Monash Law
Students' Society
Disability Support Initiatives
Overview
The Disability Support Officer is a new role introduced in the LSS this year focused on inclusion and accessibility for all Monash law students. The role provides a point of reference for law students living with disability, chronic illness or other impairments, and will foster a safe and supportive space for these students within the LSS. Allies are invited to join the community. This Portfolio will provide a much-needed voice for law students with a disability, while encouraging them to build student relationships and succeed academically despite the barriers to access these students have faced.
Jasmine Shepard and Amelia Thomson will be stepping into the new role of Disability Support Officer for 2022. Please do not hesitate to get in contact with the Undergraduate Disability Support Officer, Jasmine, or the Postgraduate Disability Support Officer, Amelia, on disabilitysupport@monashlss.com.
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Join the Monash Law Disability Support Facebook page here!
Events
Intersection of Mental Health and Disability in the Law Panel
As a new event this year, this collaborative event between the Disability and Mental Health and Wellbeing Portfolios recognises the connection between disability and chronic illness, and mental illnesses, that affect law students. Held on Wednesday March 23, this panel will host legal professionals living with a range of mental health disabilities speaking to their experiences in the profession, to reduce stigma around the top and provide insight for law students in similar circumstances to understand how their mental health disability will be supported within the legal workplace.
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Morning Tea and Chats
This relaxed morning tea, held on the morning of Tuesday 5 April, is intended to bring together law students that identify as having a disability, chronic illness or other impairment and allies to make connections and support systems with individuals in similar circumstances.
Disability in the Law Panel and Networking Night
The inaugural panel night will focus on the experiences of legal professionals living with disabilities, chronic illnesses or other impairments. Held on Tuesday September 13 this year, the panel will cover the challenges they have faced, and how they have continued to thrive and succeed in the demanding legal environment. This year the panel will be enhanced by the addition of a networking opportunity toward the end of the night, to enable students to ask more personal questions to the panellists.
Image Descriptions
Image descriptions are simply detailed descriptions of a given image that conveys the same or equivalent information a sighted reader would get when they view a picture, to someone living with a visual impairment. To ensure the Monash Law Students Society is a more accessible space for all, the LSS has introduced image descriptions to all posts and publications.
In order to provide guidance and clarity as to when an image description is required, the amount of detail to be provided and language to be used, this Image Descriptions Guide has been developed. For a brief overview of image descriptions, please refer to the LSS ‘How To’ Guide.