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Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) is 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.
What’s new at BCA?
Listen to or download the May 2013 edition of Sound About!
NEW! Read the June 2013 edition of Its Our Turn!
National Updates:
NEW! Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Review 2012
In
March 2013, Blind Citizens Australia held three teleconferences and sought
feedback from our members on their public transport experiences over the last
five years. Blind Citizens Australia
has prepared the following report for the Department of Infrastructure and Transport which includes the experiences of people who are blind or vision impaired when using public transport
services across Australia
- the good, the bad and the inequitable. Read the report.
NEW! 2013-2014 Federal Budget: Summary of announcements
Read the summary of announcements which are relevant to people who are blind or vision impaired as analysed by Blind Citizens Australia.
NEW! Accessible telephone voting option at the upcoming 2013 Federal Election!
For this year’s Federal election, there will be amended form of
telephone voting available to voters who are blind or vision impaired. Blind Citizens Australia
has been working behind the scenes with Vision Australia, the Australian
Blindness Forum and the Australian Human Rights Commission to once again secure
a form of independent accessible voting for people who are blind or vision
impaired. Find out further information.
NEW! Update on National Convention
Blind Citizens Australia National Convention this year is on the 26th and 27th October at Bankstown Sports Club. There will be a welcome function on the Friday night. Accommodation is available at the Travelodge Hotel which is above the club.
More details regarding the convention will be available shortly, but you are advised to book your accommodation early to avoid missing out. You should do this by contacting the Travelodge Hotel on (02) 9793 0000. We have negotiated special convention rates, so be sure to say you are with the BCA Convention. If you have already booked and haven't been given the special rate, please contact the hotel again and they will make the adjustment.
Blind Citizens Australia's Media Access Campaign
Although the federal government has
announced that it will provide some additional funding to our national
broadcasters (ABC and SBS) in the 2013/14 budget, we were disappointed to note
that there has still been no formal commitment towards an ongoing audio
description service. We are currently in the process of developing our next
campaign strategy to advocate for audio description on Australian television, so
watch this space for more information.
Read more on Media Access and keep up to date with our campaigns for audio description on commercial TV, audio description in cinemas and on DVDs, the digital switchover and all things media access. This includes access to our quarterly It's Our Turn newsletters which
provides the most up to date information on what's happening.
State Specific Updates:
2013-2014 Victorian State Budget: Summary of Announcements
Read the summary of announcements from the 2013-2013 Victorian State Budget.
NSW Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme Campaign
Our NSW branches are currently running a joint campaign to advocate for the introduction of an electronic payment system, which would replace the inaccessible paper-based vouchers that are still in use under the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS).
To show your support for this campaign, please download and complete a copy of our pro forma letter addressed to the Minister for Transport and send it by email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, or by mail to the address referenced within the letter. If you experience any difficulty completing the letter, feel free to contact us and we would be only too happy to assist you.
Tell Me Where I Am! Report on Audible Announcements on Public Transport
Blind Citizens Australia have published a report titled ‘Tell Me Where I Am: Audible Announcements and the experience of people who are blind or vision impaired on Melbourne transport’. This report provides a snapshot of the frequency of audible announcements onboard trains, trams and buses during a two week period in April 2012 and provides a series of recommendations to address and improve current performance. Read the report.
BCA Resources:
LAUNCHED! Blind Citizens Australia Employment Policy Suite
On 11 December 2012, we launched our employment policy suite, which provides resources for recruiters, employers, disability employment service (DES) providers, Government as an employer and how the Australian Government can work to meet their national and international obligations.
What differentiates this policy suite from others in the disability and employment arena is our unique point of difference - these resources have been guided from the direct experiences of our members who are people who are blind or vision impaired: people who are successfully employed, those looking for work, people who have been long term unemployed, parents and students. These policy documents share what has worked for people who are blind or vision impaired, what hasn't and most importantly, what people who are blind or vision impaired want to see changed when it comes to increasing employment opportunities. Read our policy documents and factsheets which are also available in large print, braille, audio and on data CD. Our website also has a list of jobs people who are blind or vision impaired have undertaken.
Launched! Blind Citizens Australia NSW Toolkit
Ever wanted to know what is available to you as a person who is blind or vision impaired in your state? The BCA NSW toolkit, launched at the recent NSW State Convention, is the first of our state toolkits which outlines financial support, information for parents and for students, transport entitlements, home and living, aids and equipment, health and wellbeing, leisure as well as advocacy and legal support. A list of BCA's policies and what they cover are also included. Take a look!
Blind Citizens News
Want to keep up with all that has been happening? Browse through some of our past editions of Blind Citizens News!
Parent News
Are you a parent or professional with an interest in vision impairment? Read up on the ins and outs of issues relevant to parents as well as tid-bits of information and upcoming events. Our most recent edition is available in a two column format or single column for screen readers or read past editions.
Keep updated with our audio magazine SoundAbout!
Listen to or download the May 2013 edition of Sound About!
Listen to or download the February 2013 edition of Sound About!
Listen to or download the November 2012 edition of Sound About!
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