Project improves employment prospects for people with a disability
An Australian-first University of Queensland technology training project aimed at boosting the job prospects of Ipswich people with a disability has been awarded a $90,890 grant by the Commonwealth Government.
Funding for the project, to be run by the University's Ipswich Community Service and Research Centre, has been allocated through the AccessAbility Grants Program and was announced this month by Communications, Information Technology and Arts Minister Senator Richard Alston.
Centre director Bruce Muirhead said 33 special education graduates who have been assessed as being employable with some support would be in the project, which would involve eight weeks of training for four hours a day, three days a week.
Mr Muirhead said the issue of limited access to technology for people with disabilities had been raised within the Ipswich and regional community. A search of the internet had shown there were no on-line resources for people with a cognitive disability anywhere in Australia.
"Those receiving the training should have enhanced direct and indirect job prospects once they are familiar with the use of computers," he said. "The group will have no other opportunity to learn these skills with training tailored to their needs.
"Using the internet will help them find work through the internet employment sites and other networks and increase their chances of being employed in jobs where basic computer skills are required."
The project will also have long-term research benefits through a link with students learning to teach young people with cognitive disabilities. The research team will include academics from the University's faculties of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture and Social and Behavioural Sciences
"Home pages that could be relevant to the group will be evaluated, with the aim of presenting papers on how to improve their design to enhance their accessibility," Mr Muirhead said.
Other objectives were to identify project graduates best suited to a role in the teaching of future groups, to assess the feasibility of setting up an ongoing user group for school leavers, and to see if the model could be used for school leavers with other disabilities.
Since opening at UQ Ipswich in April, the Centre has received a $150,000 grant from the Queensland Department of Families, Youth and Community Care for a three-year after hours school care program for 13-15 year olds and an $18,500 grant to run an Information Technology program for indigenous students from the Bundamba Schools Cluster.
For more information, contact Mr Muirhead on (07) 3381-1512.
