Some of Our Parts

Social Anxiety Programs for Students in 2024

During first semester in 2024 there will be two Social Anxiety Group Programs and another group program targeting students with academic performance anxiety called ‘Performing at your Peak at Uni’.

Social Anxiety Group Program (students only)

Social anxiety involves significant fear or avoidance of one or more social situations. Social anxiety is a prevalent issue and can be disruptive to day-to-day life.

This is a cognitive behavioural program that’s designed to treat social anxiety.

The sessions will be facilitated by Dr Sophia Gozzi, Clinical Psychologist.

The program will run for eight sessions on Wednesdays, from 13 March until 8 May (excluding 3 April)

Two options are available at Clayton:

• Group A (11am – 1pm)
• Group B (2–4pm)
• Groups comprise a maximum of eight participants.
• This program is open only to Monash students and is free of charge.
• Register your interest here

Performing at Your Peak at Uni (students only)

Many students experience significant anxiety in academic performance situations and excessively worry about being judged negatively.

This can often lead to avoidance of performance situations such as contributing in tutorials, asking a lecturer a question, as well as attending team meetings, networking events and job interviews.

Productivity can also be hampered when anxiety leads to delays in submitting assignments or excessive time spent perfecting documents. In some instances, tasks are not avoided but students spend considerable time worrying about the upcoming task or ruminating about it afterwards.

This is a cognitive behavioural program that’s designed to target academic and career performance anxiety:

• The sessions will be facilitated by Dr Sophia Gozzi and Dr Emily Prytula, Clinical Psychologists
• The program will run for eight sessions on Mondays, from 18 March until 13 May (excluding 1 April), from 11am – 1pm
• Groups comprise of a maximum of 10 participants
• This program is open only to Monash students, and is free of charge.
• Register your interest here

Thank You!

As we head into 2024, we would like to thank you for your interest and engagement with the Australian Disability Network’s (formerly AND) Stepping Into Internship and PACE Mentoring programs.

In 2023, the interest in ADN programs from students and member organisations has never been greater.

ADN are delighted to have received around 750 intern applications for Stepping Into Internship Program and over 600 mentee applications for PACE Mentoring Program, which they could not have achieved without your support and applications.

Upcoming Key Dates

Mark your calendar!

Here are the upcoming key dates for ADN programs:

PACE Mentoring free online Information session:

• Thursday 15th February 2024, 11 – 12pm (AEDT)
• Find out how you can access the sessions here.

PACE Mentoring Autumn 2024:

• Mentee applications close 29 February 2024

Stepping Into Internships Winter 2024:

• Applications open 23rd February 2024 and close 31st March 2024

Stepping Into Internships Summer 2024/25:

Exact dates for applications to be announced.

Stepping Into and PACE are proven to develop the confidence of jobseekers with disability in pursuing their employment goals.

Thank you again for your support, and we hope to continue working closely with you in 2024.

Have a wonderful day!

The Programs Team

Stepping Into Internship & PACE Mentoring Programs

• Australian Disability Network
• e: applications@ausdn.org.au
• p: 1300 36 36 45

2024 GradWISE Industry AccessABILITY Week

Are you curious about graduate career pathways?

GradWISE will be hosting their annual Industry AccessABILITY Week and they want you to join them!

Industry AccessABILITY Week is an event designed for students and graduates living with disabilities.

This event aims to foster connections between talented individuals and prospective employers, providing valuable insights into employment opportunities.

The week will include presentations from:

• John Holland
• Victoria Government
• EY
• Aurecon
• NAB
• Queensland Government
• ABC
• Cummins…. and many more!

Date: Monday 12th – Thursday 15th February 2024

Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm

The event is an opportunity for students/graduates to hear from disability-confident employers on their various roles and early career pathways.

This will help prepare recent and soon to be graduates with tips to succeed in navigating the graduate recruitment process and choosing organisations that align with their values and career aspirations.

GradWISE will be hosting three sessions a day. You only need to register once to have access to all sessions.

REGISTER HERE!

Designing Wayfinding Sytems for People with Cognitive Impairment Study

• Are you a carer/support worker of individuals with cognitive impairment/intellectual disability/neurodiversity?

OR

• Are you a Health professional providing healthcare to individuals with cognitive impairment/intellectual disability/neurodiversity?

We seek your insights regarding the challenges and needs experienced by individuals with cognitive impairment when navigating maps.

This research initiative focuses on understanding the navigation challenges faced by individuals with cognitive impairments and aims to develop maps that cater to their unique needs.

We seek participants who provide crucial assistance to individuals facing cognitive challenges, including caregivers, support workers, and health professionals, to share their valuable insights and experiences. As a token of appreciation, we offer a $30 gift voucher for each participant.

Click here to register for the interview (40-60mins)!

• You will receive an AU$30 voucher for your participation!
• For more information contact: wei.wang5@monash.edu
• Study: “Maps for Cognitive Impaired “
• Chief Investigator: Dr Anuradha Madugalla
• Funding: Monash Assistive Technology and Society (MATS) SEED Fund
• This study is approved by the MUHREC of Monash University (protocol #40245)

How I Became the ‘Hoodie Girl’: Attending Conferences as a Neurodiverse Scientist

From a Nature Article featuring Monash University Biostatistician Penny Robinson

“Diagnosed with autism as a teenager, Penny Robinson navigates life on her own terms. In secondary school, she loved science and found her calling in crunching numbers.

She faced several challenges, such as bullying from other students, following ad hoc plans to complete studies at her own pace and eventually opting to earn a master’s degree instead of a PhD. But those struggles didn’t stop Robinson from becoming a biostatistician and lecturer in the department of epidemiology and preventative medicine at the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine in Melbourne, Australia.

Committed to helping others in their careers, she also co-founded the I CAN Network, an organization that mentors young autistic people.”

• Read more in the full article online

Could Hiring More Neurodivergent People Help Fix Australia’s Skills Shortage?

*From ABC News Online

“The most recent data on neurodivergent people in the workforce was collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2018.

“It showed the unemployment rate for people with autism at the time was 34.1 per cent, more than three times the overall rate for people with a disability which was 10.3 per cent.

“Participation in the labour force in 2018, that is people with a job or actively looking for work, among people with autism was 38 per cent, compared to 53.4 per cent for all people with a disability and 84.1 per cent for those without a disability.

“While those numbers have likely changed in the years since the data was collected, at a time when Australia has a historically low unemployment rate and nationwide skills shortage, advocates say businesses could benefit from hiring neurodivergent workers.”

• For more information you can read the full article online.

Applications Open Now – Want to improve your employability? Submit a mentee application.

AND is excited to announce that applications for PACE Mentoring Autumn 2024 are now open! APPLY NOW.

📢 Are you a jobseeker or student with disability, mental health condition or chronic illness?

💡 Are you looking for career guidance, to build disability confidence and gain employability skills?

PACE Mentoring is a nation-wide, free industry mentoring program that matches jobseekers with disability with experienced professionals from leading Australian organisations.

💻 You are invited to AND’s second PACE information session on 30 January 2024 at 2:00PM (AEDT), register using this link.

📲 Join AND’s PACE Mentoring program in Autumn 2024 and open a door to new career possibilities.

Get in early and submit an application form here:

APPLY TO BE A PACE MENTEE

Join AND’s Free Information Sessions

Want to Learn More About the PACE Program?

Check out our online information sessions, details below.

In these sessions, AND will discuss how the program works, what the matching process is like, what to expect from the program and answer any questions you have about PACE Mentoring. The sessions will be held online through Zoom.

• Information Session 2, 30 January at 3:00PM (AEDT)
• Information Session 3, 15 February at 11:00AM (AEDT)

*all in Sydney/Canberra/Melbourne time (AEDT)

Please let us know if you would like any adjustments for this session.

Got a Question About AND Programs?

You can find the answers to questions about eligibility, sharing disability information, alumni stories, documentation, application processes, timelines, next steps, and more on AND’s Frequently Asked Question pages for the Stepping Into Program, or PACE Mentoring Program.

• If you can’t find the answers there, please contact the AND team on 1300 36 36 45 or applications@and.org.au.

Contact AND

• Website: https://www.and.org.au/
• Phone Number: 1300 363 645
• Email: info@and.org.au

Head Office Address:

• Level 3, 80 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000

In Memory of Dr Kevin Murfitt OAM

By Jennifer Eborall, Disability Adviser

This is to pay tribute to the outstanding achievements of Dr Kevin Murfitt, who made a real and significant positive difference to the lives of people with disabilities.

Kevin contributed to an impressive number of organisations, programs and initiatives, some of which include Vision Australia, Blind Citizens Australia and World Blind Union Asia Pacific.

Kevin’s research in his Doctor of Philosophy (Deakin University) focused on diversity and employment. Kevin made an extraordinary contribution to the disability sector, with only a few of his achievements mentioned here.

I am grateful to Kevin for his work in establishing the Willing and Able Mentoring (WAM) program, which was a national program that matched people with disabilities with mentors/organisations in the workplace. I would like to share the personal impact that Kevin had on my life.

I met Kevin approximately 20 years ago when I was a student at university. As a student with a disability, I accessed the university Disability Services, and my Disability Adviser linked me with the WAM program, which was a wonderful source of information and support. I truly am grateful to Kevin, whom I found to be inspiring, knowledgeable and thoughtful.

Kevin helped me to see the potential success and possibilities for people with disabilities, and he made a significant, positive contribution to many lives. I feel privileged to have known him.

A Free Tool to Improve Your Reading and Writing

Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is a free tool that is built into popular applications like Word, OneNote, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and the Edge browser.

Immersive Reader implements proven techniques to improve reading and writing for people regardless of their age or ability.

Immersive Reader can help improve comprehension by…

• Supporting fluency for English language learners or readers of other languages
• Helping to build confidence for emerging readers as they learn to read at higher levels
• Offering text decoding solutions for students with dyslexia and other learning needs
• Providing individual word or whole text translation into over 100 languages (over 40 of which can be read aloud)
• Providing scaffolding to ensure students with a variety of learning needs have access to grade-level texts

Learn More About Immersive Reader by Watching this Video from Microsoft.

MUSC All-Abilities Football Program – Expression of Interest

Monash University Soccer Club (MUSC) is asking for your interest in starting an All-Abilities Football Program for Monash students with a disability.

As a club MUSC would like to know if you may be interested in getting involved with a program like this as either a participant or a volunteer. We would love to create a program that is able to cater to the diverse needs of the Monash community, and that means that we need your input into what might interest you!

MUSC are hoping to add a program to the club in 2024, with the intention to grow and develop this space within the club going forward.

If you would like to be a part of this in any way, please complete the Expression of Interest Form.

• If you have any further queries about this, please don’t hesitate to contact MUSC via email at committee@monashunisoccer.org or through their social media pages.