The library is very excited to have the Piscator Press active during Semester 1 once again, with Printer in Residence Caren Florance beginning her eight-week residency.
Caren’s project for the residency, ALT-SHIFT-PRINT, takes visual poetry as a starting point and will incorporate imagery via a variety of printmaking methods. As COVID has been such an important historical moment, she will be turning to a favourite classical text, Ovid’s Metamorphoses for a point of influence and connection.
Caren usually works on two consecutive outputs: something serious and sustained, and a body of peripheral, fun outputs that arise from orienting herself to the new space. As Caren describes her work:
I often work with letterpress in a traditional manner, but I’m more interested in the affordances of it as a relief printmaking process, pushing it into a more visual mode and experimenting with its relationship to digital processes. I’m interested in the ways it can print onto various materials, and how those materials can then be used.
If you’d like to see Caren at work on the Albion letterpress, swing by Level 1 at Fisher Library or book into one of her Open Studios:
Join us for a drink and some nibbles at the Piscator Press to celebrate Caren Florance’s residency and the outcome of her project ALT-SHIFT-PRINT. You’ll get to see the work Caren has been making during her time with the Press, as well as the publication which will become a part of our Rare Books and Special Collections.
Dr Caren Florance is an Honorary Assistant Professor in the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research (CCCR) at the University of Canberra. She has also taught at the ANU School of Art and the National Art School. Her spectrum of publications are often made under the imprint Ampersand Duck and her work is collected by international and national institutions (usually libraries).
As part of the protocol’s implementation, a new message will appear when people visit the Library website. It advises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that materials in our collection may contain images, voices and names of people who have died.
The Library recognises the significance of the traditional cultural knowledges contained within its collection. However, it is important to note that some materials may be considered insensitive, outdated, or inappropriate in today’s context. These materials reflect the views of the authors and/or the period in which they were produced and don’t represent the views of the Library.
The Library thanks the DCV ISS for their advice and feedback on this project. This message is implemented as a further acknowledgment of our facilities residing on the ancestral lands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. For thousands of generations, these people have exchanged knowledge for the benefit of all.
We are celebrating International Day of People with Disability on Friday, 3rd December 2021!
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is a United Nations observed day celebrated internationally. It is aimed at increasing public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability. Access, inclusion and diversity are part of our core at the University of Sydney Library. We’re proud to offer staff and students from all backgrounds the opportunity to get involved and build a stronger understanding of the challenges faced when living with a disability.
To celebrate the achievements and legacies of people with a disability this year the Disability At Work Network and Diversity Inclusion team have collaborated with the Library to develop this Spotify playlist. Tune in and enjoy!
There are many other mediums and so much content online that captures what it means to live with a disability, and outlines things we can all do to improve accessibility in our communities.
Here are some ways you can get involved and learn more.
Celebrate with Music!
Musicians with disabilities
The Library project team have curated a list of musicians with disabilities (particularly artists who are also staff or students of the University of Sydney, past or present) as part the University’s Disability At Work Network’s (DAWN) of develop the Spotify Playlist.
From classical music to jazz and contemporary, the list is ever-growing!
How invisible is an invisible disability? Myths and misconceptions from a student perspective and available support.
In this panel discussion we hear about the lived experiences of an invisible disability from current students, and explore why invisible disabilities are often thought of as less legitimate disabilities.
On Canvas we have information and links to apps that may assist anyone who experiences difficulty with vision, hearing, reading, writing, physical dexterity, organisation and planning due to disability and temporary or situational impairments.
Ensuring Library spaces, services and resources are easy to access for all clients is our priority. On the Library website, our Clients with disability web page is a guide to the support we provide all clients to help access resources and services needed for research and study.
Current University of Sydney students and staff have access to the excellent streaming service Kanopy. We highly recommend the films listed below. To set up your Kanopy subscription use this link.
CODA
This critically acclaimed short film explores the challenges faced by a hearing person with deaf parents. Set in the world of competitive dance, it was produced in 2019 by the University of Southern California.
Celebrated by audiences at home and abroad, Indigenous artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was one of the most important and acclaimed voices to ever come out of Australia. Blind from birth, he found purpose and meaning through songs and music inspired by his community and country on Elcho Island in far North East Arnhem Land.
This film stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities, challenges what it means to be intelligent, and points to a future in which people of all abilities can fully participate in higher education, meaningful employment and intimate relationships.
A decade after the award-winning film about autism, Normal People Scare Me, Taylor Cross follows up with this sequel documentary including interviews of former and new cast members and family about attitudes and first-person perspectives/experiences in autism today.
Revisit Episode #15 “Disability Inclusion”. PeerPod is our bi-monthly podcast about topics relating to student life. In this episode our Peer Learning Advisors speak with Jack and Max about Disability Support Services; what they can do to assist with invisible disabilities and the positive impacts reaching out can have on your studies.
Reading List
We’re showcasing just a selection of books from our collection for Disability Inclusivity Week. Enjoy!
Transition to Retirement: a guide to inclusive practice
The Transition to Retirement (TTR) program aims to help older people with long-term disability gradually build an active and socially inclusive retirement lifestyle through volunteering and participating in mainstream community groups. Members of these groups are trained to act as mentors and provide support.
The three-year TTR research project and subsequent years of TTR service delivery have shown that this approach is feasible and has enduring positive outcomes for people with disability, mentors and community groups.
Look me in the eye: my life with asperger’s tells of a child’s heartbreaking desperation to connect with others, and his struggle to pass as ‘normal’ – a struggle that would continue into adulthood. John Elder Robison’s memoir of growing up with Asperger’s syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism) at a time when the diagnosis didn’t even exist is both moving and blackly funny.
Along the way it also tells the story of two brothers born eight years apart yet devoted to each other: the author and his younger brother, who would grow up to become bestselling writer Augusten Burroughs and who has contributed a beautiful foreword to this book.
The one and only Sam a story explaining idioms for children with Asperger syndrome or other communication difficulties.
Aileen Stalker
This is the story of a boy who struggles to understand non-literal expressions. Throughout the story, Sam encounters a range of common idioms, each of which is accompanied by an illustration of its literal meaning and one depicting its actual meaning, helping children to explore what the idioms sound like and why they might mean what they do.
Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.
This new and innovative book aims to investigate adult dyslexics and their long-term relationships, along with their journey through parenthood. The book begins by investigating adult dyslexics and their childhoods, looking at their emotional and behavioural coping strategies. These adults, with others from a website for adult dyslexics, look at the impact childhood trauma has on dating, then on marriage/long-term partners.
A commissioned study interviewing long-term partners of dyslexics brings new perspective to understanding how dyslexia affects relationships and how they interact as parents.
Visions : the inspirational journeys of epilepsy advocates
by Linda Sudlesky
‘Visions’ contains the stories of 50 people who have answered the call to advocate on behalf of those with epilepsy. They are people with epilepsy, family members, or friends who have been motivated by their own, unique experiences to make a positive impact in the lives of people who have epilepsy.
This book empowers people affected by epilepsy and inspires continued advocacy for what has been a misunderstood and underfunded neurological disorder.
The Successful Dyslexic Identify the Keys to Unlock Your Potential
by Neil Alexander-Passe
This innovative book looks at the keys for success in dyslexic adults, comparing both those who are successful and less successful, enabling parents and teachers to use these keys to best support young dyslexics. These keys look at home life, school, career choices, working relationships, coping strategies, traits, unique selling points, and what is considered success for somebody with dyslexia.
The Paralympic Games Explained is the first complete introduction to the Paralympic phenomenon, exploring every key aspect and issue, from the history and development of the Paralympic movement to the economic and social impact of the contemporary Games. classification in disability sport.
This autobiography tells of the author’s life before and after the car accident that left him a paraplegic. Tells of the efforts he made to cope with his injuries, his triumph in co-captaining the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team which won the gold medal at the Atlanta Paralympics, his determination to complete a Masters degree in physical education and his work helping other victims of spinal injury.
Locked In: The Will to Survive and the Resolve to Live
by Victoria Arlen
Paralympics champion and Dancing with the Stars contestant Victoria Arlen shares her courageous and miraculous story of recovery after falling into a mysterious vegetative state and how she broke free, overcoming the odds and never giving up hope, eventually living a full and inspiring life.
The Handbook of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
by Vassil Girginov
The Handbook of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is the definitive, officially-licensed account of the world’s greatest sporting mega-event. It tells the complete story of the 2012 Games from inception, through the successful bidding process and the planning and preparation phase, to delivery, aftermath and legacy.
Written by a world-class team of international Olympic experts, sports researchers and writers, the book offers comprehensive analysis of the full social, cultural, political, historical, economic and sporting context of the Games. From the political, commercial and structural complexities of organizing an event on such a scale, to the sporting action that holds the attention of the world for three thrilling weeks, this book illuminates every aspect of the 2012 Games, helping us to better understand the vital role that sport and culture have in contemporary global society.
After losing both his legs in an accident in Afghanistan, Special Forces soldier Damien Thomlinson was determined not only to survive, but to meet life head on.
This is an uplifting story of guts, drive and exceptional resilience. Damien has set himself extraordinary challenges including walking the demanding 96km Kokoda Track in honour of a fallen comrade and becoming the public face of the Commando Welfare Trust.
Damien is now an aspiring Paralympian, determined to represent Australia in snowboarding.
Under the medical gaze: facts and fictions of chronic pain
by Susan Greenhalgh
This compelling account of the author’s experience with a chronic pain disorder and subsequent interaction with the American health care system goes to the heart of the workings of power and culture in the biomedical domain. It is a medical whodunit full of mysterious misdiagnosis, subtle power plays, and shrewd detective work.
Setting a new standard for the practice of autoethnography, Susan Greenhalgh presents a case study of her intense encounter with an enthusiastic young specialist who, through creative interpretation of the diagnostic criteria for a newly emerging chronic disease, became convinced she had a painful, essentially untreatable, lifelong muscle condition called fibromyalgia. Greenhalgh traces the ruinous effects of this diagnosis on her inner world, bodily health, and overall well-being.
What is it like to live with depression? To feel you are in a black hole with no way to escape?
Christina Taylor presents an honest account of what it was like for her, keeping a smile on her face for the benefit of the outside world, as she battled daily with conflicting and abnormal emotions and behaviours. Finally, no longer able to keep up the facade, she attempted suicide.
Depression, once a taboo subject, is now a recognized and treatable mental illness.
Life After Darkness: A doctor’s journey through severe depression
by Cathy Wield
Life After Darkness is the remarkable and moving story of a doctor and mother of four who endured seven years of severe depression. Self-harm, attempted suicides and admissions to psychiatric units culminated in her resorting to brain surgery as a final attempt to escape her illness.
The story of Cathy Wield covers the horrors of time spent in archaic institutions and the loss of any hope, to a full recovery following surgery. Today she has returned to her career and rediscovered the joys of life and her family. This story is one of hope from an often hidden and stigmatized disease.
Our Live Chat services are changing leading up to the Labour Day Weekend.
Throughout the 2021 lockdown, the University has maintained safe places to study on campus, including at the Fisher and Law Libraries, the Quarter, Camden Commons, and the Carslaw Learning Hub. During the upcoming mid-semester break and in the lead up to the long weekend, University and Library staff have been given two days concessional leave, so that they can take a well-deserved break.
The changes for each location and Live Chat are as follows:
Fisher and Law Libraries Open from: 12pm – 8pm, Thursday 30th September – Monday 4th October
The Quarter (Postgraduate coursework students), Camden Commons, and Carslaw Learning Hubs Open from: 6am – 11pm, Everyday
Library virtual services will be unavailable Thursday 30th September and Friday 1st October. Live Chat normal hours of operation will resume from 5 October – check out our hours here.
You can also submit a question and receive an answer by email; however, there may be a delay in our response during this time and we appreciate your patience.
We’re working to improve the library website and need your opinion. You may notice little messages asking for your feedback on some pages of the Library website. If you can, we’d love for you to take a moment to tell us what you think.
Letting us know what you like or don’t like about the website and sharing your ideas for how we can make it better will have a direct impact on the improvements we make in the future.
There’s no need to wait for a little feedback message to appear, you can send us feedback at any time about the Library or our website using our suggestions and feedback form.
We look forward to hearing from you soon and are excited to keep making the Library website even better for you.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have died.
The University of Sydney Library acknowledges that its facilities sit on the ancestral lands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have for thousands of generations exchanged knowledge for the benefit of all. Learn more
