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The report, titled ‘Online but
off track: Barriers to online learning and unrewarding for people who are
experienced by university students blind or have low vision to study.
who are blind or have low vision’,
A
report by Vision
Australia has found
university students who
are blind or have low vision are
facing significant accessibility
barriers in online learning.
She said this was concerning
found while online learning has due to “a clear connection
increased significantly across higher between tertiary education and
education institutions around employment outcomes”.
Australia, universities haven’t
Online
but off track
barriers are making it extremely difficult
“We’re calling on Universities
adequately addressed the needs of Australia, the Tertiary Education
students who are vision impaired. Quality and Standards Agency and
The report, based on a small-scale
the Australian Government to remove
study with 35 participants studying current accessibility barriers and to
at 24 universities, found cases of ensure that future online learning
students abandoning their studies, environments do not replicate the
while many others described studying mistakes and deficiencies of the
as ‘awful’, ‘stressful’ and ‘hard’. past,” she said.
Vision Australia’s General Manager
The research was endorsed
Government Relations and Advocacy, by Disability Discrimination
and post-graduate student, Karen Commissioner Alastair McEwin.
Knight (pictured) said accessibility
visionaustralia.org
New factory for
Aussie Biscuits
A
L-R: HWNS
CEO Andrew
Richardson,
Kathleen
Nolan, Alison
Clarke and
Lisa Hargans.
ussie Biscuits has celebrated the
opening of its new factory in Forbes,
New South Wales.
Aussie Biscuits is one of nine businesses owned and
run by House with No Steps. It provides employment
opportunities for people with disability and has been
part of the Forbes community for over 40 years.
House with No Steps Executive Director of
Businesses, Brett Lacey, said the Aussie Biscuits team
is thrilled to be in their new home.
“The new factory has been possible after we
received $210,000 from the Building Better Regions
Fund towards a $456,000 project to scale up our
operations,” Brett said.
“Moving to the new factory is a big milestone –
for people with disability in the area.”
The new site includes new ovens, which have come
from Italy, a specialised cool room and mixing room
for biscuit production. Employees now also have a new
lunch room and a welcoming reception area.
Colin Ward is one of 30 supported employees at
Aussie Biscuits. He’s been with the company for 30 years.
“I love making biscuits, and seeing all my friends
some of our employees have been working at Aussie and working with everybody. I’m excited to be in
Biscuits for over 30 years. We’re celebrating our new our new place. We’re now able to make even more
chapter – we’ll be able to bake more biscuits and biscuits,” Colin said.
deliver them to even more people. The new factory will
12
also create much-needed employment opportunities
news
www.aussiebiscuits.com.au
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