Community Week 2020 provides us with an opportunity to promote projects and initiatives which contribute to our community, promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. To explore how we can be better.

Kylie Ebert, Director Student Life says, “Community Week provides new ways for our students to celebrate, drive and support our diverse community. They will be able to engage in student centred online events and activities and find out how to be involved in their communities, local and global, for the betterment of all.”

Community Week was scheduled to coincide with two existing key highlights on the Macquarie University calendar, our Respect. Now. Always. Project Update and Wear It Purple Day.

Community Week events include:

• Tuesday 25 August – Careers and Community: How can our careers support community
• Wednesday 26 August – Community Organising and Social Change
• Thursday 27 August – Respect. Now. Always. Project Update
• Friday 28 August – Wear It Purple Day

For more information, take a look at the Community Week website.

Another significant project to highlight is Accessibility, and the Macquarie Access and Inclusion Plan.

Accessibility in a University environment is much wider reaching than being just physically able to enter and move about classrooms and grounds. It’s the consideration and integration of the requirements of people with disabilities in all areas of an organisation’s operations. It’s ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to employment, education, training and development, premises, communications, resources, and information technology.

Accessibility is about having equal access to the full array of opportunities and experiences that are made available to the wider Macquarie community. It’s providing a flexible and empowering environment where each individual is given a foundation to thrive and succeed despite the presence of a disability or other barrier.

Access and inclusion build opportunities for organisations to be more innovative and creative; improving user experiences for not only people with a disability but for wider consumer cohorts. Consider the value-add of including captioning on all videos in a class or staff meeting. This simple action removes a significant barrier for a deaf student who then recognises that their needs are valued and accommodated. But it also inherently offers the potential to improve the experience of many others in the class/meeting, facilitating a more cutting-edge multi-modal approach to teaching and work.

Gail White, Academic Registrar and Executive Director Student Engagement explains, “Macquarie is proud of its diverse staff and student population. In December, 2019 the Draft Access and Inclusion Plan (AIP) was launched, demonstrating our commitment to providing an Accessible and Inclusive learning environment for staff and students.”

Adopting the principles outlined in the AIP, embedding a culture of ‘Accessibility and Inclusion’ across all facets of the University does two things. First, it assures that the University is meeting its legal and moral obligations to support students and staff with a disability, who are amongst the 18% of Australia’s population living with disability. Second, it opens the doors for the organisation to simply be, better.