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BLIND CITIZENS NEWS
December 2000
Published by
Blind Citizens Australia
ACN 90 006-985-226
Edited by
Lynne Davis
This issue is sponsored by Quantum Technology, a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of technology solutions to meet the needs of people who are blind or vision impaired - and a proud member of Blind Citizens Australia.
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.
COPYRIGHT: Reproduction of articles appearing in Blind Citizens News is permitted, provided Blind Citizens News and the author(s) are acknowledged.
Large Print ISSN 1441-449X
Braille ISSN 1441-5658
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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.
Other Publications
Accessible E-Commerce in Australia
Community Development for Blind Women
(see Tune in and Keep up to Date, in this issue)
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Blind Citizens Australia Identity Card
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.
EDITORIAL
JUNE ASHMORE - DAVID BLYTH AWARD WINNER 2000.
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD BLIND UNION WOMEN'S
FORUM AND GENERAL ASSEMBLYPAY YOUR WAY - AS EASILY AS POSSIBLE
ARTICLES FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF BLIND CITIZENS NEWS
Lynne Davis
It's hard to believe that it's nearly Christmas and that this rather special year, which began so spectacularly all around the world, is nearly at an end. And it HAS been a special year, in so many different ways. For BCA's Board and staff members it has been a year of great change and intense activity, especially in the months leading up to the World Blind Union Women's Forum and General Assembly (more on those subjects later). For all Australians, and especially for Sydney residents, it was the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I missed experiencing the Olympics directly, but without exception people have told me that it was a truly magical time to be in Sydney. I did get to see something of the Paralympics, and to witness the extraordinarily high level of interest which they generated. There has been much comment about the value of these Games in changing attitudes to disability in Australia: I suppose we will all have the opportunity to assess the extent of this change over the coming months and years.
I missed being in Sydney for the Olympics because I was having a wonderful holiday in Europe at that time. I did, however, succumb to the temptation to watch them on television and was amazed to discover that they look quite different depending on which country you are in! My favourite was Irish television: there was only one athlete in the Games (Sonia O'Sullivan, in case you didn't know) and Ireland went into mourning when she failed to win a medal in the BIG race. It was great to see Australia getting so much coverage in the foreign press, and especially interesting to note the extensive coverage of issues such as Australia's multicultural policies, the stolen generations and Aboriginal reconciliation, as well as some in-depth analysis of Australian wines. I even saw the Australian flag being flown (upside down) in a jeweller's window in Germany!
I was really interested, everywhere I went, to look for signs that people with disabilities were a part of the population and out in the public domain. In Bavaria, Northern Italy and Ireland I saw few signs of accommodations such as tactile ground surface indicators and audible traffic signals, nor did I encounter any blind people. In England I not only saw blind people in the streets, but at both the House of Lords and Sissinghurst Castle (one of England's most famous gardens) I was offered the guidebook in Braille! I don't suppose that one can draw too many conclusions from this small sample of experiences, but I did find food for thought in my travel experiences. What, for instance, would a truly accessible hotel/museum/airport be like from a blind person's perspective? Where can blind people go for travel information in accessible formats? How possible - and enjoyable - is independent travel? And would it be interesting to have a special issue of Blind Citizens News on travel and tourism? Let me know what you think, and I'll be guided by your responses (or non-response!).
This last issue of the year has been delayed so that we could include some reports from the WBU events in Melbourne, which I hope you will find interesting. I attended both the Women's Forum and the General Assembly, and found the two to be quite different. The Forum was a less formal and more participatory event, with plenty of opportunities for ordinary observers such as myself to meet and talk to other people from all over the world. At the General Assembly, on the other hand, observers were up in the 'gods' at the back of the Melbourne Town Hall, watching and listening to the presentations and debates from afar. There were fewer opportunities to meet people, but the sessions themselves were quite fascinating. I came home with a heavy suitcase and a huge amount to think about, and I'm very glad that I went.
This has been a long editorial - reflecting a busy few months. Just a reminder that the first issue for 2001 will be a special issue on education, and I'm still looking for your contributions. I hope you have a joyous and peaceful season of celebration and holidays, and I'm looking forward to working with you next year in this ongoing forum for discussion of issues of interest to us all.
Kevin Rowley's article, "How May I Help You?" (August 2000), made me feel vaguely uncomfortable.
Is it that, as someone "recently blind", he is still experiencing the anger that is so much a part of the grieving process? Or on the other hand, have I gradually slipped into a slough of compromise?
Once upon a time I would rail against expressions like "the disabled" ("It's the person that's important - not the disability!"). Then a journalist pointed out that, with limited space, writing 'a person with a disability' might well mean less room for important points that we want to make. We should maybe spend less time quibbling about semantics. After all once upon a time, back in my dim and distant past, I was referred to as "half blind". Since then, the description has changed many times. The condition hasn't, except for getting worse, whatever I call it. We might help people understand better if we answer their questions honestly and in a non-defensive way. And if they make inappropriate remarks such as "your tragedy" or "You're so wonderful the way you manage!", remember that is their way of coping, and it is still better than that they pretend the problem does not exist.
If one is a member of a committee, one has every right to expect that the relevant papers will be made available in an alternative format. However, I sometimes wonder about the amount of time HREOC must spend looking into complaints about all sorts of bits of paper that most of us would not care about anyway. If we did, we could seek out one of the organisations willing to record just about anything on request. Also now we have access to reading machines, scanners, etc. this is not such an issue.
Kevin complains that offers of help from sighted people are usually limited to offers of lifts. I live in a small country town with minimal street lighting, steep hills and very few footpaths, broken edges to roads often bordering a steep bank or ditch, and no public transport within the town. I too use a long cane and I wouldn't be without it, but I'm getting too old to want much adventure in my walks, and I am inordinately grateful to those who offer me lifts.
I think what I am trying to say is that, although we are not an underclass and we should not be patronised ,and we deserve better access in a myriad of ways, we are not superior beings either, to whom society owes a debt. It is up to us to ask for what we need in any given situation. Almost always people are more than ready to meet us half way
Sally Jary
New South Wales
I have just completed my postal vote for election of members to the Board of Directors of BCA. As Braille is my preferred format, I elected to cast my vote in Braille.
I was exceedingly disappointed to receive the voting instructions transcribed onto bond copy paper. Experienced Braille readers may be able to decipher this after it has been flattened and folded (both by BCA and the Post Office), but I have only been reading Braille for approximately ten years and I find it difficult to read flattened dots.
Is this a new cost cutting measure by BCA or have I just been unlucky with the last few mailings from the National Office? As a blindness supporting agency, I should think that BCA would be doing all it could to promote the use of Braille. The production of Braille on bond copy paper is giving a strong negative message on the importance of the availability of Braille to blind people.
Joan McCann
South Australia
Karen Knight
Although I was introduced as the new President by Michael Simpson in the last edition of Blind Citizens News, this is my first President's report. Life has been hectic since taking over as President and in this report I will try to highlight some of the major things that have been happening at BCA over the past few months.
Readers will recall that as a result of staff changes at BCA during June, Helen Freris resigned from the Board to take up the position of Victorian Advocacy and Information Officer. This left a casual vacancy on the Board which we have now proceeded to fill. Lyn Eagers from Brisbane is our new Board member. Lyn has been blind since birth and currently works part-time with the Royal Blind Foundation of Queensland as an instructor in adaptive technology specialising in JAWS. Lyn is also Secretary of the Brisbane Branch as well as an advocate for improved pedestrian access for blind and vision impaired people in Brisbane. We are pleased to have Lyn as part of our leadership team and hope that her time as a Director of Blind Citizens Australia will be enjoyable and rewarding.
The position of Executive Officer of Blind Citizens Australia was advertised during September and selected in early October. I am very pleased to report that Maryanne Diamond is BCA's new Executive Officer. Maryanne has been an active member of BCA for many years. She has been blind since birth and her eldest son is also vision impaired. Over many years, she worked with other parents to improve access to educational support for blind and vision impaired children. She was then Chair of the Victorian Coordinating Committee, and in September 1998 she took up the position of Victorian Advocacy and Information Officer. We are very fortunate to have Maryanne as the leader of our BCA staff team. I am sure members will join with me in congratulating Maryanne on her appointment and wish her every success in this demanding and challenging role.
In early September, Alise Wonson was appointed as Administration and Finance Manager. Alise has recently moved to Melbourne from Sydney. She has previously worked in non-government organisations in fundraising and administration management. Alise is a valuable new staff member and we have lots of interesting challenges for her to take on.
Once again this year, we are conducting the Telecommunications and Disability Consumer Representation (TEDICORE) project. Gunela Astbrink is our consultant for this project and we are pleased to have the opportunity to work with Gunela to ensure the issues of people with disabilities are brought to the attention of the telecommunications industry.
We have also had some departures from our staff group in recent months. In August, Sandra Knight left BCA to take up a new position at Vision Australia Foundation after five years with us. We wish Sandra all the very best in her new job and thank her for her tireless efforts during her time at BCA. With the imminent return of Aileen McFadzean from maternity leave, we have also said goodbye to Grant Webster. Thank you to Grant for working so hard to maintain our very busy National Advocacy Service. We have also said goodbye to Maurice Corcoran, Coordinator of the DDA Standards Project. The auspicing of the DDA Standards Project was recently transferred from BCA to the Deafness Forum, and as a result Maurice has also transferred his employment to the Deafness Forum. BCA will remain closely involved with the DDA Standards Project and we are still an active member of the National Caucus of Disability Consumer Organisations. Maurice has done an outstanding job in working towards the development of standards under the DDA and he has our full support in his ongoing work.
The AGM of BCA was held on 19 November in Melbourne, the day before the commencement of the World Blind Union Fifth General Assembly. There was a good attendance of BCA members and international guests at the AGM and Euclid Herie, WBU President, presented the BCA David Blyth Award to June Ashmore and Certificates of Appreciation to Kerrie Simpson and Diana Braun. The inscriptions on these awards read as follows:
'BCA David Blyth Award 2000 presented to June Ashmore in appreciation of her exceptional service to blind people through her inspirational personal achievements, her leadership, peer support and friendly nature, and her longstanding commitment to blindness agencies worldwide.'
'Certificate of Appreciation presented to Kerrie Simpson in appreciation of her commitment and support of Blind Citizens Australia at the local Sydney Branch level, in support of the immediate past President and the Board, and for her outstanding effort in the establishment of a successful National Lottery Program for the organisation.
Certificate of Appreciation presented to Diana Braun in appreciation of her leadership of Blind Citizens Australia's National Women's Branch as President and committee member since its inception and for her commitment to fostering the participation of women of all ages from different parts of Australia and internationally.
In addition, the results of the BCA election of Directors was announced, Robert Altamore, Lynne Davis and Tony Starkey being re-elected. Congratulations Robert, Lynne and Tony and I look forward to working with you for a further term as Directors of BCA.
The National Policy and Development Council
The NPDC met over the weekend of 9-10 September in Melbourne. It was decided that our major focus for policy work until June 2001 would be to conduct research on the costs of blindness. The Council felt that, given the welfare reform agenda of the Commonwealth Government, it was particularly important that BCA was well-informed about the costs of blindness in order to defend our current entitlements if necessary. In addition, the NPDC decided that access to automatic teller machines (ATMs) would be the focus of group advocacy work over the next few months. It was acknowledged that Tim Noonan, as BCA's consultant carrying out our E-commerce project, was negotiating with the Australian Bankers Association towards better access to ATMs for blind and vision impaired people. However, it was felt that perhaps significant gains would not be made in this area until members take some collective action towards improved access.
As this is the final edition of Blind Citizens News for 2000, I'd like to wish everyone all the very best for the festive season and I hope you see in the new Millennium in fine style. I look forward to catching up with you all early in 2001.
JUNE ASHMORE - DAVID BLYTH AWARD WINNER 2000.
June has made a significant contribution to the lives of blind people in Australia through the use of her professional skills as a physiotherapist and as a policy officer and in a voluntary capacity through her work at local, national and international levels for RP organisations, Blind Citizens Australia and the World Blind Union. She is currently undertaking the difficult tasks of President of the Canberra Blind Society and Council member of the Royal Blind Society. She continues to demonstrate leadership and commitment in those roles. Most importantly, June has given so much of herself in providing practical peer support to many blind people and has provided a fine example to both blind and sighted people of what blind people can achieve.
From her personal knowledge of the adjustments undergone by people experiencing Retinitis Pigmentosa, June set up a group to provide peer support in the ACT. This she later helped to formalise as RP ACT and link it with the Australian RP Association (ARPA, now Retina Australia). At various times over the last 20 years, June has been President and Secretary, has prepared newsletters and directed and led the ACT Association's public awareness and fundraising activities.
June also became an active member of ARPA, serving on its Committee in various roles and coordinating major projects including fundraising, public awareness, publications and conferences. She also represented ARPA at congresses and in projects with the International RP Association.
From the early 1980s June has used her training as a physiotherapist in working as a volunteer with the Canberra Blind Society. She has used her professional skills to help many blind children and adults to learn daily living and recreation skills. Her work with young children has been particularly noteworthy and of inestimable value to them and their parents.
In 1985, June became one of the founding members of the ACT Branch of Blind Citizens Australia. Over the years she has been either its secretary or an active committee member. She represented the Branch with great competence and skill in consultations with blindness agencies and the ACT Government. She led and did most of the work arising from the Branch's participation in regional forums for blind people which were conducted by Blind Citizens Australia in the early and mid 1990s. One of June's major contributions to the ACT Branch has been as coordinator of its contribution to SoundAbout NSW/ACT. She has acquired great skill as an interviewer and has realised the potential of this vehicle to showcase the variety of life activities engaged in by blind people. June also provided the Branch's contribution to the first edition of Signposts, the directory of services for blind people in NSW and the ACT .
Since 1998, June has been the President of Canberra Blind Society, where she has striven to ensure that it provides the services needed by the blind people of the ACT and has the funds to do so. As President of the Canberra Blind Society, June has shown leadership in encouraging greater contact between the CBS staff and other blindness agencies. She has sought to promote cooperation among the agencies, particularly at the level of office staff and field workers. In doing so, she has had to overcome a long history of competition and perceived rivalry. June has also shown leadership in directing the Canberra Blind Society to address the recreation needs of blind people and in devising and obtaining funds for programs to promote the exposure of blind people to a variety of recreational activities.
One of June's aims has been to encourage people who are losing sight to prepare themselves by making connections with people who are blind. She was instrumental in linking Retina Australia with Blind Citizens Australia. Recognising that the experience of congenitally blind people was vastly different, June has worked to make the blindness community aware of the needs and issues of people whose sight loss occurs gradually or later in life. June was coopted on to Blind Citizens Australia's Council in 1993 and was elected for two further terms. She held various portfolios and was a Vice-President. June was one of Blind Citizens Australia's most active Council members, contributing in all areas of the Council's work including policy development and implementation, advocacy, peer support and project development and management. One of her main contributions was as representative of Blind Citizens Australia on the committee considering revisions to the Building Code of Australia. The outcome of this committee's work was major improvements in access to the physical environment for people with disabilities. June attended diligently to her role as a Director of the organisation and could be relied on to make sound contributions on difficult issues of financial and personnel management in the organisation.
June has also sought to encourage and empower blind people internationally, especially women. She attended the first East Asia Pacific Regional Women's Forum in Fiji in 1994, and cemented her international network of friends as Australian delegate to the WBU General Assembly in Toronto in 1996. There she became the Chairperson of the World Blind Union East Asia Pacific Regional Women's Committee, for which she established a newsletter and encouraged participants from all countries. She was dynamic in gathering women from around the region for the second Regional Women's Forum in Seoul. June visited Viet Nam in 1995 in connection with BCA's blind women's literacy project. It is apparent from her reports of that trip that the project’s students responded warmly to June's sincere admiration and empathy.
Professionally, June worked as a policy officer for ACROD from 1985 to 1992. In this role, she dealt with many difficult issues in a cross-disability context, in particular: recreation, access, sexuality and continence. June demonstrated great skill in consultation, policy development and negotiation with government officers and was effective in communicating to policy makers the views of people with disabilities on sensitive issues and in convincing them to adopt policies which were more consumer focussed and rights based. June's influence has led to sexuality and recreation now being regarded by many governments as mainstream disability issues.
Whilst taking on more and more voluntary roles and continuing her professional life, June was adjusting to her own gradual sight loss. She mastered orientation and mobility, with the willing assistance of her first dog guide, Arletta. June embraced technology because she saw that it could help her achieve her aim of remaining a working member of society. She tried to learn Braille, investigated new recreation options and continued a full social life. In all this, June demonstrated to those who knew her that blind people were people that others could wish to emulate. In the quantity and quality of the work she has done, June Ashmore has made a significant contribution to the lives of blind people. She has always stressed the importance for us of daily living skills, orientation and mobility, access to technology and training in its use, realistic career options and the right to expect a full and healthy family life and lifestyle. In all she has done, June and Australia's blind people have had the support and practical assistance of her husband, David.
Perhaps June's most significant contribution to many blind people has been her personal support and encouragement - involving years of long and expensive phone calls and emotional investment. The result is that June has inspired many blind people around Australia, especially women, to strive for what they want and to have confidence that they can enjoy it when they attain it.
THANK YOU BCA - FROM QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY
Quantum Technology is proud to sponsor the December 2000 edition of Blind Citizens News. The coming year is an auspicious one for Quantum, being the 15th anniversary of our founding, and we'd like to commemorate that by giving thanks to all those people who have supported us over the years.
Quantum has successfully carved an international niche in vision technology with distributors in 14 countries and many thousands of customers all over the world. It has been a long road to get to this point, and it all started with Norman Wilson, the inventor of the Braille-n-Print. The Braille-n-Print continues to be used in countries all around the world and has played a vital role in the education of blind students and their integration into regular classrooms.
The Braille-n-Print helped establish an international reputation for Quantum and led us to be selected to develop and manufacture the Mountbatten Brailler. At the World Blind Union General Assembly just completed in Melbourne we released an up-dated Mountbatten Brailler, called the MB Pro, that is taking Braille education into the new millennium. The Mountbatten Brailler is now used in over 30 countries and is providing young blind students with skills and resources needed in education in the twenty first century.
Thanks to our dedicated team of employees we have grown from very humble beginnings to 18 people with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and now with a representative in the US as well. In the last 12 months we have offered an even wider range of products for people who have low vision, especially magnification systems such as Closed Circuit Televisions, and have truly become a one-stop shop for vision impairment and blindness in Australia.
Ultimately it is blind and vision impaired consumers themselves that we have to give thanks to, for their continued support and assistance. We greatly value the input our customers make and use this in the design of our manufactured products and the selection of those products we distribute in Australia. Each year representatives from Quantum travel the world, taking our products to international markets and making sure we are bringing the latest and best products back to consumers in Australia.
So thanks to all Blind Citizens of Australia for the opportunity of working with you and for your warm and generous support.
The core of Quantum's business has been developing technology solutions for the education of blind and vision impaired students, and it remains a primary concern. We work closely with educators from all around the world, which affords us a perspective on education systems not available to most people in Australia.
Australia has recently demonstrated its prowess at the Olympics and the Paralympics, but this success is not evident in the vision education arena. The work of Margaret Verick at ACROD in focussing attention on the status of Braille literacy in Australia is commendable but many problems remain.
Despite record amounts of money going into the blindness agencies we still do not have a national agenda in vision education aimed at ensuring equality of services and opportunities. Outstanding issues such as national standards, monitoring of educational outcomes, teacher preparation and ongoing teacher training are all issues that need to be addressed.
And this is happening at a time of record economic growth. Lack of funding of vision education is at the heart of the problem and it will require sustained individual and organisational advocacy to bring about change. We urge BCA to continue to make this a priority.
Quantum Technology publishes a free newsletter called LiveWire! It is published 3 times a year and is available in Print, Large Print, Email, Disk or Braille. Past copies of our newsletter are also available at www.quantech.com.au. To receive our newsletter - LiveWire! - please contact us on 02-9684-2077 or email us at info@quantech.com.au .
David Blyth
Joan Ledermann, who passed away on October 25 this year, will always be remembered for her professionalism, her devotion to her friends and her desire to get the most from life.
Joan was a true professional. She would not accept any exceptions to quality. Joan, as the manager of Braille production at RBS, was meticulous in her insistence that Braille was produced in the most professional way. This was at a time when Braille was being downgraded by many rehabilitation and education providers. Joan's decisive and constant interventions at the local, national and international forums on the rules and standard of Braille were something for which she will always be revered by many of us.
Joan was a member of Blind Citizens Australia from its earliest days. She served the organisation for many years as a Councillor and was President for four years. These were turbulent times in the development of the organisation and she was unswerving in her belief that blind people were entitled to speak on their own behalf and in the need for quality services from government and agencies. At this time in BCA's history many people, including some blind persons, were opposed to having a strong, articulate and determined group of blind and vision impaired persons speaking about issues which were of importance to them.
Joan was equally comfortable at the opera or at the cricket in the members' stand at the SCG. She loved cricket and was a strong supporter of NSW and Australia. She also liked a good debate on the merits of various batsmen and bowlers - with a bias for her favourites.
Joan loved a party, and the later the hour the more she enjoyed it, particularly if there was a piano and a raucous sing-along. A regular and memorable comment from her husband, Hans, as the night became later, was "Joan will regret this tomorrow". And he was invariably right.
Joan and Hans were valued friends. I met Joan on my 18th birthday, when I was stranded in Sydney by an airline cancellation, and we have been friends ever since. I, along with many others throughout the world, am proud of our involvement with Joan Ledermann and we will cherish her memory for the rest of our lives.
Bruce Maguire
[These words were spoken by Bruce at Joan's funeral on October 30.]
I speak on behalf of the Executive of the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities; on behalf of the Australian Braille Authority; and on behalf of the International Council on English Braille. First and foremost, though, I speak as one who was privileged to count Joan among my close friends.
If you carry a handful of feathers to the top of a high mountain, and there cast them into the wind, it is impossible to predict the course of their flight, or where they will come to rest. In a similar way, I think it is impossible fully to measure, and set boundaries around, the influence that Joan had, as she touched the lives of her family and close friends; as she reached out to her neighbourhood; and as she spread her arms wide to encompass the community of blind people around the world.
I first began working with Joan on Braille projects in about 1981. From then on, we participated together in many activities related to Braille; we also shared numerous meals, and even more numerous wine tastings; and we spent countless hours discussing every topic imaginable. Joan took a keen and personal interest in my children, and hers was among the first presents that my son Aedan received when he was born.
As I reflect on that period of my life, in which Joan played such a significant part, I remember the occasions when I looked to her for encouragement and support and never found her wanting. I recall the times when I sought her counsel and advice, and how she always shared her wisdom and knowledge freely and graciously. But two things I remember most vividly of all: the first is the warmth and affection that flowed between Joan and Hans, and between Hans and Joan, and which was a source of encouragement and healing energy for me. The second is Joan's irrepressible sense of humour, that rippled and sparkled just below the surface of whatever she was doing or saying, and which could always chase away the darkest cloud, and lighten the bleakest sky.
Last evening, during the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the President of the International Paralympic Committee, Dr Robert Steadward, said that we must believe in ourselves, and that we should never underestimate the power of the human spirit. When I heard those words, I thought of Joan because it was Joan's belief in the inherent dignity and worth of all people that made her such a loyal and trustworthy friend; and it was the power of Joan's spirit that made her a person of such compassion, such courage, and such deep and abiding humanity.
Joan's memory will be cherished and nurtured in our hearts; and her life will shine brighter than any Menorah or Hanukkah light, for as long as there are people who knew Joan, or people who knew people who knew Joan, or, indeed, people who knew people whose ancestors knew people who knew Joan - and that will be a long time.
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD BLIND UNION WOMEN'S FORUM AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Fiona Woods
The Second World Blind Women's Forum was opened on Thursday November 17 by Senator Jocelyn Newman. She spoke of the inspiring achievements of vision impaired athletes at the 2000 Paralympic Games and of her government's commitment to improving access of people with disabilities to the community's resources. Forum participants were welcomed to Melbourne, and heard a keynote address from Barbro Carlsson of Sweden, in which she reflected upon her identity as a woman with a disability. Participants were given background information about the WBU and its finances, and about the ongoing need for gender equality in the WBU and in national blindness organisations. After lunch, Tina Lindemalm (Sweden) explained some of the techniques used to suppress women: including ridicule, withholding information, and imposing guilt. Participants were encouraged to discuss with their colleagues how these had been used against them. Reports of the women's committees which have been set up in each WBU region were then presented, highlighting the amount of work that has been done to inform blind women around the world of their rights, and the complexities of setting priorities for a worldwide organisation.
Friday's sessions dealt with some of the issues confronting blind women. Penny Hartin (Canada) discussed the epidemic of abuse facing blind women and some ways of dealing with it. Jia Yang (China) discussed the opportunities presented by the Internet. We also examined the different challenges faced by the world's blind women at each stage of their lives, with each speaker stressing the importance of giving blind girls opportunities to learn and to have role models. Susan Halliday, Australia's Commissioner for both sex and disability discrimination, spoke about how endemic both are in our society and encouraged us to lodge complaints about them. There were also stimulating presentations on influencing governments and the media.
On Saturday, each WBU region held a meeting of its women. The Forum then debated and adopted various resolutions. Several of these addressed the issues of abuse and female infanticide. Others called for equal opportunities for blind women in education, in pay, in their national organisations and in the WBU.
In addition to the formal proceedings, participants enjoyed a number of opportunities to socialise. There were welcome drinks on the night before the Forum began and dinners held in Australian homes for international guests. During the Forum participants sat at round tables of their choosing, where lunch and morning and afternoon tea were served, allowing plenty of chances to meet new people and to talk. On the final evening of the Forum, all participants paraded up Collins Street to the Treasury Gardens, where we enjoyed a farewell celebratory dinner.
I am sure the memories of the people we met and the stories we heard will stay with the Australian women who were able to participate in this unique event for many years.
Jodie Holdback and Jordie Howell
Meeting people, socialising, diving into hard women's issues - and no dirty dishes or nappies for a week! All this was nothing compared to the experience and inspiration that we found at the Second World Blind Women's Forum.
As participants in BCA's young women's project, sponsored by the National Women's Branch, we were able to experience our first international conference. The prospect of meeting all of the 12 women involved in the project, and other women from around Australia and the world, was an exciting prelude to the inspiration and friendships that we developed.
One of the highlights of the project was learning about networking and other strategies, and then using them effectively in situations such as the conference. So network we did! A whole new world opened up for us. It was overwhelming but inspirational to learn about the issues that confront vision impaired and blind women in third world countries, compared to our own society. We listened to many speeches on various issues in and around these countries, which compelled us to meet women from these countries and find out more about them.
We spent a lot of time asking questions and talking to women (mainly from Africa), and felt very humble with the knowledge of how privileged we are in Australian society. It was very inspiring to hear the speeches and to talk to women who have established themselves, through perseverance and hard work, in positions of leadership.
The Forum overall has made us more aware of various issues surrounding vision impaired and blind women, and presented us with the challenge to be involved in helping to change things in those countries in need.
William Jolley
The Fifth General Assembly of the World Blind Union (WBU) was held in Melbourne during 20-24 November 2000. I was privileged to be one of the two delegates from Australia, the other one being Maryanne Diamond. The 261 delegates from 127 countries were joined by a further 550 people (more than 100 of them Australians) - observers, guides, interpreters and exhibitors - to participate in the General Assembly and associated events. This article gives an overview from the perspective of a delegate, reflecting on the outcomes of the General Assembly, highlights of some associated events, and the work that went into making the series of events so memorable and successful.
The General Assembly consisted of sixteen sessions: the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony, six business sessions and six theme sessions. Most session were ninety minutes long, and there was simultaneous translation between English, French, Spanish and Italian. Newcomers may have noticed the constant babbling in the hall - certainly some normal comings and goings, but mostly the work of personal interpreters for those delegates who cannot speak one of the official languages.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Sir William Dean, Governor General of Australia. Jordie Howell, a young blind singer from Melbourne, gave an outstanding performance of the Australian National Anthem. Karen Knight, as BCA President, made a short speech of welcome to all participants on behalf of the community of blind and vision impaired people in Australia. Sir William Dean gave a very good opening address. He was followed by Sir Ronald Wilson, former President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, who gave a passionate address for human rights as the keynote speaker. A cultural highlight of the opening ceremony was the cameo performance from the Australian Boys' Choir. Their rendition of Waltzing Matilda was preceded by some very special singing without words and accompaniment. Their imitation of the didgeridoo was magnificent.
There were two highlights of the first business session. The presentation by Thomas Leavey, Director-General of the Universal Postal Union, was very informative and encouraging in this time of looming threats to the universality of the postal concession for the blind. This session marked the last Secretary General's report from Pedro Zurita, after fourteen years of outstanding service in this position. The hall was filled with emotion as Pedro's report concluded and he received a standing ovation.
There were business sessions allocated for the receipt of regional and committee reports. I expect that many delegates and observers may have found these sessions disappointing, since the presentations were rushed and there was little or no time for questions and discussion.
On the other hand, I am sure that most delegates and observers will agree that the theme sessions were very good. They included some outstanding presentations and mostly there was ample time for questions and discussion. Highlights for me were:
The day before the General Assembly we gathered for a memorial service for Joan Ledermann. The service was led by Carmel Jolley and included personal memories of Joan shared by Elaine Leahy, David Blyth, Darleen Bogart and Michael Simpson. We also paused to reflect at the General Assembly on the contributions of our friends and colleagues who have died in the past four years: Dr Kenneth Jernigan, Dr Enrique Elissalde and Sir John Wilson. May they all rest in peace, and may we remember them fondly as we benefit from their life's work for blind people.
The General Assembly approved a regional restructure. The number of regions was changed from seven to six, with the Middle East absorbed into Asia, some countries in south-east Europe transferred to Asia, and countries in east Asia transferred to the East Asia Pacific region. This latter region now consists of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Japan, China, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmah, Cambodia and Indonesia. Not so successful was the attempt to change the WBU Constitution. Most of the proposals were uncontroversial, but a few sticking points jeopardised the whole thing. It is rather like changing the Australian Constitution by referendum, with failure the most likely outcome but hope which springs eternal!
I heard that the Resolutions Committee received about sixty resolutions which it distilled to a set of 35 policy resolutions plus some operational proposals. I was out of the room on other business for much of the session, 90 minutes allocated for almost 40 proposals, so one can imagine that things may have been a little chaotic. Nonetheless some very important issues were covered. I sympathise with the Committee Chairperson, Mr Rungta from India, since I was the Chairperson of the Resolutions Committee in 1992. Although my work was very well received, I vowed to avoid this particular job in the future. It is on my 'never to be repeated' list, like flying back from Perth on the Red Eye Special.
A highlight for me was to discharge my responsibility as Returning Officer for the election of WBU Table Officers, graduating from being the Chairperson of the Nominations Committee in 1996. I was responsible for both the receipt and validation of nominations, and for the efficient and fair conduct of the elections. It was a privilege to hold this position, and a challenge to carry out the duties successfully. Inevitably it kept me out of the meeting room for part of Monday and most of Tuesday through Thursday, presiding over the voting or making necessary arrangements. This is partly why I appreciated the radio coverage so much, because at least I could keep an ear on proceedings in the General Assembly. At past General Assemblies both the voting and the constitutional amendments have been sometimes chaotic. In fact, in Madrid in 1988 it was necessary to reconvene on Saturday to finish the business of the General Assembly. This year for the first time we decided to hold the voting outside the meeting hall, so the General Assembly could continue whilst the voting took place. We used swell paper for the ballot papers with Braille and embossed lettering, and we had specially constructed voting booths so that delegates could cast their votes independently and secretly. For many people it was the first time they could cast a vote independently and secretly, equitably with sighted people; it was democracy in action. It was nice to see many delegates have their guides take photos whilst they were voting: the secret ballot is taken for granted by so many people but is normally denied to blind people who cannot mark their ballot papers independently. After all was done, I was able to report that out of a total of 493 eligible voters in the WBU there were 328 persons on the voting roll, 261 delegates present and 67 proxies. They elected a new set of WBU Table Officers as follows:
President, Kicki Nordstrom (Sweden);
Immediate Past President, Euclid Herie (Canada);
Secretary-General, Enrique Sanz (Spain);
Treasurer, Geoffrey Gibbs (New Zealand);
First Vice-President, Arne Husveg (Norway); and
Second Vice-President, William Rowland (South Africa).
The highlights of the closing ceremony on Friday afternoon were awards made to distinguished leaders. Six people were approved as Honorary Life Members of the World Blind Union, and two people received the inaugural Louis Braille Medal for outstanding service to the world community of 45 million people who are blind and a further 135 million people who are vision impaired.
The new WBU Honorary Life Members are Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ghanim (Saudi Arabia), David Blyth (Australia), Dr Euclid Herie (Canada), Akiko Iwahashi (Japan), Sir John Wall (United Kingdom) and Pedro Zurita (Spain).
The Louis Braille Medal is a new award. It was previously awarded by the European Blind Union which generously transferred the award from a European to a worldwide auspice. It is presented at the WBU General Assembly; and there is no requirement for an award to be presented in any particular quadrennium. It was therefore very special to witness the awarding of the Louis Braille Medal to two outstanding contributors, David Blyth and Pedro Zurita. Let's salute them for their great contributions to 'change what it means to be blind'.
The General Assembly was preceded by two important international events. These were the World Blind Women's Forum and the International Management Seminar.
The Second World Blind Women's Forum brought together 350 participants who received presentations and held discussions on a range of topics of particular interest to women who are blind or vision impaired. The Forum was designed as both a learning experience for participants and as a peer support experience, bringing together women from all parts of the world. This Forum is unique, since there is no other regular worldwide forum for women with disabilities, and it typifies the leadership of WBU as an innovative organisation. The Forum culminated in a street parade of participants from the Melbourne Town Hall to the Treasury Gardens, a nice event for solidarity and for awareness raising, and Melbourne provided perfect weather for the outdoor dinner which followed.
The International Management Seminar brought together 100 leaders and middle managers of blindness agencies. The program was very interesting and well-balanced, with a high standard of presentations on topics covering service planning and delivery, globalisation issues and resource procurement and management. It was organised by Vision Australia Foundation with support from the Guide Dog Associations of Victoria and NSW/ACT. Regrettably there seemed to be no BCA presence at the seminar. Furthermore, without much support from the WBU leadership, it appeared not to be fully integrated as an associated event with the General Assembly. Nonetheless, this was the first time for this management seminar to be held, and participants appeared well satisfied with its content and networking opportunities. The management perspective in service delivery is important for WBU, rather than the consumer perspective becoming the sole focus with the result that a significant sector of the blindness field is alienated from WBU. [Editor's note: the Management Seminar was held at the same time as the Women's Forum, an unfortunate scheduling for women with an interest in management. The Forum sent a resolution to the General Assembly requesting that in future such timetable clashes be avoided.]
The General Assembly was held over five days in the Melbourne Town Hall, with delegates being accommodated at nearby hotels. Many delegates appreciated being in the heart of the city, and the Town Hall proved to be a very good venue for the General Assembly, associated events and support services. Two highlights associated with the General Assembly were the Vista 21C Technology Exhibition and the radio/Internet coverage.
The technology exhibition ran from Sunday lunchtime until Thursday afternoon. It brought together forty exhibitors of services and the latest assistive technology for people who are blind or vision impaired. The exhibitors I spoke to were all very satisfied with the patronage and the facilities, and considered it to have been an enjoyable and successful exhibition. Congratulations to Chris Edwards who carried portfolio responsibility for the exhibition.
Undoubtedly a benchmark set at the Fifth General Assembly was the coverage via radio and the Internet. The opening and closing ceremonies, and daily packaged highlights, of the General Assembly, were broadcast on RPH stations around Australia. In Melbourne WBU-FM was established as a low-powered radio station with a special-purpose licence broadcasting 24 hours per day, to give a complete live coverage and replays of both the Women's Forum and the General Assembly. It was very convenient to be able to listen to the radio when out of the meeting on other business, or to hear at night replays of some of the presentations made that day. The multilingual Internet webcast was a great achievement and very successful. The proceedings were streamed live in English and were provided in near-real-time as archives in Spanish, French and Italian. We appreciated the cooperation of the professional translators who varied their normal contractual arrangements to allow for the broadcast of their translations over the radio and via the Internet. Congratulations to Dale Simpson and his crew of willing and expert volunteers for a superb technical coverage.
The General Assembly and associated events were organised and hosted by partner organisations. David Blyth was the Host Group Chairperson and BCA was the Project Manager. I wish to thank the Partner Organisations, which contributed a total of $200,000: Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Guide Dogs Victoria, Royal Blind Society of NSW, Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind and Vision Australia Foundation. I also thank the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments, which contributed $260,000.
I acknowledge and deeply appreciate the contributions made by many people, both staff and volunteers. I particularly wish to express congratulations and thanks to Jennifer Gibbons and John Simpson. A large international event for people with disabilities, such as the WBU General Assembly, cannot work successfully without the special commitment and organising skills of key people such as these.
The success and enjoyment of the Fifth General Assembly and associated events were made possible through the support of more than 1,000 volunteers. I hope that for these people it was a life enriching experience, comparable to the way that participants benefited from their specific assistance and behind-the-scenes contributions. They were friendly and very helpful. The basic training received by volunteers certainly paid dividends through their self-assuredness and effectiveness. Jennifer Gibbons had portfolio responsibility for delegate support, which gave her lead responsibility for most of the volunteers. In addition I know how hard Jennifer worked during the Women's Forum and General Assembly to sort out problems for many of the sponsored delegates regarding their accommodation and other personal needs.
John Simpson did an outstanding job as Event Organiser. When I was BCA Executive Officer, leading the bid to host the General Assembly in Melbourne, it was my intention to recruit John as the Event Organiser. In the last three years I have never wavered in my conviction that he was the right person for the job. His organisational skills, together with his knowledge of the blindness field, were amply demonstrated, giving rise to a well-organised and most enjoyable series of events for participants from all corners of the world. Furthermore, the General Assembly and associated events set some new benchmarks for the WBU: the management seminar, the radio broadcast, the multilingual Internet webcast, the concurrent sessions and the WBU elections.
For me personally the WBU General Assembly in Melbourne was very special - a satisfying event and an enriching experience. I was privileged to be an Australian delegate and I am truly grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. More importantly, I am well satisfied that this particular WBU General Assembly and associated events will benefit blind people throughout Australia for many years to come. For David Blyth, an outstanding WBU leader since its formation sixteen years ago, a General Assembly in Melbourne was a special way to conclude his formal involvement and a unique opportunity for us to say thanks for a job well done. For my part, as a leader and representative, I thank my wife Carmel and my close friends for their support, encouragement and advice.
Telstra was pleased to provide sponsorship support for rural and remote attendees at the Second World Blind Women's Forum, and was also proud to sponsor the International Management Seminar 2000 held on 16 and 17 November in Melbourne.
This sponsorship is part of Telstra's ongoing commitment to supporting community and other initiatives that address issues of access and diversity.
At Telstra, we are committed to achieving customer service excellence and recognise that different needs require customised solutions. That's why Telstra was one of the first major Australian corporations to develop a Disability Action Plan and is currently implementing its second Disability Action Plan, launched earlier this year.
Copies of the plan are available by calling FREECALL 1800-804-591 or by email at disability.services@team.telstra.com
Doug McGinn
Remember the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games? And the unfortunate map of Australia that missed out that little island off the bottom?
Well, the BCA Office and the Board have been doing their best to help rectify this omission, and finally Tasmania has its own local branch of Blind Citizens Australia.
Tassie is now officially back on the map!!
For several years, the National Office of BCA and its Board have supported BCA forums throughout Tasmania. We should specially thank Michael Simpson and Bill Jolley for their efforts on numerous visits, as well as all those other mainland-based BCA participants who travelled down to assist. Our thanks must also be directed to our state's only blindness service provider, Royal Guide Dogs Tasmania, which has assisted with these forums for many years. At every one of these meetings the concept of a local branch was raised but unfortunately this did not come to fruition until June of this year.
Michael Simpson, then BCA National President, facilitated a meeting in Hobart that was attended by about 45 blind and vision impaired Tasmanians from throughout the state. It was our privilege to have Michael facilitate this meeting as one of his last official roles as National President. For those who are not aware, Tasmania has a total population of just over 400,000 people. A meeting that attracts so many people obviously shows huge support and interest in issues that affect blind Tasmanians and blind Australians in general.
An Executive was voted in at this meeting and like all hard-working committees there have been several changes since that initial time. Currently, the Executive consists of:
President: Dale Reardon
Vice-Pres: Vanessa Ransley
Secretary: Maree Brown
Treas: Dr Joanne McKeown
Committee: Merran Thurley, Doug McGinn.
Our thanks to all those people who assisted in the success of this initial meeting and to those people who have needed to resign from the committee due to personal circumstances.
Earlier this year we had about 80 BCA members who resided within this state. One of our branch's first goals is to double this membership within 18 months. A fairly tall order, but we are still hopeful of achieving this. Our other aims include improved consumer representation within Royal Guide Dogs Tasmania; improved and increased relevant information throughout the state for blind and vision impaired Tasmanians; and regular meetings throughout the state for BCA members to get together to discuss local issues.
BCA Tasmania will be holding its first open meeting on Saturday 16th December in Launceston. We hope that this will be a time for BCA Tasmanian members to come together and to discuss local issues, and just as importantly a chance to socialise and to generally catch up.
BCA Tasmania looks forward to working for and with the blind and vision impaired Tasmanian community, the existing branches in other states and the National Office.
If you would like any further information about the Branch please contact the Secretary, Maree Brown, on 03-6226-7416.
Finally, have a safe Christmas and just possibly 2001 may be the premiership year for Tasmania in the Pura Milk Sheffield Shield!! One should never lose sight of one's dreams.
PAY YOUR WAY - AS EASILY AS POSSIBLE
Dane Trethowen
Just over 18 months ago I was forced to move from an inner suburb of Melbourne to a semi-rural setting. This brought about many changes for me and the most challenging to deal with was the distance from my home to the majority of facilities, including branches of banks, shopping centres and the like. I had a small shopping strip within walking distance of my home so I was able to get limited supplies of food, drink and so forth.
My main concern was how to get money when I needed it, as I had always been used to going to a bank whenever I needed cash. And how would I pay my electricity and gas bills, amongst other things? I had always had people to write out cheques for me in the past.
Getting cash was the first problem that I tried to deal with. I have a service station with an autoteller just down the road from where I live but I'm one of those people who (while I'm quite at home when it comes to the use of my computer) is absolutely hopeless when it comes to using an ATM and I'm also wary of using one as I don't know whether I'm being watched. The next option appeared to be the small licensed supermarket in the nearby shopping strip but again I hit a snag. While I could withdraw cash there I had to purchase something first, so I found myself in the situation where every time I wanted some cash I had to plan ahead and buy something costing five dollars or more. Also, I could only withdraw a maximum amount of $50.00 each time I visited the supermarket. This had its advantages and disadvantages, the main advantage being that I was never carrying any large amount of cash with me and the disadvantage being that if I required a larger amount than fifty dollars I had to repeat the supermarket visits, hardly a satisfactory way of getting larger amounts of money.
It's marvellous the information a totally blind person can miss or not be told! I later learned that I had a small post office in a square of shops opposite my house, the only problem being that access was difficult. Enter the help of my wonderful Seeing-Eye Dog, Nina, and some extra assistance from a mobility instructor. Now I could walk down to the post office, pay my bills and withdraw larger amounts of cash. So far, so good.
I started taking an interest in other banking facilities that my bank (the Commonwealth) had to offer. Enter my experience with the Phone Banking System. Now, I didn't even have to go down to the post office to pay my bills, I could just ring Phone Bank, select the pay bill option, enter my account details, enter the biller code and the amount that I wished to pay. So simple, I thought, until I discovered that the payments would take a few days to transfer and often the service providers I was paying would require me to quote a receipt number as proof of my payment.
I overcame this problem by having a cassette recorder at the ready to record the receipt numbers as read to me by the automated voice on the phone. I would then transcribe the recorded information onto my computer for record keeping. I also found that the Phone Banking system could be unreliable as the system seemed to be off-line for an incredible amount of time some days.
I may have gone on using the Phone Bank system had I not taken a peek at the Commonwealth Bank's on-line banking system one day whilst surfing the net. I had (some time before) taken a look at it, but it had seemed extremely difficult to use at that time.
Well in short, the on-line banking system has opened a whole new world of communication between my bank and me. I can now pay my bills, check my balances and read my statements. I've even reached the point where I have Microsoft Money set up here on my system. By using the On-Line banking facility and MS Money, I can have bills paid automatically periodically or at a scheduled time/day. MS Money can communicate with the On-Line banking system so that information can be transferred to my computer regarding the position of my accounts, etc, I can also read my statements and perform all other Netbank actions using the standard reading commands of my Screen reading package and using other commands in Microsoft Internet Explorer. After I pay a bill using the service, I can easily take down the receipt number by highlighting it and copying it to another application.
Other features are soon to be introduced, which will allow the user to schedule fund transfers between accounts at different banks. I'm looking forward to that.
I hope you found this article informative and I trust that it may give some people a few ideas about how they can improve their lot when it comes to dealing with a bank, their bills and their money.
Macquarie University in Sydney has purchased an exhibition of Egyptian artefacts from the National Museum of the Czech Republic, especially for blind and vision impaired people.
The artefacts in the collection have been very carefully chosen for their tactile characteristics and are ideal for touching and handling. These artefacts are museum reproductions of the ancient original in identical materials, and cannot be distinguished from the original in weight or detail. Many of the alabasters have come from the ancient mines and quarries and have been chosen for both their importance in Egyptology and their sheer beauty to touch.
Egypt By Touch was opened at NSW State Parliament House on 19 October. It will be shown at Macquarie University in its permanent gallery, and loaned for exhibition in other capital cities of Australia.
Admission to the exhibition is free as all expenses have been met by the sponsors, the Rundle Foundation for Egyptology, Macquarie University, and Radio 2UE.
The exhibition is supported by a voice description of each article activated as the viewer touches the object. There is an audio catalogue with a history, chronology and description of each of the 32 artefacts in the exhibition.
The exhibition is made up of sculptures, daily life objects, images of famous gods such as Osiris, and the worldly possessions that the pharaohs wanted to take on their heavenly journey to eternity.
ARTICLES FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF BLIND CITIZENS NEWS
The closing date for articles for the next issue of Blind Citizens News is Friday, December 29, 2000. Articles should be sent to Lynne Davis at the Blind Citizens Australia Office, in large print (16 pt or larger) 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 her a message via the Office, or email her at jbasti@ozemail.com.au.
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.
HORIZONS BROADCAST SCHEDULE
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
6.05 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
1.30pm Friday, repeated 5.15pm Saturday
Mildura 3MPH 107.5 MHz
8.30 pm Wednesday, repeated 6.30 pm Sunday