, it’s important to also give us your feedback through this Review process.

We can take your submission over the phone at 1800 621 372 or you can email it to disabilitytransport@infrastructure.gov.au.

• You can also submit feedback through our ‘Have your say’ form on our website.