+++AUSTRALIAN BLINDNESS FORUM and NATIONAL DISABILITY SERVICES ++ABF UPDATE OCTOBER 2008 [Contents begin] +01. ABF Members’ Forum and AGM. +02. ABF Recycled Equipment Website. +03. Financial Help for Pensioners, Seniors and Carers. +04. Information and Communications Technology. +05. National Compact. +06. National Disability Strategy. +07. National Arts and Disability Strategy. +08. Social Inclusion Agenda. +09. Special Disability Trusts. +10. National Children’s Vision Screening Project. +11. Information, Publications. +12. Continuing Professional Education Events. +13. Web Accessibility Workshops. +14. National Conferences. +15. NDS Events. +16. World Blind Union. +17. Other International Items. - Getting More Information on Issues in this Update. - Reproducing Information from this Update. - About Australian Blindness Forum. - About National Disability Services. [Contents end] [Update begins] +01. ABF MEMBERS’ FORUM AND AGM. On 16 October at Vision Australia’s centre in Melbourne, the ABF held its 2008 Members’ Forum and annual general meeting. Papers on a range of issues were presented, including reports on the ABF’s six policies adopted this year; collaboration between the ABF and National Disability Services; professional publications; RIDBC Teleschool; activities in the Pacific; National Unified Lifeskills Model and Aussie Blind Kids Network and the WBU Pacific-Oceania sub-region and Equipment Recycling Scheme. Andrew Daly (Royal Society for the Blind of SA) and Jan North (Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children) were elected by members to be Australia’s delegates to assemblies of the World Blind Union over the next four years. They will join BCA’s appointed delegates, Robyn McKenzie and Cheryl Pascual. The new Board of Directors is: Andrew Daly, RSB SA (Chair); Gerard Menses, Vision Australia (Vice Chair); Chris Laine, Guide Dogs Queensland (Treasurer); Jan North, RIDBC; and David Blyth, appointed by BCA. +02. ABF RECYCLED EQUIPMENT WEBSITE. Kevin Murfitt, Chair of the WBU Pacific-Oceania Sub-region, reports that the project is progressing well. Donated equipment has already been sent to Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Timor Leste. A paper written by Kevin Murfitt and Andrew Daly on the pilot project was included in the Best Practice Examples program of the WBU General Assembly in August 2008. In the meantime, 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 Equipment Register at http://www.rsb.org.au/wbu/index.html. +03. FINANCIAL HELP FOR PENSIONERS, SENIORS AND CARERS. The Australian Government has announced a $4.8 billion down payment to pensioners, carers, seniors and veterans, including recipients of the Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment through the payment of a lump sum of $1,400 to singles and $2,100 to couples from 8 December 2008. People in receipt of Carer Allowance will also receive $1,000 for each eligible person being cared for. The payments will provide one-off assistance this financial year while the Government’s Pension Review formulates longer-term recommendations. For more information, go to http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Release/2008/media_release_0544.cfm. +04. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY. The independent Gershon Report ‘Review of the Australian Government’s Use of Information and Communication Technology’ has just been released by the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO). The report, which makes a number of recommendations about how the government can make more effective and efficient use of technology, is being examined by the government before it makes a response. The ABF and NDS has consistently called on the Australian Government to make its information more accessible and, in recent months, the Australian Human Rights Commission has drawn attention to the need for public information to be made available in accessible formats such as HTML, Word and RTF as well as the customary PDF format. To read the report, go to http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/ict-review/index.html. +05. NATIONAL COMPACT. The first stage of consultations to develop the compact between the Australian Government and the non-profit sector are close to being finalised. At the end of June 2007, there were 40,976 ABN registered not-for-profit organisations, as well as 600,000 organisations that would not fall within the ABN registration requirements. As part of the redefinition of the not-for-profit sector’s relationship with government, the use of ‘confidentiality clauses’ in funding contracts will be ended; red tape burden will be reduced and the Productivity Commission will be asked to construct a new tool to measure the contribution of the not-for-profit sector to communities and the economy, including the value of volunteers. For more information, go to http://www.socialinclusion.gov.au/A_National_Compact.htm. +06. NATIONAL DISABILITY STRATEGY. The Australian Government is now seeking input to the development of the Strategy. The stated aim of the Strategy is ‘to increase the social, economic and cultural participation of people with disability, to eliminate the discrimination experienced by them and to improve disability support services for them, their families and carers.’ The Strategy will also look to ensuring the principles which underpin the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are incorporated into policies and programs affecting people with disability, their families and carers. A consultation paper has been released (http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/disabilities/nds.htm), which includes details of the public meetings to be held in each State and Territory. NDS will make a submission by the due date of 1 December 2008. The National Disability Strategy will be released in mid 2009. +07. NATIONAL ARTS AND DISABILITY STRATEGY. The Cultural Ministers’ Council is seeking comment on a discussion paper with the aim of identifying the barriers to participation in, and access to, arts and cultural activity. Part of the Social Inclusion Agenda, this strategy will be developed in consultation with state and territory governments, local governments and the arts and disability sectors. The intention is that the Arts and Disability Strategy will complement the National Disability Strategy and the National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy, both also under development. Submissions on the discussion paper can be made until 3 November. For more information, go to http://www.cmc.gov.au/working_groups/national_arts_and_disability_strategy_working_group. +08. SOCIAL INCLUSION AGENDA. A research paper prepared, ‘Social Inclusion – Origins, concepts and key themes’, by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, explores the priority areas identified for action by the Australian Government, including children at risk, child poverty, jobless families and intergenerational disadvantage. In May this year, NDS met with the government to discuss how the economic and social disadvantages experienced by people with disability can be addressed within this new social policy framework. To read the research paper, go to http://www.socialinclusion.gov.au/publications.htm. +09. SPECIAL DISABILITY TRUSTS. Special Disability Trusts (SDTs) were introduced in September 2006 to assist parents and immediate family members wishing to make private financial provision for the current or future accommodation and care of a family member with a severe disability. SDTs were designed to enable families to make these provisions without reducing the person’s entitlement to disability support pensions, age pensions, veteran pensions or related benefits. However, the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs, after finding substantial concerns about the effectiveness of current arrangements for SDTs, has made several recommendations to significantly improve their operation. To read the report, ‘Building Trust: Supporting Families through Disability Trusts’, go to http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/disability_trusts/report/index.htm. +10. NATIONAL CHILDREN’S VISION SCREENING PROJECT. The Centre for Community Child Health at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital is currently conducting this project to look at the effectiveness of vision screening programs for Australian children. The project is supported by the Department of Health and Ageing under the Eye Health Demonstration Grants program. The project team is seeking expressions of interest from Australian eye health and vision care professionals to take part in consultations across Australia during November and December 2008. For more information, visit the Vision 2020 Australia website at http://www.vision2020australia.org.au. +11. INFORMATION, PUBLICATIONS. - New BCA Branch for Newcastle/Hunter area: In response to the growing need for peer support and peer advocacy in the area, the first meeting of the new branch was held in Newcastle on 12 October. For more information about the meeting or the new branch, contact Stephen Belbin on 0409 000 100. - Vision Australia’s Dickinson Literary Award is open to all Australian writers who are blind or have low vision. There are seven categories, each of which has a first prize of a Vision Australia Equipment Solution’s voucher to the value of $500. Categories for fiction and non-fiction are separated into Adults 25 and Over; Young Adults 16-24; Youth Under 16 and Open for All Ages. Australian citizens who are ‘legally’ blind are invited to make submissions by 31 December. More information is at http://www.visionaustralia.org/literaryaward/. - Vision Australia’s Further Education Bursaries: Applications are invited from residents of Victoria, NSW, ACT, Queensland, NT and Tasmania who are or will become a client of Vision Australia and who are applying for or are enrolled in a tertiary course graded Certificate IV or above. Applicants are required to demonstrate their need for financial assistance to purchase adaptive technology. Applications must be submitted by 10 November 2008 and recipients will be selected early in 2009 and bursaries presented at ceremonies during the first semester. For more information, contact Max Bini phone 03 9520 5555 or 1300 84 74 66, email max.bini@visionaustralia.org. - Quantum Technology Scholarships: The Gillian Gale Award for Braille Literacy, WYNN Scholarship Program 2008 and JAWS Scholarship Program 2008 are now open and applications for all close on Thursday 11 December 2008. For more information, contact Lexie Challis, phone 02 8844 9834, email lchallis@quantumtechnology.com.au. +12. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION EVENTS. A range of RIDBC Renwick Centre CPE events are scheduled in November to 3 December including: - Supporting Children with Vision Impairment, A Pathway Analysis Approach: 11 November 2008: Aimed at parents and professionals alike, this workshop will use the experience of Scotland to identify the multiple agencies involved with children with visual impairment and how a single source of information could be developed in Australia (as is now the case in Scotland). Participants will be able to draw and produce a pathway analysis for their own service delivery context through an understanding of how agencies collaborate to provide single shared assessments. There will be ample opportunities for discussion with colleagues and the presenter. For the full schedule of education events, visit RIDBC Renwick Centre website at http://www.ridbc.org.au/renwick/courses/continuinged_calendar.asp. +13. WEB ACCESSIBILITY WORKSHOPS. Writing for the Web: Sydney 7 November. Vision Australia is partnering with respected usability and accessibility expert Dey Alexander to offer a unique Writing for the Web workshop. 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. The course outline and registration details are at http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1422. Web Accessibility Benefits and Issues: Canberra 5 November; Sydney 12 November. This half-day workshop run by Vision Australia is targeted at policy makers, business managers and corporate communications or web development professionals who want an overview of why web accessibility is important. No knowledge of HTML or other web technologies is needed. It provides an introduction to Web Accessibility. The focus is on how web accessibility can benefit organisations and their website users. A range of simulations are used to demonstrate how people with disabilities use the web. The workshop introduces the World Wide Web Consortium's Content Accessibility Guidelines and their implementation (go to http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1422). Web Accessibility Techniques: Canberra 6 November; Sydney 13 November; Adelaide 20 November. This full-day workshop run by Vision Australia 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. It provides a thorough overview of accessibility issues and the techniques used to address them. It covers the World Wide Web Consortium's Content Accessibility Guidelines and their implementation. The course outline and registration details are at http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1422. +14. NATIONAL CONFERENCES. - Pathways 9 conference will be held in Melbourne from 2 to 5 December 2008. The conference will begin with a celebration of ability in recognition of the 'International Day of People with a Disability' which occurs on the 3 December. Dr Kevin Murfitt, the current Chair of Vision Australia, will be one of the keynote speakers. Early registrations can be completed through http://www.pathways9.org until 3 October. - AFDO first national conference postponed: ‘Policy About Us, For Us! A Practical Revolution in the Lives of People with Disabilities’ which was to be held in Melbourne on 9 and 10 October this year has been postponed to May 2009 – read the AFDO release at http://www.afdo.org.au/node/229. +15. NDS EVENTS. - CEO Meeting 2008 will be held in Canberra on 1 and 2 December. The program and registration form are available on the NDS website http://www.nds.org.au. +16. WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU). - WBU President: Maryanne Diamond’s term as WBU President for the four-year period 2008-2012 will be supported financially by funds from the Australian Government and Vision Australia (Maryanne’s employer). The recent signing of an agreement between the ABF and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in the office of Bill Shorten, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services provided a good photo opportunity. - WBU General Assembly 2008: A report from Australia’s delegates to the Assembly is available on the ABF website at http://www.australianblindnessforum.org.au/Resources.html. - Two New publications: ‘Changing What it Means to be Blind – Reflections on the first 25 years of the World Blind Union’, edited by Sir John Wall, are memoirs of the first six presidents and the long-serving secretary-general that give a flavour of the workings of an important non-government organisation. ‘A Universal Voice’ has been produced for the WBU by ONCE to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille and the 25th anniversary of the WBU. To order the publications, contact RNIB Export Department by emailing exports@rnib.org.uk. +17. OTHER INTERNATIONAL ITEMS. - UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): Public consultations on the Optional Protocol to the UN CRPD are now underway. Information on the Optional Protocol and consultation process can be found on the Attorney-General’s website at http://www.ag.gov.au/disabilityconvention. - Draft Disability Strategy for the Australian Aid Program: At the first international conference on ‘Disability, Disadvantage and Development in the Pacific and Asia’, held in Canberra from 29 September to 1 October, the Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance released a new draft strategy for AusAID. The strategy includes a focus on education and infrastructure, on building the capacity of disability organisations, on prevention and on leadership. It can be read at http://www.ausaid.gov.au/keyaid/disability.cfm. The final strategy will be released in December this year. - New Perkins Brailler: After 57 years, the Next Generation Brailler has been launched, initially only for sale in the USA and only through American Printing House for the Blind or Perkins Products. The new Brailler retains all of the features of the Classic, the most widely used Braille writer in the world, plus new features that make it more portable, more comfortable and quieter. The international launch of the new Brailler is set for early 2009. For more information, visit http://www.PerkinsBrailler.org. - International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December this year will have the theme ‘Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and justice for all of us’. For more information about the day in Australia, go to http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/disabilities/policy-international_day_pwd.htm. - ICEVI Educator: The January 2009 issue will address topics surrounding the code of Braille: past, present and future. The guest editor for the July 2009 issue, Cay Holbrook, is calling for people to submit articles which will focus on creative, innovative, effective and enthusiastic use of Braille. To submit an article of between 1500 and 3000 words in English by 15 April 2009, email cay.holbrook@ubc.ca. - Louis Braille Bicentenary 4 January 2009: Under the sponsorship of UNESCO, World Blind Union, French National Committee for the Social Promotion of Blind and Partially Sighted People, the international conference ‘1809 to 2009 – the writing with 6 dots and its future’ will be held in Paris from 4 to 8 January 2009 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille’s birth. For more information, email ch.coudert@avh.asso.fr or Catherine Munoz-Smith at the WBU office at caterine.munoz-smith@wbuoffice.org. A list of ideas for promoting the bicentenary throughout the coming months in Australia is available from the RIDBC Renwick Centre by emailing mike.steer@ridbc.org.au. A list of activities across Australia is being developed and will be publicised shortly. National Braille Press, a non-profit printing house in the US, has secured the domain name http://www.louisbraillebicentennial.com for 2008 and 2009. - 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. For more information, go to http://www.e-bility.com/spevi/conf09.php or phone Jessica Bosnakis of All Occasions Management on 08 8354 2285 or email Jessica@aomevents.com. - Twenty-fifth Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities: A Call for Papers has been issued by the Center on Disability Studies (http://www.cds.hawaii.edu) for this conference, which will be held in Honolulu on 4 to 5 May 2009. More information about the PacRim conference is at http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/. [Update ends] Background information begins] - Getting more information on issues in this Update: Unless otherwise stated, please contact Margaret Verick at margaret.verick@nds.org.au, phone 02 6283 3214. - Reproducing information from this Update: Anyone may reproduce any of the information in this Update – just acknowledge this source. - About AUSTRALIAN BLINDNESS FORUM http://www.australianblindnessforum.org.au: Australian Blindness Forum (ABF) was first formed as an unincorporated body in 1992, funded only by its members. In 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 registered office, 33 Thesiger Court, Deakin ACT 2600 – contact Margaret Verick, email margaret.verick@nds.org.au, phone 02 6283 3214. - About NATIONAL DISABILTY SERVICES http://www.nds.org.au: National Disability Services (NDS) is the national industry association for disability services, representing over 600 not-for-profit organisations. Collectively, NDS’s members operate several thousand services for Australians with all types of disability. NDS’s members range in size from small support groups to large multi-service organisations, and are located in every State and Territory across Australia. [Background information ends]