Goal 10: Reduced Inequality

The Trans and Friends Festival Illawarra (TAFFI), returned to the UOW’s grounds in November 2023. This colourful, one-day, all-ages festival offered a unique blend of informative talks, engaging stalls and vibrant performances – and a welcoming space for all attendees. 
 
The success of 2022’s festival prompted the organisers to go even deeper into the issues affecting the trans and gender-diverse communities. TAFFI provided a range of sessions, including topics on accessing healthcare, hormonal treatments, speech pathology, dating and relationships. The festival hosted more than 60 market stalls, showcasing local services, arts and crafts, and gender-affirming products like binders, with entertainment by local artists and performers. 
 
TAFFI marked the beginning of Trans Awareness Week, (13–19 November) which focuses on trans joy and meaningful trans allyship. The event was organised by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Gender Alliance (ISGA), an alliance of community members, organisations and health professionals with a commitment to support the health and wellbeing of the local trans and gender-diverse community.

SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities 

Discover the heart of community, inclusion, and celebration!

In an inspiring collaboration between a Wagga Wagga-based employment agency and UOW, two students designed and created an assistive horse grooming device for Grace, a 26-year-old quadruple amputee and a dedicated animal lover.  
 
Grace, who contracted meningococcal as a baby, experienced difficulties pursuing her passion for grooming horses due to her unique needs. To help her find employment, the local agency contacted the UOW Maker Space program to enquire whether there were ways of creating a tailored, assistive horse grooming device for the young woman.    

The UOW Maker Space is a workshop for students to explore their creative side using technology, with access to tools, equipment, and regular events and training on 3D printing, Virtual Reality and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities.  
 
The device has not only transformed Grace's life but helped her secure a job at a local Wagga Wagga Veterinary Hospital, where she now works with horses. The experience was rewarding for the students who were instrumental in improving Grace’s quality of life by implementing their engineering skills gained at UOW. 

• SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing
• SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities 

Read more about Grace's journey to empowerment 

Frame Running Wollongong (FRW) provides valuable sporting opportunities for kids who rely on wheelchairs and walkers. Operating out of UOW’s Sports Hub, this non-profit community service in the Illawarra region, offers children with disabilities or impaired balance the chance to experience the exhilaration of 'free to run' – through frame running.

The frame runner is a three-wheeled frame, similar to a trike, but with no pedals – which supports the athlete as they walk or run. It can be used by people of all ages for recreation and sport at a variety of levels, including children with a disability or impaired movement or balance.

FRW aims to enrich the lives of children with a disability by participating in the sport of Frame Running and is the only provider of Frame Running in the Illawarra Region.

• SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing
• SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities 

Volunteer to enrich the lives of Illawarra kids with mobility challenges

UOW is committed to providing support to students experiencing financial and other educational disadvantages through equity scholarships and grant programs. Our scholarships are breaking down barriers and ensuring that every student can access the education they aspire to. 
 
The Australian Government partnered with UOW to offer the Destination Australia scholarship program to support full-time students who choose to stay close to home and study at a UOW regional campus.  
 
The scholarships, valued at $15,000 per year for the duration of the recipients' degree, were offered to students at the University’s Southern Highlands, Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla and Bega Valley campuses. 
 
The 51 domestic and 4 international scholarships, valued at $825,000 in 2023, were funded through the federal government and designed to offset costs to support regional students interested in pursuing higher education.  

• SDG 4 – Quality Education
• SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities 

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UOW Associate Professor Shoshana Dreyfus’ dream to create an all-ages, all-abilities playground came to life in 2023. 
 
She dreamed of a playground that was innovative and inspiring – a place of joy that was big enough to accommodate her son Bodhi, who was born with a severe intellectual disability, preventing him from being able to talk. 
 
The playground at North Wollongong’s Stuart Park, which features a wheelchair-accessible trampoline and swing, nature-based sensory experiences and a large sensory sculpture donated by Associate Professor Dreyfus, was the result of a partnership between the academic, the Australian Government, NSW Government, and partners across the Illawarra including Wollongong City Council and The Disability Trust. 
 
The playground represents how research can have a transformative, real-life impact, and how the University’s work changes lives in the community. 

SDG 10 – Reduced inequalities 

SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals

Read about the inspiring journey toward an all abilities play space

The University of Wollongong tracks and monitors applications and admissions of students from under-represented (equity) groups and low socio-economic status (low SES) backgrounds. The university offers a range of scholarship and mentoring programs to support student success from these groups. 

The table below provides the percentage of successful applications and commencing students in under-represented groups in 2023.

_{*Equity data presented is for domestic undergraduates} 

In 2023, 14.5% of successful applicants were students from low socio-economic backgrounds, 2.8% were Indigenous, 9.5% were students with disabilities, 29% came from remote or regional areas, and 63.3% were female. 

Among domestic undergraduate commencing students, 16.8% came from low socio-economic backgrounds, 4% were Indigenous, 10.5% had disabilities, 28.2% were from remote or regional areas, and 59.6% were female.