Some of Our Parts

The Monash Vision Group (MVG) moves a step closer to clinical trials of its Bionic Eye, thanks to landmark donations from two respected business leaders.

Dr Marc Besen and Chancellor Alan Finkel have each donated $1 million to the groundbreaking project through their respective foundations. With an additional commitment of $1 million from Monash University, the philanthropic donations will cover critical development costs. The support keeps MVG on track through the next phase of the project, culminating in the first human trials next year.

Over 50,000 people in Australia are considered clinically blind and the number exceeds 160 million globally. The bionic eye offers hope of restored vision to humankind and has the potential to change tens of thousands of lives.

Anyone who’s listened to Triple J will be familiar with the authoritative tones of newsreader Nas Campanella. What few people will be aware of, however, is that Campanella is blind.

The 26-year-old Sydneysider has been blind since she was six months old, when a rare abnormality caused the retinas to tear away from her eyes, leaving her able to see shadows and some light, but little else.

The Other Film Festival is the big party where everyone gets invited. The festival programs the very best new cinema about the lived experience of disability from around the world. The festival screens these films in the most accessible way possible, delivering global best practice in meeting the access requirements of all patrons. All speeches are Auslan interpreted, all films are captioned, all films are audio described and the venue is fully accessible. Inclusive, accessible and welcoming, the festival reveals how disability looks right now.

The Other Film Festival will run from the 3rd-7th December at the Melbourne Brian Centre,  Kenneth Myer Building, 30 Royal Parade (cnr Genetics Lane), University of Melbourne, Parkville (Melways Ref: 2B B7).

See the full program here.

It’s the end of another week (and hopefully the end of another exam for you guys! Here’s some disability related news to take you into the weekend.

• A letter to my wheelchair.
• The International Day of People with Disability is only around the corner! This year’s theme is Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology.
• A typeface designed specifically to assist dyslexic people read
• Here’s a quick guide on service dogs and small business
• Did you miss Quippings at the Fringe Festival?
• Passionate about disability and the arts? Join the Guardian‘s live webchat next week.
• What does this state election mean for you and your disability?
• What about the mental health of kids with intellectual disability?
• Another perspective on dying with dignity

Happy Friday! The first week of exams is over! Hope everyone is taking some time out to look after yourself with study breaks.

Here are some fun things happening in the disability related world:

• Can a Deaf person also be a sign language interpreter? Sure can!
• Smells like sign language! (note, this video is ASL, not Auslan)
• Video games which open the door for the blind to play
• Disney petitioned to produce a film hero with Down’s syndrome
• Have you seen the trailer for The Theory of Everything?

Good luck with those exams!

There are few people who need the benefits of online shopping more than the disabled, but one blind woman says she is being discriminated against because of problems with the Coles website.

Gisele Mesnage is now taking on the supermarket giant in the courts and if she succeeds her lawyer said it could have implications for other websites.

Read more at ABC News.

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.

Are you interested in Disability Studies? There are two great new opportunities being advertised at the moment!

Curtin University has an ARC funded project within the Faculty of Humanities in Disability and Digital TV: Access, representation and reception. This project investigates the impacts digital televisions have on the social inclusion or exclusion of people with disability through a user-focused analysis of accessibility and representation.

Further abroad, the University of Leeds has a position for a University Academic Fellow in Disability Law.

As we start to enter exams period, all current Monash students can access a 24 hour study area to study in preparation for exams around the clock:

Building 10, Ground floor, Center Cellar Room

Students will require their Monash Student ID to gain access to the space after hours. This space is now available for use and will be until at least Friday 21 November.

Are you a student or recent graduate with a vision impairment? Would you like to help improve access to graphical materials in university educational materials?

Graphs, maps, schematics, diagrams, cartoons, non-standard scripts and many other visual representations can be used to convey important information in study materials. A research team from Monash and Deakin Universities is investigating how vision impaired University students access these materials and how the current processes can be improved.

You will be asked to share your experiences and opinions in an interview up to one hour in length at your place of study or via phone in November 2014. Participation is entirely voluntary and confidential, as detailed in the attached explanatory statement.

Responses from the interviews will be used to develop a model for improved provision of accessible graphics which will be promoted throughout Australian Universities. Participants will have the opportunity to register to trial this new model for their 2015 study materials.

To get involved and help make a difference, please contact Leona Holloway at leona.holloway@monash.edu or (03) 9903 2401.