Southern Melbourne NDCO Newsletter
Winter Edition 2018
Welcome to the winter edition 2018 of the NDCO Program Newsletter for region 14 Southern Melbourne. If you would like further information about special projects, networks and professional development opportunities in relation to education & employment for people with disability please contact the NDCO program.
Sally Bailey, National Disability Coordination Officer
T (03) 9784 0400 M 0439 897 027
E sally.bailey@skillsplus.com.au
W www.ndcovictoria.net.au/region-14
Please like our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NDCO14/
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NDCO Inclusive Learning and Pathways Conference
SAVE THE DATE: Friday 23 November 2018
Keynote Presenter Sarah Barton
Award winning producer of ‘Defiant lives’ a documentary that explores the history of the Disability Rights Movement https://defiantlives.com/
Target: Professionals with an interest in inclusive education and employment for people with complex learning needs and disability aged 15 years and over.
Venue: Monash University Peninsula, Campus McMahons Rd, Frankston
Workshop Streams
Inclusive Educational Practice
Inclusive Employment Pathways
Register your interest here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NDCOILC
For more information go to
or contact Sally Bailey on (03) 9784 0400 or email sally.bailey@skillsplus.com.au
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Policy, Research and Reports
Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) Survey Report - 2017
This ADCET survey report was prepared in response to an online survey conducted in 2017. ADCET was found to be highly regarded as a valuable ‘one-stop-shop’ that provides practical resources and networks, enabling people to keep up to date with the latest research, resources and best practices. Whilst acknowledging the strength of this resource the review makes six recommendations for consideration.
https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/9846/adcet-review-2017/
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Improving Educational Outcomes for Children with Disability in Victoria
Monash University Castan Centre for Human Rights Law June 2018
Around one in every six Victorian students’ lives, and learns, with disability. Children with disability make immeasurable contributions to their schools and communities. However, across Australia these children continue to be left behind at school, experiencing poorer educational outcomes than their peers without disability. For these students, their school experiences can play a pivotal role in the success, security and independence they enjoy as adults. People with disability are less likely to participate in the workforce, and enjoy a weekly median income less than half of those without disability.
This research aims to shed light on the current situation by applying a human rights analysis to the experiences of children with disability in the Victorian mainstream government school system. It highlights areas in which progress has been achieved, and those in which children with disability continue to experience discrimination and disadvantage. The report offers recommendations which are intended to strengthen the current reform process, and to assist the Department of Education and Training (the Department) to protect and fulfil the rights of children with disability.
For more information: https://www.monash.edu/law/research/centres/castancentre/public-events/events/2018/disability-in-victorian-schools-special-launch-of-a-landmark-new-report
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Making Employment a Priority
National Disability Services July 2018
Boosting the employment of people with disability is integral to the vision of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It was central to the Productivity Commission’s original blueprint, which argued that, over time, the economic benefits of the NDIS would outweigh the costs. The NDIS cannot supply the full answer to this problem, but its potential to expand disability employment is considerable. For full document go to:
Mental Health and NDIS
Disability Services Consulting July 2018
The NDIS does not and has never been intended to provide ‘treatment’ for a mental illness. This remains the responsibility of the health care system. Instead, the NDIS can provide funding for people with a permanent and significant psychosocial disability to improve their functional capacity. As outlined in the COAG document Principles to Determine the Responsibilities of the NDIS and other Service Systems:
“The NDIS will be responsible for ongoing psychosocial recovery supports that focus on a person’s functional ability, including those that enable people with mental illness or a psychiatric condition to undertake activities of daily living and participate in the community and in social and economic life. This may also include provision of family and carer supports to support them in their carer role, and family therapy, as they may facilitate the person’s ability to participate in the community and in social and economic life.”
a) Support for community reintegration and day to day living […]
b) Allied health and other therapy directly related to managing and/or reducing the impact on a person’s functional capacity of impairment/s attributable to a psychiatric condition […]
c) Capacity building support to help the person access and maintain participation in mainstream community […]
d) Community supports aimed at increasing a person’s ability to live independently in the community or to participate in social and economic activities […]
e) The coordination of NDIS supports with the mental health system and other relevant service systems.
Please refer to the COAG document for the full descriptions of each of these domains.
There are resources available to help people with mental illnesses navigate the system, including https://reimagine.today/, which DSC has previously profiled. Such resources can help people understand how the NDIS criteria relates to mental illness and assist them to use NDIS language to describe their functional impairment.
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Supported Wage System (SWS) changes
The Supported Wage System (SWS) applies to employees with disability and who have a reduced work capacity. Employees eligible for a supported wage under Schedule D of the Supported Employment Award are no longer entitled to a minimum weekly payment. The minimum supported wage is calculated differently to other awards. Employees are entitled to a percentage of the relevant minimum pay rate for their classification. The percentage applied is the higher of the employee’s assessed work capacity, rounded to the nearest whole percentage, or 12.5%.
If an employee is working a trial period while their capacity is being assessed, the employee must be paid at least 12.5% of the relevant minimum pay rate for their classification, for each hour worked within the trial period. The fair work Ombudsman has a Pay Calculator to calculate pay rates for employees who are eligible for a supported wage.
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/minimum-wages/employees-with-disability-pay-rates
The Department of Social Services gives out information and advice about who is eligible for the SWS. It also accepts applications for the SWS and can deal with disputes. Employers who are considering applying for the SWS should visit the JobAccess website
https://www.jobaccess.gov.au/disability-adjustment.
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School to Employment Transitions
Centre for Applied Disability Research
Practice and consumer guides
The following guides can be downloaded from
https://www.cadr.org.au/research-to-action-guides/school-to-employment-transitions
- Leaving school and getting a job: A guide for young people with disability who want to work
- Effective School to Employment Transitions: A guide for workers
- Effective school to employment transitions for young people with disability: Guidance for practice leaders
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Opportunities
The Enabling Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women Leadership Program – South East 2018
Are you a woman who sees their disability as a strength?
Are you a woman who takes on life’s challenges?
The Enabling Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women Leadership Program is an exciting free opportunity for culturally diverse, interfaith and migrant women with disabilities to come together, share their lived experiences and support each other to develop a strong sense of leadership within their community.
For more information, please contact Nadia Mattiazzo at Women with Disabilities Victoria via phone 9286 7800, or email nadia.mattiazzo@wdv.org.au
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Conferences and Workshops
At Risk Forum
SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday 22 August 2018
Time: 8.45am to 2.00pm
Venue: Woodlands Golf Club, Mordialloc
Keynote Speakers and Sessions for all professionals working with young people
P: 03 9584 8845
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Community Information Session
Victoria’s government education system
Date: Monday 13 August 2018
Time: 6.30 pm - 7.30 pm (light refreshments provided)
Venue: Rangebank Primary School, 14 Lesdon Avenue, Cranbourne
The Department of Education and Training is holding an information session about Victoria’s government education system. Parents and other members of the community interested in education are invited to attend.
Speakers will include representatives from the Department of Education and Training as well as local government schools. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the government education system and Education State initiatives in Victoria.
The Victorian Government’s $8.5 billion record investment in education is building a world class education system that gives everyone a chance to succeed in life.
In the Education State, our schools offer quality education that help students achieve excellence and prepares them to thrive.
RSVP by Friday 10 August, 2018 by calling 9340 3764 or text 0403 869 232.
Interpreters and childcare for young children at the event are available upon request when you RSVP.
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Inclusive Education Summit 2018
Deakin University Waterfront Campus
October 26-28
The Inclusive Education Summit seeks to engage with researchers, students, education professionals and leaders, advocacy organisations, and people experiencing exclusion to consider human rights in relation to inclusive education.
Participation in the Summit is invited through both the Call for Papers and Registration, with all the Summit information available via our website www.deakin.edu.au/ties2018. Visit the website today to submit your Abstract for presentation or to take advantage of the early bird discounted registration rates.
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Resources
The Internet of Things (IoT): Implications for Students with Disabilities
This webinar was hosted by ADCET and the Australian Tertiary Education Network on Disability (ATEND) in May, 2018. Leanne McRae, Katie Ellis and Mike Kent (Curtin University) presented on their project report The Internet of Things: Implications for Students with Disabilities. The report, published through the NCSEHE, provides an insight into both the potential risks and benefits of the IoT for tertiary students with disabilities, particularly in the current university climate where this cohort utilise mobile devices as a key resource in their learning.
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