BLIND CITIZENS AUSTRALIA
Policy Statement
Fundraising Practices by Agencies
Serving the Needs of People who are
Blind or Vision Impaired
adopted June 1988, revised April 1999
1. Introduction
1.1 Blind Citizens Australia is the united voice of blind and vision impaired Australians.
1.2 This Policy Statement reflects our concern that fundraising or community education and awareness campaigns, have not always depicted people who are blind and vision impaired in a manner that is positive, dignified and respectful. Too often these campa
igns have focused on the negative impact of blindness only.
1.3 We seek to work with blindness agencies to educate the community by providing information and depicting people who are blind and vision impaired, in a manner which promotes positive images through focusing on opportunity, independence, and achievement
.
1.4 We point out that blind and vision impaired people have the same rights as others to be regarded with respect and treated with dignity. We do not speak for people with other disabilities but all people with disabilities have the right to respect and
dignity.
2. Principles
2.1 People who are blind and vision impaired are individuals who have specific needs as a result of their disability who may not have the resources to meet their own needs. Through Government funding, and independent contributions, the community allocates
resources to address the specific needs of people who are blind or vision impaired.
2.2 Disability Service Agencies, as the name suggests, are the community's agents, established and funded to cater for the specific needs of people with disabilities. These agencies provide services targeted specifically towards people who have sensory, p
hysical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities. Invariably specialist disability service agencies have insufficient resources to meet demand for their services. They supplement their income by fundraising and by revenue generation.
2.3 The fundamental rights of all people with disabilities are sacrosanct, and must not be compromised in any way in fundraising or community education projects. These rights include:
- the right of community understanding and acceptance of their individual situation,
- the right to be recognised and valued as equal members of the community,
- the right to have their contributions to society recognised and valued, and
- the right of informed consent regarding involvement in any fundraising, marketing or community education project.
3. Policy Actions
3.1 These principles should govern the practices of any organisation raising funds in the name of blind or vision impaired people in Australia. As the national voice of blind and vision impaired people, Blind Citizens Australia calls upon individual and
organisational members, agencies and governments, to ensure that fundraising and community education undertaken in the name of blind and vision impaired Australians accords with the above principles.
3.2 We call upon Individual Members to:
- monitor the fundraising policies and practices of agencies, and express their views within their local branch, service agency or organisation,
- be available to serve on consumer committees formed as a reference and to provide a monitoring process for the development and implementation of fundraising campaigns by agencies.
3.3 We Call upon Blind Citizens Australia branches and organisational members to:
- monitor agency fundraising practices, and draw to their attention breaches of the principles set out in this statement.
3.4 We call upon agencies to:
- ensure that their fundraising practices honour the principles set out in this statement.
- enable and resource consumer reference groups that will monitor the development and implementation of fundraising campaigns by agencies.
- ensure that "competition" between agencies to secure what they see as an appropriate "slice of the cake" is not detrimental to those whose needs are to be served, or to other agencies working in similar or related areas. Because resources available t
o meet the needs of people with disabilities are insufficient to meet needs agencies sometimes perceive themselves as being in "competition" with other agencies,
- be mindful, when seeking community support, that the basic reason for requests, and for the existence of the agency is to address the specific needs of the target group,
- address the total needs of the current, past and prospective client group at all times. Fundraising or promotional initiatives must not address the needs of one section of the community to the detriment of others.
- prepare and present all fundraising, promotional or educational material in such a way that it reinforces the basic truth that "blind and vision impaired people are individuals with the same right to dignity, respect and opportunity as all other membe
rs of society".
- Implement an accessible, informed consent strategy that enables individuals, guardians, families or groups to make an informed decision about their involvement in each specific project.
- recognise and address the need to break down the myths, misconceptions and negative images regarding blind and vision impaired people held by the broader community, and to
- accept the challenge to enhance community perceptions of blind and vision impaired people.
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