Some of Our Parts

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.

Team Monash – Women in Sport Leadership Retreat!

On Thursday 8 – Friday 9 February 2024, Team Monash is proud to be hosting the Women in Sport Leadership Retreat!

Applications are now open for the event, which aims to empower female-identifying student leaders who are engaged in sporting communities, external to or within the University.

A total of 30 female-identifying student leaders will be selected to attend the event that will consist of 2 days of workshops, networking, self-development, guest speakers and more!

This even will be held at the Pullman in East Melbourne. All accommodation, meals and session expenses are covered.

• Applications close on December 1 and can be made via the event website.

Participants Needed for Study Interviews – Designing Wayfinding Systems

• 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 are conducting a user study to design better maps for people with cognitive impairments (PwCI) /intellectual disabilities/neurodiversity.

In this study, we are eager to engage with caregivers, support workers, psychologists, and therapists who play pivotal roles in assisting these groups and possess invaluable firsthand knowledge regarding their unique needs and challenges.

• The study will involve attending interview sessions for insights and experiences related to PwCI’s navigation challenges and needs.
• The sessions can be conducted online (Zoom).
• The duration of each interview session will last for 45-60 minutes.
• The in-person sessions will be held in a Monash University meeting room.

Are You Interested in Participating?

• The Interview Registration Form can be assessed HERE.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Wei Wang (wei.wang5@monash.edu).

• Thank you for considering this opportunity to participate in our research study.

Public Consultation – draft National Road Transport Tech Strategy and 2024-27 Action Plan

The Commonwealth and state and territory transport agencies have worked together to develop a draft National Road Transport Technology Strategy and draft 2024-27 National Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Action Plan, on which they are now seeking your views and inputs.

The consultation is available on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website: Draft National Road Transport Technology Strategy and 2024–27 National Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Action Plan | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts

• Submissions can be made to NRTTStrategyandCAVActionPlan@infrastructure.gov.au and close on Wednesday 6 December 2023.

They are also offering stakeholders the option of a bilateral meeting with the review team, in addition to providing a written submission. If you would like to take up this option, please email at: NRTTStrategyandCAVActionPlan@infrastructure.gov.au   

New Technologies Can Make Road Transport Safer

New technologies like connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) can help make road transport safer, less congested, more accessible and convenient, and better for the environment.

The draft Strategy and Action Plan set out how Commonwealth, state and territory governments will work together to support new road transport technologies and roll them out in nationally consistent ways. Australian governments want to be ready for these technologies so that they are deployed in a way that achieves their benefits for everyone.

Your views on the consultation drafts of the Strategy and Action Plan are welcome, and we would appreciate you bringing the consultation to the attention of your friends and others who may have an interest.

Your input will help shape the final Strategy and 2024-27 Action Plan that will be put to Australia’s Infrastructure and Transport Ministers, so that they meet industry and community needs.

The final Strategy and Action Plan (once approved by Infrastructure and Transport Ministers) would replace the National Policy Framework for Land Transport Technology and 2020-2023 National Land Transport Technology Action Plan.

• The aim is to have the new Strategy and Action Plan in place by mid-2024.

Free Visual Art Workshops for Young Deaf and Disabled Artists

Arts Access Victoria are holding free workshops for young Deaf and Disabled artists.

They are being led by an established Deaf and Disabled artist and have an online alternative.

These workshops were co-designed by Deaf and Disabled artists and have access at their core.

• Who: Young Deaf and Disabled people aged 18 – 25. (If you’re a little over 25 that won’t be a problem!)
• What: a series of free workshops that have an online version.
• Where: Signal, The channel and online.
• When: In person Saturday October 7, 14 and 21 from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm & Online Wednesday October 11 (11:30am – 1:30pm), 18 and 25 from 6pm – 8pm.

There is an air-dry clay workshop with Pey Chi; an Illustration/drawing workshop with Chelle Destefano; and an Ableton workshop with Geryon.

• Price: Free!
• Access: Auslan interpretation, live captioning, wheelchair access, accessible bathroom, gender neutral bathroom, accessible public transport, support animals welcome and support workers

Click here for more information and go to the Arts Access website.

• Arts Access Victoria
• Office: 222 Bank St, South Melbourne Victoria 3205
• Reception phone: 03 9699 8299
• artsaccess.com.au

End of Semester Workshops from Student Academic Success

Get Ready for Your Final Assessments with These Fantastic Free Workshops!

Make sure you are prepared for your end-of-semester assessments by attending one of the online workshops from Student Academic Success.

Prepare your brain’s pathways for revision success

• How do you make the most of the “empty” weeks leading up to the exams and study smarter, rather than harder?
• Train your brain to make the most of the weeks leading up to the exams so that your revision is flexible, purposeful and active.

Register Now

Beat Procrastination! Conquer time!

• Learn how to crush procrastination and create an efficient and effective study and revision schedule.
• Unpack some of the reasons for falling into procrastination and learn effective time management tools like the Pomodoro time management technique.

Register Now

Effective strategies for sitting a timed assessment

• Discover how to anticipate what will be on your exams, how to respond effectively to different question types, and how to manage your time during timed assessments.

Register Now

Meeting your personal study challenges

• Find out all about common challenges faced during the final assessment period, and how to develop tailored strategies for succeeding in your studies.

Register Now

Need something a little more personalised?

• Enrol in this self-paced Moodle site
• For access to more resources and workshop materials self-enrol in this Moodle site. Perform at your peak in final assessments.

Get personalised support

• Book in with one of the learning advisers from Student Academic Success for a one-on-one consultation over Zoom to receive personalised language and learning support.

Try Out VR for Research Study

• Do you identify has having a disability?
• Would you like to try out VR (Virtual Reality)?

You can try VR at home for two weeks with a new study being conducted about the immediate and long-term issues, challenges, and opportunities for disabled users in VR, and how VR developers and platforms can ensure an inclusive and equitable digital future.

Researchers from the University of Sydney are seeking people with a disability who have no (or limited) experience with Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality technologies to use VR and/or AR and report back on their experience.

You will be provided a VR device for two weeks to try at home.

• Please contact Research Fellow Kate Clark if you would like to participate in this study at: kate.clark@sydney.edu.au.

A detailed participant information statement will be emailed to you upon your inquiry.

• This study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of The University of Sydney [2023/352]

MazeMaps Improvement – Have Your Say!

Staff at Monash Esolutions are interested in receiving feedback from students and staff with vision impairment regarding our digital map provider, MazeMaps, with a view to improving the accessibility of Monash’s digital maps.

• You are invited to participate in a focus group to have your say about MazeMap improvements that would help you and your situation.

The objective of this focus group is to gather insights, suggestions, and ideas from visually impaired students and staff to improve the University’s mapping and navigation system (maps.monash).

We believe that your firsthand experiences and perspectives will help us create a more accessible and efficient navigation solution.

As part of this focus group, we will be providing:

• An overview of our current blind navigation system, with an open discussion where you will be encouraged to share your experiences and challenges with the existing system, as well as systems that have worked well for you
• Identify areas for improvement and potential solutions.
• Provide feedback on proposed improvements.

Next Steps and Follow-up

Participant Criteria: We are looking for students who are actively using or have experience with navigation systems for the visually impaired. Your insights are highly valuable to us, regardless of your level of familiarity with our specific system.

• RSVP: Please contact dishan.sambathkumar@monash.edu by COB Sept 22nd to participate.

Sessions will be organised both in person and via Zoom based on availability.