Some of Our Parts

Vision Australia are looking for people who are passionate about education to participate in a telephone-based focus group in October.

Vision Australia are seeking feedback and suggestions from our community to help finalise Vision Australia’s policy on education for people who are blind or have low vision. We want to hear from educators, parents, people who are studying, people who support students, and people with an interest in access to education.

Please see below for the teleconference dates and times:

• Monday 27 October from 2.00pm – 3.15pm
• Tuesday 28 October from 10.00am – 11.15am
• Tuesday 28 October from 7.00pm – 8.15pm

For more information, see the Vision Australia website.

RSVP’s are essential. Please email Cassandra Strakosch on ClientConsultation@visionaustralia.org or call 1300 84 74 66 by Monday 20 October, 2014.

The Vision Australia Further Education Bursary 2015 is now open for Applications. In 2015, Vision Australia will award Further Education Bursaries to a select number of students who are blind or have low vision. These Bursaries provide assistive technology, laptops, magnification, audio or Braille devices tailored to the individual student’s needs.

Eligibility Criteria

Students of any age can apply for a Vision Australia Further Education Bursary.

Applicants must:

• Be or become, a client of Vision Australia
• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Be living or moving to Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory or Tasmania
• Be enrolling to study at an institution in Victoria, ACT, NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory or Tasmania
• Be enrolling to study in at least Certificate IV or higher accredited courses including undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (not a Foundation or Enabling course) at the start of the year or be already enrolled in such a course (preference may be given to those in the early stages of a course).

Each year a Victorian Bursary recipient selected by our committee to have best met these criteria will also receive the Fairhall Memorial Scholarship of $150.

The closing date for applicants is 31 October 2014.

See the Vision Australia website for more.

It’s that Friday feeling again! Here are some disability-related news links to take you into the weekend;

• Have you been keeping an eye on the Scottish Referendum? The Guardian provides an insight on how people with disabilities will be voting today.
• Seen any films made by people with disabilities lately? Here’s a list from Superfest in San Francisco.
• Meet Simon Minty from the Abnormally Funny People.
• Check out the Disability Visibility Project aimed at recording disability history.
• Stella Young on Melbourne’s coffee, cobblestones and more.
• A tale of mental illness from the inside – Elyn Saks’s TEDx talk.
• Did you catch the 2014 National Disability Forum?
• What DON’T you say to a person with a disability?
• Oh hi, Miss Idaho!

Have you ever had a lecturer or tutor who went that extra mile to ensure you were accommodated for in class? The MSA Teaching Awards are now open, and include a new category for Inclusive Teaching.

Make your vote count here!

GOOD NEWS! There are now new access parking bays  in C2 at Clayton. Please note that  the signs are not up yet, but its very clear by the markings on the ground.

Also good to know – people who require access parking will not be booked for parking in yellow bays provided the disability permit is properly displayed. If you are having difficulties finding a close access car park contact Monash security.

Happy Friday every body! Looks like the sun is starting to come out for a fabulous and sun-shiny weekend.

• Two recent articles look at how technology is working to further enhance the mobility of visually impaired and partially sighted people.
• The dangers of “miracle” stories in the media.
• Accessible Tourism has to be Customer, not Compliance Focused
• How will you be celebrating the International Day of People with Disabilities?
• Speak your mind about mental health!
• Did you catch Insight’s episode on Disability and Jobs? You can watch it on SBS on Demand now!

Weekend time!

In this interesting clip, Scope media asks prominent people from the disability community what is the social model of disability, and why is it important to them.

You can watch their other video series on Scope’s YouTube channel, which include Ending the Awkward and Scope Stories.

With a newly appointed Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner, the Australian Human Rights Commission is seeking your views about:

• The key human rights issues facing people with disabilities;
• Priorities for improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities; and
• The most strategic way to focus the resources of the Commission to advance the rights of people with disabilities.

This survey closes on Friday 5 September 2014 and should take about 15 minutes to complete.

People who complete the survey will not be publicly identified. If you would like to understand how the Commission will deal with your responses to the survey please read the Commission’s Privacy Policy which can be found at http://www.humanrights.gov.au/privacy.

• Are you an elite athlete in your spare time?
• The Guide Dogs new clicker methods radically improve training methods for our furry friends.
• NDIS update – does this effect you?
• Calling all artists! The Lesley Hall Arts & Disability Scholarship applications open NEXT WEEK!
• Prue Hawkins on the diversity of disability.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Is it almost spring? The sun is out, the air has a hint of wattle and slowly we’re starting to shed our winter layers.

• ‘An insulin pump doesn’t make you less beautiful‘
• Disability is not just a metaphor – Able-bodied actors can do research. But they can’t draw on direct experience.
• “Whatever the reason, I have found a greater acceptance of my disability by photographing it. … My life has become normal in its own way”
• Despicable memes and inspiration porn
• Weston-super-Mare takes on “reasonable physical adjustments”
• It’s magic! For students with cerebral palsy
• Want to hear some Strange Stories?
• An invitation to attend ArtWORK/Pathways info sessions