Some of Our Parts

“What better way to unwind after 24 hours of world record breaking tennis than rapping your favourite verse, with one of your favourite rappers from your favourite group of all time.”

So said Australian gold medallist who just spent his weekend at Meredith Music Festival – part of it on-stage with Wu-Tang’s Ghostface Killah rapping in front of a packed crowd. The 24-year-old paralympian crowdsurfed his way to the front of the festival audience where he joined the New York rapper centrestage and totally nailed a verse of Wu classic, ‘Protect Ya Neck’.

The Saturday afternoon performance follows the athlete completing a 24-hour marathon of wheelchair tennis in Melbourne last Thursday, as ABC News details, raising nearly $70,000 for the Starlight Foundation and Variety Children’s Charity.”I had ice packs on my hands because my wrists were so swollen from playing 24 hours of tennis,” says Dylan, who has scored the opportunity to meet his rap hero backstage at Meredith.

Prominent disability activist, writer and comedian Stella Young has died aged 32. Ms Young was the former editor of the ABC’s disability news and opinion website, Ramp up. Her family said she passed away on Sunday.

“With great sadness we acknowledge the passing of Stella Young, our much loved and irreplaceable daughter and sister,” the family said in a statement. “A private funeral will take place soon, followed by a public event in Melbourne, with more details to come.  “Our loss is a deeply personal one. We request privacy during this difficult time.”

Ms Young was born in Stawell, in country Victoria, with Osteogenesis imperfecta. She studied to become a teacher, before beginning a career in journalism.

Read tributes to Stella from the ABC’s Mark Scott and Wendy Harmer.

In a letter to her 80 year old self she wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald:

But on my path to reach you, I promise to grab every opportunity with both hands, to say yes as often as I can, to take risks, to scare myself stupid, and to have a shitload of fun.

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.