Advisory Committee Members

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  Darlene McLennan

  Chair of ADCET National Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) Manager: ADCET, University of Tasmania

  Darlene has been the NDCO for Northern Tasmania since 2005 and was, until December 2016, the President of the Australian Tertiary Education Network on Disability (ATEND) Through the role of NDCO Darlene has been involved in the development of some key resources that support students with disability including Mountain climbing -A resource to assist graduates with a lived experience of mental illness transition into employment and Making it Happen a work experience guide for people with disability.

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  Jane Hawkeswood

  ADCET Project Coordinator University of Tasmania

  Jane has been the Project Coordinator for ADCET since 2002. The role Jane is involved in is to make ADCET as useful to Disability Practitioners as possible, whether that be by scouring the internet for the latest relevant events, uploading useful resources, running the ADCET webinars, developing the monthly newsletters, ensuring content on ADCET remains current, administering the aust-ed email list or brainstorming with Darlene on how to continue to grow ADCET to best meet the needs of the Disability Practitioner.

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  Stephen Manson

  Manager Student Services, TafeSA

  Stephen commenced his current role managing TafeSA Student Services in 2017. Stephen has a Social Work background and has been working in student services and disability support services in post-secondary education for many years. Stephen is particularly interested in the important role post-secondary education plays in providing a pathway to employment for students with disabilities and other equity cohorts.

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  Darren Britten

  National Assistive Technology Project Officer NDCO / ADCET

  Darren has been involved in inclusive practice and accessible resource development in the tertiary sector for almost two decades and has a passion for technology and how information is delivered and accessed. He has been active in designing and developing learning objects for online learning, providing advice and training to academic staff around digital equity, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Inclusive Resources Development (IRD) team at La Trobe University. IRD provided best practice in the provision of accessible learning resources for students with print and hearing impairments and won several awards for student support including: 'Making a Difference' award from Vision Australia, an ‘Excellence in Transition Award' from Pathways 9 and a La Trobe University Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.

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  Cathy Easte

  Manager: Student Disability and Accessibility, Student Success, Griffith University, Brisbane President: Australian Tertiary Education Network on Disability

  Cathy Easte is currently the Manager of Student Disability and Accessibility at Griffith University. She has previously worked for a number of Queensland TAFE’s, private training organisations and disability services. Cathy has been on committees for HEDN(Q), TEDCA, the first ATEND, and is currently President. She is also actively involved in the Queensland QDLO network. She has extensive experience supporting students who study online or externally. Cathy has personal interests in assistive technologies, e-Learning and training where she wants to increase the knowledge of academic staff, trainers, and teachers to be able to meet the needs of students. She actively works on ways to embed accessibility and inclusion principles into curriculums. Cathy is deaf and was one of the first deaf persons to graduate as a Teacher of the Deaf in Griffith's Deaf Student Support program.

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  Geetha Krishnakumar

  Manager Inclusion & Engagement University of Canberra

  Geetha has been working in the Inclusion & Engagement team at the University of Canberra (UC) since 2017. Geetha is passionate about rights based practice aimed at empowering students with a disability to achieve their potential. She has previously worked in the community sector and disability services in NSW, ACT and QLD and specialises in mentoring teams to integrate person-centred practice into day to day service delivery.

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  Dr Stuart Dinmore

  Lecturer: Academic Development, Teaching Innovation Unit University of South Australia

  Dr Stuart Dinmore is a Senior Lecturer with the University of South Australia’s Teaching Innovation Unit (TIU). Stuart works in academic development with a particular focus on technology enhanced and blended learning. This involves support for academic staff in the implementation of online learning environments and the design and effective use of the new generation of collaborative and flexible learning spaces. Other areas of work involve the provision of professional development opportunities for teaching staff and the creation of multimedia content for learning. Stuart also has a strong interest in the area widening participation and inclusion. He is interested in the use of digital technology and its potential to remove barriers to learning for all students. Stuart’s research focus is on the creation of effective video content for learning.

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  Elicia Ford

  NDCO - Illawarra and South East NSW Executive Committee Member, Equity Practitioners in Higher Education of Australasia (EPHEA) Centre for Disability Studies Affiliate of the University of Sydney

  Elicia is a community development and education specialist with substantial experience developing inclusive practice to support social, educational and vocational outcomes for people with diverse learning needs. Elicia has worked in schools and tertiary education, mental health services, and held senior positions in some of Australia’s leading charities.

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  Dr Matt Brett

  Director, Academic Governance and Standards Deakin University

  Dr Matt Brett is currently Director of Academic Governance and Standards at Deakin University where he oversees academic governance, academic policy, course governance, and quality reviews. He is also an adjunct fellow with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education and Vice-President and non-executive Director of Melba Support Services. He has a longstanding commitment to student equity spanning roles in research, policy and practice. He has been involved in over m of externally funded competitive research grants. He convened the 2011 National Summit on the Mental Health of Tertiary Students. Matt co-edited "Student Equity in Australian Higher Education: 25 Years of A Fair Chance For All".

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  Pam Anderson

  NDCO Officer Western Victoria

  Pam has been the NDCO for Western Victoria since 2013 and holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (Career Development) and Diploma of Vocational Education and Training (Dip. VET). Pam is very passionate about actively working with education providers and employers to recognise the benefits of diversity, inclusion and empowerment to reduce barriers to participation in tertiary education, and improve post graduate employment outcomes for people with disability.

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  Annie Carney

  Teaching & Learning Specialist (Projects) Box Hill Institute

  Annie Carney is a teaching and learning specialist in the Teaching and Learning Enhancement team at Box Hill Institute. She is an educator and learning designer with a special interest in accessibility and universal design. In 2020, Annie developed a microcredential short-course, Universal design for VET teachers, in collaboration with disability-support colleagues. She is currently a co-researcher on a project about incorporating universal design into teaching practice, which was awarded the Women in Vocational and Adult Education (WAVE) Sue Salthouse Grant for Research into Diversity and Gender at AVETRA 2021. Annie is a member of the ADCET Universal Design for Learning E-learning Project advisory group.

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  Jackie Weinman

  Senior AccessAbility Advisor, Curtin University

  Jackie is an Occupational Therapist with over 30 years’ experience in a variety of areas, including physical rehabilitation, community mental health and vocational rehabilitation. She started working at Curtin University in 2003 as a Disability Advisor and has been in the role of Senior AccessAbility Advisor since 2015, overseeing the AccessAbility Advisors and Curtin’s Specialist Mentoring Team. Jackie’s particular areas of interest are accessibility and Universal Design, mental health and understanding people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

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  Breanna Medcalfe

  Student representative (Undergraduate) Bachelor of Laws Student, University of the Sunshine Coast

  Breanna is in her second year studying Law and has a high-level spinal cord injury from birth which limits movement from her neck down to her toes. Breanna has been involved in leadership roles during her high school education and in her final year was a school captain. During this time, she developed a passion for advocating for students with disabilities. She is currently a member of the Health Consumers Queensland Youth Reference Group assisting in developing a Youth Engagement Strategy, through which she attended the 2020 Queensland Clinical Senate as a young consumer representative. Breanna believes inclusion and adequate support are essential steps towards ensuring people with disabilities receive equal opportunities for education and employment.

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  Saima Khan

  Student representative (Postgraduate) Murdoch University

  Saima Khan is a qualified English and ESL teacher and part-time student counsellor in a school in Perth WA. She has a Masters in Education from Curtin University and is currently engaged in acquiring the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling from Murdoch University. Saima brings with her experience in teaching and counselling and understanding issues of cultural difference in both areas. Saima enjoys reading and writing, and in her leisure time, likes to advocate against stigma about mental health in CALD communities.

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  Jennifer Parry

  Student representative TAFE NSW

  Jennifer found her two biggest challenges while completing her HSC were getting materials in a timely manner in a format that she could read and being accepted by her peers. Jennifer went on to complete a Certificate III in Business and a Certificate III and Diploma in Music Industry Performance through TAFE NSW. During her studies she connected with the Three Bridges Inclusive Volunteering program and, in 2018, was successful in gaining employment at Blind Citizens Australia. Jennifer has always had a passion for music, and she finds it is a way of breaking down barriers and connecting with people. She is now studying the Advanced Diploma in Music Industry Performance. Jennifer has found that as a person with disability being accepted, respected, and valued in society is an ongoing challenge to be overcome.