Welcome from Down Under! My apologies for the late newsletter. I have been very busy recently with several things happening including my mother’s illness and family health issues, but also very troubled by all the events around the world. Sometimes you have to take a mental health break because there’s just SO much BAD in this world. Yesterday was a public holiday called ANZAC to celebrate those who died in WW1 and WW2, and didn’t celebrate for this reason. Most of the justification for these wars anyway are pretty senseless. Also for those of you haters out there behind the screens, I am not going to stop my politics “propoganda” just for you. We all have views and opinions - please respect that. Do not report opinions/views unless it deems a lot of violent content. Use common sense.
This week is World Autism Week/Month, however the national World Autism Awareness Day is on April 2. This calendar here features a whole list of dedicated days to different things around the world including autism.
Feature person of World Autism Week
Hi my name is Adriaan, and I live in Belgium with my parents and 2 year old dog named Arto. I speak Dutch (Flemish) in my region of Belgium, and English is my second language. I do not speak French or German much, although similar.
I have a moderate Aspergers Syndrome. I was diagnosed at age 17, with moderate Aspergers Syndrome circa 2006 - 2007. The good news is that I did not have to wait too long in my country for the diagnosis test, unlike some unfortunate people in other countries.
I suffer from mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Some of it stems from the lack of awareness in high school, because had a bad experience and dropped out in year 10. Some of it is also to do with the government in Belgium, as they do not cater for my needs. My sensory issues include needing noise-cancelling headphones to block out all the noises which is very hard on me, have trouble maintaining eye contact and enjoy hugging my dog but not touching other people very much. I only hug people who I do know well.
As for my interests and hobbies, I love to travel around the world, and hate the European cold weather. I would rather be living in a hot country. I am a Disney adult, love to pen-pal and have many Disney tattoos.
Thank you Adriaan for sharing your story and telling us about you!
News around the Globe 🗺️
Faraz Tahir, a Pakistani security guard at the Westfield Bondi Junction who was fatally stabbed by the crazed schizophrenic Joel Cauchi is set to have his funeral held this Friday at the Muslim mosque he was a part of in Sydney’s north-west. He was the only male and person who was on a shift to die. Five other people who were women also died in the senseless stabbing attack in the course of 20 minutes. Several other people un-named were also injured in this deadly rampage. Joel Cauchi was into “incel“ terrorism and his religious Christian parents had tried to contact him to no avail to come back home to Queensland and get mentally better. There are people like him who do not want to be helped and cannot be helped, and ultimately lose the price of their lives. However that being said, there is a failure in the Australian system of mental health wellbeing because it is quite under-funded. The resources are inadequate to meet the rise of mental health problems.
On the same week as the deadly stabbing rampage, there was another stabbing attack in Wakeley, in western Sydney at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church. This time this was recorded on social media because this was a church gathering. Elon Musk who owns the platform X (formerly known as Twitter) has been reported for breaching “so-called social media violations“. The good news is that the priest who was stabbed survived the attack. I do not agree with the government on how they handled any of these knife attacks.
Australia is in a big housing crisis among capital cities, with 1 in 2 applicants getting rejected for a rental. It is SO bad that people are forced to live in streets, cars and tents. There’s not enough support from the government. They are also building new homes only to be sold and for their benefit, and not for social housing purposes. There’s a lot of regulations around tiny homes and different types of housing but many people don’t know about co-operative housing, which can change the game. However, people will have to be willing to share as the Governments across the world are an epic failure and plan on just bringing in refugee/migrants at the Australian’s cost.
Another epic failure for Australia is the government’s inaction on violence on women - more than fatal car crashes on the road. Personally, I am scared of men as a woman myself, and never have been in a relationship for this reason. Please look at the facts here and respect women here.
Australia has widely epically failed us in all time of human history with the $50 billion budget only going to military/defence aid in Israel (maybe some to Ukraine but the main partnership is Lockheed Martin which the headquarters are based in Israel), a war we will never win or only die for ANZAC “whitewashing“ purposes.
The New Zealand government is an epic failure since Jacinda Arden, a Labour party candidate and prime minister left; and do not agree on anything exactly. This is also the first time they’ve collaborated with minor parties in office.
Sadly the ban to negative gearing on housing under Jacinda Arden has come to an end. This should have never happened as this benefits the majority of the public.
Donald Trump court cases are in the headlines again, after they had failed to indict him for the charges on the rigging of the 2020 election, hush-money, and more. He faces more than 91 charges, however some of them have been overturned so far. However, I think if lawmakers were smart enough to indict him they would be charging him on the Capitol Hill mob attacks that happened in 2021. On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of then-U.S. president Donald Trump, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
Sadly, the Roe vs Wade right for women to get abortion was overturned late last year and has had problems in the media ever since. “The ruling of Roe v. Wade meant that the right to access abortion clinics in the first trimester was protected by the Constitution and could not be restricted by state or federal laws.”
The United States government continues to support Israel with military and defence funding for equipments and soldiers, when there are more than 22,000 dead Palestinian children, humanitarian aid people, doctors and nurses. This is an utter outrage however, it should be cited that this was signed with the gun laws making it virtually impossible to actually overturn without so many consitution laws and governing powers. If you care enough to stop colonial wars ever, please use the No Thanks App to economically disadvantage them from doing evil unpredictable murders on government contracts using drones for testing. Sadly, there are about a dozen tech companies on top of my head that support Israel with government contracts, and if you do care please sign the petition. Speaking of this, a mentor/friend of mine showed me a really good position description for an entry level role at Amazon but decided not to take anything further because I am not A) a corporate bigwig b) do not believe they care about diversity and inclusion enough c) Amazon is almost a consulting company. If you’re in Australia/New Zealand and reading this please click here so you know the companies NOT to support. Palestine should be free from white supremacists, colonial powers and constant danger.
While there is a lot of great public transport accessibility in Europe, there’s some downfalls for people with disabilities that needs to be addressed. However, some of the good is mentioned here
EU voting is set to happen early June, and I believe with above that the public transport should be the priority for residents and tourists alike
👩💻🌏 What’s in tech world this month
Interestingly,a book club kicked off in record numbers with many young members from 18 - 25 in Australia after BookTok was posted in TikTok just after COVID lockdowns ended. This is for socially isolated people to connect over reading with others. While social media can help with initial connections over a shared interests, such as reading, technology it has negative impacts young people’s mental health.
Atlassian tech co-founder and co-CEO Scott Farquhar retires. Farquhar, who has served in the role for 23 years, plans to spend more time with his family, focus on philanthropy, and help the global technology industry. Atlassian is well known for the corporate JIRA and Kanban boards for agile methodology
Elon Musk has been requested by the Australian government to take off the stabbing attack that happened in Wakeley in Western Sydney last week. He refuses to do so. In theory, I agree because honestly social media is not just about the good stuff in the world. While I do care about privacy of minors, it must be known about the bad they did so the behaviour cannot be a repeated offence.
For this newsletter, the Events and Courses in Technology section will not be posted until I can find good education providers/companies that are truly inclusive. Meanwhile see the limited newsletters section
Newsletters/Sites to follow on Tech Accessibility
Follow Remarkable Tech who have events across the world but are based in Australia (site)
Follow International Disability Alliance for youth up to age 35 around the globe (site)
🧏 🦽🦮👨🏾🦯What happened this month in the world of disability, user research, diversity and inclusion
Firstly, I have exciting news for you in this space! I am officially launching a website on cybersecurity education for people with disabilities/non-native speakers. This will be in Easy Read, plain English and scripted format! I am also looking for volunteers in the meantime to help me get the business up and running. Watch out for this space!
In other news, please do not support or work for the following companies because are inaccessible/racist which have had fallouts
These companies are big corporates, and don’t get me wrong they could have some great initiatives. But if you value workers lives, then don’t support them.
Fun Facts & More About Australia and around the World!
Meet Tasmanian quolls - they only exist in this part of the world. There are six types including Eastern Quolls, Western Quolls, Northern Quolls etc.
Recipes
This month recipes are based on the month of April, which celebrates Easter and Anzac Day
Easter Cake
Anzac Biscuits
Check this recipe out here
Method:
Mix all the dry ingriedents in the bowl and stir
Melt the butter before usage, and add the golden syrup and melted button and stir
Dissolve the baking soda in the water then add this to the butter syrup mix
Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring to combine
Roll into small teaspoon-sized balls and place them onto a lined baking tray or sheet. Very gently squish the balls with a fork
Bake at 180 degrees celsius for around 8-10 mins until lightly golden but still soft in the middle
Please read here for Easy Read version of this
Employment Opportunities for people with disabilities - Australia 👩💼
Note: You must identify as a person with a disability to be considered for these roles. However, you can have a carer/person who can help you with a lot of the application questions.
Work With Us - Accessible Arts (NSW only)
Disability Leadership Institute
Employment Opportunities for University and TAFE Students/Graduates in Down Under
Grow is a mental health company based in Queensland
People With Disability Australia is a company based in New South Wales
Employment Opportunities Across the World
Please seek LinkedIn roundups by people (sadly, unable to find their handles right now - will update ASAP)
Photo Gallery of the Month 🐈
Meet Bobby, a 5 year old adorable Boxer couch potato dog who is loving the couch and Easter treats.