Blind Citizens Australia; the united voice of blind and vision impaired Australians. Our mission is to achieve equity and equality by our empowerment, by promoting positive community attitudes, and by striving for high quality and accessible services which meet our needs.

I am pleased to introduce the 28^th Annual Report of Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) for the year ended 30 June 2003. As this report demonstrates, in the past year BCA has worked diligently on its key activities of peer support, information dissemination, individual advocacy, systemic advocacy and advice to government and the community.

The year has been a busy and productive one for our organisation. The highlights of the year were:-

• participation in negotiations for the merger of the Royal Blind Society of NSW, the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind and the Vision Australia Foundation to create a single blindness service agency;
• extensive consultation with blind people throughout Australia on the costs of blindness and on the Federal Government's consultation paper about income support simplification;
• recognition of BCA as a source of authoritative and quality advice on issues affecting blind people as evidenced by invitations to present evidence to Senate Inquiries into Poverty and into the Education of Students With Disabilities;
• substantial advocacy on behalf of people who are blind or vision impaired in relation to welfare reform, education, tertiary student access to study materials, e-commerce, rail safety and access to premises;
• conducting inaugural State Conventions; and
• relocating our National Office from 87 High Street Prahran to 13 Barrett Street Kensington.

This report is the collective effort of various Directors and members of staff. I hope you will read it and through it understand the work of BCA on behalf of Australians who are blind and vision impaired.

Karen Knight, Chair of our Finance and Fundraising Committee, and the National Office through Maryanne Diamond, have worked hard to ensure that our organisation is financially stable.

I thank all of those members and supporters who have made financial donations to BCA during the year. I also thank those blindness agencies which have continuously financially supported us over a number of years and those blindness agencies and commercial organisations which have financially supported us this year. In addition to financial support, blindness agencies and individuals have provided much in-kind support through the year. This very practical help is also muc h appreciated.

There have been a number of changes to the Board in the period covered by this report. Karen Knight, John Simpson and Greg Madsen were elected to the Board at the 2002 AGM. Tony Clark resigned from the Board in November 2002 due to work and study commitments, but continues to contribute to BCA as Chair of our Victorian Coordinating Committee. Daniel Stubbs filled the casual vacancy resulting from Tony's resignation. Lynne Davis resigned from the Board in September 2002. Sue Thompson filled the casual vacancy resulting from Lynne's resignation. On behalf of the members I thank both Tony and Lynne for their contributions as Board members and their continuing active participation in BCA.

The members of the Board are: Robert Altamore, Karen Knight, Tony Starkey, John Simpson, Greg Madson, Daniel Stubbs and Sue Thompson. The Board meets monthly by teleconference and holds two face-to-face meetings each year which coincide with meetings of the National Policy and Development Council.

The NPDC consists of the Board members, a representative from each State or Territory that has more than 50 full members and a representative of organisational members. The NPDC has responsibility for guiding the development of BCA policies.

There were two changes to the NPDC during this reporting period. Sean Tyrell resigned from the Council, with Jordie Howell filling the resulting casual vacancy, and with Sue Thompson appointed to the Board, Barry Chapman filled the resulting casual vacancy. The membership, in addition to the Board, is: Jordie Howell (Vic), Barry Chapman (NSW), Craig Magill (Qld), Kym Hand (SA), Erika Webb (WA), Maree Brown (Tas) and Diana Braun (organisational members’ representative).

The NPDC has held two face-to-face meetings during this reporting period, in November 2002 and May 2003. The Council uses working groups to carry on its activity between meetings, which meet by teleconference. The working groups for this year were: Membership and Development; Transport and Access; Education; Library and Information Access ; and Employment. Each of the working groups was chaired by a Board member and a report from each is contained in this report.

The Board established two sub-committees in addition to the NPDC – the Finance and Fundraising Committees, under the leadership of Karen Knight.

The Board used the opportunity provided by its face-to-face meeting in May 2003 to involve NPDC members and key staff members in developing a strategic plan for the organisation. The day was facilitated by Daniel Stubbs. The outcome was an agreement by participants on seven priority areas of activity for BCA for the coming three years, which will be developed into a strategic plan. The strategic plan is a living document which the Board will review and refine annually. The importance of having a strategic plan is that it is an invaluable aid to the Board, the NPDC and staff as a point of reference to prioritise the many issues which come before us to ensure that BCA remains focussed on activities which contribute to the achievement of its Mission Statement and are of real benefit to our members.

In 2001, the Government asked disability peak organisations, including BCA, to join in the establishment of a single peak disability organisation. The AFDO has now been established and as a founding member BCA is entitled to a representative on the Board. BCA will contribute to the AFDO's role in presenting a co-ordinated disability sector response to the Government. However, in accordance with the resolution on this matter passed at our 1999 Convention, BCA will continue to independently advocate for blind people on issues of specific concern to our members.

Blind Citizens Australia does not have direct representation on NDAC, which advises the Commonwealth Minister for Family and Community Services, Amanda Vanstone, on disability issues. However, we have maintained close links with the Council through our member, Lynne Davis, who was a Deputy Chair, and we have participated in NDAC sponsored activities such as a round table on welfare reform.

On Australia Day 2003, we welcomed the awarding to June Ashmore of the Honour of the Order of Australia. This Australian Award recognises June's outstanding service to blind and vision impaired people in Australia. We acknowledge June's contribution as a leader in our organisation and a strong personal friend to many of us.

I congratulate the Central West NSW Branch of BCA on its establishment in August 2002 as our newest Branch. I look forward to their achievements and their contribution to BCA.

At the 2002 AGM, held in conjunction with the Victorian Convention, the BCA David Blyth Award was presented to Michael Simpson. Michael has made and continues to make an outstanding contribution to BCA and to blind people as a leader and mentor in our organisation and a senior executive within the Royal Blind Society. Michael has also enhanced the standing of blind people by his contribution to the broader disability sector through NDAC and other organisations.

A Certificate of Appreciation was also awarded to John Marshall of Captain Cook Waste Industries. Since 1989, John has been raising funds for BCA and we have received over $50,000 as a result of John’s efforts. I am sure I speak for all BCA members when I extend my warmest thanks and congratulations to John for his efforts.

I am pleased to report that BCA has once again enjoyed a very busy 12 months. We have continued to work hard in many new and traditional areas to assist blind and vision impaired people to become valued and active members of their communities.

During June 2003 the National Office of BCA was relocated from Prahran, in Melbourne’s inner south-east, to Kensington, in the inner north, and I am delighted to report that the relocation went extremely smoothly thanks to the enormous effort of our staff.

There was some movement in the staff of our National Office during the year. At the end of August 2003, staff included:

Maryanne Diamond Executive Officer

Aileen McFadzean National Advocacy Officer

Collette O’Neill National Policy Officer

The administration team consisted of:

Rosalyn Bates, Judi Potts, Robert Mascitti and Anthony Meilak

In August 2002, Helen Freris, the Victorian Advocacy and Information Officer left us and was replaced by Nadia Mattiazzo. We thank Helen for her contribution and wish her well. At the end of June 2003, Cheryl Gration left us after almost nine years to enjoy time at home with her daughter. I am sure that I speak on behalf of all friends of BCA in thanking Cheryl for her tremendous contribution to BCA over a long time and wish her great success in the future. Within our administration team during the year both Alison Lynch and Eve Kilmartin left us and I wish them well in their new challenges.

Rowena Jitts commenced employment with BCA late July as an Administration Officer located in Sydney.

BCA continued to administer the lottery during 2002-2003. Debbie Grima worked as the Data Entry Officer for the lottery three days per week. During the year, three people were employed in Bathurst as telemarketers. Two lotteries were conducted during this time and BCA raised over $30,000 as a result. Debbie left BCA at the end of June and I wish her success in whatever she undertakes in the future.

During the year we continued to work with a core group of volunteers who fit well into the office environment and provide an enormous range of skills, which support and enhance the work of our paid staff. They are a mix of members and local residents, some with sight and many without. Under the direction of Rosalyn Bates, they have proven a co-ordinated and effective team of people. I am pleased to report that with our relocation many of them chose to continue working with us.

The staff and volunteers are a friendly, dedicated and capable group of people. I am pleased to be a member of this group, both professionally and on a personal level.

Reports on the activities of the NSW and Victorian Offices are contained further in this report.

The five key activities undertaken by BCA to achieve our objectives are unchanged. They are: individual advocacy, systemic advocacy, information dissemination, peer support, and consultation. These services are provided to members as well as all blind and vision impaired Australians. Examples of advocacy undertaken during this year include: dealing with Centrelink, employment, migration, access to information and provision of bills and statements in accessible formats. We anticipate and are working towards many of the individual cases resulting in change that is of benefit to all blind and vision impaired people.

In the policy area we have responded to many and varied discussion papers, completed our Non Optional Cost of Blindness Study, presented evidence at a number of Senate Inquiries, developed the profile of BCA throughout the disability and welfare sector, contributed to the revision of Australian Standards for physical access and much more.

Over the last year a great deal of work has been undertaken supporting students at universities to obtain course materials in accessible formats in a timely manner. A number of complaints have been lodged and we have taken part in various working groups led by the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee in the areas of production, copyright and university practices and procedures. We anticipate outcomes from this work by the end of 2003. Further information about our progress in the area of education can be found in the individual reports of the National Advocacy Officer and National Policy Officer.

During the last year the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, Royal Blind Society of NSW and the Vision Australia Foundation began discussions aimed at merging into a single agency. In November 2002, BCA were invited to join the project’s Steering Committee and I was appointed BCA’s representative. A business case was developed along with an implementation plan and time line for such a merger. In June 2003 the Boards of the three agencies signed a Heads of Agreement to merge. BCA have been invited to appoint three people to the interim board of the single agency, which is expected to begin meeting in September 2003.

In accordance with the principles of self-determination (and the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards) we have been happy to contribute to the merger discussions in order to make sure that the voice of the users of the agencies’ services is heard, however we have not endorsed the merger. We will continue to assess the value of the merger to people who are blind or vision impaired as details of the new service agency are revealed.

It is important to remember that before any merger can take place, members of the three companies must vote in favour of it. The vote is anticipated to be held in early 2004.

Reports from several staff appear later in this Annual Report and I urge you to read them to gain an understanding of the enormous amount of work undertaken by BCA during the last year.

BCA has links with a number of external organisations and places on many committees and working parties to ensure the needs and views of blind and vision impaired people are represented. A complete list of these appear later in this report along with the names of our representatives.

Our work at an international level continues with the World Blind Union (WBU) and I am pleased that our members continue to show a great deal of interest in issues concerning blind people around the world. Graeme Innes and I represent Australia as delegates to the World Blind Union both at a regional and international level. I have chaired the WBU Women's Committee since November 2000 and served as a Board member and Executive member of the WBU from our region since 2001.

During last year BCA, the Royal Blind Society and the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind worked together to assist the people of East Timor establish an organization of the blind. We were most disappointed when the benefactor who had agreed to provide resources for this purpose had a change in priority. Other people such as Francis Gentle from St Edmunds School in NSW have done a great job in finding resources to assist the people in East Timor and the WBU Asia-Pacific region is currently working to identify resources to establish an organization of the blind in East Timor.

I would like to thank St Paul’s School in Melbourne for the generous contribution of a huge range of children’s braille material. We distributed them to a number of developing countries including: Fiji, Samoa and Sri Lanka. I have received a number of messages from grateful and happy readers.

Over the past year, there has once again been a steady growth in membership, with over 148 new members joining. There are currently 33 junior members, 294 associate members and 2672 full members. I am pleased to report that the Central West Branch in NSW was established in August 2002 and we look forward to the contribution from this new regional branch.

We continue to communicate with members and the blindness field through a variety of alternative format methods.

Our quarterly newsletter, Blind Citizens News, is read widely both in Australia and overseas. Lynne Davis, the editor of News for many years, resigned from the position in early 2002. We thank her for producing a publication of consistently high quality. The position of editor is currently filled by Nadia Mattiazzo in the National Office with support from Diana Braun as Assistant Editor.

Neville Kerr continues to host the Horizons radio program each week, and for those who are unable to listen on the RPH network it is streamed on our home page. Congratulations to Neville who hosted his 1,000 edition during this year.

Our audio magazine SoundAbout, which has been produced for more than 10 years, has continued to provide a style of publication welcomed by many people. I am pleased that all States have now adopted a uniform approach with one side of the cassette being filled with material of national interest and the other side containing State-specific material.

Thanks to Dale Simpson for his technical expertise, all those across Australia who have provided technical support, Stephen Jolley and a number of other presenters and Greg Madson who chaired the Committee overseeing SoundAbout’s production. Their hard work and professional approach is appreciated.

The BCA home page is managed and kept up-to-date by Barry Chapman who does a tremendous job providing a well-resourced web site.

The BCA-L discussion list has operated for members over the last year. The purpose of this list is to provide a forum for discussion and information sharing on issues important to members who are blind and vision impaired. Thank you to Lyn Eagers who has administered this list.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who support BCA in the National Office, NSW Office and at the State and branch level providing their expertise in a range of tasks, from labelling envelopes, formatting braille, copying newsletters, answering telephones, entering data, sending out raffle tickets, recording interviews, copying cassettes, developing submissions etc. Your efforts and time commitment are much appreciated.

BCA has undertaken a range of projects over a number of years, some specific to blindness and others across disability. During this year two major projects have been hosted by BCA: TEDICORE and the Enhancing Advocacy Skills - Towards an Equitable Society Project (Queensland).

The Telecommunications and Disability (TEDICORE) project has been managed by BCA over the last five years with Gunela Astbrink employed as a consultant to lead this work. John Simpson has chaired the Policy Advisory Board for this project over the last year with representatives from a number of disability organisations, providing a resource and support to Gunela in her work. The project aims to advance and represent the interests of telecommunications users with disabilities, and to promote equity and accessibility. BCA has been granted funding for a further year on this project.

Given this is an across disability project, the BCA Board has decided to hand it over to the Australian Federation of Disability Organizations once it is established. A report of the activities of TEDICORE over the last year can be found later in this report.

The Brisbane Branch was successful in securing once-off funding through Disability Services Queensland to undertake this project, titled Enhancing Advocacy - Toward an Equitable Society. Julie Ford was engaged as a consultant by BCA to lead this project. A report of this project is found later in the Annual Report.

Details of all finances and project reports, prepared by a number of Directors and staff members, are contained in this report and I urge you all to read these at your leisure.

As you will see from the detailed financial statement BCA incurred a loss of $60,086 this year. This is attributed to a number of factors which include: $179,271, decrease in income while expenditure was down by $125,873; World Blind Union expenses of $20,570 which relates to funds received in a previous year; over $3,500 write off of assets which were no further use to BCA since the relocation of the National Office; depreciation on equipment of $15,215 based on a policy to depreciate equipment following accountants advice; an increase in salaries due to award requirements of approx $6,000 and a decrease in grants of $7,000 from the blindness agencies.

Given the type of business BCA is, often funds are received in one year and expended in later years. This is evident when examining the finances over the last four years where there was a large surplus on two occasions and a deficit on the last two. The BCA Board has decided to make fund raising a high priority in the coming year to ensure BCA is in a position to maintain its current operation.

We highly appreciate the support from our members through our Appeal to Members and Pre-Authorised Credit Card Program, which raised $27,730. Donations from the general public provided $6,698. We also thank all the blindness agencies who provided $60,500 during this year and other organisations for their continuing support.

Under the leadership of Karen Knight and the Finance Committee, I am pleased to report our books are in order and are regularly reviewed.

Under the leadership of Robert Altamore, our National President, we have worked hard to encourage blind and vision impaired Australians to be part of BCA and to be part of the work we undertake.

Thank you to the staff, Board members, NPDC members, branches and all associated with BCA. Without you, we could not achieve anything.

I am pleased to commend this Annual Report for the year 2002-2003 of BCA to you.

The past year has been extremely busy with requests for individual advocacy support across a range of areas. Most of the advocacy related to complaints of discriminatory treatment. Complaints have been made about discriminatory treatment in the areas of education, employment, access to information and services, access to public premises and access to Commonwealth laws and programs.

There has been no decrease in the number of complaints from students who are blind or vision impaired who are experiencing disadvantage in accessing their courses. The complaints are primarily made by students in the tertiary sector. The majority of complaints relate to lack of access or inadequate access to course materials and lecture notes. It appears to be a trend that increasingly, universities are preparing course materials in alternate formats in-house rather than outsourcing to a professional producer. The cause of this is likely to have been the decision by the National Information Library Service to move from charging universities a nominal fee to full cost recovery. Many institutions are not providing students with course materials of comparable quality to those received by sighted students. The materials are frequently only available well into a semester and in a limited range of formats. A number of universities are not prepared to braille materials or produce materials on audio cassette. Moreover students who request large print are being either denied that format or being pressured to utilise screen reading software. Although it is understandable for universities to look at more cost efficient ways of delivering services, students who are blind or vision impaired have often determined by the time they reach University the method of accessing information which works for them best. BCA encourages students to be as resourceful as possible in terms of diversifying how they access materials, but ultimately we advocate for the right of a student to receive course materials in the format(s) which is the most suitable. Universities should not be able to denigrate thi s choice as a mere "preference".

One case that we have been involved in since its inception has now reached the stage of a final hearing in the Federal Magistrates Court. Although BCA is not conducting the final hearing we are continuing to provide support and advice. We hope that this case, dealing as it does with the issue of alternate format provision, can provide a precedent which makes it easier for us to argue for the services to which blind and vision impaired students are entitled.

We are excited by the recent announcement that the Federal Government is going to introduce the DDA Education Standards into Parliament despite the opposition of most State Governments. We stated in our last annual report how important the Education Standards are in providing the best foundation for achieving equal access to education for students who are blind or vision impaired. BCA has worked to achieve this outcome for many years and we are grateful to others in the sector for their work in achieving this outcome.

This issue continues to be a primary concern of people who are blind and vision impaired. Disappointingly, despite some gains, not all government web sites are accessible and correspondence and government program information are still not readily accessible. We have argued for some time for Centrelink correspondence to be sent to customers in an accessible format and in the last year we have negotiated outcomes for individuals in relation to this issue using the DDA. As a result of these complaints, Centrelink has commenced a trial of communicating with customers in their preferred format. We appreciate Centrelink's efforts in establishing this trial. Our focus will then be on all the other information sent to customers such as pamphlets and forms.

The Commonwealth Disability Strategy has not yet led to people who are blind or vision impaired being able to access all government program information which is available to people who are sighted. We have recently lodged a complaint against a government department which did not make the process for making funding applications accessible to people who are blind. It is particularly disappointing when the government department involved has responsibility for disability services. Providing access to information about government services and programs is a basic obligation of government and we will continue to work for reforms in this area.

A DDA complaint which we lodged on behalf of a member against a publishing company in relation to access to a dictionary has been lodged in the Federal Magistrates Court. The difficulties we have experienced in trying to negotiate an acceptable outcome highlights the significant disadvantage people who are blind or vision impaired have in trying to access texts, reference materials and other published printed works. The publishing company in this case is reluctant to make its product accessible unless all industry is required to do the same. Arguably the industry is obliged to make its products universally accessible, but in the absence of a precedent under the DDA or a specific law, change is slow. In this particular case the publishing company wants the complainant to agree to a confidentiality clause which would deprive the complaint of any strategic value. Of course strategic work is proceeding with the assistance of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and other stakeholders who are working on various barriers such as copyright.

We have also lodged complaints on behalf of two members against two programs on the ABC which fail to provide voice-overs when writing appears on the screen. We are very keen to see the development of a consistent industry practice of providing voice-overs when information is provided onscreen.

Discrimination in employment continues to adversely affect people who are blind or vision impaired. Over the past year we have supported workers across a broad range of occupations. We have provided advice and support to job applicants, people seeking promotion, people who have not been provided with reasonable adjustments in their workplaces and people who have been dismissed.

It is disappointing that employment opportunities have not increased for workers with disabilities in the public sector, and in fact such opportunities appear to be contracting. Despite the Commonwealth Disability Strategy there are still workplace structures and processes which are not fully accessible to workers who are blind or vision impaired and access to training and promotional opportunities is still unequal.

BCA supports the work of the Australian Council of Trade Unions in encouraging unions to be more responsive to workers with disabilities and we can state that in our individual advocacy we have received advice and support from various unions.

Unfortunately there have been no positive developments in this area. People who are blind or vision impaired continue to be refused permanent residency visas solely on this basis. Many people are unaware that the health rules operate to deny not just independent applicants for permanent residency but also spouses and children of Australian citizens and permanent residents. BCA continues to intervene in individual cases, providing letters of support which challenge the assumptions on which the discrimination is founded. Discrimination in this area causes much grief in families affected and reform is needed. Recently, BCA raised this issue among others in our written and oral submissions to the Productivity Commission's Inquiry into the DDA. The DDA currently contains an exemption relating to the Migration Act 1958 which enables the discrimination to occur lawfully. Sometimes, as a result of our advocacy, discretion is exercised by the Minister for Immigration in favour of the applicant.

We have continued to receive many requests for advice and advocacy relating to Centrelink payments. We have been involved in a number of appeals to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal relating to such issues as overpayments and cancellation of payments. We continue to get requests for advice from people whose payment of the DSP (Blind) has been affected by the receipt of compensation. Many people received Medical Review forms over the year despite having untreatable and/or degenerative conditions. BCA has been working with Centrelink to encourage Centrelink workers to exercise their discretion in sending out review requests more appropriately, and to expand the range of eye conditions which are excluded from review. BCA uses our position on the Centrelink Disability Customer Reference Group to raise these issues at the national level.

BCA's individual advocacy service depends on the active participation of members to raise issues. Often issues that just seem to be personal also have strategic importance. Our individual advocacy service works closely with our national advocacy service to ensure that individual members' blindness related issues are addressed and issues of strategic relevance are also advanced.

Two issues dominated 2002-2003 in policy terms – income support and education. I have also worked on several access issues during the year. Excitingly, BCA was successful in obtaining funding for research into way-finding for people who are blind or vision impaired.

Blind Citizens Australia’s Non-Optional Costs of Blindness research was completed in November 2002. The research identified substantial costs of blindness across a wide range of areas. We have used the research to inform our policy work in a number of areas during the year. A summary report of the research is available from the National Office.

After a long wait, the Government finally released its consultation paper on income support reform, Building a simpler system to help jobless families and individuals, in December 2002.

The paper specifically focussed on income support for people who are working-aged. Importantly, the paper included a section on the provision of a cost of disability allowance.

Blind Citizens Australia consulted broadly to develop our response to the paper and drew on our Non-Optional Costs of Blindness research and members’ responses to the costs of disability discussions that took place at state conventions during 2002.

This issue will be ongoing in 2003-2004, as the Government responds to the community feedback it received.

In early 2003, BCA gave written and verbal evidence to the Senate Inquiry into Poverty and Financial Hardship, emphasising the need for a cost of disability allowance. The Committee is due to report in September 2003.

In November 2002, the Steering Committee on Accessible Curricular Materials for Universities met for the first time. The Committee was formed following a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Forum about the issue of tertiary student access to materials held in May 2002.

The Committee was established for one year and is seeking reform in three areas: production, university policies and procedures, and copyright. Some progress has been made in the production and copyright areas, but the lack of work in the area of university policies and procedures has been frustrating. Blind Citizens Australia is pursuing this with the Committee’s auspicing body, the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee. We have continued to lobby the Government and Opposition to commit to introducing systemic improvements in this area.

In December 2002, the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education References Committee released the report of its Inquiry into the Education of Students with Disabilities. Blind Citizens Australia gave written and verbal evidence to the Inquiry.

The Committee identified teacher training and professional development and the adoption of the DDA Education Standards as priority areas. In relation to blindness, the report highlighted the acquisition of numeracy and literacy skills, the lack of appropriate materials in alternative formats and the restricted access to specialist teachers, particularly in rural and remote areas. With particular reference to braille, the report emphasised the shortage of producers and skilled transcribers, teachers’ lack of familiarity with braille and the shortage of braille materials and their high cost.

The Committee recommended that the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training investigate the establishment of a scheme to help students with disabilities purchase adaptive equipment.

In 2001, BCA developed a proposal to research and trial a navigational system for people who are blind or vision impaired at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. In June 2003, the first stage of the project, a literature review, received funding from the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation. The 2006 Commonwealth Games Sensory Accessibility Research Project will commence in late 2003.

On 23 October 2002, the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport were approved by Federal Parliament. The Standards are like guidelines that help transport operators meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act. The Standards cover public transport premises, infrastructure and conveyances, that is, buses, trams, trains, ferries and aircraft. The Standards also contain time frames for compliance which transport operators and provid ers must meet.

The Standards contain many provisions relevant to people who are blind and vision impaired, including accessible paths of travel, the installation of tactile ground surface indicators, signage, lighting and the way that information about services is provided. However many issues relevant to our members are still to be adequately addressed, including the provision of information in an emergency and the adequate installation of tactile ground surface indicators. We will pursue these issues, and any others that arise, as the Standards are reviewed.

In February 2002, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission granted a six month exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act to Queensland Rail in relation to the installation of tactile ground surface indicators on railway platforms. The exemption was conditional on Queensland Rail consulting with BCA and others to identify a uniform approach to the use of both warning and directional tactile ground surface indicators. These consultations took place throughout 2002 with the last meeting being held on 4-5 December 2002.

At this meeting, guidelines for maximising the accessible path of travel on railway platforms were developed and discussions were held regarding the use of directional tactile ground surface indicators and ways of achieving colour contrast.

Work is being done across Australia to develop guidelines for making houses accessible to people with disabilities. Blind Citizens Australia is contributing to this work.

During the year I prepared the following papers and articles:

• a paper about the impact of government decisions on the costs of people who are blind for the VCOSS Social Policy Congress
• a paper on a cost of disability allowance for the Disability Studies and Research Institute
• an article on welfare reform for Access Journal
• an article on the impact of Individual Learning Accounts on people who are blind or vision impaired for Access Journal

The Victorian Information and Advocacy project has continued this year with the support of the Department of Human Services. Once again, staff of this Department have been most encouraging of BCA’s work in Victoria and have offered valuable support to ensure that our organisation is well-able to play its part in the State Disability Plan and the Victorian Government’s review and overhaul of services to Victorians with disabilities.

The Victorian Coordinating Committee has again worked hard this year to identify priorities and set directions for the information and advocacy project. This year the group identified the long-standing issues of public transport, access to information and services, and support to rural Victorians as priorities. Their work has been much appreciated, as has the cooperative atmosphere present within the Committee.

Parent News

Parent News has continued to grow in popularity, with a mailing list representing families and educators in Victoria and interstate. It continues to feature a wide variety of articles of interest to children and families, covering subjects such as education, recreation and upcoming events within the fields of blindness and beyond. This year I have attempted to provide both parents and students with a wealth of information relating to vision impairment including: information regarding the review of Education Standards; websites, special interest groups and activities which students may find of interest; and articles giving comparisons of technologies available to blind and vision impaired students.

I look forward to producing Parent News next year, and hope it meets the information needs of children and families in the year to come.

SoundAbout

Victoria has always maintained a high standard of production and quality in our SoundAbout audio magazine, thanks to the hard work and commitment of our members involved in presenting, copying and mailing out each issue.

Our membership of the Victorian Government’s Public Transport Access Committee enables us to stay in touch with current developments in public transport and to work to bring about accessibility for travellers who are blind or vision impaired. We have needed to work hard this year to ensure that our need for accessible transport services was communicated to Government Ministers, the Opposition, senior policy-makers within the Department of Infrastructure and private transport companies. Our key access priorities remain audible announcements at stations and on vehicles, effective installation of tactile ground surface indicators and education of transport providers.

As a result of a tragic accident involving one of our members at Richmond Railway Station in early 2002, BCA identified three areas of concerns to members: the lack of tactile ground surface indicators on the edges of platforms, irregular and poor quality audible announcements both on trains and at railway platforms, and the danger that gaps between railway carriages pose to people who are blind or vision impaired. To bring these issues to the attention of politicians during the lead up to the State Election, a rally was held in November. The rally was a great success and gained coverage both in the print and electronic media. I congratulate all those who organised and participated in the ral ly.

As a result of the rally, the Department of Infrastructure sought to auspice a committee aimed at prioritising the installation of tactile ground surface indicators on railway platforms. After some minor hiccups, the committee met for the first time in early 2003. We have now developed criteria for prioritising installations and it is hoped that in the coming year, our members will begin to experience safer access to railway platforms.

The safety of level crossings has also been highlighted as an issue of concern and BCA has had representation in the Pedestrian Safety at Level Crossings Group which has been involved in providing invaluable suggestions and feedback to the Department of Infrastructure. This culminated in the release of a report containing many recommendations for the upgrade of level crossings. This report will form part of the tendering process for transport providers and includes timelines by which unsafe crossings will need to be upgraded. This is a great step forward in making train travel more accessible for people with disabilities and it is hoped that the companies providing train services to the community will work to meet the recommendations of the report.

This year BCA has also had representation on the Transport Working Group, a committee auspiced by the Department of Human Services. This committee is chaired by the Disability Advisory Council of Victoria and its work has involved developing a position statement on the issue of transport. In future we will be working to issue discussion papers relating to the Multi Purpose Taxi Scheme and the timetabling of accessible buses. There has also been some discussion regarding a proposal to hold a public transport forum in the near future.

Spencer Street Railway Station will be upgraded in the next few years and BCA will be kept up to date with its progress and will provide input into the upgrade. We will keep members fully informed of changes which will affect the use of the Station via our email list and our publications.

Feedback and suggestions from Victorian members on the issue of public transport are welcome. We encourage the active involvement of members in transport issues, as this will raise awareness of the needs of blind and vision impaired travellers.

Victorians who are blind or vision impaired have again had the assistance of the Public Transport Directory in making contact with and representing their needs to transport providers. This directory, which is produced in accessible formats, contains contact details for transport providers and bodies in Victoria. It is kept up-to-date and is a means whereby users can make independent contact with providers to resolve customer issues.

In November 2002, an election was held in Victoria. Vision Australia Foundation entered into a contract with the Victorian Electoral Commission to make tools available to blind and vision impaired people to vote independently. BCA members trialled the tools and provided invaluable feedback to Vision Australia as to how they could be made more useable and therefore more effective for blind and vision impaired voters.

BCA has been represented on a Working Group auspiced by the Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre in order to raise awareness of domestic violence within the disability sector. This culminated in a forum aimed at disability workers in the Western Metropolitan Region and BCA’s input into both the Working Group and the forum has been greatly appreciated.

We continue to work with local government in Victoria, with varying degrees of co-operation on the part of councils.

We presented at a Linking Local Action Forum late in 2002 and as a result, BCA has been working with the Municipal Association of Victoria to foster a closer relationship between local council disability advisory committees and the disability sector. The funding for the Project Worker employed by the Association to conduct this project had unfortunately ceased for several months, however, a new worker has now been employed to continue the project and it is hoped that we will continue to play an important and vital role in this project.

We have also provided information to many local councils which have been conducting reviews of their disability action plans and it is exciting to note that the Port Phillip Council has adopted a 1.5 metre clearance policy from building line to footpath items. Although BCA’s policy calls for a clearance of 1.8 metres, the Council has set an excellent precedent and it is hoped that other councils will follow suit.

An important part of the Information and Advocacy Project in Victoria is contact with members through forums and other presentations to community groups. We have also taken opportunities to make presentations to already existing groups of vision impaired people within the community. Notably, presentations have been made to several low vision support groups and a peer mentoring group auspiced by one of Victoria’s blindness agencies. At all presentations, the role and services of BCA were described, and the concept of self- and peer-advocacy was introduced and discussed. Perhaps more importantly, group participants were encouraged to share their ideas and concerns about issues they encountered as vision impaired residents of their local communities.

We have also exhibited and presented at the Retina Australia Congress, the BCA State Convention and the Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre Western Region Workshop.

In June of this year, we were contacted by consultants working for the Australian Taxation Office on the accessibility of ATO materials for people who are blind or vision impaired. They sought our assistance to establish 3 focus groups within Victoria and were very grateful for our assistance. The feedback from those who took part was also positive and we encourage other government organisations to consult with BCA when conducting such research.

In June 2003 I was appointed to several Australian Standards Committees dealing with accessible fittings and fixtures, the installation of tactile ground surface indicators and accessible signage. This will be an invaluable experience for me as it will coincide with the work being conducted in relation to public transport and the built environment.

BCA held its first Victorian State Convention in 2002. The Convention was attended by some 80 members and we held a very successful Convention dinner. Highlights of the Convention included discussions regarding the Project Nexus merger talks, an excellent opening by the Hon Bronwyn Pike, the then Minister for Community Services and Housing, and the BCA Annual General Meeting.

For some time, BCA has had access to telephone interpreting services to facilitate communication with consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. However we have also been concerned about our minimal involvement with blind Victorians of CALD background and their families. In 2001 we decided to promote our service more effectively by producing our information brochure in accessible formats in 10 community languages. These have been distributed to Victorian organisations working with people of CALD backgrounds, promoting BCA services and inviting further contact. We anticipate greater contact with CALD individuals and groups, and we hope to gain insight into the issues encountered by blind Victorians of culturally diverse backgrounds.

Individual Information and Advocacy

Blind Citizens Australia receives numerous calls from Victorian members, requesting information and referrals and short-term advocacy on a wide range of issues. Requests for information mostly centre around locating appropriate blindness-specific and community services to which the caller can be referred, as well as information and advice about entitlements and access to benefits for public transport and taxis. We also provide information to anyone in the general community who wishes to provide appropriate services to people who are blind or vision impaired. This year, for example, several queries about the provision of information in accessible formats have been received.

Requests for short-term advocacy are also wide-ranging in their focus. Again, the common themes of access to the pedestrian environment and to public transport services and entitlements predominate, but we also receive requests for advocacy with blindness agencies and education services on behalf of members.

One of the long-term goals of BCA is to establish a staffed office in all States. During 2002, with the support of the Royal Blind Society, the Jeffrey Blyth Foundation and some of our own resources, BCA established an office in Sydney. Sharon Chalmers was employed by BCA as a part-time Project Officer and finished up in February 2003. I would like to wish Sharon every success and thank her for her contribution. There was a gap in service for some months due to limited resources however, thanks to the Royal Blind Society offering BCA office space and some resources in order to continue to work towards a presence in NSW, we were able to employ Rowena Jitts, who commenced with BCA during July 2003, as a part-time administration officer. Rowena will support membership and branch development as well as supporting the NSW/ACT Coordinating Committee. Rowena will assist us to further develop our presence in NSW amongst the blindness agencies, other disability organisations and the community with the aim of securing additional funding so that we are in a position to establish a full time office for blind and vision impaired people living in NSW.

The NSW Coordinating Committee continued to work well under the leadership of Lynne Davis for part of the year and then Robert Altamore for the remainder after Lynne stood down. The Committee has become a great resource for the organisation, particularly providing a link between the four branches within NSW and the ACT Branch.

Advocacy for blind people in NSW has taken a major step forward in recent months with the formation of the NSW Blindness Action Advocacy Consortium (BAAC). BAAC is a joint venture of the Association of Blind Citizens (NSW), the Deafblind Association of NSW Inc, Retina NSW and BCA. Each organisation has two representatives and David Blyth is Chair. Its primary purpose is to enable the four organisations to work together to achieve a funded Statewide advocacy service for people who are blind and vision impaired in NSW. As its first achievement, BAAC put a combined response from the four organisations to the review of advocacy and information services in NSW being conducted by the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care. The four organisations will continue to work together to build the case for a State Government funded Statewide advocacy service for blind and vision impaired people in NSW so that we are in a position to put a strong application for funding for such a service when the opportunity arises.

We have good reason to feel positive and confident about opportunities that may come our way in the coming year.

In June 2002 BCA received a small, once-off grant from Disability Services Queensland to run a project. The aim of the project was to develop and conduct appropriate advocacy skill development workshops for people who are blind or vision impaired around Queensland and to establish peer support mechanisms. Julie Ford was engaged to lead this work.

A project Steering Committee was formed with Karen Knight (former National President BCA), Terry Boyle (former Brisbane Branch President) and Maryanne Diamond (Executive Officer, BCA).

The project used BCA networks and publications, blindness specific services and local non-government and government agencies in regional areas. During the project, Julie Ford connected with some 150 people who were BCA members, other people who were blind or vision impaired, family members, advocates, service providers and various groups established specifically for people who are blind or vision impaired.

The original intent of the project was to run advocacy workshops for people who are blind or vision impaired in different communities to explore the concept of advocacy and to develop better strategies for speaking up for oneself or for others. What emerged was the need to be flexible within the discussion process to allow participants to talk about the issues that they faced in their communities. A number of people were also undertaking advocacy related actions in their communities with varying degrees of success.

Another strategy of the project was to encourage the development of peer support mechanisms. In two regions, the Darling Downs and the Wide Bay Burnett areas, commitments were made by workshops participants to form regional branches of BCA. The small collective in Cairns leant towards exploring advocacy further in a study group process. Some groups chose to continue the already well-established links within their social groups or networks, such as in Townsville and on the Sunshine Coast. However, there continue to be numerous individuals who remain disadvantaged by the sheer distances in remote areas of Queensland.

Connections between different individuals with different skills occurred, with people willingly sharing strategies or committing to follow up others struggling with issues from different regions.

While not an identified strategy of the project, many people who are blind or vision impaired became aware of BCA for the first time and a key outcome of the project was the potential for an increase in BCA membership in Queensland.

Additionally, a significant number of people became aware of the existence of already funded advocacy groups across Queensland. However, these groups are already significantly stretched in their provision of individual advocacy support and systems advocacy to people with disabilities. People who are blind or vision impaired are eligible to advocacy support from these groups, but the overwhelming view of participants was that an advocacy presence was necessary to address those issues and injustices specifically experienced by people who are blind or vision impaired. Connections were made in Ipswich, Townsville, Cairns and Toowoomba with local advocacy groups’ representatives who attended the workshops.

Numerous issues were raised throughout the course of the project, including access to the built environment, the role of BCA itself and its links with its membership, the additional vulnerabilities of people with a dual disability and the attitudes and values of communities. Julie Ford has developed recommendations for BCA to consider that relate specifically to continuing, and enhancing, the advocacy presence of people who are blind or vision impaired in their communities in Queensland. The report’s recommendations will be considered by the NPDC and Board when setting priorities for 2003-2004.

The final report was submitted to the funding body at the end of June 2003.

TEDICORE (Telecommunications and Disability Consumer Representation) has been in operation for the past five years as a project funded by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Over that time, BCA has sought funding on an annual basis for the continuation of the project. Funding has been approved for the period October 2003 - September 2004. It is expected that TEDICORE will transfer to the new Federation of Disability Organisations once it has been formally established.

While BCA is the peak disability body hosting and auspicing the project, TEDICORE has always had a mandate to represent all disability groups to achieve better access to and equity in telecommunications. The advantage of TEDICORE activities is that it has the resources and ability to advocate on general telecommunications issues which will benefit many people with different disabilities in a way that would not necessarily be done by any one disability body only representing its own constituents. In many ways, there is a direct flow-on benefit to blind and vision impaired people.

Another more intangible outcome of TEDICORE is that it provides an opportunity to maintain the high profile of BCA in a wide variety of government, industry and community-based organisations. It is also a way for BCA to maintain its profile amongst other peak disability bodies.

This report will highlight some examples of TEDICORE activities in the past year and their outcomes for blind and vision impaired people.

The Disability Standard (officially called the AS/ACIF S040:2001 Requirements for General Use Customer Equipment for use with the Standard Telephone Service) was registered by the Australian Communications Authority in 2002. This means that all phones will have to have a raised mark on the "5" key of the keypad and also have inductive coupling for people with hearing impairments. This Disability Standard is quite limited in its scope. Therefore, the Australian Communications Authority established a Working Group to discuss a way forward. TEDICORE was represented as well as a representative from BCA.

For the Working Group, I wrote the first draft for the overarching principles of such a proposed extended Standard as well as writing the initial draft of accessible phone features.

The recommendations for the extension of the Disability Standard are currently being considered by the Australian Communications Authority.

There were a number of significant Government inquiries over the past year which over the next few years can have an impact over how we can access telecommunications services. The inquiries were the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry, the Broadband Advisory Group, the Wireless Broadband Technologies Inquiry and the Inquiry into the Australian Telecommunications Network. I wrote submissions to all these inquiries and was invited to appear before the Inquiry Committee in most cases.

The subsequent recommendations of some of these inquiries included increased accessibility for people with disabilities. For example, the report from the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (often called the Esten’s report) specified that the Government should review the provision of payphone services to people with disabilities and that the Government should resolve any service concerns for people with disabilities and consider any suggestions for improvements.

I also appeared before the Productivity Commission for its review of the DDA. This was a good opportunity to discuss a range of accessibility concerns in telecommunications.

TEDICORE has worked with the Australian Communications Authority, the government telecommunications regulator, to reduce the compliance testing required for specialised disability equipment which is imported or manufactured in Australia in volumes of 50 units or less per year. The reduced testing will save time and money and hopefully enable specific equipment to become more available and affordable. An example of such equipment is the braille TTY.

A number of peak disability organisations including BCA are participating by certifying, upon request, that a particular product is specifically designed for people with disability and not the general market. This does not mean that the disability organisation endorses the product.

It has taken four years to get this change in compliance testing so it is exciting that it is now operational.

If federal, state and local governments included the purchase of accessible telecommunications equipment in their procurement policies, this would have a tremendous impact on the availability of such equipment.

It has had a big impact in the USA where legislation (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act) states that federal government employees with disabilities should have the same access to IT products as their able-bodied colleagues.

TEDICORE has written letters to the National Office of the Information Economy and the Department of Family and Community Services and raised awareness of this issue through a number of government channels and will continue to lobby to achieve change in Australia.

I facilitated a telecommunications session at BCA's Queensland State Convention last year and topics covered included the design of payphone booths and services by carriers. This gave BCA members a direct opportunity to discuss issues of concern during the session and afterwards during other parts of the Convention.

Telstra now has a braille TTY on its Disability Equipment Program and has added a large visual display TTY to the Program.

There has been much lobbying by TEDICORE and other consumer representatives to have a complete overhaul of the Disability Equipment Program. The provision of equipment has become more complex for consumers after Telstra started wholesale arrangements with other carriage service providers. The situation will be especially confusing for Optus customers who will in future, when the agreement is in place, get access to a different range of equipment depending on whether they use Optus through Optus lines or Telstra resale lines.

An independent and consumer-based Program would enable consumers with a disability to choose whichever carrier they wish and still obtain the equipment they need to effectively use the telephone. TEDICORE has developed a Position Paper and written to Senator Alston, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, as well as approaching opposition Members of Parliament about this issue. This is one of TEDICORE's major activities this year.

We continue to be active in organisations outside BCA. Either we have representation in our own right or members take part in various activities as individuals. A list of involvements in external bodies follows at the end of this section.

We have continued to be involved in co-ordinating bodies in the blindness field, namely: Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities, Australian Blindness Forum, Australian and New Zealand Access to Information Group, Project Synergy (the merging of the National Information Library Service and Vision Australia Foundation Library), and South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment.

Our responsibility is to represent blind and vision impaired people. In so doing, we believe it is critical to be part of other organisations: to receive information from them, to give advice to them and to ensure that when they speak out or develop policies on blindness or disability related matters, they conform to our views. We have enjoyed productive working relations with many external bodies, and we value the contacts we have made and the information and advice we have rec eived.

Blind Citizens Australia is a member of ACROD, Australian Communications Industry Forum, Consumers’ Telecommunications Network, the Australian Federation of Disability Organizations and Vision 2020 Australia.

We have continued to work with, advise and receive information from our members on various bodies, even though they do not necessarily directly represent BCA. We believe that it is important that blind people in representative positions have strong links with other blind people, and we encourage our members to be involved in their own right in the wider community sector.

Lynne Davis has continued as Deputy Chair of NDAC for this year. NDAC is the advisory council to the Commonwealth Minister for Family and Community Services. Lynne’s major portfolio responsibility on NDAC has been to liaise with the peak national disability organisations such as BCA.

Following our involvement in Project Synergy during 2001-2002, which was established to develop a business case and implementation plan to merge the Vision Australia Library and the National Information Library Service, Fiona Woods represented BCA on the consumer committee during the implementation phase which is now complete.

During the last year the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, Royal Blind Society of NSW and the Vision Australia Foundation established Project Nexus to coordinate discussions about merging. BCA was invited to have a representative on the Project Nexus Steering Committee and I filled the position. For a report on Project Nexus see my Executive Officer’s report.

Aileen McFadzean has continued to represent BCA on the Centrelink Reference Group over the last year.

• Australian Blindness Forum: Maryanne Diamond*, David Blyth*, Robert Altamore*

• Australian Braille Authority: Karen Knight*, William Jolley

• Australian Communications Industry Forum: Tony Starkey*

• ACROD: Maryanne Diamond*, Robert Altamore*

• Consumers’ Telecommunications Network: Tony Starkey*, Darren Fittler*

• Telstra Disability Forum: Tony Starkey*
• Optus Consumer Liaison Forum: Tony Starkey*
• National Disability Advisory Council: Lynne Davis (Deputy Chair)
• Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities: Karen Knight*

• The Telecommunications and Disability Consumer Representation (TEDICORE):) John Simpson* (Chair), Tony Starkey* (BCA Representative)

• Australian Federation of Disability Organizations Establishment Working Group: Maryanne Diamond*
• Australian Federation of Disability Organizations Board: Robert Altamore*
• Project Nexus Steering Committee: Maryanne Diamond*
• Project Nexus Interim Board: Maryanne Diamond*, June Ashmore*, David Blyth*

• Project Synergy Consumer Committee, Fiona Woods*

• DDA Standards Steering Committee: Robert Altamore*

• ME/64: Access for People with Disabilities, Nadia Mattiazzo*

• AS1428/1, 2 & 4: Access for People with Disabilities, Nadia Mattiazzo*

• Australian Delegates: Maryanne Diamond*, Graeme Innes
• Chair, WBU Committee on the Status of Blind Women: Maryanne Diamond
• WBU Asia Pacific Board & Executive Member: Maryanne Diamond

• Australian and New Zealand Access to Information Group: John Simpson*

• Executive Member of International Council on English Braille: Bruce Maguire, William Jolley

During 2002-2003, the Working Group undertook the following work:

1. A review of progress towards increasing membership in Northern Territory, which found that BCA had not been very successful on this front. The Working Group has pursued other pathways by contacting indigenous organisations to assist and provide some networks in which we can promote BCA in the Northern Territory. Similar work was carried out in ethnic communities, with contact being made with ethnic organisations to promote and provide information, in various languages, about BCA.
2. Previously developed advertisements were re-worked and two short advertisements were presented at the May 2003 NPDC meeting. The Working Group sees the creation of further advertising strategies as a future project.
3. The creation and development of a guide for branch committee members. We believe this guide will provide old and new branches with some guidance, education and suggestions about branch executive positions and the operations of a branch. The guide was presented at the May 2003 NPDC meeting and now only requires some further attachments and amendments before release.
4. The Working Group recommended that membership development become the responsibility of an ongoing, permanent committee, rather than being an annual NPDC working group. The recommendation was accepted by the NPDC.
5. The Working Group initiated a draft Convention Planning Guide that could assist in the planning of BCA conventions. This work will continue.

I wish to thank all members of the Working Group for their commitment, time and hard work. I also wish to thank National Office staff for their ongoing support and assistance.

In February 2003 the Working Group submitted comment on a discussion starter for the next national strategy for vocational education and training 2004/2010.

The discussion starter presented findings and issues from research and initial consultations, and was open for comment until 1 March 2003. The discussion starter was used to focus discussions at a series of regional forums across Australia during February 2003. Information gathered during the consultation period will be analysed and synthesised to shape a draft national strategy for vocational education and training. The Australian National Training Authority Board will then present this draft strategy to Ministers for vocational education and training in mid-2003, for their consideration.

A significant milestone was reached regarding education during 2003. In July 2003, the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Brendan Nelson, moved to introduce an Education Standard within the Disability Discrimination Act. It is early days yet but BCA will certainly be watching the Standards progress with a keen interest.

The 2003-2004 Federal Budget contained two measures which will, if passed, disadvantage people who are blind or vision impaired - the cessation of payment of the Pension Education Supplement between academic years and a proposal to introduce full fees for students who have already completed five years of tertiary study. The National Office and the Working Group have been working to defeat these proposals and will continue to do so.

The quality and substance of BCA's submissions has been noted by the Federal Government. BCA has been asked to submit comment, in person, to Senate inquiries on more than one occasion.

During 2002-2003, the membership of the Working Group was myself (WA), Karen Knight (Qld), Maree Brown (Tas), Michael Simpson (NSW), Leanne Smith (Qld) and Vicki Alipasinopoulos (Vic).

Access to information in the broadest sense is one of the key challenges in the daily lives of blind and vision impaired people.

Library services (both mainstream and specialist) play a vital role in providing access to a wide range of information needs. In addition, technology is rapidly marching on, delivering to the sighted population better forms of communication and entertainment, as well as improved efficiencies in a wide range of daily tasks. However, these technologies, despite their enormous potential to improve the lives of blind and vision impaired people, continue to present barriers, through the inherently visual nature of their presentation or operation.

The NPDC established a Working Group on library and information access. The Working Group was chaired by Susan Thompson of NSW and the members were: Bev Burrows (Qld), Lynne Davis (NSW), Jordie Howell (VIC), Bruce Maguire (NSW), Mat Mirabella (VIC), Jan Miller (TAS), Tim Noonan (NSW), John Simpson (VIC) and Fiona Woods (NSW). Jason White (VIC) lent his expertise as needed.

The NPDC identified 5 major priority areas for consideration by the Working Group. These were the provision of electronic voting systems, the usability of consumer products, library services policy, and technology development and access. In addition, the area of broadcasting was identified by some Working Group members as an area which would require some attention in the near future. The Working Group met by teleconference most months.

In the area of specialist library services to people who are blind and print disabled, much of BCA's advocacy work centred on the amalgamation of the Vision Australia Foundation (VAF) Library services into the National Information Library Service (NILS) and on service quality issues in relation to current NILS’ services. BCA's representative on the NILS Consumer Reference Group facilitating the amalgamation was Fiona Woods and the range of issues which were considered included:

• the privacy implications of transferring VAF user records to NILS and of using borrower mailing lists to distribute non-library related information, for example, the Government booklet on terrorism;
• appropriate alternative format communication with VAF borrowers;
• equitable services to borrowers around the country;
• the availability of catalogue information in braille for borrowers whose only accessible medium is braille; and
• clarification that the provision of alternative format material for purchase by consumers is permissible under Australia's copyright legislation, contrary to the initially held view by NILS.

The Working Group is pleased to note the Inquiry into Telecommunications Services by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. This is a step towards improved access to such rapidly evolving technologies as mobile phone communications and mobile computing.

In the broadcasting arena, some blind and vision impaired people in Australia have experienced the value of audio description of theatre productions, but have not had the experience of audio description of television or movies. BCA has been involved with some preliminary discussions with the Australian Caption Centre to consider initial steps towards raising awareness of this valuable service to Australia's broadcasting and cinema industry.

In its consideration of the broad scope of this library and information access area, the Working Group resolved to progressively develop a comprehensive information access policy, the intent being to use existing legislative requirements, as well as existing standards and guidelines, as a benchmark for BCA's policy on various elements of information access.

The Transport and Access Working Group has been monitoring the development of the DDA Access to Premises Standard by the Building Access Policy Committee, particularly in the area of signage. Following the introduction of limited accessible signage into the Australian Building Code in 2002, signwriting companies have been contacting BCA and blindness agencies seeking advice on the production of braille and tactile signs. A lot more work is required in regard to signage and this will continue in the next year.

The revised Australian Standard 1428 Part 4 was released this year after many years work. The Standard covers the design and application of warning and directional tactile ground surface indicators and BCA was intensely involved in its revision. The revised Standard has created a lot of discussion and further revisions are planned.

More information about progress on the DDA Access to Premises Standard, Australia Standards and the development of a signage standard can be found in the National Policy Officer and Victorian Information and Advocacy Officer’s reports.

During 2002-2003 we also worked on accessible housing through the Australian Network for Universal Housing Design. Erika Webb has been our representative on the Network. The Network is promoting the concept of universal housing design. The Australian Building Codes Board has committed to working collaboratively with the Network.

Future work of the Working Group will include the revision and update of the BCA Pedestrian Access Policy, which was adopted in 1994 at the WA Convention. Any input from members would be most welcome.

The members of the Working Group were: Tony Starkey (Chair – SA), Erika Webb (WA), Barry Chapman (NSW), David Gordon (Tas), Peter O'Connor (Vic) and Peter Johnson (WA).

The Employment Working Group was formed at the November 2002 NPDC meeting in Melbourne. The composition initially included: Kym Hand (SA); Daniel Stubbs (ACT); Carolyn Rupe (WA); Sean Tyrell (Vic); and Theresa Smith (Chair, NSW). Apart from Carolyn Rupe, all other Working Group members were on the NPDC. Following Sean Tyrell’s resignation from the NPDC in March, Kevin Murfitt from Victoria was appointed to fill the vacancy.

The Working Group met via telephone as well as staying in regular contact via e-mail.

The Working Group has worked on a number of projects. First, we have been planning a session at the 2003 National Convention in Canberra. This will involve a panel of three speakers, who will be discussing issues such as the provision of employment assistance by the Federal Government and the results of a research project being conducted by Kevin Murfitt, which links disabled tertiary students with a mentor in the workplace.

The second major project we undertook was the development of an employment page on the BCA website. This is designed to provide information on employment related issues for blind and vision impaired people. The site will also contain an on-line jobs database and contact list. The database will list a range of jobs that blind and vision impaired people have held or currently hold and provide tips on overcoming challenges in those occupations. The contact list will contain a database of names of blind and vision impaired people who are willing to act as a point of contact for people interested in finding out more about a particular occupation. The site is designed for both members and non members.

The other activity carried out by the Working Group this year was to include a series of employment related articles in BCA News.

I would like to thank the other members of the Working Group for their contribution. Also, I thank those members who have provided feedback about the on-line jobs database.

This report represents a brief summary of the activities of BCA branches compiled from the President’s report from each branch as submitted to the National Office. Reading the reports is an energising experience as they highlight the important role and work of our branches. The provision of advocacy support, opportunities for peer support and social interaction and information dissemination within the constraints of very limited resources on an entirely voluntary basis is the hallmark of each report. It is heartening that the work of BCA is so ably supported at the local level while challenging us to address some of the inherent difficulties reported by branches.

Systemic advocacy has been a cornerstone of the work of many of our branches. The Adelaide Branch and our newly formed Central Western NSW Branch have been working with local councils to obtain a clear path of travel for pedestrians along footpaths. Outdoor dining areas pose a particular hazard in this respect. The inadequate provision of audio-tactile traffic signals as an additional feature of an accessible, safe built environment has been a cause for concern for the Brisbane Branch. These signals are still switched off after 9.00 at night. Many of our branches have representatives on local access committees and in some cases, blind and vision impaired people are playing an important role in ensuring that all new installations of traffic signals are audio-tactile and that a program of retrofitting is continuing. The Tasmanian Branch have been instrumental in having 21 sets of traffic signals retrofitted with audio-tactile devices, with additional retrofits taking place when surplus funds are available.

Transport continues to be an area of strong advocacy for a number of our branches. The Tweed Valley and Central Western NSW Branches have been working to improve community transport for blind and vision impaired people. The Sydney and Brisbane Branches have been negotiating with their respective rail authorities regarding a range of access issues including the design of platforms and rolling stock. In addition, the Brisbane Branch, at one of its quarterly meetings, had the opportunity to trial a bus with audible announcements at each stop along the route. Some branches have indicated that they received more requests for systemic advocacy than they were able to meet within the constraints of huma n and financial resources.

Sydney Branch wrote about some quite exciting developments this year. The Branch has joined with the Association of Blind Citizens NSW, the Deafblind Council of NSW and Retina Australia to form a consortium – The Blindness Advocacy Action Consortium. Its purpose is to explore ways of establishing closer co-operation and collaborative links between the various blindness sector consumer organisations in an effort to develop a statewide information and advocacy service for the benefit of people who are blind or vision impaired across NSW.

For Blind Citizens WA, it has been another successful year. In March, an independent monitoring consultant, contracted by the Disability Services Commission (the body from which Blind Citizens WA receives funding), reviewed the services provided by Blind Citizens WA. The report was most favourable with the consultant highlighting some aspects of the organisation which were particularly impressive. These included:

• the level of service provided to the consumer group taking into consideration the size and budget of the service;
• the way in which the service had remained totally consumer-driven;
• the overwhelmingly positive response from all members spoken to; and
• the level and scope of systemic advocacy activities that the service is involved in.

During the year, some branches took the opportunity to conduct workshops on issues of particular interest to the membership. The ACT Branch held a workshop on budgeting which was very successful. As a result, they intend to conduct follow-up sessions in the coming year. The Sydney Branch conducted a workshop on advocacy with the aim of enhancing the individual advocacy skills of members. They role played a number of situations that blind and vision impaired people may encounter in daily life illustrating some of the strategies that can be used to manage difficult situations.

Almost every branch commented on the social events conducted throughout the year. The Macleay-Nambucca Branch had a busy schedule of social activities ranging from visiting other groups of vision impaired people in the same region to lunches at local venues. The Branch identifies social interaction and peer support as its main function. Once again this year, Melbourne Branch provided a range of activities for members including dinners at local restaurants, interspersed with meetings focusing on BCA business. Most branches held Christmas functions which were very successful. Some branches held other social and fundraising activities including trivia nights, street appeals, swish demonstrations and audio-de scribed video evenings.

Most branches, in some way, highlighted the difficulty of maintaining a consistent motivated executive committee. The Melbourne Branch had a number of committee changes this year while the Sydney Branch found that they had to share secretarial tasks among committee members. Despite these difficulties, it is great to see new faces come onto branch executives taking an active interest in the work of BCA. The Tasmanian Branch has taken an innovative approach to maximising attendance at meetings. The Branch trialled the concept of conducting quarterly meetings via teleconference to enable people to participate from the comfort of their own homes. This proved very successful for Tasmanian members and they intend to hold their Annual General Meeting in this way.

It is also encouraging to note that branches are keen to feed into the policy work of the organisation at a National level. A number of branches held workshops relating to welfare reform to provide feedback to our National Policy and Development Council and our National Policy Officer. Feedback was also received from branches in relation to the Inquiry into Poverty and the Senate Inquiry into the Education of Students with Disabilities.

Likewise, BCA’s special interest branches have been busy this year. The National Women’s Branch has published a further three issues of its newsletter "Aspirations", edited, produced and distributed by Christine Simpson. At the 2003 National Convention the Branch is planning to present the inaugural "Aspirations" Award. The National Women’s Branch approached the NPDC regarding a co-option of a representative from their branch. Theresa Smith now takes on this role and the Branch reports that she has brought back a number of issues for their consideration and feedback.

The Computer Users Group, another special interest branch of BCA, reports a year of innovation and change. After finding a new home for their meetings at Vision Australia Foundation, the group has introduced a new way of having guest speakers at their meetings. They have linked in two guest speakers by telephone enabling the group to access particular sources of expertise and interest from interstate. The Branch now has a page on BCA’s website which outlines their activities and there is the opportunity to listen to archived audio files of branch meetings.

Young Blind Citizens – Queensland (YBCQ) has completed its inaugural year of operation. The Branch has established its own telephone number and has almost doubled its membership since the inaugural meeting. Wherever possible, YBCQ has worked in collaboration with the Brisbane Branch. Some joint social activities and forums were held. The Branch is represented on the Workplace Bullying Reference Group conducted by Young Workers Advisory Service and they have attended the blindness sector interagency meetings. In addition, members have identified employment and education as issues of particular interest. A highly successful employment expo was held in March and work has commenced to address concerns in the area of education by a recently held forum on the issue.

From this brief summary, it is evident that our branches have been working to further the objects of our organisation. The richness of our branch network lies in the unique solutions that branches use to address the issues of importance in their community.

Blind Citizens Australia currently has 15 organisational members. Below is a summary of the activities of some of these members over the past year.

The DeafBlind Association of NSW held its annual DeafBlind Awareness Week in July 2002. Highlights included a masked ball and an outing to Hyde Park, where chocolates and handicrafts were on sale.

The Association has been lobbying PADP (Procurement of Aids for Disabled People). The Royal Blind Society has been given some funding for the provision of deaf/blind services and it is thought that one or two staff positions will be offered to people with the necessary skills for training these clients. Clients hope to receive the sort of training on computers pioneered by the Victorian DeafBlind Association.

The Association of Blind Citizens of NSW has for many years held craft classes in which a number of different hand crafts were taught, including making cane baskets. Unfortunately, the plastic coated cane used for basket making had become unavailable, putting the future of the classes at risk. The Management Committee has been working on discovering either plastic coated cane or another craft which blind teachers can learn and then teach the members of the craft class.

The Management Committee is working to establish a technology room, to be called the Leah Francis room, in which it is hoped that clients will be taught the use of various computers. The teachers will be offered a salary and will, it is hoped, be blind people.

Retina Australia has been in existence for approximately 10 years and is now able to make greater use of technology to communicate so that the work of different states can be better coordinated.

Retina Australia has reported an exciting new development. 10 people will test the safety of a delivery device containing a drug to treat patients with end stage retinitis pigmentosa. Clinical testing is scheduled to begin towards the end of 2003. This study is the first clinical trial of a drug therapy for retinitis pigmentosa.

The Blind and Vision Impaired Persons Network was incorporated in October 1997 and has a membership of 286. It covers the Sunshine Coast from Caloundra to Gympie.

The Network provides respite services, social opportunities, community education and material aid through a recently opened op-shop staffed by volunteers. It also runs an aids and resource centre with computers with 21 inch monitors, adaptive software, scanners and CCTVs. Other services include providing transport for members to and from medical appointments, shopping, and social outings, the provision of talking glucometers to blind diabetics and vital call emergency alert systems to frail and aged members, financial assistance for members with guide dogs, and first or replacement canes for long cane users.

A recent reduction in funding may lead to a cut in services if additional funding cannot be identified. The Network reports continually putting in submissions to appropriate State and Federal Authorities. They have been successful with submissions to places like the Gaming Machine and Community Benefit Fund and Jupitors Casino. The Network fills a much needed gap in the services for blind and vision impaired people and has taken every initiative to become self funding.< /P>

The Statewide Vision Resource Centre is a production agency producing braille, large print, audio tape, computer disk and e-text for blind and vision impaired students from RVIB, government and Catholic Education students mainstreaming in primary and secondary schools. The Centre also runs professional development courses, correspondence courses in the teaching of braille and courses in the teaching of blind and low vision students. They manage student referrals to blindness agencies to learn necessary orientation and mobility skills.

A highlight of this year's activities was the Great Victorian Bike Ride. Deb Lewis and another teacher escorted two boys with low vision on this nine day bike ride. The heavy equipment was carried in trucks, but the riders had to assist in camping chores. They met a blind gentleman also enjoying the bike ride, travelling in tandem with his daughter. The riders covered 550 kilometres and they and their teachers greatly enjoyed the adventure.

The year has seen further growth in RPH throughout the country. With two new services established by Vision Australia Foundation, RPH now operates full time in 14 locations around Australia. The new services extended the Vision Australia network in Victoria and Southern NSW to eight when RPH Warragul began operation in August 2002 and Warrnambool in December 2002. These services were given the go ahead by the Australian Broadcasting Authority following a policy decision to enable existing licences to be varied to accommodate additional relay or translator services. Also as a result of this policy change a frequency has been allocated to the 7RPH licence for establishment of a service in Launceston. It is anticipated that RPH Launceston will commence transmission by the end of 2003.

RPH Australia has progressed other activities intended to better position RPH for sponsorship and other support. An instructive audience research project has provided useful and encouraging data.

Work has continued developing the digital program exchange system. This facilitates more efficient and convenient transfer of programs of common interest between stations.

RPH Australia continues to work to better secure funding for its various broadcasters. Lack of funding continues as the greatest threat to current delivery and further development of RPH.

Our organisational members provide BCA with important links to many blind and vision impaired people. We congratulate them on their achievements during the past year and look forward to working with them in the future.