DEAN - Disability Education Association NSW/ACT Inc.

This NDCO brochure aims to highlight services and information that might be helpful when your world is affected by your mental health to assist with finding help and information. NDCO_MentalHealthFlyerContent_NSW

This series of free, interactive lectures has been created by the RIDBC Renwick Centre.

It is aimed at anyone looking for an introduction to hearing impairment and the human auditory system.

There are eight lectures available to view online or download to your own computer. Each lecture is available in a presentation format with an audio voiceover discussing each slide. In total there are 82 slides and over an hour of audio.

For more information go to http://www.ridbcrenwickcentre.com/auditory/

The Disability (Access to Premises - buildings) Standards 2010 (Cth) (Premises Standards) commence on 1 May 2011. Any application for a building approval for a new building or upgrade of an existing building on or after that date will trigger the application of the Premises Standards.

The purpose of the Premises Standards is:

• to ensure that dignified, equitable, cost-effective and reasonably achievable access to buildings, and facilities and services within buildings,
• is provided for people with disability, and
• to give certainty to building certifiers, developers and managers that if the Standards are complied with they cannot be subject to a successful complaint under the DDA in relation to those maters covered by the Premises Standards.

The Australian Human Rights Commission has issued a Guideline on the application of the Premises Standards to assist in their application.

The Guideline is available on-line at

http://www.humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/standards/PSguide.html

A NEW WEBSITE FOR 2RPH - Radio for Print Handicapped of NSW, Radio 2RPH has introduced a new website!

Providing live readings of newspapers, books and magazines mainly for people with a print disability, Radio 2RPH is totally volunteer run and is funded by the government and by donations, memberships, bequests and sponsorship. 

The new website is highly interactive, provides an up to date program guide, information about the station, its volunteers and its history!

The station broadcasts 24 hours per day throughout Sydney, Newcastle and the Lower Hunter Region, a wide range of material both live and pre-recorded.  Making up to 58 unique recordings of magazines and journals weekly, Radio 2RPH must be one of the most prolific community radio stations in the region!

Listen on either 1224AM or 100.5FM and for further information visit the site at: http://www.2rph.org.au/

The Australian Human Rights Commission has recently released a new guide to help employers work with staff who have a mental illness. The 2010 Workers with Mental Illness: a Practical Guide for Managers provides information on how to appropriately support workers with mental illness. It also provides information about how to develop and promote a safe and healthy work environment for all workers.

To view the resource go to the HREOC Website:

2010 Workers with a Mental Illness: A Practical Guide for Managers

A free on-line resource pack to help staff in Higher Education support students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) has been released by the UK Physical Sciences Centre.

The resource kit consists of several components that can be used either individually or together to help raise awareness amongst staff (including academic staff, administrative staff, technicians, etc) about Asperger's Syndrome and how they can contribute to improved student support.

For more information or to access the kit go to the UK Physical Sciences Centre website at:

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/physsci/home/pedagogicthemes/accessibility/aspergerssyndrome

Livewire is a free, safe and fun online community for young people aged over 10 and under 21 living with a disability, serious illness, or chronic health condition.

It is a place for them to hang out, connect, share experiences, creatively express themselves and realise that they are not alone. Chat hosts and moderators trained in adolescent health ensure that Livewire remains a supportive and fun place 7 days a week.

Livewire works with the Australian Federal Police to make certain all members of Livewire remain safe while engaging with the community.

This great online community offers:
• chat rooms where young people can meet people their own age across Australia
• the chance to enter competitions and win awesome prizes
• online games
• forums and blogs
• the latest news, reviews and interviews

To become a Livewire member:
• Go to Live wire site and click on the ‘Join Livewire' button; or
• Contact the Livewire Support Team on (02) 8425 5971.

Livewire.org.au is an initiative of the Starlight Children's Foundation

 Developed by the Australian Employers' Network on Disability, the Opportunity' publication articulates the business case for including people with disability in all areas of business.  The 'Opportunity' resource includes examples of how Australian businesses have maximised their markets as well as tapped into talent. 

Copies of "Opportunity" are available free of charge from the Employers' Network on Disability website. For more information about the resource please visit http://www.aend.org.au/ or phone Rachel Butler on 1300 363 645.

Stories of Indigenous people with a Disability

A new DVD designed to raise the profile of Indigenous people with a disability was launched on December 3, International Day for people with a disability.

YouthWorX NT Local Community Partnerships, in collaboration with the National Disability Coordination Officer, both funded by the Australian government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, has worked within a series of remote Northern Territory Indigenous communities to identify Indigenous perspectives on "disability".

The DVD can be ordered through http://www.cdu.edu.au/ndco/dvd.html. Copies are limited to one per organisation.

This resource has been written for mainstream teachers who have, or are about to have, a student with a disability in their classroom. The booklet may also be useful for teaching assistants, parents and others. The resource is based on recent research and experience in schools and classrooms across Australia.

The resource is divided into 3 sections:

1. Students with a disability in mainstream classrooms - theory and practice including:

• How Australian society is responding to "difference"
• The impact on schools and teachers
• What is driving inclusive practice
• What supports do teachers need if they are going to teach inclusively

2. Strategies for teachers including: