Some of Our Parts

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.

FIT Funded MATS PhD Scholarship

A PhD scholarship funded by FIT has been announced, to support the Monash Assistive Technology & Society Centre (MATS).

The PhD project is designed with the aim of making a positive difference to the life experience of people with disabilities.

Projects that fall into one (or more) of the following themes are encouraged:

• Innovative Assistive Technology: The co-design and evaluation of new assistive technologies that address the real-world needs of people with disability. These might, for instance, utilise conversational agents, computer vision, mixed reality, wearables etc.
• Disability, Technology, and Society: Research with a sociological or anthropological focus on the use of bespoke and/or mainstream technology for disability inclusion and/ or barriers to access.
• STEM Participation: Research addressing barriers and increasing participation in STEM education and STEM careers by people with a disability.
  Community and Workplace Participation: Research investigating the use of assistive technologies to increase participation in cultural, sporting and other community activities and technologies that address barriers currently restricting employment.

The proposed project may focus on the experience of people with disability in Australia or other parts of the world where the student and/ or supervisory team have strong links to relevant disability communities.

Please note that this scholarship is for domestic students only.

• The candidate must be an Australian citizen, Australian Permanent Resident, NZ Citizen and a person entitled to stay in Australia, or to enter and stay in Australia, without any limitation as to time.

The candidate should also have strong links to disability communities through lived experience of disability and/ or track record of successful work/ co-research with people with disabilities.

• Candidates who identify as having a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by Wednesday 15 November 2023, 11:55pm AEDT.

• See this website for more information.

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.

Event for Neurodiverse Staff and Students

Join us for a social event tailored for neurodiverse staff and students!

Engage in a thought-provoking workshop tailored to help develop your neurodiverse superpowers, followed by a chance to connect with like-minded peers and discover your own community on campus. Hyperfocus is optional.

Event details:

• Date: Thursday 7 September
• Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• Venue: Long Room, Monash Club

Register here!

• If you have any questions, please reach out to the EDI team at edi@monash.edu

Start Planning Your Exams and Holidays Early!

Final assessments may feel far away (30 October–17 November for semester two), but we’re sharing the dates with you now in case you’re starting your holiday planning early.

• If you’re enrolled in an on-campus unit, you need to remain available for on-campus exams for the whole exam period, so make sure you book any travel or other major plans for after 17 November.
• It’s important because if you have an on-campus final assessment, you must sit it on campus as scheduled, unless you’re experiencing exceptional circumstances.
• For more information on final assessment dates click here!

WISE Employment Sponsors Full-Tuition Scholarship for Masters Level Study for Students with Disabilities

WISE Employment is committed to empowering individuals with disabilities, illnesses, injuries, and other disadvantages to thrive in their careers.

Their primary goal is to assist people in developing their capabilities to secure meaningful employment and lead fulfilling lives independently.

In line with this vision, WISE (who also provide the award-winning GradWISE program for Monash – and other – students) are thrilled to announce the launch of a new full-tuition scholarship, specially curated to support a person with a disability in pursuing masters level study at a Melbourne Business School.

• Applications for this scholarship are now open and will close on the 14th of August. https://wiseemployment.com.au/2023/07/05/supporting-future-leaders-with-new-scholarship/

Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship Opportunity for New Postgraduate Students

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN: 2024 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship

Up to 17 scholarships valued to $120,000 each are available for individuals from all backgrounds who are planning to start postgraduate coursework or PhD studies in 2024.

The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarships offer a bespoke 9-month leadership program designed to foster leadership potential and offers opportunities to gain global experience, including overseas travel opportunities, and life-long access to the W100 Scholars Network.

• Applications close 5:00pm AEST 6 September.
• Find out more here.
• Please note that the application may take time to put together so if you are interested, please consider starting early. Eligibility requirements apply.