BLIND CITIZENS AUSTRALIA

Queensland State Convention 2008 Audio Archives

The following were recorded at the Blind Citizens Australia Queensland State Convention which was held in Kangaroo Point from 31 October to 2 November 2008.

To listen, you will need a PC with a sound card and a media player such as Windows Media Player, Real Player or Winamp.

Blind Citizens Australia thanks Audio-Read for providing web space for storage of the audio files. Audio-Read are developers of a secure digital multicast system and patented portable Audio Navigator for the delivery and playback of digital audio.

You can either listen on-line or Download the files for later listening.

• Welcome Drinks
• Session 1 - Welcome, Introduction and Opening Remarks, Roll call
  Terry Boyle, Chair, Convention Organizing Committee
  
  • Official Opening - Mr Paul Larcombe, Chair Disability Council of Queensland
  • Thought Provoker: What does "making the most out of every day" mean to you? - Presenter: Lyn Eagers
• Session 2 - Mobility: not just about routes
  Chair: Kevin Rowley
  Speakers:
  
  • Terry Boyle;
  • Barbara Gudgion;
  • Joyce Jones
  
  With long cane training behind us, we take our first, albeit tentative steps on a journey of independence. The session commences with an historical overview, followed by speakers who detail how they have broadened the meaning of "mobility", through adapting the traditional attitudes, techniques and equipment.
• Session 3 - Sources of Assistance
  Chair: Terry Boyle
  Speakers:
  
  • Gay Ferris, Centrelink;
  • Deb Guy, Disability Services Queensland
  
  Format: Presentation and panel discussion by speakers from Centrelink and Qld State Government.
  
  1. Direct Support. Disability Support Pension, Mobility Allowance, Pensioner Education Supplement, Employment Entry Payment.
  2. Support for Others: - Carer Payment, Carer Allowance, Companion Card.
  3. National Travel Pass, Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme.
  4. Concessions. Help with Power bills, prescriptions, telephone, etc.
• Session 4 - Dots and More Dots: The legacy of Louis Braille
  Chair: Lyn Eagers
  Speakers:
  
  • Linda Triasmono, Queensland Braille Writers' Association
  • Helen Cummins, methods of Braille production over the years
  • Kevin Rowley, a non-Braille user who uses dots
• Session 5 - Technology: Show and Tell Time: What works for you
  Chair: Barbara Gudgion
  Speakers:
  
  • John Simpson, Vision Australia, (Audio description awareness);
  • Lyn eagers
  
  Participants were asked to bring along their favourite portable pieces of technology and to share their uses with the group. Also to Tell about the ones they left at home; what new technology solutions are coming up in the near future.
• Convention Dinner
• Session 6 - BCA National Issues
  Presenter: Robyn McKenzie, Executive Officer, BCA
• Session 7 - Women's Branch Session
  ISOLATION & LONELINESS - MYTH OR REALITY?
  Chair: Pat Stillman
  Speakers:
  
  • Anne Housego, Administration Officer, Retina Australia Queensland and mother of Tom who has a vision impairment caused by RP
  • Ted Thorburn, a single man who lost his sight as an adult, and lives in a small rural community in far north Queensland
  • Desley Rennick, mother and grandmother blind from birth who has moved from Brisbane to live in a small rural town
  • Rikki Chaplin, employed as a counsellor, blind since birth, father of two young children who has relocated from Brisbane to a regional city
  
  Panel Discussion.
  
  • Is isolation and loneliness more prevalent in people who are blind or vision impaired than in the wider community?
  • Is it harder to be part of main stream society when your ability to share the load is perceived to be limited?
  • Does loneliness and isolation impact on life choices?
  
  Panel members discuss their experiences of making friends, being accepted, getting involved and being valued. The aim of the session is to investigate whether our topic is a Myth or a Reality. If a myth, show us the proof. If a reality, is it always a bad thing?
• Session 8 - Those wonderful endorphins: Chasing the blues away
  Chair: Cheryl Pascual
  Speakers:
  
  • Barbara Gudgon;
  • Sue rogers, personal trainer
  
  Good nutrition and exercise can play an important role in keeping the blues at bay; what kind of exercise equipment do you need at home and how affordable is it; "exercise freebies" - building incidental exercise into your life costs nothing.
• Session 9 - Conclusion
  Terry Boyle, Chair Organising Committee
  
  • Any recommendations for NPDC
  • Closing Remarks

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                Blind Citizens Australia
                Ross House
                Level 3, 247-251 Flinders Lane
                MELBOURNE VIC 3000

                Telephone:  (03) 9654 1400 or
                            1800 033 660
                TTY:        (03) 9639 1728
                Facsimile:  (03) 9650 3200
                E-mail:     bca@bca.org.au