+++AUSTRALIAN BLINDNESS FORUM ABN 47 125 036 857. ++ABF UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2008. [Contents begin] +01. ABF Recycled Equipment Website. +02. CSTDA. +03. Social Inclusion. +04. Australia 2020 Summit. +05. Access Card. +06. National Unified Lifeskills Model (NULM). +07. Review of Accessible Public Transport Standards. +08. Information, Publications. +09. Workshops on Web Access. +10. National Conferences. +11. World Blind Union. +12. Other International Items. +13. National Disability Services (NDS). +ABF Background and Contact. [Contents end] [Update begins] +01. ABF RECYCLED EQUIPMENT WEBSITE. Australia’s delegates to the World Blind Union (WBU) Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly in China last August received endorsement for a surplus equipment exchange scheme to be piloted in the Pacific-Oceania Region. The website was launched in November 2007 and in the three months since has provided the following equipment. - Papua New Guinea: Perkins Braillers, slate and stylus sets, Braille paper, audio cassettes, talking watches and magnifiers - Samoa: Perkins Braillers, slate and stylus sets - Tonga: Perkins Braillers and reading machines - East Timor: Braille slates, white canes and talking watches In addition, a request has been received from Nepal. Dependent on if and how the WBU wishes to expand this scheme, the website could either be copied to create a mirror image in other regions or combined as a worldwide website. Currently, the ABF recycled equipment website is managed by a staff member of the Royal Society for the Blind of SA. The ABF urges all blindness organisations in Australia and New Zealand to help make the pilot scheme a success by adding their lists of available equipment to those already on the website at http://www.rsb.org.au/wbu/index.html. +02. CSTDA. Meeting earlier this month, Disability Ministers agreed to work cooperatively to implement the eight priority areas identified by Labor during the Federal Election campaign: - Better measurement of current and future need for disability services - National population benchmarks for key disability service types - Making older carers a priority for all disability services under the CSTDA - Quality improvement systems based on the National Disability Services Standards for all CSTDA services - Improved service planning and strategies to simplify access to services - A focus on early intervention, lifelong planning and increasing the independence and social participation of people with disability - Improved workforce capacities and - Access to services by Indigenous people with disability Also discussed was the development of the Australian Government’s National Disability Strategy, described as an historic opportunity for the Commonwealth, States and Territories to work together with the community to address the needs of people with disability and their families through coordinated and comprehensive policy planning – across all government departments and services. NDS News Update of 4 February provides more information for NDS members. +03. SOCIAL INCLUSION. Social inclusion, a framework for understanding and responding to the entrenched disadvantage experienced by members of society, is a central component of the social policies of the new Australian Government. A discussion paper developed by NDS explores what it will mean for people with disability by reviewing the work of social inclusion units both in Australia and overseas. NDS has provided the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion with a copy of this paper. NDS members may access the paper through the NDS website at http://www.nds.org.au/national/default.htm. +04. AUSTRALIA 2020 SUMMIT. Recently announced by Prime Minister Rudd, the Summit will be held at Parliament House in Canberra on 19 and 20 April 2008. It will bring together 1,000 leading Australians ‘to tackle the long term challenges confronting Australia’s future … which require … responses from the nation beyond the usual three year electoral cycle’. An open invitation has also been extended to all Australian individuals, schools, groups and organisations to contribute submissions for consideration at the Summit. Ten critical areas have been identified as requiring a long term policy response. For more information, go to the Australia 2020 Summit website at http://www.australia2020.gov.au/index.cfm. +05. ACCESS CARD. Following the 2007 Federal Election, and in line with the new Labor Government’s election policy to not proceed with the Access Card, the Department of Human Services has removed the Office of Access Card website from the Internet. From February, an archived version of the Office of the Access Card website can be found on the National Library of Australia’s Pandora Archive website at http://www.pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/65938/20070207-000/www.accesscard.gov.au/index-2.html. +06. NATIONAL UNIFIED LIFESKILLS MODEL (NULM). A national parent summit is planned for April 2008. For more information, email Errol Ingram at errol@nulm.org or go to http://www.nulm.org. +07. REVIEW OF ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT STANDARDS. The Draft Report on the Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport is available for public comment on the review website http://www.ddatransportreview.com.au. The Allen Consulting Group is seeking comments from stakeholders on the Draft Report up to 5.00pm on Monday 31 March 2008. If you have any difficulties accessing the Draft Report, phone Sharon Kennard on 02 6204 6500. +08. INFORMATION, PUBLICATIONS. - Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) and Vision Australia have signed a Heads of Agreement that foreshadows a merger of the two organisations. Operations are to be combined by the end of June with a formal merger to take place at a convenient time in the future. To read the news release from William Jolley, President of SEDA, go to http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=823&news=581. - Macular Degeneration Awareness Week will be held from 25 to 31 May this year. For more information, go to http://www.mdfoundation.com.au/page3323837.aspx. - The Other Film Festival: entries are now being accepted for Australia’s only disability film festival, to be held in Melbourne in September 2008. Entries for the 2008 festival can be of any length or genre, but they must be made by, with or about people with disability. All of the selected films will automatically enter the running for the best film prize of $5,000, with other prizes yet to be announced. Entries cost $30 or $25 for students and need to be lodged by Monday 3 March 2008. For more information and to enter, visit http://www.otherfilmfestival.com/. - Australia’s biggest youth event: National Youth Week will be held between 5 and 13 April 2008. The new website http://www.youthweek.com will have information on ways for young people to join activities, win prizes, enter competitions and have a say on issues that affect them. To read the media release of Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis, go to http://mediacentre.dewr.gov.au/mediacentre/AllReleases/2008/January/Australiasbiggestyoutheventonline.htm, and to read about the competitions, go to http://mediacentre.dewr.gov.au/mediacentre/AllReleases/2008/January/NationalYouthWeek2008Competitionsopen.htm. The 2020 Youth Summit will be held in Parliament House, Canberra on 12 and 13 April 2008, the weekend preceding the Australia 2020 Summit in Canberra. One hundred young Australians aged 15-24 will be invited to contribute their insights and ideas on solutions to the long term policy challenges facing Australia. For more information, visit http://www.australia2020.gov.au/youth/index.cfm. +09. WORKSHOPS ON WEB ACCESS. - Web Accessibility Benefits and Issues: Canberra 6 March This afternoon workshop is targeted at web-development team leaders, corporate communications professionals and business manages, along with content authors and web programmers and designers and contract managers. For Melbourne information, go to http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1653&event=53 and for Canberra to http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1653&event=63. - Web Accessibility Techniques: Canberra 7 March This full-day workshop is targeted at web development team leaders, corporate communications professionals along with content authors, web programmers and designers and web contract managers. A basic knowledge of HTML is helpful. The workshop provides a thorough overview of accessibility issues and techniques to address them, covering the World Wide Web’s Consortium’s Content Accessibility Guidelines and their implementation. For Melbourne information, go to: http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1653&event=112 and for Canberra to http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1653&event=117. +10. NATIONAL CONFERENCES. - 2008 National Conference of the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities will be held in Melbourne on 11 to 14 April, immediately after the Fourth General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille on 6 to 10 April. More information and the call for papers (closing date for submission of abstracts was 5 October 2007) are available at http://www.e-bility.com/roundtable/. - ARATA National Conference: Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association will hold its 2008 conference in Adelaide from 22 to 24 September. The conference will explore some of the challenges faced with getting assistive technology to the people who need it and demonstrating its value to the community at large. To read the call for papers, go to http://www.e-bility.com/arata/conf_abstracts.php. - SPEVI Biennial Conference: The 2009 Biennial Conference of the South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment will be held from 6 to 9 January 2009 in Adelaide. The theme of Challenges and Choices will focus on vision impairment, adaptive technology, early intervention and partnerships. The Call for Papers closed on 29 February 2008. For more information, phone Jessica Bosnakis of All Occasions Management on 08 8354 2285 or email Jessica@aomevents.com. +11. WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU). - WBU General Assembly 2008: The Swiss Federation of the Blind and Visually Impaired will host the Seventh WBU General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland from 15 to 23 August. Registration for the General Assembly and Women’s Forum is open until 31 March. More information about the General Assembly and the Women’s Forum is available at http://www.wbu2008.ch/e/ or by emailing wbu2008@kuoni.ch. - New date for International Congress for Blind and Partially Sighted Children: The conference, ‘Listening to the Children’, will now be held from 16 to 20 June 2008 in Pontevedra, Spain. The congress aims to provide a forum for a group of teenagers who are blind or partially sighted from around the world to reflect on their current status and to make their demands and needs known to decision and policy makers. For more information, go to http://www.worldblindunion.org/appdocumentos/ingles/Listening%20to%20the%20Children%20article.doc (although you’ll notice that the old March date is still shown there). - WHO bulletin for January 2008 includes an article ‘Global magnitude of visual impairment caused by uncorrected refractive errors in 2004’. Of interest are the article’s conclusions, which recommend that screening of children for refractive errors should be conducted at community level and integrated into school health programs, accompanied by education and awareness campaigns; the cost of corrections must be accessible and affordable for people of all ages; training and information programs should be designed for teachers and school health-care workers. To read the article, go to http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/1/07-041210.pdf. - Volunteer Service Overseas: The VSO ‘Handbook on Mainstreaming Disability’ aims to give practical guidance to support development organisations to mainstream disability into their work. To access the handbook, go to http://wecando.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/resource-vso-handbook-on-mainstreaming-disability. +12. OTHER INTERNATIONAL ITEMS. - United Nations: The Australian Government is seeking public comment on the implications of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities before it decides whether to ratify the Convention. Australia was among the first nations to sign the Convention, ten months ago. Ratification would affirm that Australia intends to be bound by the Convention’s articles. NDS News Update ‘Government seeks comment on the UN Disability Convention’ of 25 January provides more background for NDS members. To make comments direct or to read the Convention, go to http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Humanrightsandanti-discrimination_ConsultationonthePossibleRatificationoftheUnitedNationsConventionontheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities. The Australian Government has also asked the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) to organise a brief consultation of peak on the positives and negatives of Australia ratifying the Convention. Background papers can be read at http://www.disabilityrightsnow.org.au. A new UNICEF publication, ‘Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities’, available at http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/digest13-disability.pdf, relates to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and focuses on barriers to inclusion. - South Australian biotech helps US veterans: The US Department of Veterans’ Affairs has turned to a small Adelaide-based biotech company to help injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who have neurological vision impairment. Neuro Vision Technology Pty Ltd (NVT) has produced a unique scanning device which runs on a dedicated laptop to detect and diagnose neurological vision loss. The Royal Society for the Blind of SA has commenced a neurological research project in partnership with NVT to ‘measure the success of current rehabilitation protocols and new technologies towards increasing the independence and integration of people with neurological vision loss into our community’. For more information, go to http://www.neurovisiontech.com.au/news/default.htm. - 24th Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities has been rescheduled to 14 and 15 April 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii – go to http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/ for more information. - Vision 2008, the 9th international conference on low vision, will be held in Montreal, Canada from 7 to 11 July 2008 – go to http://www.vision2008.ca. - International Conference on Diverse Abilities & Innovative Supports, ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Community’, will be held in Hawaii on 11 to 13 August 2008. A call for papers will close on Friday 7 March 2008. For more information, go to http://www.craconferences.com. - Australian Disability and Development Consortium (ADDC) will host its 2008 international conference, ‘Disability, Disadvantage and Development’ in Canberra on 29 to 30 September. The themes to be explored include social impact (education, access to services, gender); economic impacts (work opportunities); international conventions and other legal instruments and the relationship between disability, disadvantage and poverty. Visit http://www.addc.org.au for updates or email Paul Deany, ADDC Convenor at pdeany@cbmi.org.au or Neva Wendt of Australian Council for International Development at nwendt@acfid.asn.au. ADDC reports that the Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, said that disability is a key area of interest for AusAID, and Labor will develop a disability policy to mainstream disability into the aid program. For more information, visit http://www.addc.org.au/newsevents.html. - Mobility International USA (MIUSA) is currently accepting applications from emerging and established women leaders with disabilities, including from the Oceania/Pacific region, to attend the fourth International Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) from 12 August to 2 September 2008 in the USA. The WILD program will include workshops, site visits and practical activities on priority issues for women with disabilities. Applications close on Friday 4 April 2008. For more information, contact Mobility International USA WILD 2008 by emailing womenleaders@miusa.org or visit http://www.miusa.org/admin/wild-2008. - Braille 1809 to 2009 – the writing with 6 dots and its future: Under the sponsorship of UNESCO, World Blind Union, French National Committee for the Social Promotion of Blind and Partially Sighted People, this international conference will be held in Paris from 4 to 8 January 2009 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille’s birth. A call for papers closed on 31 January 2008. For more information, email ch.coudert@avh.asso.fr or Catherine Munoz-Smith at the WBU office at caterine.munoz-smith@wbuoffice.org. +13. NATIONAL DISABILITY SERVICES (NDS). - National Disability Workforce Project: NDS is conducting a two-year national project to establish a clear picture of the workforce capacity challenges the non-government disability sector faces and to trial a range of employee retention strategies with nominated pilot services in every State and Territory. For more information, members of NDS can read NDS News Update of 12 November. - Inaugural Children’s Conference: The first national conference on children and young people with disability and their families, ‘Every Child Matters’, will be co-hosted by NDS and Families Australia in Melbourne this year. It will identify issues, share solutions, celebrate successes and help services to better respond to needs across four themes: family wellbeing; one community; our voice; policy, practices and priorities. The conference on 14 to 15 May 2008 falls within National Families Week and ends on International Day of Families. Shortly, the program and registration form will appear on the NDS website at http://www.nds.org.au/conferences/CYF2008/home.htm. +ABF BACKGROUND AND CONTACT. The Australian Blindness Forum (ABF) was first formed as an unincorporated body in 1992, funded only by its members. On 23 April 2007, the ABF became an Australian public company limited by guarantee, funded by its members and governed by a board of directors. The purpose of the ABF is to operate as a peak body representing the blindness sector for the benefit of people who are blind or vision impaired. The Project Officer (Australian Blindness Forum) is located at the ABF’s registered office, 33 Thesiger Court, Deakin ACT 2600. Contact Margaret Verick, phone 02 6283 3214, email margaret.verick@nds.org.au. [Update ends]