Onemda Weekly eNews - Friday 24 February, 2023

Dear Participants, Families & Carers,

We hope you’ve had a good week and have managed to stay cool today! Please make sure you take the time to check this week’s updates as some information may affect you, or the person in your care.

WELCOME, MARTIN!

We welcome Martin Withers, new Client Services Operations Manager, to the Onemda community. Martin comes to Onemda with many years of experience working in the disability services sector and commitment to enhancing the lives of people through high quality, responsive service delivery.

CONSENT FORMS - REMINDER

Thank you to those who have already completed our Consent Form. The form asks you for all the information we need to make sure we can deliver our services and seeks your consent to use and disclose that information if necessary.

If you are yet to return the form to us, please complete and return the Consent forms to [email protected] as soon as possible.

If you have any questions regarding this, please contact Onemda’s Contracts Administrator on [email protected] or phone 0398421955.

CO-DESIGNING EVALUATION PROJECT

In 2019-2021, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) talked with Onemda participants, parents, Onemda staff and external stakeholders about the most important aspects of programs and services that should be monitored and evaluated, and how that might be done.

Using this information – along with evidence from published research UTS & Onemda co-designed an Evaluation Framework model.

We would now like to speak with you and explore:

How we can improve the Co-designed Evaluation Framework model
The key barriers and enablers to implementing this model at Onemda; and
Strategies to make it easier to implement the Co-designed Evaluation at Onemda.

This information will help us share and refine co-designed evaluation at Onemda.

If you would like more information, please contact –

Dr Deborah Debono on 0404832254 or email, [email protected] or,
Ms Katy Mackinnon: [email protected] or,
Janice O'Connor at Onemda: [email protected] or phone, 0398421955.

IMPORTANT CARPARK REMINDER – STAY SAFE!

The carparks at our Onemda campuses can get very busy, particularly at drop-off and pick-up times, and we have recently had a couple of instances where inattention could have resulted in very serious incidents.

If you are visiting an Onemda campus at any time, or transporting someone to or from their programs, please travel under 10km an hour at all times in carpark areas and pay careful attention to your surroundings, watching for people who may be moving from in between parked vehicles.

If you are leaving your vehicle for any reason, please make sure you’ve put your handbrake on and secured the vehicle safely.

Thank you for helping keep everyone safe!

THE DIGNITY PROJECT IN THE NEWS

The Dignity Project was in the news this week, releasing advice on how people can be more inclusive of people with disability in the community. This ongoing project, which runs out of the Hopkins Centre in Queensland, has a research and community building agenda, which is aimed at disrupting stereotypes and breaking through barriers.

Using a novel approach to ‘citizen science’, the Project provides a platform where people with disability can share, reinterpret, and analyse their experiences – and co-design service and system innovations for the future.

Researchers at The Dignity Project are always looking for people – with and without disabilities – to share their stories and experiences of both dignified and undignified treatment. If that sounds interesting, you can join the Community Hub here find out more on The Dignity Project website, or read the full story on The Conversation news feed here.

ABILITY FEST 2023

Ability Fest is Australia’s first all accessible music festival and one of the leading inclusive events in the country. A not-for-profit event, Ability Fest has hosted some of the biggest names in music and raised almost $500,000 for the Dylan Alcott Foundation, to help young Australians living with a disability fulfil their potential through their grant program.

With elevated platforms, pathways, a dedicated sensory area, quiet zones, companion ticketing, ramps, friendly volunteers, Auslan interpreters, accessible toilets, Ability Fest is an inclusive and enjoyable environment for all music lovers.

Go to abilityfest.com.au for more information.

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT

Doncaster East – Living, Learning & Social Skills (LLS)

The Doncaster East LLS team have had a busy start to 2023! Welcoming both new staff and participants, we look forward to a fun-filled, learning year.

Participants are thriving in their new homerooms, and they are enjoying interacting & engaging with staff & peers that they may have missed when restrictions were in place. One program that’s been a standout amongst the group is Music, Dancing and Social Interaction with DJ Flash – this program puts everyone in a great mood!

We are sad to farewell staff member Ivan, who is leaving Onemda after 22 years! Ivan will be missed by his co-workers and participants, families, and carers – he’s contributed so much to Onemda over the years. We all wish Ivan the very best for the future.

We hope you enjoy the weekend. We’re always here to help if you have questions or need information. You can call us any time on 9842 1955 or use the email addresses below.