Program
Pathways 9 opens on Wednesday, 3 December 2008 at the Sofitel Melbourne. It will consist of three days of keynote addresses and concurrent sessions.
The Conference is preceded by two days of pre-conference workshops.
Pre-Conference Workshops:
- Monday, 1 December 2008 - Workshops by NDCO and DEEWR.
- Tuesday, 2 December 2008 - Being an effective disability professional including stress management and dealing with difficult people.
- Tuesday, 2 December 2008 - Inclusive Technology Workshop.
Social Program
A Welcome Reception will be held in the exhibition on the evening of Tuesday 2 December 2008.
The Conference Dinner will take place in the Ballroom of the Sofitel on Thursday, 4 December 2008.
Pre-Conference Workshops
Date: Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Time: 10:00 – 15:00
Venue: Sofitel Melbourne
Cost: $120.00 (includes arrival tea/coffee and lunch)
Being an effective disability professional
Experienced disability practitioners will lead an interactive workshop on their thoughts on what it takes to be an effective disability practitioner. This session is recommended for people who are relatively new to disability in post compulsory education and will cover a range of topics including stress management, dealing with difficult people and the history and context of disability service provision.
Inclusive Technology Workshop
Gerry Kennedy, is an experienced ICT Consultant in Education and Assistive Technology in Australia. Gerry will conduct a hands on interactive workshop showcasing a variety of assistive technologies, including standard operating system accessibility features, freeware and shareware solutions, and specialist assistive software. This workshop is sponsored by the Tertiary Disability Library Interest Group and RMIT University Library.
Pathways Awards
Pathways Awards Breakfast
Date: Friday, 5 December 2008
Time: 08:00 – 10:00
Venue: Carillon Room, Sofitel Melbourne
Cost: $70.00
Additional Ticket: $70.00
Dress: Business attire
Please book early, as places at the breakfast are limited. An invitation is extended to all delegates to attend the Pathways Awards Breakfast. A key target audience for this event are Senior Managers and Executives of educational institutions and government departments. This function will be a great opportunity to expose these staff to the business case for the inclusion of people experiencing disability. Seating is limited.
Pathways 9 introduces the inaugural Pathways Awards at the Melbourne Conference. The recipients of the award will be recognised at a formal breakfast where their initiatives across education and training that reflect best practice approaches to teaching and learning, and successful approaches to transition through learning and from education to employment for people with a disability, will be promoted.
The following awards will be presented:
- Employer
- Higher Education
- VET and TAFE
- Secondary education sector
- Student who has a disability
The awards will be presented to individuals or organisations from each of the five areas listed, who show excellence in developing, implementing, or participating in transition initiatives.
The awards will be presented at a special awards breakfast on 5 December with a special address by longstanding leader in corporate, training and disability sectors Mark Bagshaw. Mark Bagshaw joined the National Quality Council in May 2007 as its Equity representative for people with a disability. Mark is the Managing Director of the Innov8 Consulting Group that specialises in complex national and international structure, systems and process reengineering projects across the government, business and community sectors. Mark has a vast history of involvement in community oriented roles and is currently the co-founder and Chairman of the Ability Australia Foundation; Chairman of Humanitech; Vicepatron of Technical Aid for the Disabled; Judge for the NSW Premier Teacher Scholarships; Judge for the Australian Humanitarian Awards; Co-chair of the National VET Disability Advisory Taskforce, a member of the National Quality Council and others. Marks primary focus at present is to demonstrate to the world business community that addressing the issues faced by people who are economically disadvantaged in the world makes good business and economic sense as well as being right for our society. He is passionate about social reform and particularly about the crucial role that education performs in developing a just, healthy society. He is a frequent public speaker on these issues.
The Pathways Awards Breakfast is proudly sponsored by:
- Employer - Sponsored by WISE Employment
- VET and TAFE - Sponsored by TAFE Development Centre
- Student who has a disability - Sponsored by Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Caroline Bowditch
Caroline Bowditch graduated from Deakin University in the early 90's with a BA in Education with a major in Performing Arts, retrained as a Genetic Counsellor in the late 90's and since moving to the UK in 2002 she re-invented herself and returned to her artistic roots. She now works as a performance artist and choreographer throughout the UK and is taking dance to new audiences and challenging the concepts around what is dance and who can be a dancer.
Prof Lenore Manderson
Prof Lenore Manderson took up appointment as Professor at Monash University in January 2006, and was previously Professor at University of Melbourne and University of Queensland. She is a medical anthropologist and social historian, who also publishes within sociology and public health. She held an inaugural Australia Research Council Federation Fellowship. Her research focuses on social aspects of chronicity, and on chronic illness, disability, social relationships and well-being, including an inter-disciplinary multi-country study on social and cultural impact of impaired mobility in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar.
Bernie Monagle
Bernie Monagle has been teaching LD students for nearly thirty years. He has pioneered a mentoring program to re-connect disengaged LD students. As a young adult author he visits forty schools a year. He has presented at the VATE conference, assists Swinburne Uni in their LD training programs and has recently done extensive work with the TAFE sector. Bernie's own story of failure and triumph is inspiring.
Dr Kevin Murfitt
Dr Kevin Murfitt is a Lecturer at Deakin University. His specific research interests revolve around diversity and employment. Prior to completing his Phd, Kevin was a Disability Liaison Officer at Deakin through most of the 1990s. Dr Murfitt is also currently Chair of Vision Australia, Australia’s largest blindness and low vision service provider, and a Director on the Disability Services Board of Victoria.
Proudly sponsored by Vision Australia.
Prof Anne Ryan
Anne Ryan is Professor and head of the Department of Adult and Community Education, National University of Ireland, Maynooth. She is particularly concerned with access and equity in the provision of educational services. Before coming to work in Maynooth, she worked in Australia for 7 years, China for one year and Zambia for 3 years. She maintains a close involvement with education initiatives in Africa and Asia.