+++AUSTRALIAN BLINDNESS FORUM and NATIONAL DISABILITY SERVICES ++ABF/NDS UPDATE DECEMBER 2009 [Contents begin] +01.Christmas Wishes and Closure. +02.News from ABF Members and Associates. +03.Coalition Shadow Ministry. +04.Access to Information. +05.Access to Aviation. +06.Employment. +07.Inquiry into Ageing and Disability. +08.National Companion Card. +09.Disability Investment Group Report. +10.National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). +11.National Data on Specialist Disability Services. +12.Reduced Financial Reporting Requirements. +13.ATO Rewrites GST Advice for Charities. +14.Other Information, Publications. +15.NDS Events. +16.Other National Events. +17.Continuing Professional Education. +18.International: World Blind Union (WBU). +19.International: Louis Braille Bicentenary. +20.International: AMD Alliance International (AMDAI). +21.International: Other Items. +22.Feature Item: RIDBC Supports Education in Papua New Guinea. - End Notes [Contents end] [Update begins] +01.CHRISTMAS WISHES AND CLOSURE. The offices of ABF and NDS will close on 23 December and re-open on 4 January. We send our best wishes to you for the Festive Season and for a rewarding 2010! +02.NEWS FROM ABF MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES. - Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register – Oz-Viskids: The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children has undertaken to build, develop and maintain the first Australia-wide childhood vision impairment register. The register will be used by researchers to investigate the cause and prevention of childhood vision impairment. It will also be used by Australian service providers to more accurately plan for the present and future services to meet the needs of people with vision impairment. To help plan these services, accurate details of the causes, number of affected children and their level of vision are needed. A flyer is on the RIDBC website at http://www.ridbc.org.au/renwick/research/ozviskids. For further details, please contact Jill Watson at RIDBC Renwick Centre, phone 02 9872 0303, email jill.watson@org.au. - Low Vision Centre Research: The Royal Society for the Blind of SA (RSB), in conjunction with Flinders University Adelaide, is currently conducting a research project into the long-term benefits of attending a Low Vision Centre (LVC) clinic session. People attending the RSB LVC, the primary centre in South Australia for people who have experienced vision loss, will be asked to complete three questionnaires examining the perception of their quality of life. The first will be administered prior to the person attending a clinic session; the second on completion of services at the LVC, and the final three months later to measure how the clinic service has improved their quality of life. Flinders University will collate the data and provide a report. For further information, contact Sandra Wilhelm, RSB Manager Low Vision Services on 08 8232 4777 or email swilhelm@rsb.org.au. - Update on VA Education Centre: The Vision Australia Burwood Education Centre and the Visiting Teacher Service have ceased educational operations after 143 years of service to children across Victoria. Since the decision to end the service and over the past fourteen months, the education staff have continued to provide a quality service. The therapy services and Feelix have transferred to Kooyong. The Visiting Teacher Service has transferred to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development with many of the current visiting teachers employed by the Department commencing in 2010. For more information, go to http://www.visionaustralia.org/info.aspx?page=823&news=1503. +03.COALITION SHADOW MINISTRY. The new Coalition Shadow Ministry includes Hon Kevin Andrews MP (http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=HK5) as Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services. Senator Mitch Fifield remains as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector and Senator Gary Humphries has been appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Housing and Human Services. +04.ACCESS TO INFORMATION. - Access to Electronic Media: The discussion report ‘Access to Electronic Media for the Hearing and Vision Impaired: Approaches for Consideration’ has been released and invites public input on ways to improve access to television, cinema and other electronic media. The media industry, people with vision or hearing impairment and representative groups are encouraged to continue to actively participate in this investigation. The PDF version of the discussion report is at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/123187/Media_Access_Review_Discussion_Report.pdf and the RTF version at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/rtf_file/0005/123188/Media_Access_Review_Discussion_Report.rtf. HTML, audio and Braille formats can be ordered by emailing mediaaccessreview@dbcde.gov.au. Media Access Australia (MAA), the most comprehensive source of information about access to media and can provide information about what is already accessible, what is being planned, and links to other resources around the world. Start with the education section of the MAA website (http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/), which links through to the Accessible Education Database. For help with questions, phone MAA during most of January on 02 9212 6242 or email info@mediaaccess.org.au. Submissions on the discussion report close at 4.00pm on Friday 29 January 2010. - Audio description in cinemas: Recently, the Australian Human Rights Commission received an application for temporary exemption under Section 55 of the Disability Discrimination Act from Hoyts Corporation, Greater Union Organisation, Village Cinemas and Reading Cinemas. In summary, the application proposed that the cinemas would provide audio description (AD) capability in thirty five screens over the next two and a half years. The ABF, in collaboration with NDS, made a response to the application, which can be read on the ABF website at http://www.australianblindnessforum.org.au/Resources.html. - Benefits of audio description in early childhood education: The role of AD in children’s television presents a gap in research that is currently being investigated by the University of Louisville in the US. Prompted by a surge of understanding about the benefits of children’s educational programs on development, the study is looking at how parents can switch on AD to enhance the educational benefits for their children. AD allows parents to target development of literacy by stimulating the two senses of sight and sound at the same time. The researcher is aiming to ‘bridge the gap between what benefits are received by blind children and their sighted peers’. Most of the time, it has been shown that parents and teachers in early childhood give information by targeting a single approach. But through AD, additional vocabulary can be introduced through a multi-sensory approach that allows children to absorb information at a deeper level. AD in education is still a new phenomenon with the Designed Captioned and Media Program in the US currently leading global advocacy. (Source: Media Access Australia) +05.ACCESS TO AVIATION. The first-ever comprehensive White Paper ‘Flight Path to the Future’ (http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/nap/index.aspx) brings together all strands of aviation policy into a single document providing planning, regulatory and investment certainty for the aviation industry to 2020 and beyond. Through the work of the Aviation Access Working Group (AAWG, http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/aawg/), on which NDS and the ABF are represented, the White Paper recognises the significant difficulties faced by passengers with disability. The AAWG, which has met regularly since February this year was consulted on the new guidelines for airport security screening operators; allocation of emergency exit row seating; simplifying pre-flight processes for the safe carriage of an assistance animal in an aircraft cabin. The AAWG was also consulted in-depth on the Disability Access Facilitation Plan scheme which will see airlines and airports better communicate their efforts to achieve disability access. The Australian High Commission has called for the government to set up a process for the voluntary lodgment of the plans by mid 2010. The government recently received the final report of the independent five-year review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport and is now considering its response. +06.EMPLOYMENT. - Supported Employment Services Award 2010 Released: In accordance with the Government’s timetable, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) has released the final version of the Supported Employment Services Award 2010 (PDF 155KB). The Award largely reflects the original exposure draft released by the AIRC in late September, but includes several amendments following submissions from interested parties, including NDS. Importantly, the AIRC’s Statement of Decision relating to the Supported Employment Award contains some key clarifications and explanations. The Fair Work Australia website http://www.fairwork.gov.au/Pay-leave-and-conditions/Agreements/Pages/employers.aspx contains the following advice in relation to the operation of various industrial agreements made prior to 1 January 2010: ‘All individual Transitional Employment Agreements, AWAs and collective agreements lodged before 31 December 2009 will continue to operate until they are terminated or replaced.’ For more information, NDS members can read the NDS News Updates of 8 and 11 December at http://www.nds.org.au/national/default.htm. - New Disability Employment Services Announced: Successful organisations for the Australian Government’s new $1.2 billion Disability Employment Services program, to begin on 1 March 2010, have been announced. One of the significant changes is the removal of the cap on the number of people who can access help. There will be sixty-six organisations from more than 1100 sites delivering Disability Employment Services Program A, which is for job seekers with disability, injury or health condition who require assistance but are not expected to need long-term support in the workplace. A list of successful organisations by Employment Service Area for 2010-2012 is available at http://www.workplace.gov.au. +07.INQUIRY INTO AGEING AND DISABILITY. The Senate Community Affairs References Committee will inquire into access to planning options and services for people with disability to ensure their continued quality of life as they and their carers age. The inquiry also aims to identify any inadequacies in the choice and funding of planning options currently available to people ageing with disability and their carers. The Committee is seeking written submissions by 28 May 2010 for report by 2 September 2010. For more information, visit http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/planning_options_people_ageing_with_disability/index.htm. +08.NATIONAL COMPANION CARD. The National Companion Card Scheme was officially launched on 3 December, International Day of People with Disabilities, and the website is now live at http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/disability/progserv/people/companioncard/Pages/default.aspx. The National Companion Card Scheme enables people with disability dependent on full-time care to take a carer with them on transport and to sporting and entertainment events for the price of a single ticket. More than 2700 businesses are supporting the Companion Card including the AFL, Basketball Australia, Tennis Australia, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Reading Cinemas, Circus Oz, Fitness First Australia, Circus Royale, Event Cinemas and the Australian Ballet. +09.DISABILITY INVESTMENT GROUP REPORT. The Disability Investment Group report, ‘The Way Forward: A new disability policy framework for Australia’, has been released as part of the Australian Government’s commitment to set out a ten-year plan for coordinated, across-government action for Australians with disability. With the number of people with a severe or profound disability predicted to rise to 2.3 million by 2030, the Government is looking at how to better support people with disability over the long-term. The Government has already responded to the report’s primary recommendation by announcing that the Productivity Commission will undertake a comprehensive feasibility study into a national disability insurance scheme. The report and membership of the Disability Investment Group can be found at http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/disability/news/Pages/disability_investgroup_report.aspx. +10.NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME (NDIS). NDS members attending the NDS 2009 CEO Meeting were given an update on the campaign for the NDIS and received CDs of the Toolkit for Service Providers. The information on the CD is available at http://www.ndis.org.au/takeaction.html. +11.NATIONAL DATA ON SPECIALIST DISABILITY SERVICES. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released its report ‘Disability Support Services 2007-08: national data on services provided under the Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement’. This identifies almost one quarter of a million people who used specialist disability services during that period and the agencies and outlets that provided those services. Employment services experienced the highest growth (46 per cent); real expenditure per employment service user grew more modestly at 4.4 per cent. Key trends in service provision are also examined using five years of national data collected for the CSTDA Minimum Data Set. The following statistics relate to people with deafblindness and vision disability. Users of CSTDA-funded services, sex and primary disability group by age group (Table 2.4, pages 16 to 17) - Total deafblindness 529 (0.2 per cent) - Total vision disability 7516 (3.1 per cent) Users of CSTDA-funded services, primary disability, all ages (Table 2.5, page 18) - Total deafblindness with other significant disability 299; without other significant disability 230 - Total vision disability with other significant disability 3020; without other significant disability 4496 Users of CSTDA-funded services, needs an interpreter for spoken language other than English (Table 2.8, page 23) - Total deafblindness 20 - Total vision disability 146 Users of CSTDA-funded services, needs an interpreter for non-spoken communication (Table 2.8, page 23) - Total deafblindness 132 - Total vision disability 422 Users of CSTDA-funded services, does not need an interpreter (table 2.8, page 23) - Total deafblindness and not stated 377 - Total vision disability 6948 Open employment service users by disability group (Table 2.11, page 27) - Total deafblindness 0.1 per cent - Total vision disability 4.9 per cent Supported employment service users by disability group (Table 2.11, page 27) - Total deafblindness 0.7 per cent - Total vision disability 6.5 per cent For more information, read the AIHW media release at http://www.aihw.gov.au/mediacentre/2009/mr20091203.cfm, the report summary and a link to the full report at http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10751, and NDS members can read the NDS News Update of 14 December at http://www.nds.org.au/national/default.htm. +12.REDUCED FINANCIAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG), meeting in December agreed to proceed with regulatory reform to Australia’s corporate reporting framework. The key measure for companies limited by guarantee (which typically have a not-for-profit purpose) will be the introduction of a three-year differential reporting framework. An exposure draft of the ‘Corporations Amendment (Corporate Reporting Reform) Bill 2010, together with explanatory material (http://www.treasury.gov.au/contentitem.asp?NavId=037&ContentID=1677), is now available for public comment until 3 February 2010. The COAG meeting also agreed to proceed with the implementation of a Standard Chart of Accounts for not-for-profit organisations in receipt of government grants. Consultations for this will be held in early 2010. The full COAG communiqué can be read at http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2009-12-07/docs/20091207_communique.pdf and NDS members can read the NDS News Update of 9 December at http://www.nds.org.au/national/default.htm. +13.ATO REWRITES GST ADVICE FOR CHARITIES. The ATO has rewritten the principles around the non-commercial activities of charities, and the ‘cost of supply’ and ‘market value’ tests. This has been done in consultation with the Charities Consultative Committee, on which NDS is represented. For more detail, read Section C: Benchmark Market Value for Charities at http://www.ato.gov.au/print.asp?doc=/content/16250.htm&page=13#P541_70871. NDS Members can read NDS News Update of 22 December 2009 at http://www.nds.org.au/national/default.htm. +14.OTHER INFORMATION, PUBLICATIONS. - Link Disability Magazine: The December issue has articles about sensory disability: ‘Information Accessible to Everyone’ by NDS’s Ken Baker; ‘Sisters, Salsa Dancers and Sopranos’ about sisters Erin and Claire on living with retinitis pigmentosa; and ‘Is Your Vision Affecting Your Work? Mandy’s Story’ and the assistance of RSB SA. In addition, there are a number of articles about the NDIS. For more information about the magazine, visit http://www.linkonline.com.au. - Disability Sport Research Project: The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is researching the participation (and non-participation) of people with disability in sport and physical recreation. The research team is now inviting people with disability to take part in an online survey about their sport and active recreation experiences. Those fully completing the questionnaire have the opportunity to go into a guessing competition to win one of five $600 vouchers for Inclusive Sport & Recreation Equipment. For alternative formats (large print, e-text, easy English), to complete the questionnaire by phone, or to obtain further information, phone Ryan Sherry of UTS on 02 9514 5101 or email ryan.sherry@uts.edu.au. - How Do I Deal with Centrelink? This new publication by solicitor and mediator Dezi George details simple steps to be taken when interacting with Centrelink. The book, to sell for $22.95 plus postage, will be available before Christmas. Contact the author by phoning 0434 240 298 or emailing dezigeorge@gmail.com. - Australian DeafBlind Council (ADBC) has a new email address, info@deafblind.org.au and telephone number 03 9882 8596. - Windows 7 at DonorTec: Microsoft is donating Windows 7 upgrades to eligible nonprofits through DonorTec (http://www.donortec.com.au/windows7). Upgrades are available for a low administrative fee of $11.00 per workstation for Windows 7 Professional Upgrade and $12.00 per workstation for Windows 7 Enterprise Upgrade. This donation is available to organisations that meet the Microsoft eligibility requirements (http://www.donortec.com.au/donors/microsoft-eligibility). To request the donation, an organisation must register at http://www.donortec.com.au/user/register. - Social media for all: Media Access Australia (MAA) has launched two products that will help people with disability take advantage of social networking through internet communications. The Social Media Guide looks at the accessibility features in a number of popular social media tools, including Skype, Facebook, YouTube and many others, while the Social Media Accessibility Review reports on the overall state of accessibility across social media. The products are available from the MAA website at http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=683&Itemid=106. - The Deafness Forum 2010 Educational Scholarship provides educational scholarships to facilitate the participation of people who are Deaf or people who have a hearing impairment in post secondary education. Each Year Deafness Forum scholarships provide financial assistance to Deaf and hearing impaired people to enhance their participation in further education; increase the number of Deaf and hearing impaired students, including those who are Deafblind, in further education; and, in particular, to increase education opportunities for Deaf and hearing impaired students from the indigenous community, regional communities and non-English speaking backgrounds. In 2010, a scholarship will be available for support such as tuition, text materials or any other support considered necessary and approved by the Selection Panel for the scholar(s) to successfully undertake an educational program. Typically around $1500 will be provided to any one scholar. Support services such as interpreting, transcription typing and purchase of assistive listening devices or other services deemed the responsibility of the tertiary institution, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, will NOT be considered under this scholarship. Scholarship recipients will receive complimentary membership of the Deafness Forum for 12 months. For more information, go to http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php?q=educational-scholarships. +15.NDS EVENTS. - Accommodation & Social Participation Conference 2010 ‘Moving On: Supporting People with Disability to Manage Change’ will be held on 6 and 7 May 2010 at Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast. The Call for Papers closed on 20 November 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.nds.org.au/national/default.htm. +16.OTHER NATIONAL EVENTS. - National Deafness Sector Summit: Early bird registrations for the sixth summit on 23 and 24 April 2010 are now open at http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php?q=national-deafness-sector-summit. - The Eighth National DeafBlind Conference will be held in Melbourne on 28 to 30 April 2010. The call for papers closed on 7 August. For more information, go to http://www.ableaustralia.org.au/8th-national-deafblind-conference-2010.asp. - Round Table 2010 Annual Conference, ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’, will be held in Auckland New Zealand for the first time in May 2010 (date to be confirmed). The conference will explore the role of both global and local achievements and their impact on the lives of people with print disabilities. Submission of extracts should be made by 27 November. For more information, go to http://www.e-bility.com/roundtable/downloads/conf10/callforpapers-rtconf2010.doc. +17.CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION. The calendar for Professional Education Courses in 2010 is still being compiled by RIDBC Renwick Centre. Keep checking for updates at http://www.ridbc.org.au/renwick/courses/continuinged_calendar.asp, +18.INTERNATIONAL: WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU). - WBU Marks 25 years: 20 December this year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the WBU, the internationally recognised voice of people who are blind or vision impaired. In 1984, the WBU was formed through the union of the International Federation of the Blind and the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. However, the WBU represents over a century of global cooperation on blindness issues, dating back to the first international conference on the subject in 1873 in Vienna. The WBU continues its work in three strategic priority areas of representation, capacity building and resource sharing. The WBU statement can be read at http://www.worldblindunion.org/en/documents/publications/WBU-25th-Anniversary-Dec-20-09.doc. Below are some extracts from the November WBU E-Bulletin, which can be read in full at http://www.worldblindunion.org/en/home847b.html?id=43&nivel=2. - WBU President elected to Board of GPDD: Maryanne Diamond has been elected to the Board of Directors of the World Bank Global Program on Disability and Development (GPDD, http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALPROTECTION/EXTDISABILITY/0,,contentMDK:21036173~menuPK:282711~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:282699,00.html). The role and purpose of the GPDD is to combat poverty and advance the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals by accelerating inclusion of people with disability and their families into development policies and practices in low-income countries. WBU World Braille Council: The first meeting of the reconstituted World Braille Council (WBC) was held in Madrid in November to share ideas, experiences and knowledge and work together to achieve short-term and long-term goals. The need for producing books in Braille at greatly accelerated speed was repeatedly emphasised, with particular reference to the situation of developing countries. For this purpose, it was agreed that a mechanism may be set up to create a database of existing international Braille libraries and to vigorously pursue the WBU Copyright Treaty under consideration at WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights. A number of small groups were formed to undertake collection and compilation of information on existing Braille Authorities across the world. One group will work out practical procedures for recommending guidelines to facilitate tactile representation of pictures and drawings. Another group was given the task of preparing a bibliography of material currently available in various languages on such areas as Braille production, teaching of Braille including curriculum material and related research activities. - Nokia Braille Reader: Nokia has released a new beta application which will allow users who are blind to read SMS on selected Nokia touch-screen cellular phones. The Nokia Braille Reader, which uses the Braille alphabet and leverages tactile feedback, is only compatible with certain Nokia models. It is available as a free download from Nokia Beta Labs via the Nokia Beta Labs Blog. There’s more information at http://www.unwiredview.com/2009/09/17/nokia-braille-reader-to-help-visually-impaired-users-read-sms/. - DAISY 2009: The International Technical Conference held on 24 and 25 September during the DAISY 2009 meeting in Leipzig was attended by about 160 experts from all over the world. Topics of the two conference days were the technical backgrounds for further development and future possibilities of DAISY technologies and standards which where analysed in workshops, presentations and discussions. The abstracts of the DAISY International Technical Conference as well as its programs and presentations are available online at: www.daisy2009.de/en/programme/international-technical-conference.html. - WBU Asia-Pacific: At the joint WBUAP Board and Policy Council meeting in Mongolia in September, Robyn Gaile (formerly McKenzie) was appointed to represent the Asia Pacific Region on the WBU Low-Vision Network as part of the Diversity Committee for the period 2009-2012. Robyn Gaile can be contacted at BCA on bca@bca.org.au. +19.INTERNATIONAL: LOUIS BRAILLE BICENTENARY. - World Braille Day every year on 4 January commemorates the birth of Louis Braille. During 2009, the WBU and its partner organisations celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille. In a successful year, many people participated in various national and international events including conferences, Braille readings and essay contests. Special editions of commemorative postage stamps showed the portrait of Louis Braille and an asteroid named after Braille maintains its orbit in outer space. The WBU believes that, more than ever, Braille is playing essential role in the lives of people who are blind or vision impaired, but much more needs to be done: - There is a shortage of Braille books particularly in developing countries; - The use of different Braille code symbols for Maths, Computer Braille or Phonetics across the world needs to be addressed by the introduction of a simplified and common unification Braille code system; and - Products and facilities like bank machines, elevator key panels or packages need to have Braille labeling. - Gillian Gale Award for Braille Literacy 2010: This Quantum Scholarship honours the remarkable contribution of Gillian Gale to the education of students who are blind in Australia and internationally. A Mountbatten Learning System and all associated software and accessories will be awarded to one child in both Australia and New Zealand. The award is open to applications on behalf of children between the ages of three and eight years who are learning braille or are assessed as a future braille learner. In one thousand (1000) words or less, applications signed by an Early Childhood or Early Intervention professional and/or parent, should tell ‘why you feel braille literacy will be essential to your child’s success and describe the role you envisage the Mountbatten Learning System will play in your child’s future’. For more information, go to http://www.quantumtechnology.com.au/brailleliteracyscholarshipprogram. - Louis Braille Bicentenary Website: The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC), in creating a website to mark the bicentenary of Louis Braille’s birth, has produced and collected a range of resources about Braille facts, info, videos, trivia, games and quizzes, links to Braille events and workshops and some reading lists. The information is geared towards the general public to provide an overview of the history of Braille and an introduction to the Braille code. To find out more, go to http://www.cubicconsulting.com.au/ridbc/index.cfm?skinname=content&page=43984. - Braille Bug: The American Federation for the Blind’s Braille Bug website http://www.afb.org/braillebug/ provides information for sighted students. +20.INTERNATIONAL: AMD ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL (AMDAI. - AMD Awareness Growing in Australia: Macular Degeneration Foundation CEO Julie Heraghty, in her report to the ABF Members’ Forum in October, said that Australia is acknowledged as a world leader in raising awareness of macular degeneration (MD). Although MD is the leading cause of blindness and severe vision loss in Australia (affecting 25 to 30 million people over 50 years of age in the western world), the awareness of the disease in Australia had been dangerously low. However, recent significant research indicated a massive increase in the Australian public’s awareness of MD over the last two years by 53 per cent from 47 per cent in February 2007 to 72 per cent in September 2009. At the start of this year’s worldwide (age-related) MD Week from 19 to 27 September, the MDF’s Galaxy poll has placed Australia as a world leader in public awareness of the disease (http://www.maculardegeneration.com.au/aus_aware_md_soars.aspx). More than 58 per cent of those aged 50 years and over have had their macula checked in the past two years, which has increased by 75 per cent since February 2007. Optometrists across the country are reporting that the MDF awareness campaign is driving those at-risk of MD not only to have their eyes tested but also to ask about their macula – a significant result. +21.INTERNATIONAL: OTHER ITEMS. - International Day of People with Disability: On 3 December, Parliamentary Secretary Bill Shorten acknowledged that ten per cent of the world’s population, some 650 million people, are living with a disability. They make up the world’s largest and most disadvantaged minority and are increasingly recognised as the poorest and most marginalised in developing countries, accounting for at least 20 per cent of the most impoverished people there. The theme of this year’s international day focused on development – ‘Making the Millennium Development Goals Inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world’. Australia is working with UN agencies and others to make this happen. In November 2008, Parliamentary Secretary Bob McMullan launched Australia’s first comprehensive disability strategy for the international aid program: ‘Development for All: Towards a disability-inclusive Australian aid program 2009-2014’. For the record, a number of ABF members have been engaged for some years in activities aimed at improving the lives of people with vision loss in a number of countries in the WBU Asia-Pacific Region and the Pacific-Oceania Sub-region and through ICEVI (http://www.icevi.org/). The ABF, on behalf of WBU Asia-Pacific and through the Royal Society for the Blind of SA, established the Surplus Equipment Exchange at http://www.rsb.org.au/wbu/index.html. - UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): Stevie Wonder, an internationally celebrated musician, has been appointed the new UN Messenger of Peace at UN Headquarters. He was presented with the appointment certificate in Braille. Disability rights groups, organisations working with people with disability and all other interested parties are being called on to carefully monitor their home nation’s compliance with the CRPD to ensure moves towards more accessible information and communications technologies (ICT) do not fall by the wayside. Cynthia Waddell, Executive Director of the International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI – http://www.icdri.org) says the Convention has helped to create a paradigm shift in the exercise of the rights of people with disability in the use of ICT, with many provisions relating to ICT availability, affordability and accessibility through principles of ‘universal design’. The Convention requires signatory states to designate focal points within each country to assist in the implementation and monitoring. A longer article on this topic can be read in Headstar’s E-Access Bulletin of December 2009 at http://www.headstar.com/eab/archive.html#current. For more information about the CRPD, go to http://www.un.org/disabilities/. - RNIB’s Lost and Found Campaign was launched to help raise much-needed awareness about the difficult emotional and practical impact of losing one’s vision. It also aims to raise vital funds to be able to help all blind or partially sighted people find their lives again and provide all the services and support they need to live independently. RNIB will be campaigning to make sure that the patient information in eye clinics, GP offices and hospitals is provided promptly and in a format the person can read; high-quality information, advice and support services are routinely available to everyone who experiences vision loss; and counselling and emotional support is available to everyone who loses their sight. For more information, go to http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/healthsocialcare/lostandfound/Pages/lost_found.aspx. - UK’s First Educational e-Book Library in a range of digital formats accessible to students who are blind or print disabled has been launched. ‘Books for All’ is a joint project between The Seeing Ear (http://www.seeingear.org) and the University of Edinburgh. It allows authorised and registered teachers and students with vision impairment to access an online catalogue of alternative format educational books for free. - ‘A Thousand Choirs for One Vision’: For the past fourteen years, Retina France has championed a unique concept – ‘A Thousand Choirs for one Vision’. Last year, more than two thousand choirs participated in 700 concerts to raise awareness and funds for Retina France. The concerts raised more than 430,000 Euros that will fund research programs for retinal diseases. This year, Retina France has the support of a legendary French musician and singer, Gilbert Montagne, who has been blind from birth. For more information (in French), visit the Retina France website at http://www.retina.fr/spip.php?rubrique18. - Annual Pacific Rim International Conference: The Centre on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii is calling for submission of proposals to the 2010 Pac Rim Conference on Disabilities that will be held in Honolulu on 12 and 13 April 2010. The conference will explore new directions through scholarship, best practice and international networking, as well as include an International Forum on the Rights of People with Disability, an international film festival and more. More information is at http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu. - ICEVI 13th World Conference: The Call for Abstracts for this conference, to be held in Thailand in August 2010, closed on 31 October 2009. The overall conference theme is ‘Achieving Education for All Children with Visual Impairment: Strategies and Challenges’. There’s more information at http://www.icevi.org/13thWC/call_for_papers.html. ICEVI’s journal, The Educator, is also available on the ICEVI website at http://www.icevi.org/pdf/educator_january_2009.pdf. - Twelfth International Conference on Mobility and Transport will be held in Hong Kong from 2 to 4 June 2010. The conference theme is ‘Sustainable Transport and Travel for All’. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 31 August 2009. For further information, visit http://www.transed2010.hk. - SPEVI Conference 2011 will be held in Sydney from 16 to 21 January 2011. The call for papers will go out later this year. In the meantime, for more information, contact Tricia d’Apice at the RIDBC Teleschool by phoning 02 9872 0332 or emailing tricia.dapice@ridbc.org.au. - International Mobility Conference 2012 ‘Mobility Through the Ages, Up Over and Down Under’ will be held in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 13 to 17 February. The call for abstracts opens in February 2011 and closes 30 April 2011. To register your interest, go to http://www.imc14.com. +22.FEATURE ITEM: RIDBC SUPPORTS EDUCATION IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. During December 2009, Frances Gentle of RIDBC Renwick Centre travelled to the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea to teach this year’s cohort of Bachelor of Special Education students. The Bachelor degree program was first established in 2005 by Callan Studies Institute and Divine Word University. The program consists of eight units that are completed over two years through intensive, one-week residential programs held at the St Benedict’s Campus of Divine Word University in Wewak during July and December of each year. Frances has been closely involved with the design and delivery of the Vision Impairment Unit (ED425) since 2005. The Unit is offered biennially in December, and attracts students from across PNG. This year’s group of 40 students included education and rehabilitation professionals from Bougainville, Rabaul, Enga, Vanimo, the Eastern and Western Highlands, and the East Sepik province. The students bring with them their unique cultural perspectives and diverse linguistic backgrounds, and as a result discussions and practical activities are animated and lively (once the “white Mary” is understood). For those of you who are not familiar with the climate and living conditions of PNG during the summer months, heat, rain, humidity and tropical diseases are common features. This December was no exception, and included the additional Wewak challenges of a cholera epidemic, lost luggage, intermittent power black outs, and night visits by venomous snakes. As in previous years however, the positives of the trip far outweighed the challenges. The students were enthusiastic, keen to learn, and passionate about the rights of Papua New Guinean children to education and inclusion in society. The unit’s content included vision screening, early childhood education, inclusive education practices, assistive technology, and sport and recreation activities for students with vision impairments. The generous contributions of RIDBC, Royal Society for the Blind in South Australia (RSB SA), and Guide Dogs NSW/ACT are acknowledged with thanks. - End Notes Getting more information on issues in the ABF/NDS Update: Unless otherwise stated, please contact Margaret Verick at margaret.verick@nds.org.au, phone 02 6283 3214. Reproducing information from the ABF/NDS 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 650 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.