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.”

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.

By (former Monash student) Kate Ditchburn

My Rocky Journey Commencing Studies at University

When I first started to experience chronic illness in my undergraduate degree I was overwhelmed.

I was no longer able to participate in my studies, work, and social life in the way I was used to. This left me feeling very uncertain about my future and the big career goals I had set myself.

Fortunately, this was only the beginning of my story.

My experience with chronic illness at university felt like a huge burden at the time, but it turned out to be the catalyst for the career and life in which I thrive in now.

It was a rocky journey completing my Bachelor of Journalism at Monash.

I pulled out of units, completed study from home, and extended my degree more times than I can count.

I remember submitting an online exam from hospital thinking it was some kind of miracle I made it through that semester!

Pursuing Studies in Health Promotion

The more I encountered both physical and mental health difficulties, the more I found myself writing about health issues in my journalism studies. I was fascinated with the complex web of healthcare in Australia and globally, and what this means for people who experience disability.

Ultimately, I decided to build on this interest by following my bachelor’s degree with a Master of Health Promotion.

I absolutely loved learning about public health systems, preventative health, and how to use communications to create change in the health industry.

While my passion was very clear, I was unsure if I would be employable given my difficult journey and ongoing health needs.

I would compare myself to others and question whether I was good enough.

As I learnt to manage my chronic health conditions, I became more confident with my skills and knowledge. I started off small by taking freelance writing work and building up my portfolio of communication skills.

Before long I started to ‘back myself’ and was offered my first job in health promotion.

Not only was I able to get work, I have since been able to excel and really just enjoy my career in health promotion. I am good at my job and I am more than capable to have the career I envisioned.

Supporting Women with Disabilities

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to take on additional casual work with a lived experience program co-designing resources and training for women with disabilities.

It has been an amazing experience collaborating with other women who have similar experiences of illness and disability.

I would not have had this opportunity without the same experiences that I was so worried would hold back my career.

The Benefits of My Lived Experience

Even in my other work across different health issues, I am grateful for my own lived experience of disability. It has not only enhanced my compassion for others, but it has also given me a broader perspective of healthcare.

The perspective of lived experience is actually well sought-after professionally.

Many organisations recognise lived experience as a vital voice in healthcare—and those which don’t are absolutely missing out.

My life and career may not be exactly as I envisioned when I started my Bachelor of Journalism all those years ago, but it’s something pretty special.

I would encourage anyone experiencing disability or other barriers to education to embrace their experiences. You never know where it might get you!

• For information about career support available at Monash, please see our GradWISE page

Expression Australia and Healthcare Australia Pop-up Vaccination Clinic

Two weeks ago the first pop-up vaccination hub was held at Expression Australia’s East Melbourne office in collaboration with Healthcare Australia. This was a great success.

If you missed out or need your second dose, there will be another pop-up vaccination hub next week!

From the 28 – 29 of October 9am – 4:20pm you can either make an appointment, to guarantee a vaccination or walk into our vaccination hub.

• Expression Australia’s pop-up clinic is inclusive and accessible for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people as we will have Auslan interpreters, qualified nurses, and support staff.

If you are one of the following and in Metropolitan Melbourne, you can get a vaccination:

• People with a Disability (12+)
• Paid or unpaid Carers/Support Staff of someone with a Disability
• Staff/workers in the Disability Sector
• Healthcare workers
• Aged Care Workers
• Indigenous / Torres Strait Islander identifying individuals
• Family members of any of the above categories (including children 12+)
• Deaf people or those with a disability. You are welcome to bring friends and family over the age of 12.

*Remember, there will be no 15km radius restrictions!

Expression Australia encourages our community to get vaccinated so we can protect each other and those around us.

Please share this message with your friends and family.

• BOOK YOUR VACCINATION NOW!