AUSTRALIAN BLINDNESS FORUM ACN 125 036 857 The 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 Project Officer (Australian Blindness Forum) is located at the ABF’s registered office at 33 Thesiger Court, Deakin ACT 2600. Contact Margaret Verick, phone 02 6283 3214, email margaret.verick@nds.org.au. ABF UPDATE – JUNE 2007 Contents 1. More about the ABF 2. Workshops on Web Access 3. CSTDA 4. New disability funding 5. Census data 6. Access Card 7. Carer Adjustment Payment (CAP) 8. Review of Accessible Public Transport Standards 9. Financial reporting for Unlisted Public Companies under review 10. Inaugural National Disability Awards 11. National Unified Lifeskills Model (NULM) 12. Vision Australia opens in the Northern Territory 13. Information/Publications 14. People 15. Conferences 16. World Blind Union 17. Other International Items 18. National Disability Services (NDS) 1. MORE ABOUT THE ABF Following discussion about the development of the ABF at the Members’ Forum on 4 April and the ABF directors’ meeting on 25 May, the Australian Blindness Forum and National Disability Services (NDS) have agreed to continue with their current mutually-beneficial relationship, which includes the placement of the Project Officer within NDS in Canberra. After one recent change, the current directors of the ABF are: Sandy Gilliland (Chair), Joe Finucane (Treasurer), David Blyth, Robert Altamore, Nadia Mattiazzo, Andrew Daly, Leigh Garwood, Gerard Menses and Tony Wright. ABF strategic priorities and actions for the next twelve months will focus on improving organisational sustainability; providing value for members and recruiting new members; raising government awareness of the ABF; developing collaborative partnerships and broadening liaison with other peak bodies. ABF operational priorities and actions are supporting implementation of the National Unified Lifeskills Model (NULM); supporting development of the Asia-Pacific equipment recycling website; pursuing ministerial endorsement of the proposed National Vision Loss Rehabilitation Strategy and the proposed National Equipment Subsidy Scheme and encouraging further interaction between key staff of member agencies. 2. WORKSHOPS ON WEB ACCESS - Writing for the Web Adelaide 24 July Brisbane 11 September Canberra 1 August Perth 28 August Vision Australia is partnering with respected usability and accessibility expert Dey Alexander to offer unique ‘Writing for the Web’ workshops. Dey is co-convenor of the Web Accessibility Network of Australian Universities and is a regular presenter on useable and accessible web writing to the education, corporate and government sectors. Focusing on excellent content writing, these practical workshops complement the Vision Australia Web Accessibility Workshops. Further information is available at http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=685. - Web Accessibility Brisbane 28 June Canberra 18 July These full-day workshops are targeted at web-development team leaders, corporate communications professionals and business managers, along with content authors, web programmers and designers and contract managers. Further information is available at http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1653&event=51. 3. CSTDA States and territories had until 8 June to respond to Federal Minister Mal Brough’s dollar-for-dollar funding offer on unmet need under the CSTDA (Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement). At present, the Commonwealth’s share of funding for state-administered disability services (such as accommodation and respite care) is 20%. The Commonwealth’s offer would lift its contribution to 50% for new accommodation and respite care services. The need for more services extends beyond accommodation and respite care, but that does not diminish the case for injecting more funding into these two areas of need. NDS has urged states and territories to respond to the Minister’s offer. For more information, read NDS News Updates of 24 and 31 May and 20 June, or contact Margaret Verick. The need for a substantial boost in funding for disability services has been confirmed by a report, ‘Current and Future Demand for Specialist Disability Services’ just released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. You can access the report online at http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10450. An NDS Disability Briefing on the CSTDA, developed for parliamentarians and the media, is available online at http://www.nds.org.au/national/other/briefings/CSTDA-Jun07.pdf. 4. NEW DISABILITY FUNDING On 28 June, the Australian Government announced additional funding of $1.8 billion over five years from 1 July 2007 to help reduce the critical level of unmet need for disability services including supported accommodation, respite places and disability business services. A payment of $1000 each year, from October 2007, will be paid to families with a child with disability under the age of 16 to assist with the purchase of necessary support, such as a wheelchair, communication aids, therapy and respite. Older carers will be assisted with additional in-home support and respite. NDS is seeking further details on the package. For more information, read the Disability Assistance Package Fact Sheets at http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/disabilities/assistance_package.htm, Minister Mal Brough’s media release at http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/minister3.nsf/content/disability_package_28jun07.htmand the NDS Media Release at http://www.nds.org.au/national/Other/MediaReleases/MR-28Jun07.pdf. 5. CENSUS DATA The first release of information from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, the first to include questions on disability, shows that around 822,000 Australians have a severe or profound disability. Around 372,400 of these people are aged less than 65 years. For more information read NDS News Update of 27 June and the ABS Media Fact Sheet at http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/25751785d566d5eaca257306000d59a5!OpenDocument#. 6. ACCESS CARD Legislation to introduce a national access card could be delayed until after the upcoming federal election. Human Services Minister Chris Ellison told the Australian Smart Cards summit in Sydney that more consultation was needed with the states and territories and stakeholder groups (including disability peak bodies) before the government could introduce the access card bill. In the meantime, briefing meetings on the exposure draft of the legislation are being held with stakeholder groups, including NDS and ABF. For more information, read the NDS News Update of 8 June or contact Margaret Verick. For more information about the card, go to http://www.accesscard.gov.au. 7. CARER ADJUSTMENT PAYMENT (CAP) The CAP, announced in the 2007 Federal Budget, offers a payment under an interim ex gratia payment scheme while a wide-ranging review of the Carer Payment (child) is concluded. It is intended to assist families to adjust following a catastrophic event where a young child aged 0-6 is diagnosed with a severe injury or serious illness leading to a disability. The maximum amount available to any family, which is not eligible for the Carer Payment, is $10,000. The CAP payment will conclude on 30 June 2008. For more information, read the NDS News Update of 4 June or go to http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/via/disabhome/$File/CarerAdjustmentPayment_FSMay07.pdf. 8. REVIEW OF ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT STANDARDS The dates and venues of public hearings for the review are available on the review website at http://www.ddatransportreview.com.au/?x=hearings. Please direct any enquiries about the hearings to Sharon Kennard, Allen Consulting Group, phone 02 6204 6500, email dstransport@allenconsult.com.au. 9. FINANCIAL REPORTING FOR UNLISTED PUBLIC COMPANIES UNDER REVIEW The Federal Government is reviewing financial reporting requirements for unlisted companies and Federal Treasury has released a discussion paper (http://www.treasury.gov.au/contentitem.asp?Navid=002&ContentID=1269) for comment by 3 August 2007. The review aims to ensure that the costs of reporting incurred by unlisted companies – which include companies limited by guarantee – do not outweigh the benefits to stakeholders. In general, reporting requirements imposed on companies limited by guarantee are more extensive than those imposed on incorporated associations, which differ from state to state. 10. INAUGURAL NATIONAL DISABILITY AWARDS Achievements of people with disability and contributions to the disability sector will be recognised in the Inaugural National Disability Awards, to be announced on International Day of People with Disability, 3 December 2007. Nominations for five award categories opened on 2 June and will close on 20 July 2007. For more information, read the NDS News Update of 4 June or visit http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/News/disability_awards.htm. 11. NATIONAL UNIFIED LIFESKILLS MODEL (NULM) The NULM Planning Team are organising a major Appreciative Inquiry summit for September this year. For more information about the NULM, go to http://www.nulm.org or email Errol Ingram at errol@nulm.org. 12. VISION AUSTRALIA OPENS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY Vision Australia has begun providing access to adaptive technology and training to people who are blind or have low vision at its new Darwin centre. For more information, go to http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=823&news=282. 13. INFORMATION/PUBLICATIONS - Vision Australia Awards for 2007 have been made to local businesses, organisations and individuals across Australia who have shown outstanding support for people who are blind or have low vision in their community. For more detail, go to http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1640. - Captions on Australian films: The Deafness Forum of Australia (DFA) has welcomed the announcement that the Film Finance Corporation will require captions on all FFC-financed feature films from 1 July 2007. For more information, go to http://www.ffc.gov.au/news/ or email DFA info@deafnessforum.org.au. - New drugs for macular degeneration: From 1 August 2007 Lucentis? (ranibizumab) will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the treatment of wet, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This drug can slow down or reverse the progression of AMD, depending on the stage and type of the disease. - Renwick Centre, at the North Rocks campus of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC), is about to be expanded. Enrolments in Renwick Centre’s courses are now three times higher than expected when the program was established 15 years ago as a centre for professional education and research. Design and construction of new and larger facilities are expected to be completed by 2010, to coincide with RIDBC’s 150th anniversary celebration. For more information about Renwick Centre, go to http://www.ridbc.org.au/renwick/index.asp. - Free materials on vision: Optometrists Association Australia is offering free materials to schools on how to identify children with vision problems and how to look after vision. Teachers’ guides, parents’ guides, multilingual guides, stickers and posters can be ordered online at http://www.kidsvis.com.au. - AustraliaForAll.com.au (http://www.australiaforall.com.au/) is a new national e-service which allows tourists with disability and their families to obtain information about the accessibility of accommodation and tourist venues. It can also assist tourist providers to improve their services. - National Glaucoma Week will run from 15 to 21 July 2007. For more information, go to http://www.glaucoma.org.au/. - Quantum Technology Freedom Scientific JAWS Scholarship Program 2008: People with vision loss planning to pursue further studies in 2008, or currently enrolled in tertiary studies, can apply to win a copy of JAWS for Windows Professional valued at around $2000. In 500 words or less, applicants must say why they need a Freedom Scholarship and how it will assist with tertiary studies. Applications close on Friday 26 October 2007. For more information, contact Quantum Technology by phoning 02 8844 9888 or emailing info@quantumtechnology.com.au. 14. PEOPLE - Maryanne Diamond has commenced in her new role as Manager of International Development with Vision Australia, based at Kooyong in Victoria. - The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind has appointed Sandra Budd as its new Chief Executive Officer, starting in July 2007. She succeeds Paula Daye, who had been with the Foundation for eight years. - Queen’s Birthday Honours: Congratulations to Josie Howse, Manager State Braille and Large Print Service of NSW Department of Education and Training, on being awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) and Associate Professor Jill Keeffe, Director of the Population Health Division, Centre for Eye Research Australia, the Order of Australia Medal (OAM). 15. CONFERENCES - The 2007 International DeafBlind Conference will be held from 25 to 30 September in Perth. For more information, go to http://www.dbiconference2007.asn.au/. - Blind Citizens Australia will hold its 2007 National Conference on 19, 20 and 21 October at the Ibis Melbourne Hotel. As more information becomes available, it will be posted to the website http://www.bca.org.au/. - The third Australasian Orientation and Mobility Conference will be held this year at the Association for the Blind of WA in Perth from 24 to 27 October. For more information, go to http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/body_conferences.html. 16. WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU) Below are extracts from the WBU E-Bulletin of May 2007 provided by Maryanne Diamond, WBU First Vice President. - The WBU’s twenty-fifth anniversary will occur in 2009 and, where appropriate, celebrations will be coordinated with the Louis Braille Bicentenary. A history of the WBU will be published. - WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) has published its study into exceptions and limitations to copyright around the world for the benefit of people with vision impairment. This includes an examination of the international transfer issue. Word and html versions of the study can be accessed at http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=75696. - The International Agency on the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) had requested the assistance of all WBU members in lobbying their governments for the inclusion of the Prevention of Blindness strategies in the next WHA (World Health Assembly) in May and beyond. Further information is available on the Vision 2020 website at http://www.v2020.org. Note: Vision 2020 Australia reports (http://www.vision2020australia.org.au/home.htm) that vision impairment and the prevention of blindness has been formally adopted in the World Health Organisation’s Medium Term Strategic Plan 2008–2013 at the 60th World Health Assembly held in Geneva from the 14–23 May 2007. This recognition follows tireless lobbying by members of Vision 2020 Australia and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and is an important endorsement of the global effort to prevent blindness and improve vision care. - The third World Championships of the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) will take place from 28 July to 8 August in Sao Paulo, Brazil and will be an individual and team qualifier for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Prior to the championships, the IBSA Youth and Student World Games will be held in Colorado Springs, USA from 11 to 17 July. For more information on Brazil 2007, go to http://www.ibsabrasil2007.org.br and on blind sports, go to http://www.ibsa.es. - ACB Radio World: A new stream (a service of the American Council of the Blind) can be reached from the ACB Radio homepage http://www.acbradio.org and accessed by both broadband and modem users. ACB Radio can also be found on the new and improved ACB Radio Tuner which is also available from ACB. - Access to PDF for JAWS users: Guidelines have been developed with support from Adobe and are designed to help JAWS users get the best from PDF documents and some of the new accessibility features incorporated in recent versions of the reader software. The link to this new user guide is http://www.rnib.org.uk/accessing_pdf. - Report on a visit to PNG: With funds provided by the Danish Government a one-year capacity building project is will be undertaken in Papua New Guinea. Maryanne Diamond (WBU First Vice President) and Kevin Murfitt (Chair WBU Asia-Pacific Sub-region) and representatives from the Danish Association of the Blind visited Papua New Guinea during in June. The purpose of the project is to strengthen and build the capacity of PNG Blind Union to advocate and lobby by increasing its membership; conducting a general assembly and electing a diverse leadership. A short report about the visit is available. 17. OTHER INTERNATIONAL ITEMS - UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: The Australian Government will commence a review of Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation to ensure domestic law is consistent with the obligations in the Convention. An analysis of possible impacts, including the results of extensive community consultation, will also be completed and tabled in Parliament, together with the Convention. To read the Attorney-General’s news release, go to http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/MinisterRuddockHome.nsf/Page/Media_Releases, click on ‘Media Releases’ and the release of 27 June. - The 2007 World Sight Day on 11 October will have the theme ‘Our Vision for Children’. ABF messages for the day will include a focus on the National Unified Lifeskills Model (NULM). Planning for 2007 is on the Vision 2020 The Right to Sight international website at pttp://www.v2020.org/page.asp?section=0001000100070010. 18. NATIONAL DISABILITY SERVICES (NDS) - Employment Forum: The NDS 2007 Employment Forum will be held at Sydney Hilton on 30-31 July. The program, registration form and other information is available at http://www.nds.org.au/conferences/EF2007/home.htm. - CEO Meeting: This year the NDS CEO Meeting will be held in Canberra on 28 and 29 November at the about-to-be completed Hotel Realm. As details of the event are finalised, they will be posted to the NDS website http://www.nds.org.au. - 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. 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 – listen, strengthen, share; and policy, practice and priorities. The conference to be held in Melbourne on 15-16 May 2008 is timed to begin on International Day of Families and be part of National Families Week. For more information, email margaret.verick@nds.org.au.