Published by

Blind Citizens Australia

ACN 006-985-226

Edited by

Lynne Davis

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.

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Blind Citizens News is distributed in Large Print, Braille and Audio. Electronic copies in text format are available from our Web page, on Disk or by Email. To change your format please contact Blind Citizens Australia.

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Project and Research Reports

• Horizons Radio Program

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BCA's Identity Card carries a photo, address and signature. It may be used where photo identification is required and is worth 25 points when opening a bank account or entering into business transactions. Application forms are available from the BCA Office.

Well, here we are again - the year is rushing past and it's autumn already. The excitement of the "new millennium" seems almost like a distant memory, as I sit here writing this with the rain and the leaves falling outside my window and Billie Holliday singing "Sophisticated Lady" (not at all what I feel) in the background. Nice!

This issue is a very mixed bag: there's plenty of news about what BCA is doing, useful transport information from around Australia, a travel article, a thought-provoking piece on information access, an introduction to someone new and a tribute to - well, I can hardly say someone old, can I? I hope you'll find plenty to interest you.

I was pleased to hear that so many people found the special issue on employment, underemployment and unemployment of interest and significance, and I'd like to express my thanks to all those who contributed to it. Strangely, although I received many personal comments on the issue, the mailbag was very light. Please, if you want to say something in response to what you read in the News, say it in writing so your thoughts can be shared with the whole readership. While I appreciate the personal feedback, a phone call to me is rather like a whisper when a shout would often be more effective!

Anyway, in the light of the positive response to our first "special issue", I'd like to let you know that there will be another in February, 2001. The theme for this second special issue will be education: the closing date will be mid-December, and I would welcome ideas, comments and expressions of interest from readers from now on. Some suggestions for possible contributions include: past experiences of schooling for blind and vision impaired children; comparisons of present and past practices; post-school educational opportunities and experiences (present and past); the merits of segregated and integrated schooling; what a truly inclusive education system would look like; and anything else you think is important about this topic. This is a very democratic theme, as we have all had some kind of educational experience, and very few of us escape without some strongly-held views! So I'll look forward to your input on this one.

Thankyou for presenting some very interesting articles on employment [February 2000]. I do congratulate you, and Beth Hayes and Jennifer Shang.

On a less positive note, Pam Waugh really ought to know better. As a member of the Sydney Branch Executive of BCA, she must have met a good many competent and experienced long cane users, who have every right to resent her description of "poking about in the streets with a stick" [letters to the Editor, February 2000]. Surely we should not express contempt for the mobility choices made by our members. I hope Ms Waugh has sufficient vision to travel safely without the use of mobility aids until her favoured option becomes available and she has received training in its use.

I'd like to take the opportunity in this issue of Blind Citizens News to report on a few matters. Firstly however I'd like to congratulate Lynne Davis, Editor, and contributing BCA members on the February issue of Blind Citizens News, which had a focus on employment. The letters and articles from members gave readers an insight into the problems which many blind and vision impaired people face getting into and keeping a job. It's not easy writing about the personal problems one faces and I appreciate that members are willing to do so in order to help others understand.

The employment focused issue of Blind Citizens News has attracted much comment and has been circulated widely within blindness organisations, particularly those which run employment services.

Now to issues of BCA business. I want to report that the National Policy and Development Council (NPDC) has been formed. This Council, which was to be formed as a result of the changes to BCA's constitution at the '99 Convention, will have primary responsibility for consultation and communication with members, drafting of policy, and membership development.

In this first year of the Council, BCA's Board has decided to appoint representatives from eligible States and Territories, and a representative of the National Women's Branch. Organisational Members have been asked to make nominations for the election of a representative.

Those appointed to the Council are: Pat Stillman (Qld), Pamela Fayers (NSW), Mark Muscat (Vic), Vanessa Ransley (Tas), Kym Hand (SA), Keith Hayes (WA), and Fiona Woods (Women's Branch). In future years the Board expects representatives to be filled by vote of the members living in each eligible State and Territory. The Council will meet for the first time in May and I look forward to their valuable input.

Congratulation to Aileen McFadzean whose second child was born in early April. We are pleased to know that mother and daughter, Freya Mary who was a healthy 4.5 kilograms at birth, are both doing well.

I'm pleased to welcome Kate Litchen who has joined the administration staff of our National Office. Kate's will be the cheery voice on the end of the phone when you call the National Office. I'm also pleased to welcome Marisa Fernandez to our project team hosting the 5^th World Blind Union General Assembly. There is an article about our plans for the General Assembly in this edition of Blind Citizens News, and we are sending to all members detailed information in your preferred format and a registration form. I want to remind members that there will be no National Convention this year. There will be an Annual General Meeting of members in Melbourne on 19 November, straight after the Women's Forum and just before the General Assembly. The WBU General Assembly will take place from Monday 20 to Friday 24 November. This will be a once in a lifetime event and I encourage you to attend. I look forward to participation by a strong contingent of blind people from Australia.

I am sad to inform you that our past President Joan Ledermann is seriously ill. On Friday March 17 she suffered a stroke which has left her completely paralysed on her left side, with difficulty in swallowing and speaking. Joan is able to read Braille with her right hand and I do encourage you to spare some thought for Joan and to send her some cards or letters in Braille.

You may recall that there was discussion of East Timor during our National Convention with a resolution being adopted to support the establishment of a self help organisation of blind people in that country. I'm now pleased to report that BCA has joined with Royal Blind Society of NSW to support services to blind people in East Timor. Graeme Innes, RBS President, has written to all major blindness organisations in Australia and to date BCA is the only one to have responded positively. I think that the RBS and BCA commitment to support blind people in East Timor is a tremendous initiative and I trust that other Australian blindness organisations will join us. David Blyth will oversee the project and his wealth of experience and contacts, particularly with the World Blind Union, will be of great benefit. The BCA Board has made an initial contribution of $2,000 to the project and we are now looking for your support to extend our contribution. If you wish to make a financial contribution you can call the BCA office on 1800-033-660 and make a donation using your credit card.

Alternatively, you can send a donation to BCA at PO Box 229, Prahran, Vic 3181.

Please mark your donation "East Timor".

I'm also pleased to report that the Board has approved the establishment of two new Branches. These are a Branch in Tasmania and a Youth Branch in Victoria. The member interest in forming these Branches is positive and is another demonstration that our organisation continues to grow in strength. I expect both of these Branches to be formally established by June and I wish them the best for the future. I'm sure that they will represent the interests of their constituents well.

BCA has also been active over recent months in representing the interests of blind and vision impaired people in many forums. These include a meeting of the Presidents and Chief Executive Officers of most of the major blindness agencies in Australia; a meeting convened by the National Caucus of Disability Consumer Organisations to discuss Human Rights and Disability; a meeting of the Telecommunications and Disability Consumer Representation Project; a meeting of the Reference Group on Women, Domestic Violence and Disability; and reviews of Australian coins (held by the Royal Australian Mint), welfare reform, and the Australian Standards on Tactile Ground Surface Indicators.

We also continue to hold the view that the development of Standards under the Disability Discrimination Act would make a tremendous difference to the lives of people who are blind or vision impaired and to others living with a disability. Accordingly, the BCA Board will continue to host the DDA Standards Project which oversees this work. The Transport Standard has been ratified by all Transport Ministers and is now to be approved by the Commonwealth Government Cabinet prior to being adopted. We look forward to Cabinet Ministers and their Departments supporting the Standard.

Finally, I want to give you some information about BCA Awards. It has become traditional that at our Convention we recognise and acknowledge the outstanding efforts of individuals through the presentation of awards.

We recognise individual contributions to BCA through the presentation of Certificates of Appreciation, whilst we acknowledge the contribution made by an individual to improving the quality of life for blind people through the presentation of the David Blyth Award.

I would like to encourage Members, Branches and Organisational Members to consider nominations for the awards and to put forward people who you think deserve to be recognised. Over past years the Certificates of Appreciation have been awarded to many individuals whose work has been at a Branch or local level and where the work has been outstanding and long lasting.

The criteria for the David Blyth Award are much tougher as the award recognises the impact of the contribution of the individual on the quality of life of blind and vision impaired Australians. Neither of the awards is restricted to Members of BCA, however the Certificates of Appreciation are specifically to recognise an individual's contribution to BCA.

Over past years the David Blyth Award has been presented to nine individuals who have made selfless and outstanding contributions to the lives of blind people. Amongst these are Mercy Dickenson for her work in the field of education, Joan Ledermann for her contribution and commitment to Braille, Stephen Jolley for his work in bringing radio for the print handicapped to fruition, and Hugh Jeffrey for his contribution to education and music for blind students. Last year's winner was Graeme Innes whose endeavours and achievements are highlighted in this edition of Blind Citizens News. I'm looking forward to presenting awards this year at the Annual General Meeting held in Melbourne but I must warn you that they are not presented as a matter of course. The individuals nominated must be deserving and their contributions must be outstanding.

Nomination forms and criteria can be obtained by calling BCA's National Office on 1800-033-660. Nominations should be directed to me as Convener of the BCA Awards Committee and must be received in our National Office by Friday 25 August.

The Vietnamese Government has honoured Blind Citizens Australia with the Medal of Friendship in appreciation "For many helpful contributions in partnership and implementation of beneficial projects which have greatly helped the Vietnamese blind community." The certificate was signed by the President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Mr Tran Duc Luong. The Friendship Medal was received on BCA's behalf by its Executive Officer, Bill Jolley, at a ceremony in Ha Noi on February 29.

Receiving the Medal of Friendship from the Vietnamese Government is a high honour for Blind Citizens Australia. Normally the Medal is awarded to individuals rather than organisations, and BCA is only the second organisation to receive the award.

Blind Citizens Australia has worked in partnership with the Viet Nam Blind Association (VBA) since 1993 to support teacher-training courses in six provinces: Thai Binh, Long An, Ha Tay, Quang Nam, Thanh Hoa and Thua Thien Hue. With funding totalling $280,000 from AusAID, 125 women, three quarters of them blind or vision impaired, have been trained through nine-month residential courses as teachers of blind people in Braille literacy, vocational skills and daily living techniques. They have since opened 83 Braille Literacy classes in their local districts, mostly for three months, for 1351 blind people. This year the number should pass 2000, with a further 54 district classes planned.

The people in the classes are taught to read Braille correctly, using two hands. They learn to make tooth picks, sleeping mats, fishing nets and brooms. Some of them have reported that, with a knowledge of Braille and basic mobility, they now feel safe and confident to take their products to the market and sell them, finding the way themselves and keeping notes of their sales in Braille.

Last November there were record floods in Hue. The house for the Braille Literacy Class in the Phu Vang District of Thua Thien Hue was under two metres of water and the bedding, books and all other moveable things were destroyed or swept away. The fourteen blind students were rescued by boat and taken to a nearby house where they stayed on the roof for two days and nights, tied together for safety by a rope, until the waters subsided. Such is their commitment to learning to read and write in Braille that the building has been repaired, some equipment has been replaced and the class has now re-opened.

Viet Nam is a very poor country, home to 75 million people. It suffered widespread poverty, environmental damage and deprivation following the war with the United States that finished more than 25 years ago.

The Viet Nam Blind Association was formed in 1969, as a self-help support network for blinded soldiers. VBA now has 30,000 members, out of the 750,000 blind people estimated to live in Viet Nam, and the organisation is growing rapidly. It aims to have a branch in each province, but the Government keeps sub-dividing and making new provinces. VBA's growth is aided by the support received from the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP) which carries out international programs in Asia and Africa to build and strengthen national associations of the blind. There are five schools for the blind in Viet Nam, run by the Government and named after Nguyen Dinh Chiu - a famous blind man of the early twentieth century - but they barely scratch the surface. Many blind children in Viet Nam do not receive an education, but the VBA is making a difference with pre-integration classes for children in some of its provincial branch offices. VBA operates classes where there is no school for the blind or where there are orphan or poor children whose carers or parents cannot afford the fees at the Government schools. The pre-integration classes emphasise reading and writing of Braille to give the children basic literacy and numeracy. The children also learn to sing and to play musical instruments. Bill Jolley, who has visited Viet Nam regularly to monitor BCA's projects there, remembers walking into children's classes and hearing them writing Braille - thirty kids aged six to fifteen using their slates and styluses to make Braille, and some of them using their two hands to punch out the dots because the paper is too thick for their fingers to penetrate with the stylus. Some of the blind children Bill has met in Viet Nam are tiny: small of physique to start with, they are blinded by malnutrition. Vitamin A deficiency is common in Viet Nam, along with child-hood diseases, accidents, chemical damage and explosions from the war.

Bill Jolley has been personally honoured by being awarded the "Medal for Happiness of Blind People" by VBA, "For much help to Viet Nam Blind Association in Braille Literacy."

As you receive this edition of BCA News there are around 200 days to go to the start of the World Blind Union Fifth General Assembly program.

Australia will host the Second World Blind Women's Forum, WBU Fifth General Assembly and associated events in Melbourne between Thursday 16 and Friday 24 November 2000.

• For the twenty representatives from the participating blindness Agencies and BCA that comprise the Australian Host Group, that's 200 days to finalise planning and preparations for the twenty seven different events and activities that will take place during the Assembly period.

• For the Team Leaders with responsibility for managing various aspects of the event, that's 200 days to recruit the 500 volunteers that will ensure the Event's success.

• For me as Assembly Organiser, that's 200 days to complete the many organisational tasks necessary to ensure that our 750 international guests from 150 countries are appropriately hosted and can fully participate in the Assembly and other aspects of their visit.

• For many BCA members and friends, that's 200 days to make the arrangements necessary to ensure that you are part of this once in a lifetime occasion.

With this edition of BCA News we are including your copy of the information pack for Australian attendees. This contains details of the General Assembly and other aspects of the program as well as information about the accommodation available and other arrangements. I encourage you to give this material your early attention and to get your registration in as soon as possible.

For those not able to attend the full program we are offering a number of registration packages that focus on different aspects of the event. Daily passes are also available for those who can only attend a small part of the program.

A registration form with reply envelope is also enclosed. Those who will require accommodation should complete and return this within the next few weeks as accommodation is limited and we must accept reservations in the order received.

Alternatively you can register by phoning the BCA Office and having a form completed on your behalf. You will however need to have your credit card details handy as registration fees and an accommodation deposit must accompany all registrations.

• For those who will not be able to join us in person there are around 200 days for you to ensure that you can share in the event through our extensive radio and internet coverage.

Stephen Jolley is leading the RPH team hosting programs from the venue. The General Assembly Opening will be available live on Monday Morning, 20 November and a report of each day's activities will be presented each evening from Wednesday 15 to Friday 24 November. We will also provide more extensive replays of each day's activities as an overnight service, from around 10.00 pm each evening.

All of this material will be available for broadcast on RPH network stations and on community stations in areas not serviced by RPH. Radio stations, of course, chose their programming on the basis of what they understand their listeners want to hear. It is therefor very important that those who are keen to hear the WBU programming make their interest known to their local RPH or community station. RPH stations will be able to access the programming directly from the network satellite service. However, other stations will need to arrange satellite access by contacting RPH Australia on 03 9864 9207 or email rphaust@ozemail.com.au

Following the success of Internet broadcasts of the last two BCA Conventions we will be providing full coverage of the General Assembly and Women's Forum via the Web. This will include direct and repeated presentations of all conference sessions as well as the RPH daily reports and other feature programming. This service will form an important aspect of the international outreach of the Assembly as we will be providing coverage in English, French, Spanish, Italian and possibly Japanese.

With 200 days to go to the arrival of our many international visitors the organisational pace and excitement is increasing among the many people already involved with our hosting of the General Assembly and Women's Forum. With this release of the Australian Registration details we hope that you will share in the excitement of this once in a lifetime event and that you will be able to join us in Melbourne from November 16th to 24th.

My name is Grant Webster. I started working at BCA on 2 February as the National Advocacy Officer, filling in for Aileen McFadzean while she is on maternity leave.

I am very new to working in disability discrimination advocacy so I have had to learn a lot, which has been exciting for me. One of my many bizarre traits is that I enjoy reading legislation and court decisions. I have been taking home copies of the Disability Discrimination Act, the Equal Opportunity Act, and decisions of the courts and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission for my bedtime reading, and loving it!

I spent a few days working with Aileen before her leave started and I found her to be an inspiration. She is a person with much passion, clarity and strength, and she was able to take many complicated things and make them appear simple. This has helped me to learn things far more quickly than I otherwise would have.

Before working at BCA I had worked for 10 years as a Financial Counsellor. Financial Counsellors work with financially vulnerable clients, most with debts, and give advice and advocate for the client. The main areas one needs to know about are credit laws, bankruptcy, debt recovery law, social security and how to deal with gas, electricity, phone and water utilities.

I completed a law degree in 1998. I had started this in 1993 and completed it by off-campus study. I also have two graduate diplomas, in Sociology and Legal Studies, and an Arts degree. This year I am starting a Master of Law course, also by off-campus study.

I have three particular goals at the moment. One is to complete my Masters course in six years. A second is to earn a black belt in karate by age 50. I am currently 45 and wear an orange belt. The third is to learn the Vietnamese language. Each morning you will find me in the Hoddle St traffic with headphones on, listening to Vietnamese language tapes. Pronunciation is the hardest aspect of the language to learn, I am finding.

I am a single father and live with my son, Shannon, nine, and my daughter, Lauren, five. My wife Robyn died some days after Lauren was born. Lauren started school the week before I started at BCA. She seems to have settled in well. Shannon has been going to karate classes for more than a year now and will soon grade for his orange belt. He is manic about Pokemon cards.

My work at BCA is mostly in the area of disability discrimination. However, I also give advice on social security matters and can write letters of support in some immigration cases. For me to take on a case in the area of disability discrimination there must of course be some act of discrimination complained of. The discrimination must also arise out of or be connected to blindness or vision impairment.

The cases I have worked on so far (which include cases Aileen had been working on as well as new cases) seem to fall generally into two categories. One is straightforward discrimination, often in relation to job interviews or termination of employment, which would make any fair-minded person's blood boil. In these cases there are often arguments over the facts of the case. Employers and others who discriminate often try to justify their treatment of the person after a complaint has been made. Only then (that is, after the complaint has been made) do we hear that the job is just too dangerous, or the person complaining was incompetent, or (in one current case) there was a change of company policy on the very morning that a vision-impaired person started working on the company's switchboard. I have been using the phrase "post hoc justifications" a lot lately and generally treat them with the contempt they deserve.

I will briefly note that even if these sorts of allegations were actually true, the person in question does have some right to have heard these allegations prior to lodging a discrimination complaint. In unfair dismissal terms, there can be procedural unfairness as well as substantive unfairness.

The other category of cases seems to be those that often, in broader community terms, are not clear-cut. This is where we use the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) strategically to try to extend the concept of inclusiveness. In the tradition of the OASITO and SOCOG cases, we have recently launched a case against NRMA relating to a refusal by NRMA to provide its prospectus for the proposed de-mutualisation in Braille format. In my view this case deserves to succeed, but I acknowledge that some BCA members and some members of the broader community might disagree. The main point is that access is an ongoing issue that arises with every new technology and it is important to keep pressing on access issues lest the access needs of blind, vision-impaired or other disabled people become very easy to overlook. Discrimination in these areas is rarely malicious. But reaching a decision, for example, to refrain from issuing material in Braille often results from a different cost-benefit analysis than one that would be acceptable to a Braille-literate blind person. We need to continually question the assumptions in the first sort of cost-benefit analysis.

I have a number of personal goals in working at BCA. I want to develop my expertise in anti-discrimination law. I find it an exciting area. While I work here I want to provide the best possible service, but I would also find it a privilege to be used as a resource by BCA and other disability groups after I leave.

The other aims are to get to know people in this part of the world and to enjoy myself.

And I have been doing that.

In June last year Bill and I were lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Beijing. Bill had received an invitation in 1998 from the China Disabled Persons Federation to visit China, and we decided to combine the visit with a holiday. This had the advantage of our having a guide and interpreter, which was particularly helpful as Bill is totally blind and I am vision impaired. It also had the added advantage of our being able to meet many interesting people who we would never have met on a tour. The trip is still vivid in my mind with many sights, sounds and tastes that are very different from a Melburnian's every day experiences. The following article describes what, for me, were some of the highlights of our trip.

The overwhelming impression I came home with was the good nature of the people we met. Even though language was often a difficulty, there was always a smile or a laugh not too far away. They were incredibly hospitable, always consulting us about what food we liked, what we wanted to do, etc. People were keen to ask us about Australia, its people, its culture and its food. They were also proud of their country, in particular their history. Everyone we spoke to could rattle off whatever dynasty such and such occurred in. The friendliness of the people was not just limited to those people who we met officially but also the staff in hotels, department stores and restaurants (although some of the taxi drivers could see us coming!).

One very moving experience was the day we went to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is an immense area consisting of gardens, a man-made lake, temple, museum, halls, etc, and is a very popular spot for the Chinese. As usual we were met by hawkers at the front of the palace (this was the case at all the tourist spots). They were selling trinkets and also bottles of frozen water, which was a good idea as the weather was hot. Anyway we went into the palace and walked around the gardens to a rotunda where a choir was singing. The choir consists of blind and retired people. They sing at various parks and gardens every weekend throughout the year. When we approached the rotunda the singing stopped and we were introduced to the conductor who is a totally blind woman. She conducts the choir by quietly clapping the rhythm. We were given seats right in front and one of the choir members who could speak a little English came over to interpret for us. The choir sang a mixture of folk songs and songs from the West. It is interesting that music from "The Sound of Music" is very popular in China with many people humming the melodies. The woman who was interpreting for us was quite a character. She pointed to one of the men who had a beautiful bass voice and commented on how he couldn't carry a tune when he first joined the choir, he just sang "la la la". As we were listening to the choir Bill kept saying to me that we would have to sing a song. If any one has heard Bill singing they would understand the dilemma I faced! We sang Edelweiss with an Austrian woman dragged out of the crowd (she had never heard of the song!). The Austrian woman departed and Bill and I were left to sing "Waltzing Matilda", which the choir didn't know. But, after Bill suggesting that we sing "Click Go the Shears" the whole choir joined us. A joint rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" followed, which the choir and I thoroughly enjoyed. Although there was a language barrier, there was much laughter shared and I enjoyed the experience.

As I noted in my diary at the time, the people are so good hearted and welcoming that at times I felt overwhelmed by their kindness. This kindness was also extended whenever we went out for a meal. The menu was closely studied and we were consulted.

On our first evening we went to a nearby restaurant with our interpreter Eric, Mr Teng Wei-Min and his assistant, and our driver Mr Lee. Mr Teng is a jovial man and is Director of the Massage Hospital and a Vice-Chairman of China Disabled Persons Federation. He lost his sight when he was at university studying Western medicine. We could communicate a little as he has been having English lessons from Yang Jia, a vision impaired lecturer in English at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. That evening one of the dishes we had was snake. The liver was presented like a pate with a very strong taste, the flesh tasted a little like fish, and the skin tasted a little like fried noodles. It was fascinating to watch the waitress pour the drinks. She reached across the table with the bottle, stretched her arm out and, with the lip of the bottle, tilted the glass towards her and slowly filled the glass tilting it back as it filled. For those of you who have read "Wild Swans" it reminded me of the story of the tea pouring at the tea shops. Bill and Mr Teng had the honour of drinking a toast with the snake's blood. This was followed by another toast with what Eric, our interpreter, said came out the other end! Bill is very good at eating and drinking what for me would be very difficult. It was a great evening with much laughter.

Another dining experience was the night we went out with the Vice-Director of China Disabled Persons Federation, Mr Wong. The restaurant was in an upmarket hotel and we had our own room. Also present were Yang Jia and her sister, Eric and Mr Teng. The meal was Peking Duck. In China this means that every dish of the meal is part of the duck. It was wonderful! Mr Wong told us he was in the printing business but his father was blind and as a child he learned the Braille alphabet. He told us that as a result of his experience he has a great affection for blind people. At the end of the evening we were presented with a gift each (a silk tie for Bill and a silk scarf for me).

I will end the culinary reminiscences here by saying that one lunch time we went to a restaurant that Eric, our interpreter, just happened to find called "Mao's Favourite Dishes". It had many pictures of Mao Zedong when he was young and other items of memorabilia.

Another highlight of the trip was the massage we had at the Massage Hospital. The hospital was founded in 1958. It has 100 staff members, 100 ward beds and 450 outpatients per day. It is a teaching hospital and most of the doctors are blind. Our visit began with a presentation from one of the doctors and then we visited the outpatient clinics. I should add here that whenever we had a meeting tea was always served - as a tea drinker I thought it was wonderful. At the conclusion of our visit to the clinic we were asked if we would like a foot massage. As my feet were sore and tired at the time I thought this an excellent idea. The person to perform the massage was a student from Austria who was studying at the hospital. Thinking that my feet were going to be massaged I was confused when the student was trying to get me to lie face down on a bed (the bed was like a stretcher in a frame with two parallel bars). After I was in position the student stood on my back. This was a bit of a shock! When she started to massage me with her feet I realised what a foot massage was. The masseur uses the feet instead of the hands to massage the patient. The bars on the bed were for the masseur to hang onto. It was the best massage I have ever had in my life. The heel and toes were used on various parts of the body: shoulders, hips, thighs, calves. A great way to relax.

One day we went to the Great Wall. The wall was built two and half thousand years ago and extended seven thousand kilometres across China, although little remains. It is visible from outer space. The main purpose of the wall was to protect the south from invaders from the north. It is approximately six metres wide, built out of stone, and consists of many uneven steps, turrets and plateaus. It seemed to go on forever! At one stage during our climb Bill decided to ring his brother, Stephen. It was quite amazing, there we were leaning against one of the turrets of the Great Wall of China, talking to Stephen who was sitting in his office in Melbourne. It was difficult to climb the Great Wall as many of the steps were uneven and the tread between steps varied in height. However, this was the only time that we had difficulty in walking around. The footpaths were paved and often had tactile tiles.

During our stay we visited many interesting places: we climbed the Great Wall, strolled around the Summer Palace, marvelled at the Forbidden City, shopped at the Silk Market, were fascinated by the Lama Temple, walked along Tiananmen Square and I became proficient at using chopsticks. The places will get jumbled in the memory but I will always remember the people and their warmth, hospitality and friendliness. I hope that one day I will be able to go back to Beijing and visit other areas in China.

Pensions, including the blind pension and age pension (blind), will increase by four per cent on 1 July 2000.

The increases are part of general Social Security and Veterans' Entitlements changes to compensate for the introduction of the GST, which of course also starts on 1 July.

All payments, including education and employment entry, rent assistance, mobility allowance, telephone allowance and child disability allowance will be increased by the four per cent.

Other changes, dealing with increased income free areas and more generous tapering rates, will have no effect on blind pensions or age (blind) pensions.

Given that a recipient of the blind pension is entitled to the maximum rate of family assistance, increases in the income free area for this will similarly have no effect.

Legislation was also passed to provide bonus payments to those with savings and investment income during either or both of 1998-1999 or 1999-2000. Eligibility should be checked with Centrelink.

There will be some exemptions from the GST on some aids and equipment used by blind and vision-impaired people. However, the exact position is unclear as yet. We will report further on this as soon as we have clear information.

To address what appears to be a concern for many, we are not aware of any proposals to change the status of the Disability Support Pension (Blind). Nothing suggests it may soon be means-tested or lose its character of providing qualification for full family assistance payments. This will remain so in relation to Family Tax Benefits (a reorganisation of several current payments) which will also commence on 1 July.

As blind people, I think we all realise the value of being pragmatic. The greater our desire to move from a passing flirtation with the visual aspects of the world, to serious engagement with its essential visual reality, then the greater our desire to develop "coping strategies" that enable us to participate as effectively as possible in the face of an array of barriers to full and independent access. I certainly have used, and continue to use, such strategies on many occasions. For example, when there were no audible traffic signals, we had to learn how to cross the roads as safely as possible, and I've used a light probe on the buttons on the traffic lights, and a battery of other techniques. I have also used a light probe on lift buttons in the absence of tactile markings; I've scanned hundreds of books into my computer so that I could read them, knowing that they would never be available in a professionally-produced accessible format. I'm sure we can all add many other examples to this personalised list.

Sometimes, too, accessibility issues arise but, for a variety of reasons, we don't pursue them in a systematic way. In 1998, I needed to read a book published the previous year about doing research on disability as part of my university studies. I was fairly certain that the text should be available in an electronic format, so I contacted the author who works in a British university. He was quite happy (though a little surprised) to supply the text, provided that I purchased it in the same way that I would purchase the print copy. This was fine by me. The problem was that the publishers didn't have credit card facilities, nor could they email me the file. So I would have had to get a bank draft in UK pounds, post it, and then wait who knows how long for the disk to arrive. And I needed to read the book in the next couple of weeks! So I decided to borrow a print copy of the book, and I then scanned it on my computer. The result was not as good as having the original electronic format, but it enabled me to do what I needed to do in the time-frame that was available.

So, the world is visual: we are blind or vision-impaired. Not only do we have to be calm, cool and together (as the song says),but we also have to be inventive, flexible, and adaptable.

On March 28, the Commonwealth Government released an Interim Report into Welfare Reform. The report introduces the principles of mutual obligation and participation as a basis for the receipt of benefits such as the Disability Support Pension. If implemented fully, the result of the report's recommendations would be some of the most fundamental changes to the social policy underlying the welfare system in Australia since the introduction of the welfare state itself.

The report was released in printed form, and also as a pdf file on the web site of the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS). Accessibility is a fairly slippery concept at the best of times, and the accessibility of pdf files is no exception. A lot depends on the formatting of the original document (that is, the document prior to its conversion to pdf), and on the way the pdf is "distilled" from the original. For example, if the original document contains material set out as tables or side-by-side columns that are to be read straight across (such as a time-table), then the conversion to text will often result in output that is almost meaningless (in which case it can be quicker to print the document and scan it, assuming that you have access to the required technology).

In the case of the welfare reform report, the adequacy of the pdf format is not, in my view, the fundamental issue, however. This report is not the kind of document that is designed to be skimmed and forgotten: it is intended to form the basis of discussion, consultation and feedback. It contains far-reaching recommendations that could have profound effects on our lives as blind people in Australia. As a member of the Disability Council of NSW, I am expected to read and study the report, and probably take it along to meetings where it will be discussed. I can't do this with a pdf version. Sighted people are not expected to discuss the report huddled round a computer, either. When I rang yesterday to ask where I could obtain a Braille copy, I was offered a print copy to take to discussion groups. I pointed out that because I am blind, the print copy would not be of much use.

Yesterday morning (March 29) I was told that a Braille version of the report would not be produced, but that an RTF electronic version would be made available when it was ready. But, I asked, when would that be? Well, when it's ready. How am I to take the RTF version to meetings? Um ... How are blind people who cannot afford the technology to access the web, or who lack the training, going to read and comment on the report? Um ... er ... well ...

Later, I was told that a Braille version would be produced, but only a summary, not the full report. So, I asked, what am I to do when I take my summary to a meeting where everyone else has the full version, and my comments are sought on the material on page 15, or section 2.3? Pass. And why should I be content with a summary, when sighted people can get a hard-copy of the full version? Pass again.

I won't bore you with all the details of the discussions that I have had with various people, both from the Department of Family and Community Services, and also with the Chair of the Reference Group that wrote the report. Suffice to say, however, that this afternoon I was given an undertaking by the Chair of the Reference Group that the Interim Report will be produced in Braille, audio and disk as soon as possible. He claimed that he had been advised by staff of the Department of Family and Community services that by making the report available in pdf, they would be making it available to all blind people. I think his awareness of information access issues has been raised today.

Sometimes we have to use coping strategies, but sometimes we have to take a stand, and assert our claims to equal and independent access. For me, the relative inaccessibility of the report on welfare reform is an example of an issue that has demanded a response from me, if I am to be a credible advocate for blind people, and if I am to live with my own conscience according to the principles of morality and ethics that I espouse. I say this for a number of reasons, some of which are:

1. Mutual obligation is really a code-word for sanctions. If the bureaucrats charged with the responsibility for administering any new system feel that someone has not met their obligations, this will be a reason to reduce or remove benefits. We have a situation where bureaucrats have provided advice that something is accessible to all blind people, when it clearly is not. If the distribution of the report is so obviously mishandled, it does not augur well for the future of the system as a whole. The Minister has apparently said that anyone who doesn't have access to the Internet can go to an Internet cafe. I know of no such communal gathering place that is accessible to all people using screen readers. In any case, a blind person cannot produce their own hard-copy version in such an environment, whereas a sighted person can, merely by clicking on the "print" button. More importantly, a sighted person - any sighted person - can call a 1800 number and request that a hard-copy print version of the report be sent to them, free of charge. The Minister, and policy advisers, need to be made aware that "mutual obligation" and participation require much more planning and infrastructure than can be achieved using a pdf file and the digital froth of a cyberccino. Left unchallenged, such convenient fictions will legitimise an exclusionary, elitist society, where entry will be by invitation only, and then only if you bring your own keys to unlock the door. That's not the kind of society I want to live in.
2. The majority of blind people - the majority, indeed, of people who will be affected by the recommendations contained in this report - do not have access to the Internet, or to the skills and technologies necessary to use it. If I take the view that "I can access it, so that's good enough", I am, in effect, closing the door of access in the faces of my brothers and sisters who don't have the resources, advantages, or opportunities, that I do. I personally cannot do that.
3. The report also champions the notion of participation, implying that if I don't participate, I forfeit my entitlements. But if I am to participate, both economically and socially, in the life of the community, then I need the means to do so. It is not enough to say "just participate, and be happy and grateful as a docile citizen should". Participation requires that we have access to the means of such participation which, for me in this case, equates to a hard-copy version of the report that I can discuss on equal terms and in the same circumstances, as sighted people (many of whom will not be affected by the recommendations anyway). I also know of other blind people whose employment depends on their being able to give advice quickly on this and similar reports. In this case, they have been unable to do so, at a time when there has been considerable debate in the media.

I believe that the construction of the modern welfare state represents one of the most civilising achievements of the twentieth century, and my achey-brakey socialist heart is by no means convinced that the system being proposed represents enlightened, forward-looking, social policy. When I get my Braille copy of the report, and have the chance to read it and study it and discuss it just as a sighted person can with their print copy, I might be more sympathetic. But, all too often, access to information is completely ignored in the development of social policy. Yet it is precisely this type of access that is of critical importance to us as we move to the next stage of the information revolution. Either I evangelise the importance of information access and communication, or I succumb to excommunication by the cyber-priests of the new age.

OK, well, if you have read this far, you deserve the happy ending: not only will the Interim Report on Welfare Reform be produced in audio, Braille, and disk, but the final report will also be produced in these formats. So, we won't need to use the access pug-in or the email service. We will be able to obtain both reports in the format of our choice, by contacting the Department of Family and Community Services.

[A couple of editorial comments: I don't see any reference to large print in the list of accessible formats to be provided – and I'm told that the print copy has been produced in microscopic print! So, large print readers, there may still be some consciousness-raising to be done. And now that we have the alternative-format versions of this important report, it is important that as many people as possible take the opportunity to request and comment on them. Having access to information is something we cannot afford to take for granted, and it would be sad to waste the efforts made by Bruce and others by failing to use what has been so hard-won. People can ring the Welfare Reform Hotline on 1800-225-024 to request a copy in their preferred format. And I believe that a large print version will also be available.]

As mentioned in the previous issue of Blind Citizens News, Graeme Innes was presented with the David Blyth award at Convention '99 in Brisbane. The following extract is from the nomination proposing Graeme for the award.

"Graeme has made an outstanding contribution to improving the situation of people with disabilities over twenty years, and people who are blind or vision impaired have been particular beneficiaries of his community service. Especially he has worked hard and with success to affirm and uphold the rights to equality, access and dignity of people with disabilities.

Graeme Innes was born in New South Wales, totally blind, in the 1950's. He received his early education at the North Rocks Central School for Blind Children and was later integrated into a regular High School. He holds a Law degree from the University of Sydney.

Graeme started his working life in the NSW Public Service, answering telephones and providing basic consumer information. He remembers one supervisor who thought that he would progress no further. Indeed, his recent appointment as Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner is testimony to his own determination and steady rise to seniority in his professional career. His first significant break came with an appointment to work for the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, investigating discrimination complaints on various grounds including disability. After a few years he transferred to Western Australia, continuing in this particular field of work. He later worked for Qantas and for the Westpac Banking Corporation as Special Employment Placement Officer and to assist those organisations to make their products and services more accessible to people with disabilities. In recent years he has worked as a Hearings Commissioner in five tribunals, ranging from Residential Tenancy to Human Rights.

Graeme Innes was the first President of Disabled Peoples International Australia, being one of the organisation's founders back in 1982 following the United Nations International Year of Disabled Persons. In 1990 he was appointed as Chairperson of the Commonwealth Government's Disability Advisory Council of Australia. After his second term as Chairperson had expired in 1994 he received the award of Member in the Order of Australia, in recognition of his service to the community, in particular to people with disabilities.

A major development during this time was the passing by the Commonwealth Parliament of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Based on his knowledge of human rights law, he was involved in drafting the DDA and in community consultations which informed the drafting process. The DDA was landmark legislation and is still regarded as one of the best pieces of human rights law (disability) compared with similar legislation in other countries.

Since 1992 Graeme has been a member of the Human Rights Committee of the World Blind Union. He made a major contribution to the work of that committee by writing a very clear and concise summary of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Disabled Persons.

Graeme's work as described above has complemented his work among blind people, both informing it and being informed by it. His blindness-related involvements started in the 1970's when he was a young graduate.

Whilst at University Graeme was a cricket player and then an administrator (serving for some time as President) in the NSW Blind and Partially Blind Cricket Association. It was in this environment, on and off the cricket field, that Graeme developed many of his team-building, advocacy and negotiation skills. He enjoyed his cricket and was a leading off-field contributor on the private tour of a group of Australian blind cricketers to Sri Lanka in 1982.

In the mid 1970's he was appointed to the Council of the Royal Blind Society and he served for some years as its Secretary. Upon his return to Sydney from Perth he resumed his involvement in the Council and has served RBS as a Vice-President since that time. Whilst in Perth he was a member of the Board of the Association for the Blind of Western Australia. Graeme has never been a passive or compliant blindness agency Board member. He has always championed the cause of blind consumers for access to more comprehensive and higher quality services.

Graeme attended his first convention of Blind Citizens Australia in 1977 and was elected to the Board one year later. He served on the Board throughout the 1980s, for much of the time as Vice-President. He was recognised in 1995 for his contribution to the organisation by receiving a Blind Citizens Australia Certificate of Appreciation.

Graeme has made a major contribution to Blind Citizens Australia, and the people whom it serves, through his contribution to governance, management, fundraising and policy development and implementation. He was always an active and committed member of the Board and an excellent ambassador for the organisation in various political, policy, agency or social environments.

Graeme Innes has made a long and distinguished contribution benefiting people throughout Australia who are blind or vision impaired."

[Editor's note: Since the writing of this nomination, Graeme Innes has been appointed as Chairman of the Council of the Royal Blind Society of NSW, the first blind person to hold this position in the organisation's history.]

In response to ongoing confusion that exists within and between states in regard to eligibility criteria, methods of application and entitlements for free or concessional travel for blind people, I have prepared the following information and presented it by state. The information is what I understand to be the situation as at January 2000.

Applications for the Blind Persons Pass are available from The Passenger Transport Board, Passenger Transport Information Centre,

Cnr King William and Currie Streets, Adelaide 5000

GPO Box 1998, Adelaide 5001

Phone 08-8303-0937 or 8303-0938

OR any of the blindness agencies The form must be submitted with a certificate from an ophthalmologist.

Pass holders are entitled to free travel at all times on all scheduled services (bus, tram and train); this pass does not cover the fare for an attendant. The pass also entitles the holder to free first class travel on all country rail services within South Australia except beyond Port Pirie.

Interstate travellers to South Australia who hold a Blind Persons Permit issued in another state are entitled to travel free on all State transport services.

South Australians travelling to other states are entitled to the concession fares available to all pensioners. Currently, there is no subsidised taxi travel in South Australia. Visitors from other states who hold taxi cards are able to use interstate vouchers.

Applications for the Vision Impaired Persons Travel Pass are available from: Pricing and Ticketing Department Public Transport Corporation

GPO Box 1327L, Melbourne 300, Ph: 03-9619-2668

To apply for the pass, the applicant must complete the form together with an ophthalmologist's or optometrist's assessment and attach a recent passport size photograph.

The pass allows holders to travel for free on all Metropolitan trains, trams, buses and light rail within all zones and free first class travel on all country passenger services. The pass does not allow for an attendant.

For travellers beginning the journey in Victoria and alighting interstate, the holder of the pass will travel free to the border and pay half the adult fare for the remainder of the journey. In this case, the attendant travels free from the border to the destination.

For interstate travellers to Victoria, holders of a valid travel pass from another state may be issued a Vision Impaired Travel Pass by taking their State Pass to:

The Met Shop

103 Elizabeth St, Melbourne

The travel pass is available from:

Metro Tasmania

212 Main Rd

PO Box 61, Moonah Tas 7009

Ph: 03-6233-4232

Entitlement for a pass requires the applicant to gain a letter from the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Tasmania

PO Box 82, North Hobart 7002

Ph: 03-6232-1222

All legally blind people and those who use a white cane are eligible for the pass.

This pass enables a person to travel free on all MTT bus services in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie. For private operators, pass holders are entitled to concession fares available to all pensioners.

Attendants are able to travel free if the blind persons pass is endorsed to this effect.

Visitors to Tasmania are entitled to travel free on MTT buses, on presentation of their state pass.

The Blind Person's Travel Pass is available from:

The Association for the Blind of Western Australia Inc

16 Sunbury Rd

Victoria Park 6100

PO Box 101, Victoria Park 6979

Ph: 08-9311-8202

For eligibility of the Blind Person's Travel Pass in Western Australia, the applicant must have a visual acuity of 6/36 or less, or a field restriction to 20 degrees or less. Proof of the visual status must be provided.

Metropolitan Area - The holder of this pass is entitled to travel for free on buses, trains and ferries in the metropolitan area. The pass also entitles the holder's aide or guide to travel for free in the metropolitan area.

Country Travel within WA - Rail and Bus. The holder and their guide are entitled to 2 free return or 4 one-way trips on bus or train operated by Westrail, anywhere in the state.

Interstate – Rail The holder is also entitled to one reduced rail fare with Great Southern Railway (Indian Pacific) to anywhere in Australia other than Tasmania each year, if travelling with a guide.

Reciprocal arrangements for interstate visitors to WA who hold a travel pass in another state, on presentation of that pass to the AFTB Western Australia, a temporary WA pass will be issued.

The Blind Person's Travel Permit is available from:

State Rail Passes and Concessions

Ground Floor, Transport House

11-31 York St, GPO Box 29

Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: 02-9379-4441

To be eligible for this pass, the applicant must have the relevant form completed by his or her own medical practitioner for consideration.

This pass entitles the holder to unlimited free travel for journeys on all government rail, bus and ferry services in the Sydney and Newcastle suburban areas and Acton bus services in Canberra.

An attendant accompanying the holder also travels free if it is determined necessary, in which case the pass is endorsed to this effect.

Theoretically, no free travel is provided on privately operated bus services. However a number of private operators extend free travel to vision impaired permit holders, as an act of good will.

A holder of this pass is entitled to travel for half fare on all country services and the attendant free if their pass specifies. Each holder of the travel permit receives one free trip within NSW each year.

On presentation of a Disability Support Pension (BLIND) card to any ticket office in Sydney a $1 ticket is available for unlimited travel on train, bus and ferry in Sydney for the entire day.

Travelling to other states a holder of the pass travels at half fare with an attendant free.

On presentation of a vision impaired travel pass from another state to NSW State Rail, a temporary pass is issued.

This State does not offer a Blind Person's Travel Pass as such but both Queensland Rail and Brisbane City Council offer discounts.

Queensland Rail Concessional Travel

305 Edward St, PO Box 1429

Brisbane QLD 4001

Ph: 07-3235-2222

Or 07-3235-5555 (24hrs)

Brisbane City Council

07-3873-8888

A vision impaired person in possession of a Pensioner Health Benefit Card is entitled to four (per year) free economy travel vouchers anywhere within Queensland. This does not cover an attendant.

For travel in the South East corner from Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast and inland to Toowoomba, by presenting their Pensioner Health Benefit Card, or some other form of identification which mentions an eye condition, to a ticketing agency vip's can collect a South East Explorer Ticket. This allows free travel on all trains, buses and ferries. Attendants are not covered under this scheme.

Brisbane City Council - Free travel is available to anyone who holds a Disability Support Pension (BLIND) living in the Brisbane City Council administered area. On presentation of the pension card at any customer service centre, a photo card is prepared. Attendants do not travel free.

Negotiations are underway to provide blind and vision impaired people free public transport in the QLD South East region. At this stage it is unknown as to when this will occur.

Travelling from QLD to another state, the normal Disability Support Pension concessions apply.

Visitors to Queensland: on presentation of a Disability Support Pension (BLIND) card at a ticketing office, the Southeast Explorer tickets are available.

The Vision Impaired Pass NT is available from Northern Territory Vision Resources

Shop 3, 3 Vickers St

Parap NT 0820

Ph: 08-8981-5488

The pass provides free bus travel on the Darwin bus service, Alice Springs buses and Katherine bus services to people who are legally blind, but does not cover the fare for an attendant.

There are no reciprocal arrangements for interstate visitors; however, on presentation of a vision impaired pass from another state free travel is often provided.

A 50% concession is available on the full economy airfare for the holder and their guide from some domestic airlines but only if accompanied by a guide.

International Concession for overseas air travel is only available with Singapore Airlines. The holder must pay the full applicable published fare and the guide pays 50% of the applicable published fare. Note that airlines may offer cut price fares which is often better value than the concession. Please check with the airline when booking your ticket.

Great Southern Railway Operate the Indian Pacific, the Ghan and the Overlander services. There are generous concession fares for blind people on all services operating between Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. For detailed fares and bookings contact The Great Southern Railway Call Centre 133147.

The Women's Special Interests Branch Committee continues to meet monthly. By now, hopefully, you have heard about the Second World Blind Union Women's Forum, to be held in Melbourne, November 16-18. The Committee has been working hard identifying and targeting organisations likely to be interested in sponsoring Australian women to attend the Forum. As with any competitive process, all our hard work may count for nothing but experience, but we are hoping that we will be able to offer some assistance to bring Australian women to the Forum. So keep an ear to the ground for more details.

It has always been difficult for members of the Women's Branch to get together. We can only meet women able to attend the annual functions, usually held in conjunction with BCA Convention. There are many members we have never met and about whom we know little. Members hear plenty from the Committee, but have found it hard to get to know each other. To overcome this, we would like to trial a members' newsletter. This will be issued initially on audio tape. We will accept contributions in any format, although print or disk would be preferable. There will be an editorial committee. If you are interested in getting involved in this, please let me know on 02-4739-5101. The newsletter will only go ahead if you write in to it.

For the first issue, please write and introduce yourself to other members. You might like to talk about other women's groups or community organisations you are involved in, or to tell us about some of the experiences which have been important in your life. Try to use no more than 500 words. It would also help if you could include suggestions for future topics or any questions you would like other blind or vision impaired women to help answer. Please send your letters and ideas by June 30 to Ms Helen Freris,

4/9 Waveney St,

St. Albans VIC 3021,

or email:

frerihe@rvib2.rvib.org.au.

Anyone can contribute to the newsletter, but it will only be distributed to members of the Women's Branch. If you would like to join, are female and already a member of BCA, please send your details and a cheque for $10 made out to the Women's Special Interests Branch, c/o the National Office.

The Australian Blind Sports Federation's 20th national championships will be held in Adelaide on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June. Athletics championships will be held at Santos Stadium, Mile End; swimming at Adelaide Aquatic Centre, North Adelaide; and power-lifting at RSB, Gilles Plains. For further information about the championships, contact Ray McKay, Secretary, Association of SA Blind Sporting Clubs,

Tel. 08-8263-3794 (home) or 08-8343-0007 (work),

email rmckay@senet.com.au .

An old, heavy, large GE Recorder, in or out of working order.

Phone C. Maclean on 03-9888-4708.

Blind Citizens News accepts material in the following categories:

• Information about new services, facilities or events of wide interest among blind and vision impaired people is accepted for inclusion within the news content.

• Announcements, for sale notices and other advertisements from individuals and small non-profit organisations may be included in a "Notice Board" section, provided that they do not exceed 25 words and are targeted to a national readership. A charge of $20 will apply for each notice.

• Advertising on behalf of government, commercial or community organisations that is considered to be relevant to the general readership will be included under the heading "Advertisements". Advertisers must provide a copy suitable for inclusion in all formats of the publication and the following rates will apply:

For greatest impact, why not consider sponsorship of an entire issue of Blind Citizens News? For $800 you will obtain:

• a credit of up to 25 words on the front cover;

• 2 print pages for the sponsor's message (equivalent space in other formats).

Blind Citizens News is published four times a year and is now read by more than 3000 people with a direct interest or involvement in the services and facilities available to Australia's blind and vision impaired population. We circulate 800 large print, 1000 audio, 200 Braille and 50 electronic (computer disk and email) copies to members, libraries, service agencies, government departments and equipment suppliers throughout Australia. Blind Citizens News also appears in full on the internet website of Blind Citizens Australia.

For further information please contact the Editor.

The closing date for articles for the next issue of Blind Citizens News is Friday, June 23, 2000.

Articles should be sent to Lynne Davis at the Blind Citizens Australia Office, in large print or in electronic form (disk or email attachment). If you would like to discuss your ideas for a possible article please call Lynne on 02-9438-5675, send an email message to jbasti@ozemail.com.au, or send a message via the Office.

For the latest information from Blind Citizens Australia tune in to Horizons on your RPH station, on a Community Station near you, or over the Internet. Horizons is broadcast regularly on RPH stations. It is also becoming available on Community Stations, but you may need to contact your local station to ask it to receive Horizons over the Community Radio Satellite.

Canberra

1RPH 1125 kHz

11.15 am Tuesday;

repeated 8.00 pm Tuesday

and 9.30am Saturday

Sydney

2RPH 1224 kHz

3.00 pm Wednesday;

repeated 8.15 pm Saturday

Melbourne

3RPH 1179 kHz

8.30 pm Wednesday;

repeated 6.30 pm Sunday

Brisbane

4RPH 1296 kHz

6.20 pm Monday;

repeated 7.00 am Friday

Adelaide

5RPH 1197 kHz

9.15 pm Wednesday,

repeated 6.00 pm Friday

Perth

6RPH 990 kHz

10.30 am Friday;

repeated 5.30 pm Saturday

Hobart

7RPH 864 kHz

12.30pm Friday

Mildura 3MPH 107.5 MHz

8.30 pm Wednesday,

repeated 5.45 pm Sunday

Albury

2APH 101.7 Mhz

8.30 pm Wednesday

repeated 6.30 pm Sunday