Blind Citizens Australia

Contact Details

87 High Street

PO Box 229

PRAHRAN VICTORIA 3181

Telephone: 03 9521 3433

Toll Free 1800 033 660

Fax 03 9521 3732

TTY 03 9521 1200

Published by

Blind Citizens Australia

ABN 90-006-985-226

Edited by

Lynne Davis

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

Cassette ISSN 1441-564X

• SoundAbout Audio Magazines

• ‘I Can See Puddles’ newsletter (Young Blind Citizens Victoria)

• Blind Citizens Australia Annual Report

• Project and Research Reports

Accessible E-Commerce in Australia

Community Development for Blind Women

Everybody’s Business

• Horizons Radio Program

(see Tune in and Keep up to Date, in this issue)

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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.

When this issue hits the mailboxes, I’ll be enjoying the long midsummer evenings in northern Europe! I’ve been planning this journey - to Berlin, Poland, the Baltic republics and Helsinki - for some time, but my planning has taken on some new twists since reading the contributions to the March special travel issue. I hope I find my travel experience enhanced as a result - and that some other readers have had similar experiences.

This winter issue of the News offers an opportunity to catch up with the seeming multitude of projects being undertaken by BCA at any one time. There’s the usual crop of letters about a diverse range of topics, an insight into the lives and aspirations of people who are deafblind, and a contribution from a teacher with a passion for the education of blind and vision impaired children. Plenty of reading for a cold winter night!

The special theme issue for March 2003 (yes, that’s correct, so start planning now) will be about the history of blindness in Australia. We have very little written history and in recent years we have lost a number of members who carried with them a rich store of memories. So, it’s time to start recording and reflecting on our past so that it doesn’t become lost forever in the mists of time. Remember - ‘Without a knowledge of history we are condemned to relive it’ (a prize from the editor for the first reader to correctly identify the author). And it doesn’t have to be ancient history, either: if you feel that something in your experience as a blind person has now become a ‘remembrance of things past’, it’s definitely worthwhile committing the memory to paper (or tape, disk, parchment or vellum - whatever takes your fancy, as long as our office staff can read it).

This is the eighteenth issue of Blind Citizens News which I have edited, and sadly also the last. I’ve recently taken on a number of new roles inside and outside of BCA and I can no longer find enough time to do the work of editing the News. In my first editorial, in January 1998, I wrote that I was looking forward to producing some interesting issues of Blind Citizens News: I’ve certainly enjoyed the process enormously, and I hope that you have found the results engaging.

Editing the News has given me contact with many people around Australia and outside its borders, too - you’d be amazed at how many people read it, especially since it has appeared on the BCA website. I shall miss this contact very much. But now I’m looking forward to being one of the readers! My best wishes to the new editor, and thanks to everyone who has helped to make the News the interesting read that it is.

I would like to congratulate you on putting together such an interesting issue on travel. It made me realise that travelling overseas and interstate as a blind person independently was possible.

A few months ago, I decided to give backpacking a try. I was invited to a friend’s wedding in Melbourne, at the time after the terror attacks in America and the collapse of Ansett. The planning of my trip away began when I booked my train ticket, and went to my local travel agent to book a cheap tour that could take me between Melbourne and Adelaide along the Great Ocean Road and via the Grampians as I was in no real hurry to get home. After booking my transport to get there and away, I asked the travel agent to book me into a hostel that was close to the train station.

I would have to say that my first experience at backpacking was extremely positive because the hostel staff were very helpful in making sure I got from point A to point B safely. When I told the hostel staff I was blind, they very kindly offered to meet me at Spencer Street Station.

Even more surprisingly though, was the hostel I chose had Braille on the lifts. This was very rare as most of the buildings that I have been into had never taken this step. I believe that this point raises another issue for access to buildings. And that is that designers of buildings think mainly about people in wheelchairs. However this attitude is gradually changing.

Lastly, I would like to comment on the three-day tour that I did. It was with a company called Groovy Grape Getaways. Their three-day tour really appealed to me, as it was fully guided, included all meals and accommodation and had a variety of activities to do. These included a tour of the Brambuk Living Cultural Centre in Halls Gap, visiting Bell’s Beach and climbing the pinnacle in the Grampians National Park just to name a few.

I would have to say that the whole experience has given me a lot more confidence to achieve what I want to achieve.

Recently, my wife and I had to take a trip by train to Sydney. Booking the passage was done by phone without trouble. Being a careful type of person I decided to check on the validity of my blind travel pass in NSW before leaving, so I got on to the computer and found there was no real information available about this. I rang the STA who issue the passes and they could not help. I looked up NSW Rail Authority, no mention of interstate blind passes.

Armed with doubt we boarded the Indian Pacific, eventually arriving at Central Station in Sydney. We went to the country booking office to book on the XPT to Maitland. I was told you have to get a visitor’s blind pass. I asked where do I have to go, and was told downstairs and around the corner. Going downstairs meant finding a lift, carrying our luggage, then trying to find the office. The office turned out to be at least 300 metres down the street around the corner and at least 150 metres behind an unmarked doorway. If it had not been for the kindness of a very helpful stranger, I doubt if we would have found it at all. The pass actually consisted of a piece of red cardboard, stamped ‘Visitor’s Blind Pass’, my name written on it in biro.

I seem to remember when we had photos taken and new passes issued a year or so back, we were informed that these new passes would be valid in all states. NOT SO!

In this age of computers and marvellous technology why can’t there be a national data base of registered blind and vision impaired people Australia-wide?. Actually it already exists, marked on our concession pensioner cards, so why cannot they act as our blind passes? I am sure if someone would give some consideration to the problem it could be solved without a great deal of expenditure and complication.

My wife and I are reasonably mobile for our age, (mid 70s). God help a frail vision impaired person landing in Sydney not knowing where to go or what to do. We found the railway staff to be ignorant and unhelpful, with very few even speaking a few words of English.

Wake up Australia, I heard us called a third world country the other day and as far as travelling goes I am inclined to believe it.

[Collette O’Neill notes: At the October 2000 meeting of the Australian Transport Council, State and Territory Transport Ministers endorsed the introduction of national reciprocal arrangements for blind persons’ travel permits from January 1, 2001, and the introduction of a uniform card.

People who are blind and vision impaired welcomed this decision because it signalled the end of the clumsy and frustrating process of applying for temporary travel passes, so well demonstrated in this letter.

Since then, a national travel pass system for people who are blind and vision impaired has gradually evolved in all Australian states except NSW. ACT, Victoria, South Australia, WA and Tasmania recognise passes issued by other states. Queensland currently recognises other passes except those issued by NSW and Tasmania. Tasmania and Queensland are currently in negotiations and it is expected that Queensland will begin to recognise Tasmanian passes in the very near future. NSW does not accept other passes.

BCA has been working with the Australian Blindness Forum to lobby the NSW Government to introduce the pass as a matter of urgency. The good news is that in response to our work, the NSW Department of Transport has indicated it will proceed to implement reciprocity with other States and to issue a blind travel pass that fits in with the National approach. We have been told that the likely cost is currently being investigated.

While there appears to be no reason why the NSW blind travel pass will not go ahead, BCA and the Australian Blindness Forum will keep lobbying the Department until the pass is introduced.]

I am writing to express my views in regard to the merging of the Vision Australia Library and NILS. It has been proposed by management of both these blindness agencies to merge service delivery of libraries. I know that this will not change the way services are given. For instance, managers only care about staff appointments, and have a "business" plan for libraries. Customers need to be treated like human beings. Only then can any venture be successful. I have been continuously stopped from browsing library shelves at the Vision Australia Library. The Vision Australia Library is saying that blind people cannot get access to Braille books (except for the lovely little display at the front for show), and they shut away most of the Braille books and won't let anyone in because "it's a breach of occupational health and safety". Tell me if that makes sense! I've also been told that "sighted people can browse library shelves but blind people can't and that this is not a public library".

I gave my views at the BCA Melbourne Branch seminar (5 April 2002) and was not supported by any blind people in the room. I spoke about my student materials not being Brailled and also about the blatant censorship of both NILS and the Vision Australia Library, in terms of not providing alternative literature. I think that Lynne Davis spoke very well at the seminar.

I think it is appalling that my student materials are not being Brailled by NILS, when they undertook to Braille the whole course, knowing full well that my college is a small one and could not provide funding for the Brailling. Then, halfway through the year of the last leg of the course, I'm told that they will no longer Braille because the school won't pay. I am saddened that people appear to think that NILS should be let off the hook in my case, to the extent that BCA put my situation in the Sydney Morning Herald (changing my name of course) in order to argue that Universities were not doing their bit for blind and vision impaired students. How dare BCA do such a thing knowing my story and making "poor NILS" look so good by not highlighting that issue?

[Editor’s note: BCA staff had several discussions with the journalist who wrote the story that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age about students' access to their study materials in alternative formats. They put it to her strongly that NILS had to share some of the responsibility for students' lack of access to texts. They also stressed that students in TAFE's and private colleges have more restricted access to materials. The journalist chose not to include these points in her final story.]

An Act of Parliament is more than words on paper. But enActment involves Barristers and Courts. One blind person successfully sued SOCOG because vital client materials weren't available in Braille.

Meanwhile for instance other blind Australians are denied accessible study materials.

During a BCA convention in the late 1990s I attended a lecture which could have been titled `The Collapse of Braille Education in a Single Generation`. Returning home I told friends about it. They were shocked and appalled. Imagine! Australian blind children denied a practical grounding in Braille.

Braille education has involved provincial students boarding in cities. Ironically now more than a little Utopian. `Integration` is the current hard-line direction in education.

Library representatives offer us talking-books in good faith, somewhat bemused when the client responds: "I'm not reading ANYTHING unless it's in Braille!". The Disability Discrimination Act, a fine document, has no `Utopia Clause`. Ask somebody in a wheelchair what the Act is doing for them. Apparently the 1998 Building Code is drawn up to suit a standard hospital push-wheelchair. But many, perhaps most, battery-powered chairs can't manoeuvre on single-lane ramps supposedly designed for them. Corrective steps no doubt will be initiated in a future sitting of Parliament.

Telephone and electricity bills in Braille are extremely helpful for a number of people. Meanwhile, educational institutions are empowered to deny students the full range of options. The real enemies reside within education bureaucracies. `Integration` and their confounded level-playing-field! Focus directed to, and by, the ubiquitous `Bottom Line`.

The SOCOG example ought to be seen as an exceptional instance. Here was an organisation with ample funds to produce the required materials. Because they didn't, they were sued. Funding in the Education field is anything but rosy. Financial experts could give any number of reasons why `Braille on request` is far too expensive an option. Guess who’s braving the rapids in a canoe without a paddle?

The good news is: we have community support.

On behalf of the Board, staff and members and friends of BCA I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lynne Davis for her excellent and professional role as Editor of Blind Citizens News since 1998. Lynne, you can feel proud of the high standard of presentation and content of this widely read publication. As you move on to new and challenging endeavours, we wish you well and congratulate you on your recent appointment as Deputy Chair of the National Disability Advisory Council (NDAC).

Readers will no doubt be aware that people in receipt of the Disability Support Pension (Blind) had a win in the recent Federal Budget. Collette provides details of the budget in her report which appears later in this publication. I would like to address the concerns raised by some that BCA acted prematurely in regard to this matter. We know that it was a government proposal to alter the eligibility criteria for the blind pension and this has been confirmed by many on and after the budget night. We were advised that the rally held in Melbourne outside the Treasurer's electorate office on May 10 was pivotal in this change and I would like to thank everyone who took the time and effort to work for this outcome. Everyone should feel proud of their efforts.

Of course such action comes with a financial cost to BCA. If you feel that this outcome benefited you, you may wish to make a small donation to BCA.

BCA undertakes a huge range of activities on behalf of members. In this article I have tried to give readers an insight into the many and varied activities undertaken over recent months.

Readers will no doubt be aware of the proposed merger of the Vision Australia Foundation Library and the National Information and Library Service. BCA has participated in both the steering committee and working group to date as the business case was developed. The Boards of the three organisations, RVIB, RBS and VAF, endorsed the business case at their February meetings. Work is underway on the implementation plan for consideration by the three Boards.

With the establishment of a BCA Libraries Working Group following our National Convention in October 2001, BCA has made access to library services a priority over the next year. We are always willing and happy to work with all libraries, both specialist and public, to ensure that there is equal access to library services for blind or vision impaired people no matter where they live in Australia.

Over many years’ blind and vision impaired students undertaking post secondary education have had difficulty obtaining prescribed texts in a timely manner and/or in an appropriate format. This problem has escalated in recent times with the increase in the number of students undertaking study, the diverse range of courses undertaken and the recent increase in the cost of production of such materials.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) held a forum at the end of May; the purpose was to develop strategies for addressing the serious problems that currently face many tertiary education institutions as they endeavour to meet their responsibility to provide curricular material to students with print disabilities.

In 2001, to address the growing crisis in the production and distribution of materials in alternative formats, BCA and NILS formed the Accessible Materials Forum. The Forum aims to improve the timely provision of Braille, large print, and digital audio materials to people who are blind, vision impaired or who have a print disability. One of the Forum's goals is to have legislation introduced in Australia similar to the Instructional Materials Accessibility Act, which has been prepared by the American Foundation for the Blind. We are seeking legislation to compel publishers to place electronic copies of texts in a secure storage location, to facilitate alternative format production.

The Forum's current membership includes representatives from Blind Citizens Australia, the National Information and Library Service, Vision Australia Foundation, the Round Table on Information Access for People with Disabilities, and the Tertiary Education Disability Council of Australia.

Following is a list of all BCA Policy Statements, which can be found on our web page. Copies of these policies in preferred formats are available from the National Office on request.

• Audible Traffic Signals

• Dog Guide Agreement

• Education

• Fundraising Practices by Agencies Servicing the Needs of People who are Blind or Vision Impaired

• Pedestrian Safety

• Public Transport

• Service Access

• Service User Complaints

• BCA’s Memorandum and Articles of Association

• Bylaws for: Branches, National Policy and Development Council, National Convention and State Conventions

Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) inputs into a wide range of government and non government policy areas. BCA is often called upon to respond to ideas, suggested project proposals, strategies being undertaken, and policy areas for people with disabilities. In the period since July 2001, Blind Citizens Australia has provided input on the following:

• Submission to the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education References Committee’s "Universities in Crisis" inquiry. Advice on the proposal to introduce limited Braille and tactile signage into the Building Code of Australia was provided to the Australian Building Codes Board including advice about the type and location of such signage, and how people who are blind or vision impaired would use it. Subsequent to the release of the Regulatory Impact Statement on the proposal, BCA made a submission on the proposal. The Building Access Policy Committee is currently considering extending the requirements for Braille and tactile signage in the DDA Standard for Access to Premises. BCA is participating in ongoing negotiations in relation to this proposal.

• Submission to the Productivity Commission’s Independent Review of Jobs Network

• Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee’s review of the Disability Services Amendment Bill 2001Feedback on the FACS Disability Action Plan

• Contribution to the Centrelink Rules Simplification Taskforce

• BCA has also made a submission to the application by Queensland Rail to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) for an exemption from the draft DDA Transport Standards as they relate to Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSI’s). BCA is currently working with HREOC, the Physical Disability Council of Australia (PDCA), Standards Australia, Queensland Rail and other transport operators to develop an agreed position on the use of Tactile Ground Surface Indicators.

• BCA prepared a submission for the 2002-2003 Federal Budget that identified gaps in government services and areas in which services could be improved. BCA provided a submission to FaCS on the Better Assessment and Early Intervention Discussion Paper .

• BCA also contributed a detailed submission to the Australians Working Together Discussion Paper after staff and members attended various information sessions on the package held around Australia.

As readers will no doubt be aware, at the 1999 Convention BCA adopted an amended set of Memorandum and Articles of Association. These provide for State Conventions to be held on the alternate year to the National Convention.

This year will be the first of these. Below is a list of the dates for each State Convention along with the Chairperson for each of the convention organising committees:

• Victoria/Tasmania - October 19 & 20, John Simpson

• NSW/ACT - November 2 & 3, Michael Simpson

• South Australia - October 26, Tony Starkey

• Western Australia - November 2, Greg Madson

• Queensland - October 12 & 13, Terry Boyle

The BCA Annual General Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Victorian/Tasmanian Convention on Saturday October 19. A number of amendments are being proposed to our Memorandum and Articles of Association which have been provided by the Board, working group, branches and individual members. These will be circulated with the Notice of the AGM. I would like to remind all full members of BCA that there will be elections for Directors this year and they will be conducted by a postal ballot. It is very important for anyone who wishes to exercise their right to vote to read the AGM notices clearly and return all required forms by the due date.

Readers will be aware that a small working group was established to identify and propose refinements to the Memorandum and Articles of Association given that two years has passed since they undertook major change. In the last issue of News, members were invited to submit input into this process. Thank you to all those who did this. The working group has prepared a document which outlines the current and proposed article for amendments. This document will be circulated to all members at the same time the Notice of the AGM is sent.

Readers may be aware that a part time office has been established in NSW. Sharon Chalmers joined BCA during February and is at the office every Tuesday and Wednesday. We are working towards identifying and securing recurrent funding so that the office can be sustained and operate on a full time basis. At this time, due to financial constraints, the priorities for Sharon are:

• to promote BCA within NSW and the ACT

• to identify and apply for funding to expand and extend the office

• to provide support to the NSW/ACT Co-ordinating Committee and State Convention Committees

• to undertake membership development.

Sharon undertakes some systemic advocacy in NSW/ACT. However, full time advocacy and individual advocacy is managed through our national office at this time. Our objective is to achieve a service similar to Victoria where ongoing funding is provided for an advocacy/information service. Of course the long-term objective is to establish such a service in all states and territories.

It’s time for individuals, Branches and Organisational Members to think about whether there is someone they would like to nominate to receive the BCA David Blyth Award or a BCA Certificate of Appreciation. The BCA David Blyth Award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to improving the quality of life for blind people in Australia. Certificates of Appreciation are awarded to individuals in recognition of outstanding and long-lasting work of direct benefit to BCA. Often this work has been at a branch or local level. Nominees do not have to be members of BCA.

Nomination forms and a list of selection criteria are available from the National Office on 1800-033-660. These awards are not presented as a matter of course. Nominees should be deserving and their work for BCA to improve the quality of life for blind and vision impaired people must be outstanding. Please forward your nominations for these awards to the National Office, addressed to me as Convenor of the Awards Committee, no later than Friday, 30 August, 2002.

Reading a recent issue of Blind Citizens News, I noticed that at the 2001 Convention a resolution was passed by BCA members, supporting the Australian Deafblind Council [ADBC] in its fight to have ‘Deafblindness’ recognised as a single condition by Federal and State Governments and Agencies.

It occurred to me that whilst there was merit in one disability supporting another, many of the members of BCA would know little, if anything, about deafblindness, or had in fact, never met a person who was deafblind.

Just as the blind community has a division of those who are totally blind, and those who are vision impaired, the deafblind community also has two divisions. People who are profoundly deaf, who use Auslan for communication, and are legally blind consider themselves as ‘deafblind’ [db]. Auslan is the official language of the signing deaf in Australia. Those people who wear hearing aids or are hard of hearing and legally blind, usually describe themselves as ‘vision hearing impaired’ [vhi].

I am aware that there are people in the blind community who have a hearing loss, whether it be from an ageing process, genetic condition or from an accident, who may not relate to the term ‘deafblind’. As blindness is often their primary sensory loss, these people tend to relate mostly to blindness issues and culture. It is when both conditions are almost equally debilitating that there is a need to understand why deafblindness should be seen as a separate disability in order for other people to fully understand the specific needs of this very isolated group of people.

I have been involved with the deafblind community for the past twelve years due to my own dual sensory loss. I have a limited knowledge of Auslan but have found that over a period of time, members of the deafblind community have placed their trust in me, especially when I have advocated on their and my behalf for services and attitudes to be changed to accommodate our needs. Deafblind people are, for the most part, socially isolated due to the inability of hearing people to communicate with them.

Many of the issues concerning deafblind people are similar to those experienced by blind and vision impaired people - for example, transport, education, accommodation, mobility, advocacy, employment and support. Imagine if one has a dual sensory loss, how much more complicated life can be. I have chosen to write about some of the more pressing issues for deafblind people.

Deafblind and VHI people are encouraged to travel independently and many do, although most need to have a guide. Travelling independently, as we all know, can be extremely frustrating when destination boards are impossible to read. It is even more difficult and frustrating, when one is unable to hear announcements or communicate with ease with the public, something that blind and vision impaired persons take for granted.

It has been my experience that many deafblind people have been poorly educated. This, in conjunction with the fact that their language, Auslan, is a visual language without written form, means that many have difficulties with English literacy and have a limited vocabulary in English. This is not to say that the deafblind person is not intelligent, as I quickly realised when communicating with them in their first language, Auslan. Auslan does not rely on spelling of English words. It uses signs to convey concepts and phrases. Most deafblind people do not have Braille skills, although in recent years some people have been taught this method of communication. Without Braille there is no other format available to them. If a deafblind person seeks to further their education, firstly they must check to see if they can have the services of an interpreter before starting their course. Many an opportunity for further education is lost to the deafblind person because provision of an interpreter is denied due to lack of funding or lack of availability of an interpreter skilled and willing to work with a deafblind person.

Only in recent years have the various agencies for sensory loss begun to understand the special need of those people who have a DUAL sensory loss.

Only recently, with the advent of modern technology and individual classes teaching the internet and email, have deafblind people been able to break through the communication barrier between them and hearing people.

Without mobility training, no blind or vision impaired person can feel safe when walking the streets or using public transport. I personally know of a deafblind person who went to a blindness agency about ten years ago and was given a cane but no mobility instruction due to the fact that no instructor could communicate with this person. Fortunately, this has now changed and most deafblind people have undergone mobility training, which has been the single most important factor so far for their ongoing fight for independence. There are now a number of mobility instructors [in Melbourne] who have Auslan skills.

There has been a reluctance to train deafblind people with guide dogs although this has been done overseas. It has been stated that deaf people don’t talk, but I have yet to meet a deaf or deafblind person that cannot make words that can be heard. It is hoped in the near future that this situation will be changed and deafblind people will have the benefit of more freedom of mobility with a trusted guide dog as their companion.

Whenever deafblind people are asked what they most want, the answer is almost always ‘to have on call someone who will be a guide/interpreter for any activity I wish to pursue’.

In an ideal world, not only would there be people trained in Auslan, as well as guiding skills, but also possessing the ability to describe the surrounding environment. The deafblind person would be able to ring a central register and ask for ‘a facilitator’, at any time of the day, for whatever reason they require, be it for social, recreation or business reasons. A few countries are known to have this service. The DeafBlind Association [Melbourne] provides a community support service, though this is limited due to lack of funding and shortage of people trained in the skills previously mentioned. Most other states have little or no similar service provision for deafblind people. It is the dream of most deafblind people to have a facilitator of their own, a person they can trust and enjoy the type of activities they enjoy.

Very little can be said of the possibility for deafblind people to obtain full or part time employment. Most positions require a level of literacy skills which are not always evident with deafblind people. If most prospective employers baulk at employing a blind or vision impaired person, then the idea of employing a deafblind person is even further down the scale. Most deafblind people would cherish the opportunity to obtain employment, and therefore have the purchasing power to buy products that could enhance their lifestyle.

The ADBC is a reasonably new organisation and is just starting to speak on behalf of deafblind people. Unlike BCA, it has some agency staff on its committee and this is due to the fact that most deafblind people have poor literacy skills and limited knowledge of how to lobby service providers and government bodies. It is my hope that in time, the ADBC will be recognised as a peak body, speaking as deafblind people on issues important to deafblind people.

In March the World Blind Union Executive met in Mombai, India. At the same time a number of committees and working groups also met. The Women’s Committee, the Children’s Committee, the Regional Development Committee, along with the Finance, Foundation, and Presidents all met. The Executive is made up of the six office bearers of the WBU who are elected at the General Assembly, along with four executive members from each of the six regions. This group will meet twice outside the year of the General Assembly.

Areas discussed and decisions made included:

• Adoption of a number of policy positions of the WBU

• Acceptance of new members and reclassification of member organisations to the WBU

• Working groups to undertake policy development

• Consideration of proposals for changes to the constitution which will be presented at the 6th General Assembly,

• Reports from each of the committees, which include: Women, Children, Youth, Elderly, Indigenous Persons, Co-operation with the United Nations and its Agencies, Media, Advocacy, Policies, and Information , Organisational development, Capacity Building and Democracy, Louis Braille Memorial, WBU Constitution and Universal Postal Union.

There were reports from link persons who represent WBU on external organisations which include: International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), Digital Audiobased Information System (DAISY), International Council for Education of Visual Impairment (ICEVI), International Disabled Persons Association (IDPA), UN Panel of Experts.

The WBU has recently developed a new web page where all policy statements and position papers, along with a great deal of information about the World Blind Union, can be found. The address is

www.worldblindunion.org

The WBU Women’s Committee, of which I am the Chair, also has a recently developed web page and can be found at www.wbuwomen.org. One of the major projects this committee will undertake over the coming year is the development of a leadership training kit which blind women could use within their local communities, national organisations or regional unions. It is anticipated that the kit will contain a range of training materials from which a selection could be used depending on the group the training is aimed at. It is planned to trial this kit in two regions before promoting it as a WBU resource. At the same time work has begun to establish an international register of blind women. The purpose of this is to provide opportunity for women to communicate with other blind women outside the General Assembly held each four years, and to have a database of women who can be called upon from time to time who possess a range of skills which could be used to further the work of the Women’s Committee and the World Blind Union.

In October this year the WBU Asia Pacific Region will be conducting a youth leadership seminar. It is anticipated that there will be representatives from all countries in our region. If anyone is interested in attending or requires any additional information, contact me at the National Office and I will be happy to provide details of this event as they unfold.

The National Advocacy Service seems to be really moving along although the time it takes to reach some outcomes can be quite frustrating. The last six months have been extremely busy and there is certainly more work than can be done in three days a week. I have tried to prioritise our short advice service over the demands of longer case work requirements to make sure we still continue to be responsive to the immediate needs of our members. The average resolution time for the longer case work is approximately six to eight months. What follows is a brief coverage of recent work.

As members are aware disability discrimination complaints were lodged against all of the major banks in relation to inaccessible ATMs and inaccessible Internet banking sites. All of these complaints proceeded to the investigation and conciliation stages with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission and all except two have settled satisfactorily. The purpose of the complaints was to support an already existing project of the Australian Bankers Association to develop Standards in relation to accessible banking. BCA wanted to ensure that individual banks were committed to complying with these voluntary Standards. Excellent outcomes were achieved with Westpac and National Australian Bank and a reasonable outcome was achieved with ANZ. Negotiations with the Commonwealth Bank are continuing and at this stage the complaint against St George Bank is proceeding to the Federal Court. At the time of writing this article St George have refused to make their web site accessible or commit to comply with the Standards in relation to ATM's with audio functioning. We are still hopeful, however, that these last complaints will also settle satisfactorily. I want to express my thanks to our members who were and are the complainants in these cases, as without them we would not have made the advances that we have achieved.

Case work in this area has centred around two major issues. The first is access to educational materials in an appropriate format and the second relates to the absence of or the inadequacy of adjustments made to create a level playing field for students who are blind or vision impaired. Mostly, students experience a combination of these two problems. I generally try to negotiate directly with the institution involved, which can achieve a quicker outcome but at this stage all of our cases have moved to formal complaint processes. Students with vision impairment seem to be pushed towards inappropriate electronic tools which can cause eyestrain and receive little or no help in obtaining materials. Other students are not receiving their course materials until well into a semester, if at all, and are greatly disadvantaged. The stress placed on students is enormous. We are of course hoping that the forum run by HREOC (mentioned in Collette O’Neill’s report) might assist in solving this travesty.

Our service has provided support to workers who are blind or vision impaired in relation to redundancy, discrimination and workplace conditions. Currently, however, I have only one ongoing file in relation to employment discrimination.

A case lodged with the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission in relation to alleged discriminatory treatment by a private bus company has recently settled.

We currently have only one ongoing migration matter involving the refusal to allow a 75 year-old grandmother to join the rest of her family in Australia because she has limited sight.

Our short advice service covers advice given at the time of the initial phone call to advocacy matters which can take up to a month to finalise. These form the bulk of our advocacy matters and cover such issues as compensation, migration, Centrelink problems, social work referrals and the adequacy of disability services. Centrelink and pension issues generally predominate.

I look forward to providing future updates and welcome contact from members and non members with blindness related concerns and queries.

In February, BCA submitted a Federal Budget Submission to the Treasurer which outlined our budget priorities, including changes to income support, employment services, voting, access to information and access to the environment. (The Submission can be viewed and down loaded from our web site.)

The week before the budget was due to be handed down, it was reported that the Government was planning to introduce a means test to the pension. We immediately organised to oppose the plan, and on the Monday before the budget, learnt that our campaign had been successful.

The Budget contained no changes to the means test free status of the DSP (Blind) or to the exemption of people who are blind from work capacity tests and ongoing review.

Many of the elements of the Australians Working Together package, announced in last year’s budget, were re-introduced in this year’s budget. These included the working credit scheme, which will affect any person who is blind who receives a means tested payment like Rent Assistance, and the employment of Personal Advisers who will provide more individualised assistance to people with disabilities. The Government also increased the number of employment support places available to people with disabilities. Unfortunately, the Literacy and Numeracy Supplement is still not available to people who are studying Braille.

We are of course pleased that people who are blind are no worse off after the budget. However, it is disappointing that the Government has done nothing to improve the income support system for people with severe disabilities by beginning discussions on the introduction of a cost of disability allowance.

We cannot be complacent about the security of the blind pension. The Government has made quite clear in the past its intention to move to a single income support payment for all people who are work-force aged. The changes that have been introduced to the general DSP are one step towards achieving this. The current position of the blind pension is clearly at odds with this plan and we should expect that the Government will continue to seek to bring it into line with other payments.

Blind Citizens Australia’s current income support policy supports the introduction of a single income support payment, as long as it is accompanied by the introduction of a cost of disability allowance set at a reasonable level. This is because the means test free status of the pension does not help people whose only income is the pension to meet their additional costs of blindness.

The Government, the Opposition and the minor parties have in principle accepted the concept of a cost of disability allowance (which was recommended by the McClure Report). The real debate will be about the level that the allowance should be set at. This is why BCA decided to conduct its Non-Optional Costs of Blindness research. This research is more important than ever.

The research has now entered its final stage. I have conducted in depth interviews with a wide range of people who are blind about the extra costs they have because of their vision impairment. People have also started filling in diaries of their expenses.

We are working to have the research completed by September.

Other income support related work I have done recently includes:

• Consulting with Centrelink and the Department of Family and Community Services about the introduction of the Australians Working Together package and the Better Assessment and Early Intervention program.
• Providing advice to Centrelink about how best to inform people who are blind about the introduction of the Working Credit Scheme.

BCA submitted a response to the Productivity Commission’s review of the Job Network. We are currently preparing a response to the Commission’s draft report. In general, the draft recommendations are good, but there are some that would negatively impact on the employment chances of people with disabilities.

Recently, a lot of media attention has been given to the issue of blind tertiary students access to their study materials in alternative formats.

In January, BCA called on the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to hold a public forum into the issue, which they are doing. The forum will be held in Sydney in May and BCA will be represented. It is hoped that the forum will lead to changes that will improve education for blind students.

To improve access to all information for people who are blind, I have continued to work with Aileen McFadzean as part of the Accessible Materials Forum (AMF). The AMF seeks improved access to all printed materials for people with a print disability. NILS is also a member of the AMF, and I recently presented a joint paper at the Round Table conference in Adelaide with Jane Evans, the General Manager of NILS about the work of the AMF.

Senate Inquiry

BCA has also been liaising with the Australian Primary Principals Association, which is conducting a needs assessment of primary education in Australia, to ensure that the needs of students who are blind are taken into account.

The Transport and Access Committee has worked hard in recent months to make sure that the needs of people who are blind are included in the development of the DDA Standard for Access to Premises.

The Australian Standard that deals with tactile ground surface indicators (AS1428.4) has finally been approved for publication.

Following the granting of an exemption to Queensland Rail in relation to the installation of Tactile Ground Surface Indicators, I have been facilitating negotiations between Queensland Rail, the Physical Disability Council of Australia and BCA to try to reach an agreed position on this matter. We are very close to reaching a compromise that will meet the safety needs of all people with disabilities.

Recently we have received some promising reports of possible research projects that may be undertaken. The first is research to assess the safety of roundabouts and the second is an assessment of various way-finding systems that might be usefully introduced in Australia.

My work for Blind Citizens Australia this year includes a position on the National Policy and Development Council as Organisational Representative. It seems to me that part of this role should be to familiarise members with the organisations which have chosen to ally themselves with BCA, who they are and what they do.

My thanks to the Queensland Branch of this organisation for copies of their brochures.

The eye diseases covered in the pamphlets I received are Retinitis Pigmentosa, Macular Degeneration, Ushers Syndrome and Stargardts Disease. These are factual explanations of each disease, in large print, plus answers to the most frequently asked questions. There are also cassette versions of the pamphlets on Macular Degeneration and Retinitis Pigmentosa. All information is clearly set out in language easily understood by people without much medical knowledge.

This organisation's role seems to be to demystify eye diseases in which the retina is damaged or destroyed, letting sufferers and their families know what has happened, the genetic likelihood of other members of the family being affected, and what you might expect to happen in the future. Branches of this organisation can be found in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia.

I have been a member of this organisation for over 30 years, so I know something about its present work, but less than I would like to know about its past history.

It was founded in 1910 by a few ex-students of Darlington School with the encouragement and financial assistance of one or more of the school gardeners, particularly a Mr. Shirley, after whom our present premises have been named. This remarkable gentleman used to take the blind young men and women on outings, encourage them to develop any talents they had, and to form themselves into a self help group. They met in various places for a time, but eventually the small donations accumulated and a room in Rawson Chambers was rented as the Association's first permanent home. Library books were bought, at much cheaper rates than would now be possible, but the wages were very low, particularly for blind people, most of whom worked in factories, sold newspapers, or were beggars. Life must have been very tough for a blind person in those days, but the Association was a place where they could encourage one another, share frustrations, and have a good many laughs.

Shirley House is still a place like that. It is a lovely old building in Ethel Street Burwood. Craft classes are held one day a week, they have a sewing service, run market stalls and an annual fete, and are responsible for a weekly radio programme on 2 RPH. The library has expanded, and now contain books in large print and on cassettes as well as in Braille. New members are welcome. For further information, contact the Executive Officer, Naomi Clark on 9744 1516

I have been a classroom teacher in New South Wales primary schools for the past 15 years. Classroom teaching changed direction when a student in my class struggled with her vision despite her incredible enthusiasm to read whatever she could lay her hands on. Apprehension set in when my mother announced she had been diagnosed with glaucoma.

I had been fascinated with the structure and function of the eye since a high school biology project. Every afternoon for two weeks I spent earnestly researching the eye and illustrating it in magnificent detail. During that year in Art classes, we began a sculpture project. I remember wondering what it would be like not to see what I could see in response to the tactile nature of my work piece. An obsession had been generated.

On average, for every year of my teaching career a child in my class would find simple tasks awkward and require a trip to a specialist to help him or her out with their vision problem. With time and experience as a classroom teacher, I discovered simple modifications to my classroom, my teaching methods and materials allowed children with low vision to get a fair go.

Last year, a new face in the staffroom introduced herself as the Itinerant Support Teacher Vision. I wanted to be one too. The role of an Itinerant Support Teacher Vision is to support the classroom teacher in the process of making necessary adaptations to teaching strategies, materials, curriculum, resources and settings to support a child with low vision or who may be blind in the regular school setting.

This year, five of my colleagues attend Renwick College as we work towards achieving our Masters in Special Education majoring in Vision. Our attendance is made even more possible by the NSW Department of School Education and Training offering a cadetship to teachers wishing to specialise in this field.

The work is fascinating. The people are great. There is a certain passion that keeps the constant and much berated topic of integration and inclusion alive and well. The children we deal with are magnificent. The delight in discovering a child who is vision impaired play an instrument, meet up with friends, join in with sporting activities and promote their own learning is truly exciting for us. In our practicum placements we have children who are blind or vision impaired, involved in regular classroom settings, participating and achieving like all children should.

While my colleagues and I study and work towards the ultimate goal of becoming Itinerant Support Teachers, I can only wonder at the corners and paths down which our lives might take us. Each of us has a story to tell about how we came to this point in our careers. There is so much knowledge to be had, so many alternatives to choose between in helping a child access their school work and work towards becoming independent members of the community. Training in the use of vision technology, the teaching of Braille reading and writing, orientation and mobility training, and consultancy support to school staff about the child’s special curriculum needs are some of the skills required to be an IST(V).

My mothers life was her teaching. Her achievements were numerous. The love of children always promoted the sincere dedication in her teaching. Yesterday, my Mum said she was envious about what Renwick College can offer in teacher training. It’s been a long journey for me personally, taken in small steps since the days of the Biology project. What a long journey it has been for teachers to be equipped to meet the needs of all our students. This is truly the most wonderful and realised dream, not just for my colleagues and I, but for the Department of Education and Training and ultimately, for the children we teach and their parents.

Appreciating that one could quite easily become lost in a policy area as diverse and complex as Education, the subcommittee established by the National Policy and Development Council has agreed to limit its work to a small number of pressing issues. We are confident that opportunities exist to achieve some real progress and to make education fairer and more inclusive. This article introduces some of the issues that are receiving attention.

The working group is anxious to ensure that the Federal Government does not forget blind children in its present crusade on literacy. We are particularly concerned about the adequacy of training provided to classroom and visiting teachers.

It is disturbing that problems in obtaining access to study materials in alternative formats from universities is so common across Australia that it is almost regarded as normal. Blind Citizens Australia is committed to encouraging reform on this issue. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission has announced that it will host a forum on this issue. Blind Citizens Australia will provide information about the extent and nature of the issue, and about the effect it has on the academic and emotional well being of individual blind students. We are also supporting a number of students who are bringing legal action against tertiary institutions.

Blind Citizens Australia was among the many voices that responded to the first draft of a DDA Education Standard because it failed to provide the certainty about rights and responsibilities that students and learning institutions alike need. A revised draft is expected later this year and the education working group will be there to press the interests of blind Australians.

The composition of the committee is as follows:

Karen Knight (Chair) - BCA Board Queensland,

Tony Clark - BCA Board Victoria,

Sean Tyrell - NPDC Representative Victoria,

Maree Brown - NPDC Representative Tasmania,

Kym Hand - NPDC Representative South Australia,

Pam Barrass - Parent Representative Western Australia,

Gilli Bruce - DLO Sector Representative Victoria,

Leanne Smith - Teacher Representative Queensland.

The members of this group are: Lyn Eagers (Chair - Queensland), Pat Stillman and Craig Magill (Queensland), Val Emerson (Tasmania), Donna Willson and Diana Braun (NSW) and Leighton Boyd (Victoria).

So far we have been unable to attract anyone from South Australia, Northern Territory or Western Australia and would welcome any expression of interest in the group from those areas. Please contact Lyn Eagers if you are interested.

We certainly hope to attract more BCA members from the Northern Territory in the near future. As part of this, we are endeavouring to contact people who work in the indigenous area, as a large proportion of that group live in the Northern Territory.

We are also working towards attracting people from ethnic backgrounds and this includes having BCA information available in languages other than English.

In previous reports to the News, the former Chair, Leighton Boyd, has mentioned the work being done on the ID Card Explanation Statement. This is now being distributed when new ID Cards are issued, including renewals, which have just commenced as the ID Card scheme has now been in place for three years.

Another achievement under Leighton’s guidance was the Frequently Asked Questions Sheet, which now forms part of the kit sent to prospective members.

We are looking at producing two new documents. One is an advertisement to attract new members that will be distributed with a request to be included in various newsletters, on radio community announcements and the like. The second is a brochure, possibly titled "Where Do I Go From Here?" to help people who find out they are losing a substantial amount of vision or are likely to do so.

Another project we are looking at is ways to make BCA’s voting procedures more user friendly. Please let us know if you have any ideas on this matter.

This is a new working group, formed to reflect the high priority which BCA is assigning to library issues at the present time, particularly in the light of the proposal to merge the National Information and Library Service (NILS) and the Vision Australia Library.

The members of the working group are Lynne Davis (chair) NSW, Peter Johnson and Keith Hayes WA, Bev Burrows Queensland, Diana Braun NSW, John Simpson Victoria, and Jan Miller Tasmania. The group meets monthly by teleconference.

The group’s terms of reference are to implement the two resolutions on library services passed at the 2001 Convention: namely, to monitor the progress of the library amalgamation referred to above and in particular the implications for library users around Australia, and to work with the relevant organisations to improve the access of blind and vision impaired people to public library services in Australia.

By the end of the year we hope to have developed a comprehensive policy on library services which will be adopted by BCA and used to inform lobbying and advocacy on behalf of blind and vision impaired Australians.

In March BCA was represented at a forum on public library services for people with disabilities, organised by the National Library of Australia. As a result of that involvement, the Libraries Working Group has been asked by ALIA, the professional organisation of librarians in Australia, to comment on its policy statement on library services for people with disabilities. We hope that this might lead to some useful work with public libraries and the people who work in them.

The Melbourne Branch of BCA recently held an interesting forum on the proposed changes to library services, with speakers from BCA, NILS and Vision Australia. Speeches from the forum have been broadcast on BCA’s ‘Horizons’ programme on the RPH network, and can be found on the BCA website. Those present at the forum learned much about the proposed changes and had a chance to express their perspectives. It would be good if branches in other parts of Australia could undertake similar forums for their members.

If you wish to contact the libraries working group, please send a message via the national office.

Members of Blind Citizens Australia and generous members of the public have, for many years, partly funded the work of BCA through donations and lotteries. In recent times a number of friends and Members have also shown their support by leaving a bequest or legacy from their estate in a Will.

This kind of support is vital for our ongoing work and we encourage all Members and friends to ensure that BCA will be here to work for blind and vision impaired Australians in the future. BCA's advocacy to ensure that services and facilities do not discriminate against our Members and other blind people has proved to be of enormous benefit to all blind Australians and we need to make sure that our work continues.

You can help by making a bequest in your Will. Please include Blind Citizens Australia in your Will by using the following wording:

"I give to Blind Citizens Australia the sum of (include sum both in words and figures) free from all duties or other taxes, whether State or Federal."

We would like to thank all members who have generously donated to BCA in the past. We are currently sending out a follow up letter to our last Membership Appeal, which was sent to all members earlier this year. If you would like to make a donation to BCA, but find it difficult filling out forms you may like to call the National Office on 1800 033 660 and donate over the phone using your credit card.

1st - 4th December, 2002

Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour

Inclusive Education Through Universal Access

We invite your participation in the Pathways 6 Conference, the premier Conference in Australia for professionals who work with students with disabilities in education, and for students with disabilities.

Topics: Inclusive Practices,

E-learning and Partnerships

Keynote Speakers: Dr Jerome Bickenbach, Queens University, Canada,

Mr Matt Laffan, NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions,
Mr Simon Darcy, Senior Lecturer, University of Technology and

Mr William Jolley, Secretary General, DAISY Consortium.

All four speakers bring to the Conference a wealth of knowledge and experience.

The Conference will be opened by the Governor of NSW,

Her Excellency Prof. Marie Bashir.

For more information visit:

www.iceaustralia.com/pathways

or contact:

ICE (Aust) Pty Ltd

PH: (02) 9544 9134 FX: (02) 9522 4447

The conference is proudly supported by the Tertiary Education Disability Council of Australia (TEDCA) and Australian National Training Authority (ANTA)

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

• Full page (320 words large print) $375

• Half page (150 words large print) $200

• Quarter page (70 words large print) $105

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.

The closing date for articles for the next issue of Blind Citizens News is Friday, July 19, 2002. Articles should be sent to the Blind Citizens Australia Office, preferably in electronic form (computer disk or email attachment).

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 8.00pm 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 9.45 pm Saturday

RPH Hobart

864 kHz

12.30pm Friday; repeated 5.15pm Saturday

Mildura

3MPH 107.5 MHz

8.30 pm Wednesday, repeated 6.30 pm Sunday

Bendigo

3BPH 88.7 Mhz (FM)

8.30pm Wednesday; repeated 6.30pm Sunday

Shepparton

3SPH 100.1 Mhz (FM)

8.30pm Wednesday; repeated 6.30pm Sunday

Albury-Wodonga

101.7 Mhz (FM)

8.30pm Wednesday; repeated 6.30pm Sunday