News and current events

Farewell from Trevor Allan

After 8 and a half years as Head of Disability Services at the ANU, Trevor Allan has announced that he is leaving his position to take up the role of Head of Student Equity at the University of Western Sydney. He will leave the ANU on the 31st August. Trevor expressed his appreciation to students and colleagues, both within and outside the ANU for their support and encouragement over the years. "It has been a fantastic journey of personal and professional growth over the years, and I have been privileged to work with some great colleagues and students. I have seen many achievements and developments over the time I have been here, and I am proud that I have been able to contribute something to making university education more accessible for people with disabilities. Disability access is certainly much more integral to the way we all do things now, compared to when I first started working in the disability field 15 years ago.

"I want to say thanks to everyone who has helped to make my journey so satisfying, rewarding and enjoyable. I have been overwhelmed by so many messages of appreciation and best wishes for the future, that I just haven't been able to respond to everyone. It has beern incredibly emotional and humbling. I will still be involved in the field in a different capacity, and I hope to maintain contacts in the future, but I want express my thanks to everyone - it's been great!"

Revised Education to Employment Package Launched

The RDLO for Western Sydney, Anna Mungovan, has produced a revised Education to Employment Package for Graduates with Disabilities and Employers. It is a very thorough and comprehensive resource to enhance the employment outcomes for Graduates with a disability. The resource can be found at: http://pubsites.uws.edu.au/rdlo/employment HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Visit by Former Student

Staff at the DSC were delighted to receive a visit from Adrian Ong, a former student of ANU and client of the DSC. Adrian is from Singapore, and was the recipient of the inauguaral ANU Alumni Scholarship. Adrian is now working as the Assistant Manager, Market Research & Development for Singex, an International Events Management Company, based in Singapore.

It was great hearing of Adrian's successes since completing his degree at the ANU, and of his very fond memories of his experiences while studying here. He was very complimentary of the quality, value and importance of his ANU qualifications, and he was very appreciative of the work and study strategies he developed as a client of the DSC. He is a passionate advocate for enhancing the opportunities for people with disabilities, and recently organised an Assistive Technology Conference in Singapore.

It is very satisfying to hear of the successful outcomes for a person with a disability who has taken his opportunitiesachieved impressive outcomes and is a real role model for other people with disabilities.

Adrian Ong at the DSC

Adrian Ong on his recent visit to the DSC

Manager of the DSC Receives Staff Excellence Award

Trevor Allan, the Manager of the DSC, received the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Career Achievement at the recent ANU Staff Excellence Awards. It is very pleasing to receive the ANU's acknowledgement for the work of Trevor and the DSC. Trevor wishes to express his appreciation to the DSC staff, Paul, Emma and Riekie, for their support, encouragement and hard work and their contributions to the excellence and achievements of the DSC. He would also like to thank his colleagues at the ANU and other institutions as well as the students registered with the DSC for their support and encouragement over many years.

Trevor Allan Receiving Staff Excellence Award from Prof Ian Chubb, Vice-Chancellor

Trevor Allan receiving his Award from Prof Ian Chubb, Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University

Visit by Beijing Disabled Person's Federation Delegation

Mr. Sun Guodong, Director of the Office of Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation, and six of his Regional Directors, visited the DSC at the ANU on the 18th October, 2006. The purposes of their visit were to gain an overall understanding of Disabilities Services Unit roles, to learn about our services to the disabled community, and to share their experiences in supporting people with all types of disabilities in Beijing. The visit was very interesting and enlightening, and it was great to share our experiences, establish a strong co-operative relationship with each other and discover new ideas and information on our respective roles and responsibilities. There are 60 million people with disabilities in China and the Beijing Branch is responsible for the provision of services for about 700,000 people in six Districts. The members of the Delegation were the Managers of these Districts. Now all we have to do is find a way to attend the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing!! For more information on the China Disabled Person's Federation, go to: http://www.cdpf.org.cn/english/index.htm

Beijing Disabled people's Federation delegation

Mr. Sun Guodong, Director of the Office of Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation and the Delegation with Trevor Allan, Manager of the DSC during their visit to the ANU

Digital Audio Devices Project NEW

Significant recent developments in digital audio have seen the explosion of digital devices recently, with an associated explosion in the range, types, functions and quality of devices. DVRs MP3s, PDAs, Cameras and Mobile Phones all are now able to record audio. To try to clear up some of the confusion around digital recording devices, The Australian National University and the University of Wollongong agreed to a joint research project to investigate the range, effectiveness, functions and applicability of different digital audio recording devices.The Report on the Findings, by Carl Runeson from UOW and Trevor Allan from ANU is now available.

ANU Rolls out full suite of Assistive Technology across campus NEW

The ANU Division of Information and Disability Services Centre have collaborated on a project to make all programs in our basic Assistive Technology suite available as part of the Standard image on all Student PCs on campus, including all the computer laboratories and Halls and Colleges of Residence that are part of the InfoCommons network. JAWS, Zoomtext, Kurzweill 3000, textAloud and Dragon NaturallySpeaking are now accessible to students with disabilities where they may be needed, and are no longer restricted to the specialised Resource Room in the Chifley Library. The aim of this project was to make the software as universally available as all the other software students may be using and provide students with the maximum flexibility and independence possible.

Disability Standards for Education now in Force

The Disability Discrimination Act Disability Education Standards came into effect on the 18th August. Information on the Standards, including the Standards themselves and Guidance notes can be accessed at the website