Blind Citizens Australia thanks the NSW Department for Women for funding this valuable work, and for the support provided during the course of the project. We would also like to acknowledge the support given by the Association of Blind Citizens of New South Wales and Retina Australia (NSW) (previously the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society of New South Wales) .

The members of the project steering committee (Barbara Bonfield, Lynne Davis, Trish James, Marie Shang and Fiona Woods) gave many hours of unpaid labour to turn an idea into a reality, a task in which they were assisted by many people who willingly agreed to contribute to the project in a variety of ways.

Above all, we acknowledge the exceptional motivation and resourcefulness of the 15 blind and vision impaired women who participated in the project. They continue to make an active contribution to social justice outcomes for the communities in which they live and work.

Part One: Project Report

Introduction: why we did what we did.

Project methodology: what we did and how we did it.

Project outcomes: what happened and how we felt about it.

Part Two: Guidelines - things to think about when organising your project.

Grant application

Accessible formats

Travel arrangements

Choosing a suitable venue

Organising the programme

Publicising the project

Part Three: Useful Resources

Organisations

Publications

Part Four: Appendices

Appendix 1: Grant application

Appendix 2: Application to participate in project

Appendix 3: Publicity flier

Appendix 4: Workshop programme

Appendix 5: Publicity - newspaper reports

Appendix 6: Publicity - newsletter articles

Return to the Blind Citizens Australia Projects Menu

Blind Citizens Australia is the national organisation of blind and vision impaired people in Australia. Its mission is to achieve equity and equality by the empowerment of blind and vision impaired people, by promoting positive community attitudes, and by striving for high quality and accessible services which meet the needs of blind and vision impaired people.

In late 1997 the Sydney branch of Blind Citizens Australia (at that time the National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia) received a grant from the New South Wales Department for Women to conduct a community development project for blind and vision impaired women in that state.

Blind and vision impaired people experience a number of barriers to participation in community activities. Many community organisations operate in a way which does not make the necessary accommodations for blind people to participate on equal terms with other community members (for example, provision of information in accessible formats, and use of accessible venues for meetings and functions). The needs of blind people are often overlooked when community facilities are planned (especially in relation to provision of information and definitions of 'accessible facilities'),because there are relatively few blind people in the population. Opportunities for blind people to develop the necessary skills and confidence to advocate for themselves and to participate in mainstream community activities are limited, and it has been noted by the World Blind Union that blind women have been particularly marginalised in public life.

We hoped that projects such as this one would lead to an increase in the community participation of blind women, both in their own right and as advocates on behalf of blind people in general. We planned to bring together blind women from communities around the state of NSW for a workshop focussed on skills and information which would enhance their ability to become involved in community organisations and advocacy both in their local communities and, if they chose, in broader state, national and international arenas. Following the workshop, the participants would be able to hold regular teleconferences, for ongoing networking and peer support, exchange of information, and to look at the outcomes from the project.

(For a full description see the project grant application in Appendix 1)

Step One

The project began with the appointment of a steering committee, consisting of representatives from Blind Citizens Australia, the Association of Blind Citizens of New South Wales, and the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society of New South Wales (the three main organisations of blind and vision impaired people in the state). The committee was convened by a Board member of Blind Citizens Australia, who also took on the role of project manager. The committee met frequently in the early planning stages of the project, less frequently once the project was under way.

Step Two

From October, 1997 to January, 1998 the steering committee worked on

• planning the workshop programme
• selecting an appropriate location for the workshop
• publicising the project
• recruiting workshop participants
• preparing project materials in accessible formats, and
• arranging travel and accommodation for the participants.

Step Three

(See workshop programme in Appendix 4)

Step Four

The participants in the project returned to their local communities. From March to August, 1998 a series of teleconferences were arranged, for exchange of information, discussion, peer support and evaluation of the project outcomes.

Step Five

The production and dissemination of this report and guidelines, in accessible formats, for anyone interested in learning about the project, drawing on its resources, or carrying out a similar project.

The project was extensively publicised among organisations of blind and vision impaired people in NSW (see Appendix 3 for publicity material). We used word of mouth, the newsletters of the participating organisations as well as individual letters to women members, broadcasts on community radio stations and radio for the print handicapped (RPH) stations, and promotional notices were sent to the major blindness agencies and an extensive network of local support groups throughout New South Wales.

Approximately 50 requests for application forms (see Appendix 2) were received from potential applicants, and 30 applications were received. From these, 15 women were selected to participate in the project. They ranged in age from 21 to 67 years, and were drawn from most areas of the state. Seven were from country areas, and eight from the metropolitan area of Sydney.

A four-day workshop was held at Sancta Sophia College, Sydney University in early 1998. In attendance were the 15 participants, the members of the steering committee, a paid assistant (also a vision impaired woman) to support the participants, and the workshop presenters. The workshop programme included a mix of skills development, information, and relaxation and exercise sessions (see Appendix 4). The programme also included a dinner at which the Minister For Women was the guest of honour, with entertainment provided by blind women musicians. The final session of the workshop was devoted to forward planning for the second stage of the project (development of a peer support network) and evaluation of the workshop. A post-workshop meeting of the steering committee also evaluated the various aspects of the workshop venue and programme.

• general satisfaction with the venue and organisation
• varied responses to the content of workshop sessions, depending on individual interests and previous experience
• general recognition of personal benefits associated with participation
• criticism of some workshop presenters for inappropriately visual presentation methods and provision of materials in inaccessible format (print)
• suggestions for topics to be included in future workshops

Feedback from the participants following their return to their own communities indicated that the principal outcomes from the project included increased self esteem and confidence, use of advocacy skills, and use of the mass media. Participants

• received coverage in local newspapers around the state (see Appendix 5)
• wrote articles about the project for various organisational newsletters (see Appendix 6)
• lobbied their local members of parliament about issues of concern to blind people
• gave talks about blind women, about organisations of blind people, and about the project to community organisations
• established new local support groups for blind and vision impaired people
• disseminated information from the workshop to support groups in their communities
• obtained funding for assistive technology in local community facilities
• organised advocacy training for people with disabilities in their local areas
• and in a number of cases pursued formal complaints against people engaging in discriminatory practices.

An unanticipated outcome of the project was the range of benefits derived from the project by the members of the steering committee. Members of the committee, while not formally participants in the workshop programme, in fact gained considerable benefits both from the experience of planning and implementing the project, and from their involvement in the workshop activities.

The second stage of the project consisted of a series of telephone conferences, eleven in all, which took place between March and August, 1998. The purpose of these teleconferences was to develop a peer support network between women who live in different parts of the state, some of whom have little or no contact with other blind and vision impaired people. On the whole, this stage of the project was very successful. Participation in these conferences was on a voluntary basis, and three out of the fifteen workshop participants did not join the conferences. In addition to the remaining twelve participants, all of the project committee members and the vision impaired woman who provided support at the workshop participated in this stage of the project. The teleconferences were used to report on project-related outcomes, exchange news and information, discuss issues of importance to blind and vision impaired women, and to engage in group problem-solving.

An extension to the original project plan was a lunch for blind and vision impaired women, which was organised to coincide with the visit to Sydney by Professor Adrienne Asch in July, 1998. Professor Asch, a blind woman, is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Biology, Ethics and the Politics of Human Reproduction at Wellesley College, Massachusetts, USA. The lunch was attended by twenty-one blind and vision-impaired women, and Professor Asch was the guest speaker.

A strong informal support network has developed among the women who took part in this project, both as organisers and workshop participants. This is evidenced in a number of ways:

• participants regularly contact each other for information, emotional support and advice
• participants visit each other and participate in social activities together
• participants have held two face-to-face meetings since the conclusion of the formal part of the project

Overall, we are well pleased with the success of the project, which has exceeded our original expectations and continues to produce valuable outcomes both for those who participated directly in the project, in whatever capacity, and for blind and vision impaired people more generally.

.

When applying for funds to carry out your project, you will need to explain what you want to do, why you want to do it, and how it will be done (including a budget which shows how much it will cost to do these things). We list below some of the special aspects of a project for blind and vision impaired people: here we want to emphasise that it is important to mention these in the grant application, explain why they are important, and make provision for them in your proposed timetable and budget. For example, the need to provide information in a variety of formats usually necessitates additional time, and almost certainly will involve additional expenditure.

Give consideration, when writing your application, to the question of who will administer your project, and what resources will be required. Even a very small project will require human and material resources (eg, for telephone calls, stationery, postage, meeting costs). Will the project be managed by paid or unpaid workers, or a combination of both? If you're planning to rely on unpaid workers, do you have people with the appropriate skills and sufficient time?

If you are applying for funding from a grant scheme with a low funding limit, you may not be able to do what you want to do AND pay for someone to organise it, so you will need to give serious consideration to what human resources you have available.

Be prepared for budget reductions. It's quite probable that you will not receive as much funding as you request, so it's useful to allow for this contingency when developing your application. Try to prioritise the various aspects of your project: what is essential to the project, and what can be modified, dropped or postponed if necessary? Identify areas where savings can be made without sacrificing the integrity of the project. If you do these things as part of the planning stage, you will be well prepared to respond appropriately when an offer of a grant is made.

• Accessible Formats

Any information associated with the project will need to be accessible to those at whom you are targeting it. Apart from standard print, there is a range of possible formats (for example, large print, Braille, audiocassette, computer disk, Internet). You will need to consider which of these formats are appropriate for your purpose and your intended audience.

In our project, we had to think about accessible formats in relation to

• publicity
• nomination forms
• workshop programmes and handouts
• maps of the workshop venue
• contact information
• project report

You will need to work out what formats are required, how you will produce them, how long the production process will take, and what the cost will be.

• Travel arrangements

If, as in our case, your project involves bringing people together from widely dispersed areas, you will need to think about travel arrangements. Who will be paying for the cost of travel- the project or the participants, or some combination of these? Who will make the necessary bookings - the project administrator or the participants themselves? Obviously the answers to these questions will depend on the level of project funding, the distances to be covered, and the time available.

If booking air travel, considerable savings can be made by using advance purchase discounts. In Australia, these arrangements usually require that the traveller stays over at their destination on a Saturday night.

In some instances (in more remote and isolated areas) there may be a limited (not daily) number of scheduled services: this may mean that travellers cannot take advantage of cheap fares, and that they will need to be accommodated for several additional days. It is important to factor these expenses into your planning, especially when calculating budgets for grant applications.

You will also need to consider the appropriate level of support for your target group. If the people who will be participating in your project are seasoned independent travellers then very little additional support may be required. However, if the participants are unaccustomed to travelling independently outside of their familiar environment it may be necessary to provide some additional support (such as meeting transport services, providing additional information, or paying for an accompanying person).

If your project involves an event of any kind, you will need to think about a venue which is suited both to the purpose of the event and to the people who will be attending. It is quite likely that you may not be able to find, or afford, a venue which meets all your requirements, so be clear about which requirements are essential, and which are simply desirable. You can compromise on the desirable requirements, but not on those which are deemed to be essential.

In our project, we were seeking a venue in which people would be living and working together for several days, so we needed to ensure a fairly high level of comfort. We also had to take into account the needs of a varied group of people with different vision impairments, orientation and mobility skills and confidence, and additional impairments, especially hearing impairments. The factors we looked for in choosing a venue included

• a straightforward layout, which could be easily memorised and conveyed by a tactual map
• a quiet, uncrowded environment
• a safe area for relieving dog guides
• plenty of room for people to move around in, while avoiding large open unstructured areas
• a central location for transport services, especially long distance transport
• food served in the meeting rooms, with some assistance provided (we also employed one assistant for the whole workshop, to provide additional support for those who required it)

Because our budget was limited by the ceiling on the grants programme to which we applied, we were forced to compromise on a number of aspects of the venue. These included

• shared bathrooms
• low lighting levels
• some meals served cafeteria- and buffet-style in a dining hall
• not wheelchair accessible (we made this decision after ascertaining that none of the participants or session presenters required wheelchair access)
• polished floors, bare walls and windows (difficult for people with hearing impairments)

In addition to bricks and mortar, it is important to consider the operational aspects of a venue. For example, does the venue hire include staff, or will you have to provide your own personnel? Is the level of staffing sufficient to provide the assistance you require? Will it be possible to brief the management and/or staff of the venue about your requirements?

If your project contains a training, development or instructional component, you will need to have a reasonably well worked out idea of what you want to do at the time of writing your project funding application. This will enable you to give an accurate estimation of the costs involved, as well as persuading the funding body that you know what you are doing, and why.

To do this, you will need to work out

• the content to be covered
• the duration of the whole programme, and of each session
• the balance between different types of activities, and between formal sessions and informal times for socialising and attending to personal needs, etc.
• the number of participants (effects size of venue and style of presentation)
• presenters for each session (including whether and how much they will be paid, and provision for briefing them about appropriate presentation methods and information formats for blind and vision impaired people)

There are a number of reasons why you may want to publicise your project:

• to notify people who may be interested in participating
• to raise the profile of your organisation, or of blind and vision impaired people, in the general community
• to let people, including the participants, know about project outcomes
• to satisfy the requirements of the funding body

Whatever the reason, you will need to think about the most appropriate target group for your publicity, and the means by which you can most effectively convey information to this group. If, for example, your target group is people who are blind or vision impaired, you will need to consider producing material in a range of accessible formats (see above). You will also need to think about the most effective means to get your message out to this target group. Some suggested means are

• organisations of blind and vision impaired people (such as Blind Citizens Australia)
• providers of services for blind and vision impaired people
• community radio stations and radio for the print handicapped (RPH) stations
• local government community services offices
• local vision impaired support groups
• Internet mailing lists

If your target audience is the general community, it is important to publicise your project in the mass media. This may be most effectively done by issuing a press release, especially if you can get access to a wire service or press agency. There are some useful guidelines for using the mass media effectively (see Part 3: Useful Resources). It's also effective to combine a press release with an event of some kind (eg, the launch of your project report, or a function to which you have invited a prominent member of the community). It is generally easier to get press coverage in the local media than in metropolitan, state or national media. Although it's hard to retain control of the way your issue is covered in the mass media, try to ensure that any information you distribute portrays blind and vision impaired people in a positive and dignified manner.

(NB Most of the organisations listed are NSW-based. Unless you have a large travel component in your project funding, local equivalents would need to be located)

Association of Blind Citizens of NSW

11a Ethel St.

Burwood NSW 2134

Tel. 02 9744 1516

Fax 02 9744 1575

email asnblind@zip.com.au

Blind Citizens Australia

PO Box `229

Prahran VIC 3181

Tel. 03 9521 3433

Fax 03 9521 3732

TTY 03 9521 1200

www.bca.org.au

Conflict Resolution Network

PO Box 1016

Chatswood NSW 2057

Tel. 02 9419 8500

Fax 02 9413 1148

www.crnhq.org

Consumers' Health Forum of Australia

PO Box 52

Lyons ACT 2606

Tel. 02 6281 0811

Fax 02 6281 0959

www.chf.org.au

Disability Council of NSW

Level 21

323 Castlereagh St

Sydney NSW 2000

Tel. 02 92112866

Fax 02 9211 2271

Toll free/ TTY 1800 044 848

www.discoun.nsw.gov.au

Disability Discrimination Legal Centre

99/1-5 Meeks St.

Kingsford NSW 2032

Tel. 02 9313 6000

Toll-free 1800 800 708

Fax 02 9662 1364

TTY 02 9313 7190

Toll-free TTY 1800 644 419

email DDLC_NSW@fcl.fl.asn.au

National Women's Media Centre

PO Box 123

Civic Square ACT 2608

Tel. 02 6257 0670

Fax 02 6257 0618

www.ozemail.com.au/~nwmc

NSW Department for Women

Level 11

100 William St.

Woolloomooloo NSW 2011

Tel. 02 9334 1160

Fax 02 9334 1023

TTY 1800 673 304 (Women's Information & Referral Service)

Toll-free 1800 817 227 ( “ )

www.women.nsw.gov.au

Public Interest Advocacy Centre

Level 1

46-48 York St.

Sydney NSW 2000

Tel 02 9299 7833

Fax 02 9299 7855

email piac@fl.asn.au

Retina Australia (NSW)

PO Box 397

Strathfield NSW 2135

Tel/Fax 02 9744 7738

www.rponthenet.tm/index.html

Rural Women's Network

NSW Agriculture

Locked Bag 21

Orange NSW 2800

Tel. 02 6391 3 620

Fax 02 6391 3 650

TTY 02 6391 3300

www.agric.nsw.gov.au/rwn

Conflict Resolution Network (1994) Conflict Resolution Essentials. Training video and booklet (print only).

Consumers' Health Forum of Australia (1993) Guidelines For Consumer Representatives On Committees And Working Parties.

Print, audiocassette.

Disability Council of NSW (no date) Media Guidelines.

Print.

NSW Department For Women (no date) Promoting Your Projects. Print, Braille.

Public Interest Advocacy Centre (1997 ) Working The System. A guide for citizens, consumers and communities. Pluto Press.

Print, audio.

Rural Women's Network (1996/97) Stepping Stones. Leadership skills for rural women.

Print, computer disk.

Tye, M. (no date) I Need A Mentor(s). Don't I? A guide to finding and using multiple mentors. Australian Federation of Business and Professional Women.

Print.

1. Name of organisation or group.

National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia (Sydney branch)

2. Street address

3. Contact person for grant

4. Name of project

Developing skills for blind women's community integration and advocacy

5. Summary of project

Blind and vision impaired women (henceforth referred to as 'blind women' in this application) experience many barriers to participation in community activities. Most community organisations operate in a way which does not make the necessary accommodations (eg. provision of information in alternative formats, access arrangements, orientation and mobility considerations) for blind people to participate on equal terms with other community members. Opportunities for blind people to develop the necessary skills and confidence to advocate for themselves and to participate in mainstream community activities are very limited, and it has been noted by the World Blind Union that blind women have been particularly marginalised in public activity. Australia now convenes the East Asia Pacific Blind Women's Action Group, and it is hoped that projects such as that proposed in this application will lead to an increase in the community participation of blind women, both in their own right and as advocates on behalf of blind women generally.

Blindness is a low incidence disability, with the result that the needs of blind people are often overlooked when community facilities are planned (this is especially true in relation to provision of information and definitions of 'accessible facilities'). On the local level, there is seldom the requisite 'critical mass' to warrant special provision of training, resource development, etc. - hence we need to bring groups of blind women together for community development activities, and then to provide support for them when they return to their local communities and put their newly-acquired skills into practice in their local environment. This is community development, based on a model which takes account of the special needs and circumstances of blind women.

In this project we propose to bring together 15 - 20 blind women from communities around the state for a 5-day workshop focussed on skills and information which will enhance the ability of the participants to become involved in community organisations and advocacy both in their local communities and, if they choose, in the broader state, national and international activities of NFBCA, other organisations of blind and vision impaired people, and the wider disability movement. We would also hope that the participants may become more active in women's organisations, as so far there has been very little involvement of women with disabilities in the broader women's movement. For example, we would really like to see much more thought given to the needs of blind women in women's health programmes and women's health centres (for example, how do you explain breast self-examination to blind women? why are there no tactile markers on packaging for sequential daily medications such as the contraceptive pill?).

Following the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to take part in regular teleconferences, for ongoing peer support, exchange of information and experience, and to monitor and evaluate the project outcomes. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and information with other blind people in their communities, and also to enter into a mentoring relationship with another blind woman.

We would like to fully document each stage of the process so that we can disseminate the information (including recommendations for change and improvement) to other groups of blind women around Australia and in the Asia Pacific region. And we would also hope that such documentation would be useful in enabling us to obtain ongoing support (from our organisation and from external sources) to continue the process of community development for blind women around New South Wales.

6. What are the intended OUTCOMES of the project?

Participants in the workshop will acquire key skills and information which will enable them to take part more effectively in community activities and decision-making processes and to advocate on their own behalf and on behalf of other blind and vision impaired people;

development of a peer support network among blind women from communities around New South Wales;

sharing of skills and information acquired at the workshop with other, possibly younger and/or less experienced, blind women;

development of a set of documents outlining the objectives, implementation and evaluation of the workshop, to enable its duplication and modification in other parts of Australia and the Asia Pacific region;

development of the profile of women in the National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia, particularly with regard to the prioritisation of issues of particular importance to blind women and to the participation of blind women in international forums.

7. Start and finishing dates for the project.

Should funding be approved, the project will commence in October, 1997 and conclude with the dissemination of a set of documents outlining the objectives, implementation and evaluation of the project by September, 1998.

8. Amount of funding requested.

$19,250

9. What does your project AIM to do?

In the proposed project, the Sydney branch of NFBCA aims to work together with the 2 other major organisations of blind people in NSW, the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society and the Association of Blind Citizens (see attached letters), to organise a skills development workshop for a core group of blind women from communities around the state. These women will then return to their local communities to implement the skills acquired at the workshop, to share these skills and information with other blind and vision impaired women, and to mentor younger and less experienced blind women in their communities . They will be assisted in doing this by a peer support programme, which will operate by means of regular teleconferences between the workshop participants. The Disability Council of NSW will provide advice and guidance, when required, for the project (see attached letter).

The project planning, implementation and evaluation will be carefully documented so that the final project report will provide guidelines which could be utilised by other groups of blind women around Australia and in the Asia Pacific region.

It is intended that the project will raise the profile of women and women's issues in consumer organisations of blind people, as well as increasing the participation of blind women in the wider community and thus increasing awareness of issues of importance to blind women.

The project is aimed at developing the capacity of blind women to become active participants in their local communities. However, because blindness is a low incidence disability, and the training-related needs (eg. presentation methods, provision of information in alternative formats) are very specific, it is not feasible to do this kind of skills development at the local level. So we have chosen the strategy of a centralised workshop for skills development followed by ongoing support in the local community. This strategy also has the advantage of developing peer support networks, which are not always available to blind women in their local communities.

10 How does your project address the SOCIAL JUSTICE OBJECTIVES of equity, access, rights and participation?

Blind women are among those with least access to economic and (especially) social resources in our society. Blind women in NSW have very limited access to economic and social resources. The recent needs analysis conducted by the Royal Blind Society indicated an employment rate of around 20% among blind people of working age: it is likely that the employment rate is even lower for blind women. This economic disadvantage is added to by the additional costs associated with blindness, which can be considerable. Even more pronounced is the lack of access to social resources: accessible public transport is a major issue(especially in non-metropolitan areas), as is access to sport and recreation facilities, cultural events, educational facilities and shopping centres, and the unavailability of information (such as newspapers and magazines, books, grant application forms, official communications, etc) in formats other than print.

This project aims to provide a group of blind women from communities throughout the state with the means to participate more fully in the communities to which they belong and to advocate more effectively for a greater share of social resources and more equitable treatment for blind citizens.

We hope that through the provision of relevant skills and information in an appropriate and accessible manner, the project will enable this core group of blind women to develop more effective ways of working in their local communities in contexts which are important to them, and that they will be motivated and encouraged to share these new skills and information with other blind women in their communities. By working in this way, we hope to enable blind women to be better informed about their social rights and to assert these rights in an articulate manner, to participate actively in more of the decisions which effect their lives, to increase their access to community resources, and to enjoy a fairer share of the benefits of this society.

11. Why do you think there is a NEED for your project?

Many blind women lack the skills, experience and confidence to participate actively in mainstream community organisations and activities, and to influence the decision-making processes which effect their lives. This is also true at the higher levels of organisations of blind people. The World Blind Union, in recognising this fact, has assigned its highest priority to participation by women in organisations of blind people around the world. In Australia, the National Federation of Blind Citizens is seeking ways in which to develop the participation of blind women, not only in its own activities but in Australian society generally. In 1996 the national women's branch of NFBCA surveyed its members regarding their needs and priorities. In response to their suggestions, the branch compiled a book on blind women's experiences of leadership which it recorded in audiocassette form. The proposed project represents a further strategy in responding to the needs identified in that survey.

12. Please DESCRIBE in 3 or 4 steps how you will carry out the project.

appointment of a project steering committee with representatives from NFBCA, Association of Blind Citizens, RP Society (committee chair will act as project manager, committee will meet monthly during the life of the project) [October, 1997]

planning of workshop programme, venue, selection of workshop presenters, preparation of workshop materials in alternative formats [October, 1997 - January, 1998]

publicise project, recruit nominations for workshop participation, select participants, make travel and accommodation arrangements, collect information about preferred formats [October, 1997 - January, 1998]

5 day workshop, including process evaluation [February, 1997]

workshop participants working in their local communities, monthly teleconferences for exchange of information, discussion, development of peer support network, evaluation of project outcomes [March-August, 1998]

writing, publication, dissemination of project report with guidelines , media release for organisation newsletters, arrange event to launch report [September, 1998]

13. What is your project's main TARGET GROUP?

The target group for this project is blind and vision impaired women living in NSW. There are no blindness population registers kept in Australia: the best available estimates of the number of blind and vision impaired people in NSW come from the needs assessment study recently published by the Royal Blind Society of NSW. The estimated number of blind and vision impaired people living in NSW is 100,000, with approximately half of these being women.

This project will be particularly directed at blind and vision impaired women who are, or wish to become, involved in community organisations, ranging from blindness- and disability-specific support and advocacy organisations, to local service organisations, women's organisations, local government, parents' organisations, sporting groups, and so on.

We plan to reach our target group in a number of ways. NFBCA, the Association of Blind Citizens and the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society will publicise the project via their newsletters and contact networks. The Disability Council of NSW will use its communication channels to publicise the project. We will use the client newsletters of the Royal Blind Society and the Guide Dogs Association for the same purpose, and send information about the project to all local vision support groups known to the Royal Blind Society.

We will recruit workshop participants from among these groups, as well as reporting on the process and its outcomes.

14. Please indicate how your project meets the PRIORITY criteria in the Funding Guidelines.

I) Describe how other groups and organisations will be involved in your project

NFBCA will collaborate in this project with the 2 other major organisations of blind people in NSW (see attached letters). Representatives of the Association of Blind Citizens and the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society will be included in the project management committee; information about the project will be disseminated by each of these organisations, including recruitment information for the workshop; and these organisations will provide accommodation and office facilities for the project when needed. The Disability Council of NSW has also offered support to the project from its research and policy sub-committees (see attached letter).

ii) Say why you think your project is innovative

The project is innovative in that it employs a community development model which is specifically adapted to the needs of blind women. For reasons outlined elsewhere in the application, it is more appropriate to implement the workshop component of the project centrally and then to provide support in the implementation phase in the local community via telephone networking. The project is also innovative in that community integration and advocacy skills development for blind women has, until now, been ad hoc and unplanned, and rarely adapted to their specific needs and circumstances.

iii) Describe any expected ongoing benefits to women, and to a wide range of women

We expect that the women who participate in this project will experience immediate benefit in a number of ways, including the acquisition of useful skills and information, the development of personal networks, and peer support. We also expect that they will experience longer term benefits such as greater involvement in their preferred community activities, greater efficacy in these involvements, and an increase in confidence and self-esteem.

However, we think that the benefits will be greater than this. By including elements such as networking and mentoring in the workshop programme we hope that the benefits will flow on to other blind women in their communities (possibly younger and less experienced women). By focussing on committee membership, meeting procedure, conflict resolution, and working with the mass media, we hope to enhance the advocacy skills of blind women. We hope, too, that the participants will provide positive role models for other blind women in their communities and contribute to the development of more positive attitudes in the general community towards the citizenship of people with disabilities.

iv) Describe any expected ongoing changes in the way an organisation works with women as a result of your project

We hope that this project will lead to greater participation by women in the management of NFBCA and other organisations of blind people in NSW, and to an increased focus on issues of particular concern to blind women in the work of these organisations. As a flow on from these state-based developments, we hope that the participation and priorities of women will achieve a higher profile in our national organisation and in the international fora for blind people in our region and worldwide.

15 Are you a community based organisation?

Yes

16. Please describe the main functions of your organisation

NFBCA is the national organisation of blind and vision impaired people in Australia. It is governed by a council of blind and vision impaired people. The organisation has a local and regional branch structure: the Sydney branch is the major organisational structure of NFBCA in New South Wales.

NFBCA's core activities are individual and systemic advocacy on behalf of blind and vision impaired people, information dissemination, peer support, and lobbying of and advice to governments and other organisations.

17 How are women involved in your organisation?

NFBCA is a national organisation with individual members. People join the national organisation directly. The organisation is governed by a council of 12 members, of whom at present 5 are women There is a local and regional branch structure, in which members can participate, which principally focuses on local and state issues. The Sydney branch is the largest branch in NSW: 3 of its current 5 executive members are women, and women members participate actively in branch meetings and committees.

In addition, there is a system of nationally-based special interest branches which reflect particular interests and issues of members of the organisation. One such branch is the national women's branch, whose current president is a member of the Sydney branch of NFBCA and will be involved in the management of the proposed project. Members of the women's branch meet once a year in person, and at other times by teleconference. Unfortunately, these meetings are very expensive and therefore infrequent. We are trying to develop women's projects on a more localised basis, as a way of promoting women's issues within the organisation at all levels and to develop support networks which will enhance women's participation in the management of the organisation.

18. What is your organisation's management and experience to do this project?

The Sydney branch of NFBCA has undertaken and completed other complex projects (the most recent of which was the production of a guide to services for blind and vision impaired people in NSW and the ACT, published earlier this year with assistance from the Disability Council of NSW). The branch can call on the considerable management and administrative resources and expertise of NFBCA's national office, which is based in Melbourne. Individual members of the Sydney branch involved with the development of this project have extensive knowledge of the organisation at local and national levels, and previous experience of organising complex events specifically for blind and vision impaired people.

19. Is your organisation incorporated in NSW?

Yes

20. Total grant funds requested.

$19,250

21 Proposed project budget

Labour costs

Fees for workshop presenters $1500.00

Administration costs

Telephone, fax, postage, stationery, photocopying, steering committee

meetings $1000.00

Transport within Sydney $500.00

Travel to and from Sydney to attend workshop $5000.00

Accommodation and catering $8000.00

Translation of workshop materials into alternative formats $750.00

Printing and distribution of project report and guidelines,

inc. translation into alternative formats $500.00

Teleconferencing/peer support network $2000.00

The National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia (NFBCA), with support from the RP Society of NSW and the Association of Blind Citizens, recently received a grant from the NSW Department For Women to fund a project for blind and vision impaired women in this state.

The project will assist blind and vision impaired women who want to become more involved in their communities and organisations, by giving them some of the skills, information and peer support which they might need to do this.

The three organisations have formed a project management committee, which is planning a four-day workshop for 15 women from around the state, to be held in Sydney in February. Participants' return fares and accommodation will be paid for by the project. Planning for the workshop has commenced, and it is already looking very exciting. As well as formal presentations and discussions, there will be lots of opportunities for trying new activities and for socialising with other participants. There'll be something for everyone, no matter where they come from, how young or old they are, and whatever their interests. After the workshop, there will be regular telephone meetings where the participants can continue to support each other and to talk about the things they are doing back in their local communities and their own organisations. These telephone meetings will also be paid for by the project.

If you would like to know more about the project, please call Fiona Woods on (02) 47 395101.

National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia

NSW Women's Workshop Project

PROGRAMME

February 14 - 17, 1998

Sancta Sophia College

8 Missenden Rd., Camperdown

Funded by NSW Department For Women.

Following the workshop session on "Using The Media", the participants in the project issued a media release which resulted in the following newspaper articles:

"Blind women's workshop gives Judy confidence", Goulburn Post, 23/2/98

"Local woman back from Sydney workshop", Crookwell Gazette, 24/2/98

"Vision not all", Goulburn Post, 27/2/98

"Finding the key to leadership", Narromine News and Trangie Advocate, 27/2/98

"Women's workshop", Campbelltown Advertiser, 28/2/98

"Women with a future vision", Singleton Argus, 3/3/98

"Blind to their needs", Campbelltown Advertiser, 17/3/98

"Sally's new insight", Northern Star, 18/3/98

"Local attends women's workshop", Corowa Free Press, 25/3/98

Participants in the project published the following articles.

On 14th February I joined fifteen blind and vision impaired women from across NSW for a four-day workshop in Sydney. It was organised by Blind Citizens Australia and the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society of NSW and funded by the NSW Government's Women's Grants Program.

We were a pretty mixed bunch. We ranged in age from teens to sixties, and represented a whole range of professions and backgrounds. What we did have in common were a host of problems resulting from our various degrees of vision impairment, humour, a determination to make a difference for other vision impaired people in our communities and to raise awareness about the needs of people with sensory and other disabilities.

We learned that we are amongst the most under-employed in Australia, with only around 20% in paid work. (This figure would be higher in the Northern Rivers.)

The four-day program was packed with valuable workshops on everything from conflict resolution to contact dancing, participation in community organisations to public speaking, advocacy to aquafitness, relaxercise, anti-discrimination, safety strategies, use of the media, and more.

Possibly of even greater value than all this was meeting and sharing experiences and strategies with such an extraordinarily nice bunch of women. Some of the stories they told were amusing, some tore at your heartstrings. People with guide dogs especially seem to have more than their fair share of problems with restaurant owners, taxi drivers and others who refuse them entry even if it means going to court. People spoke of the constant stress of fighting these daily battles and of trying to keep one's cool in the face of ignorance, misplaced sympathy and thoughtlessness.

Many of the women told stories of having been sidelined because people around them didn't know how to include them in everyday activities. For instance, it is very easy to become housebound if you cannot drive a car and do not have access to public transport, yet a simple offer of a lift to a meeting or social event can mean all the difference.

At the "Dinner" on the Monday night two other participants and I shared a table with the Minister, Faye Lo' Po. In spite of a deep-rooted suspicion of all politicians and particularly ministers, whatever their political colour, I was impressed by Mrs Lo' Po who from the moment she quite unembarrassedly suggested that she was the best person to pour the wine, came across as a very natural and caring human being with an extremely difficult job to do.

If I have a criticism of the program, it was the enormous volume of printed material with which we were presented, and the venue (a college of the Uni of Sydney) which was very poorly lit in places and had an inordinate number of steps. But this was offset by the excellent catering arrangements.

I think we all came away empowered and encouraged and with a new enthusiasm. I am very much looking forward to the follow-up teleconferences and networking which are to take place in the near future.

Recently I attended a four-day workshop for fifteen blind and vision impaired women from across NSW.

It was held at Sydney University and funded by the NSW Government Department For Women. It was a supportive, enlightening and significant experience.

Women (and men and children) with disabilities face uniquely perplexing situations regularly in rural towns. Not the least of these complexities is isolation.

Even within the church community, contending with the isolation can be quite debilitating.

Speaking with a member of our church on my return, I commented on my joy and surprise to discover that the majority of the women in the Workshop were very active in their local church.

My friend's response was, "Of course! People like this who have a need often look to the church".

Let me assure you, these women are not in the church because of a need for themselves! These women are there for what they can do for others!

These blind and vision impaired women are doing as much or more than anyone else. That is, AFTER they look after their families, or work in paid employment, or BOTH.

It is a continual struggle for these women to maintain the same standards of life for their families as other people enjoy. More energy and good humour is required of them than of sighted persons.

They do not drive their air conditioned cars to church activities. They walk their guide dog or carry their cane in the heat or the rain. In large towns and cities, they struggle with inefficient public transport systems.

Their love for Christ motivates them, just as it does for the rest of the church community.

Rural churches do not have a good record for their understanding of, and participation with, disabled people. A church in England has a section cut off the end of a pew just so a blind lady can sit in the seat and her guide dog can sit beside her without obstructing the aisle. A church in New Zealand has a piece cut off a seat to make room for a man in a wheelchair so that he sits WITH the people and is not isolated and obvious in the aisle.

How many churches in Australia would mutilate their memorial pews to make a disabled person feel "one of the family"? What are our priorities? How many disabled people do we turn away by our actions, or by our attitudes? Why does each generation of disabled persons have to be a pioneer? After all, blind people and people in wheelchairs have been around for generations!

Fifteen blind and vision impaired women from across NSW gathered at Sancta Sophia College in Sydney University from February 14th to 17th for a special Workshop. The project was an initiative of the National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia, with support from the RP Society of NSW and the Association of Blind Citizens of NSW, and was funded by the NSW Government Department For Women.

Members of the Workshop were both rural and city based. Jessica came from Armidale, Beth (Tamworth), Sally (Lismore), Audrey (Narromine), Val (Corowa), Judy (Crookwell), Eileen K (Singleton) and Rhonda (Campbelltown).Jessica, Megan, Alex and Nichola were under 25. Helen, a sister in the Dominican Order, had taught blind children then lost her own sight very suddenly four years ago.. Bronwyn came from Parramatta with her guide dog Zephaniah, Jill and Eileen W came with their gifts of warmth and caring which helped put people at ease.

There were 6 guide dogs in the Workshop, and a romance blossomed between Zephaniah and Helen's dog, Imelda. Beth's Wendra tried to monitor and encourage good behaviour.

Of the fifteen participants in the Workshop, half had RP.

The Project offered many different and helpful workshops. There were also opportunities for relaxation such as aqua-aerobics, Feldenkrais and Relaxercise. Skilled instructors led women through conflict resolution techniques ("Emotive response to conflict is either FIGHT or FLIGHT: neither resolves the conflict although they are natural survival instincts"). Personal safety issues such as ways in which women can protect themselves from attack, and confidence-building habits to acquire were covered. We were encouraged to use positive assertiveness, reminding ourselves that "I am the most important person in my life - I am worth fighting for".

Participants were shown the value of having a mentor (a more experienced person who guides and supports a less experienced person), the advantages of having an advocate (someone giving a voice to a person who is not being heard) and the benefits and skills of using the media. Also outlined were the organisations which are designed to assist blind women and the legal opportunities available.

The Project concluded with a formal dinner party, where the participants were joined by the Minister for Women - who is also the Minister for Disabilities - Faye Lo' Po. She was accompanied by significant members of her staff, including Sue Lenne, her Policy Adviser. Dinner music was provided by a blind pianist, with entertainment by Nicky Fenton, a blind singer and one of the world's best guitar players!

Follow-up support will be fostered among the participants, via means such as teleconferences and tapes. The women all agreed the Project was a supportive, enlightening, and very significant experience, and each felt very privileged to have been selected.

My name is Jessie Richards. I'm 21 and have been vision impaired since birth. I'm currently in my last year of a Social Science degree at the University of New England in Armidale. I run a sort of get together group for vision impaired people and spend time advocating for disabled access issues in my town. I was one of the youngest people who attended the women's workshop in February, indeed because of my age I didn't seriously expect that I would be considered for a place and I was very excited when the caravan park where I camped in the summer received an emergency telephone message for me indicating that if I rang a certain number quickly air transport to somewhere could be arranged. I've got rather a quirky habit of brushing my teeth before important telephone calls. This time I brushed my teeth very carefully, removed some of the beach from my hair and ears and rang Barbara to find that I'd been given a place in the women's workshop. Needless to say I was extremely excited by the news.

The reason why I applied to participate in the workshop was that I was finding the task of leading our support group and trying to find activities to suit people with wide ranges of abilities, most of whom had much more age, wisdom, and experience than I, rather daunting. When Lynne asked me to write this article she asked how the workshop met up with my expectations ....I think she was hoping for a slightly more positive answer than the one I'm going to give.

I still have absolutely no idea what to do with a support group in a small town where people of widely differing ages and interests and only one unifying problem need to find some sort of support in each other's company. But I also know that other people from other places and with more experience have similar trouble. I don't find it encouraging but I left the workshop smiling and feeling more confident. One of the most important aspects of the workshop was meeting other people who seemed to have the same problems and some different solutions and having enough time in a secure enough environment to really get a lot of talking done. In order to prove that neither vision impaired people nor women should be given second class treatment few expenses were spared in choosing a beautiful venue for the workshop. Sancta Sophia College, at Sydney University, was peaceful with comfortable rooms and a beautiful courtyard garden. It was easy to get around and I felt comfortable enough to really express my self without that terrible fear of non comprehension I experience when expressing my frustrations to sighted people. Between the sessions we discussed everything from serious issues relating to our advocacy and access committee frustrations to the problems associated with eating and foraging in strange environments and clothes shopping, which is one of my favourite annoyances. Of course there were numerous dog conversations and even more chances for the labs to show just how well trained their owners were.

I found the workshops themselves rather fascinating. The practically oriented workshops on things like public speaking, using the media, and conflict resolution helped me name and think about and consolidate skills that I probably already have and provided me with new ideas on how to use them. But I think one of the most important roles of the workshops was in disseminating information about the different advocacy groups available to vision impaired people and of their specific areas of expertise. I think this knowledge is the most important thing that I can take back to my community. Since few people are fully aware of all the roles that Blind Citizens Australia has, and even fewer know what the Disability Discrimination Legal Centre or the Disability Council of NSW do, I've been attempting to slowly pass on this information to our support group. Luckily the membership hasn't diminished since I started. I'm hoping that greater awareness of these groups amongst disabled people in country areas will help people know who to turn to when really serious problems do arise and perhaps more importantly help them to feel less vulnerable. Knowing that there are structures in place to protect people's rights tends to give them the freedom to fight more vigorously.

On a much more personal note I am extremely thankful for the workshops since they provided me with a large number of good role models. I come from a town where only one of the large number of vision impaired people I know has a job and have felt very depressed about my own prospects. Meeting and remaining in contact with a large number of blind women who seem successful in that aspect of their lives has given me a huge boost. I really need to thank everyone who organised the workshops, as well as everyone who presented things there and my fellow participants for making them a really practical and memorable event. Thanks!!

A workshop specifically for women with vision impairment! A workshop for blind and vision impaired women from "communities around NSW, focussed on skills, information and activities which will enhance their ability to become involved in community organisations and advocacy, both in their local communities and, if they choose, in broader state, national and international contexts". I could not believe my ears! This was wonderful! This was something to dream about. I have been to many workshops on different subjects, but always as the difficult minority of one who wanted to sit where I could tape the speakers, needed to have the overheads explained, have handouts that were printed clearly enough to scan or, horror of horrors, wanted the offered further information on audio tape or floppy disk. Now I would be able to meet and talk with other women who had similar problems. Women who were as frustrated as I about the lack of information in alternate formats. Women with vision impairment, who are competently making a life for themselves, caring for families, holding down jobs, tackling tertiary education, and doing all those ordinary everyday things that every woman does. Women who had worked out strategies for handling the little irritations in life. Yes! This workshop would be different.

And it was! Twenty women with vision impairment and six guide dogs. Lifestyles, occupations, age and personalities differed greatly. There were women in their early twenties and women in their middle sixties, but age difference made no difference. They came from inner Sydney and outer suburbs, large country towns and small rural communities. There were university students, a university lecturer, a religious sister, farmers, housewives, office workers, administrators, some who worked in the community and some who had not yet realised all the possibilities available to them. But, we all had something we could learn from each other. It was a mutual help society. Those who could, helped those who could not, and it was all overseen by the marvellous Marion who was here, there and everywhere and knew everything.

Through it all guide dogs swaggered, trotted gaily or walked smartly (depending on their personalities) along the halls from bedroom to dining room to seminar room, dodging the long canes, adapting to the new environment and mostly enjoying the experience. Wendra, my own little guide of the inquisitive mind, took me on a tour of another wing of the building one day when she was in explorer mode. Luckily she is very good at retracing our steps and, when sprung, heaved a sigh, did a u turn and took me back to our intended destination.

For the four days we wandered the hallowed halls of Sancta Sophia College at Sydney University the building was awash with thoughts, ideas, skills being passed on and women learning from others. Between the formal sessions groups formed and dispersed and reformed, mingling, talking, comparing notes on everything from conducting meetings to how to raise children, and education - where to seek it, how best to follow classes, study, what help is available where. Problems with guide dogs were discussed and solved. Important information such as how to tell which side of the milk carton to open was passed to those of us who had not yet discovered this skill. Women contemplating tertiary education picked the brains of those who had attempted this and found answers to some of the problems of studying in an environment set up for sighted people.

It was sometimes difficult to break up these gatherings to attend the structured formal sessions. The morning information sessions, with speakers from various organisations who spoke about agencies that are out there to help and advocate for women with vision impairment, were most useful. Talks by the participants about the communities in which they live and work were very interesting indeed. Sessions were held on public speaking, participating In community organisations, mentoring, advocacy, conflict management, personal safety, using the media to advantage. At last there was material on tape. But sadly the sighted presenters, even though they had been warned that their audience would be vision impaired still expected to use whiteboards and printed handouts.

It was obvious that some of these sighted presenters had not given much thought to the different needs of a vision impaired audience and floundered a little when they realised that their usual presentation techniques would not quite work. Most of them recovered somewhat and attempted to adapt as they went on. Some were better at this than others and the listening skills of their audience meant that much useful information was gathered by the participants, sometimes in spite of the presenter. For example during the conflict management session strategies for handling various specific situations were sorted out from the tangle of information presented. However, The personal safety presenter who kept saying "I know you can't see what I am doing but . . . ", and then went ahead and did whatever it was we could not see anyway, was a little frustrating. But she still passed on much useful information. She must have done, because when we paired up to try out one of her suggestions my partner took me completely by surprise and I landed flat on my back. There is one young woman who does not have to worry about being accosted! How to make use of the media was quite useful even though once again there were pages and pages of print material. The session on advocacy was very interesting and the offer of advocacy training something I had been looking for some time.

To help us relax and face the next day with a clear mind and an eager heart we tried Relaxercise, Feldenkrais exercises, Contact Dancing and Aquafitness. Some of the activities I got up to during these relaxation sessions were not to Wendra's liking. She worried about me lying on the floor during exercises and dashed to my assistance whenever she thought I needed help.

The formal dinner on Monday night was a very successful function, with the Hon Fay Lo Po' MP as guest of honour. A very fitting guest, as she holds the portfolios for Women's Affairs and Disabilities. Other guests were shared around the tables and her policy officer for Women's Affairs was the guest at our table. Although, regretfully, I simply cannot remember her name I do remember her as a very pleasant, informative, interesting and interested person who helped to make the evening most enjoyable.

Our accommodation during the workshop was a pleasant room facing the quadrangle and the meals were definitely better than the usual institutional cooking. In fact when I described the meals to a friend who had lived at Sancta Sophia twenty years ago she had trouble containing her disbelief.

All in all it was a very enjoyable, informative and interesting if exhausting four days and the committee, Lynne, Barbara, Trish, Marie and Fiona who organised the venue, the speakers, participants and then pulled the whole thing together deserve a huge vote of thanks. This was a great experience that I would not have missed for the world. Yes, it had its problems but they were minute when compared with the experiences, knowledge and memories that I took with me when I reluctantly left Sancta Sophia College on Tuesday afternoon.