Some of Our Parts

We are looking for volunteers who are registered with Disability Services to assist academic staff in understanding the point of view of students with disabilities so they will be enabled to approach students with greater confidence.

The volunteers will NOT be providing practical advice and assistance on how to handle or solve problems caused by students’ disabilities (e.g. accessibility issues and accommodations). That is the role of Disability Advisers within Monash Disability Services. The focus of this volunteer program is to serve as a ‘port of call’ for staff who want to better understand the perspectives and experiences of students with disabilities to enable them to work more cooperatively and sensitively with a particular student. The role is expected to involve a single conversation with the teaching staff member for any given student: recurring queries about the same student/issue will be referred to Disability Services.

If you are considering volunteering, for this program, it is important that you feel comfortable with declaring your disability. Even though your identity will not be on the public Monash website, it will be on the Monash Intranet which is accessible to all Monash staff.

To fulfill the duties of the role you will need to make yourself available 1-3 hours per week.

Training will be provided by Disability Services to further define the role and answer any questions you may have. It is expected this will take no more than one hour.

The following table sets out the broad areas of disability. If you have personal experience of any of these and are interested in volunteering to help staff to discover how they may implement inclusive practices in their classes, please add complete this form. If you have any questions about the program please contact Michelle.woods@monash.edu.

beyondblue is bringing its big blue bus ‘Roadshow Rhonda’ to Monash University, Clayton for Survival Week! Currently on a 50,000km journey around Australia to encourage and support people everywhere to ‘Take 1 step’ for better mental health, the beyondblue team will set up at Monash University, Clayton:

Wednesday 25th March
11am-1pm
Free BBQ and activities
Law Building Forecourt, 15 Ancora Imparo Way
No bookings required

The visit is a great opportunity to find out more about depression and anxiety and where to get support. For more details, visit www.beyondblue.org.au/take1step

Monash Counselling Service at Clayton campus is offering a free one-hour workshop on time management, specifically for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This workshop will provide practical strategies and exercises for managing your time at university and problem  solving when you are stuck.

Date: Monday 23rd of March
Time: 11am-12pm
Venue: CCD Seminar room, 1st floor, Campus Centre, 21 Chancellors Walk
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please RSVP to Disability Services (disabilityservices@monash.edu) by Monday 16 March, as places are limited.

Welcome to the 2015 Monash O -Week!

The sun is out, the festivities are buzzing, the music is pumping and the lines for free food are growing! Make the most of the week by checking out all the various events and activities and events on your Monash campus.

Just a reminder, as well – the Monash Disability Services is running an Open House all this week. That means if you have any questions at all about disabilities or mental health conditions that you feel might impact on your studies, pop into the Disability Services at 21 Ancora Imparo Way (previously Building 55 – right at the bus loop, near the Law Building and Menzies). You can speak to one of our friendly Disability Advisers who will be able to assist you with any inquiries you might have.

Also, starting tomorrow, we will also be running Disability Campus Tours around the Caulfield and Clayton campuses. Tours are open to all registered students and you can register for one of these tours here.

Clayton tours will run from 2pm on the Thursday and Friday of O-Week (26th and 27th February)

Tours will meet outside 21 Ancora Imparo Way (previously Building 55) at 1.50pm for a 2pm start

Caulfield tours will run from 2pm on the Tuesday of O-Week (24th of February)

Tours will meet outside Monash Connect (Building A, ground floor) at 1.50pm for a 2pm start

Campus maps will be provided on the day and it may be advisable to bring your own pen and paper to take notes. Please let us know in advance if you require Auslan interpreters, electric scooters or have any other accessibility requirements.

If you have any further questions or concerns about the tours, please contact Sarah Mander at sarah.mander@monash.edu or on 9905 3857.

Monash Disability Services will be running an Open House for all of O Week (23rd-27th January). That means if you have any questions at all about disabilities or mental health conditions that you feel might impact on your studies pop into the Disability Services office at 21 Ancora Imparo Way (formerly Building 55 – right at the bus loop, near the Law Building and Menzies). You can speak to one of our friendly Disability Advisers who will be able to assist you with any inquiries you might have.

Biostatistican, Disability advocate and I CAN Network founder Penny Robinson has been profiled in the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine’s blog! Find out more about Penny and the journey of how she got to where she is today. Have a read of her many accomplishments and her goals for the future.

You might have noticed something new about the campus this year.

By January 2015, every building at the Clayton campus will have a new street address. That’s right – no more random building numbers. The new system will be attractive, logical and easy to navigate. We are transforming Clayton into an activated and inviting campus that attracts, enriches and fully engages with the surrounding community.

It’s all part of the campus Masterplan. Central to the Masterplan is a network of wide, tree-lined walkways, which will improve way finding and navigation across campus. We are numbering Monash buildings along the walkways in the same way as houses are numbered along a street. So it’s not just about the buildings – it’s about the connections and walkways between them.

It’s all about getting around campus without getting lost, and being physically part of the Monash community.

Disability Services is now located at 21 Ancora Imparo way.

See the Campus Maps to find out what’s changed!

Conversational English Programs are beginning next month, with a range of different kinds of classes available.

These classes are a set of extra-curricular language activities aimed at developing the global competences of domestic and international students and enhancing the student experience through cross cultural communication and making new friends!

Classes for 2015 include:

Let’s Chat MUISS!

• Groups of 30 students + 3 student facilitators
• Structured but flexible, fun classes addressing conversation starters and other themes identified by Monash students
• Last session in collaboration with Monash Sport includes games and a BBQ lunch
• Clayton campus only
• One 1h session once per week, Week 3 to Week 11, Semesters 1 and 2 – Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4pm-5pm or 5pm-6pm
• Open to all Monash students
• Registration open from February 16 to March 6

Let’s Chat BusEco!

• Free conversational English sessions to improve communication skills
• Groups of 30 students + 3 facilitators
• Structured but flexible, fun classes addressing conversation starters and other themes identified by Monash students
• Last session in collaboration with Monash Sport includes games and a BBQ lunch
• Caulfield campus
• Open to Monash Business School (Faculty of Business and Economics) students only
• One 1hr session once per week, Week 3 to Week 11, Semesters 1 and 2
• Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4pm-5pm or 5pm-6pm
• Registration open from February 16 to March 6 with a new intake of registrations during Survival Week (Week 4)

Peer Support

• Help with written or spoken academic work
• Free, one to one, ‘drop in’ 20 min sessions – no bookings necessary
• John Medley Library, Campus Centre, Level 1, 21 Chancellor’s Walk, Clayton
• All students welcome
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 11am-2pm, Week 3 – Week 12, Semesters 1 and 2

Aussie Connect

• Social interactions with local community in collaboration with Monash City Council
• Once per month social group gathering
• On Clayton campus and various council’s venues
• Semester 2 only

There will also be a range of workshops and seminars across the semester looking at topics of cross cultural communication and international education. Watch this space for more information in early February!

The Walter and Eliza Hall Trust Opportunity Scholarship is available to undergraduate students who have a physical disability (and receive the Disability Support Pension) and are experiencing financial disadvantage.

For more information including eligibility criteria, please contact the Monash Coursework Scholarships Unit.

It’s that SWOT VAC kind of year. Hope everyone’s exam preparations are going well! You might have seen yesterday we posted that there are now 24 hour study spaces at Clayton, for all those night owls who work best after dark.

Also its Halloween! Are you getting your trick or treat on?

• For those wheelchair users, here are some really clever Halloween costume ideas!
• Heading to the UK soon? The Festival of Dyslexic Culture is on this November.
• While you’re there, check out Ben Holt’s Tube Challenge!
• Why Musharaf Asghar feels lucky to have a stammer.
• Have you heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project?
• Are you graduating this year? How do you feel about the future?’
• Check out the new parking logo at this New York college.