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Email: bca@bca.org.au
Web Page: http://www.bca.org.au
NFBCA is the united voice of blind and vision impaired Australians. Our mission is to achieve equity and equality by our empowerment, by promoting positive community attitudes, and by striving for high quality and accessible services which meet our needs.
Large Print - ISSN 1321-0343, Audio - ISSN 1321-036X, Braille - ISSN 1321-0351
Adelaide is not always the warmest spot in Australia during Winter. However, despite the cold, over 150 blind and vision impaired people from around Australia met there for four days in June to participate in NFBCA's Annual Convention. Each year since NFBCA's formation in 1975, we have brought blind and vision impaired people from around Australia together at an Annual Convention to address concerns for blind people of all ages.
I want to make particular mention of two aspects of this year's Convention, which indicate NFBCA's leadership as a consumer focused organisation.
The first is that as part of the lead up to Convention we ran a two day conference which brought together forty key managers of services from the blindness agencies throughout Australia. This was the first time that such a conference had been held and all participants gained valuable experience and information from interacting with services managers from other organisations.
The second is that as part of this year's Convention we encouraged the involvement of young adults in NFBCA through Leadership 2000.
Through this program we were able to provide accommodation and travel support to eight NFBCA members, all in their twenties, who were attending NFBCA Convention for the first time. I look forward to being able to continue this program next year.
Our 1997 Convention focused on issues of importance to the blind community, with employment, access to information, options for leisure and recreation, and problems relating to late onset blindness being high on the agenda.
The Convention was opened by Sir Ronald Wilson, President of the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission. Sir Ronald, who had a great deal of public exposure during June because of the "Stolen Children" report, gave a stirring address focusing on inequity and discrimination in the community. He spoke about the importance of advocacy as a means of bringing about change in the community and the role which organisations such as NFBCA play in shaping community attitudes.
Sir Ronald's opening presentation was broadcast live on the RPH network. He was followed by a keynote address from Paul Edwards, President of the American Council of the Blind. Paul identified many issues which were of common concern to blind people both here in Australia and in America. His address set the scene for many of the later sessions in Convention and his input during the Convention was invaluable.
A highlight of the Convention was a presentation of reports relating to NFBCA's project work. One of these was a presentation of a final report of a project which looked at the information needs of blind and vision impaired people. This project and the report, "Everybody's Business: Consumer Information Access for People who are Blind or Vision Impaired", paid particular attention to telecommunications, insurance, Social Security and banking. Many of the report's recommendations provide direction for banks and other organisations to address the specific needs of blind and vision impaired customers. Access to information about banking services, individual account information by phone, automatic teller machines and smart card technology were covered.
NFBCA's Annual Convention is an essential part of NFBCA's activity as an organisation working to improve the quality of life for blind and vision impaired people. The Convention gives blind people from around Australia an opportunity to identify problems which occur at a local or national level. This year, issues about services for deafblind people, access to alternative format information such as braille, the low rate of employment of blind people, problems accessing new technology and disability discrimination were discussed. The resolutions adopted by the Convention are presented later in this edition of NFBCA News.
Convention also acts as NFBCA's Annual General Meeting. NFBCA's Annual Report for the 1996-97 year was presented. I encourage all members to take the time to read it, as it gives comprehensive coverage of our activities during the year. The introduction to the Annual Report and a summary of the activities of NFBCA Branches are given later in this edition of NFBCA News.
Elections for NFBCA's Council also took place at Convention, and I welcome three new members to our Board of Directors. Leighton Boyd from Melbourne, Kym Hand from Adelaide and Doug McGinn from Hobart are all strong supporters of NFBCA and I look forward to their involvement as leaders of our organisation. I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the time and effort put in by retiring Council members Fiona Woods and John Bastiaans. Fiona and John were valued members of Council and I am sure they will continue their involvement with NFBCA in the future. I've since heard that John has been ill for some time with a back problem. Complications following surgery have left John with the prospect of being a paraplegic, and he is currently working hard to regain his health at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre in Adelaide. Our hopes are with John, for a full recovery.
There were three deserving NFBCA award winners announced at the Convention. Wal Bolin received the NFBCA David Blyth Award "In recognition of his leadership, compassion and inspiration to support people with retinitis pigmentosa, demonstrating that the challenges of sight loss can be overcome through a positive attitude and with nurturing, and that the future can be rich with achievement and fulfilment." Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to Barry Chapman and Dale Simpson. Barry's was "In appreciation of his long-term commitment and service to NFBCA, particularly his contribution to the Sydney Branch through advocacy on accessible transport and premises." Dale's was "In appreciation of his commitment and service to NFBCA, through audio production for special events, magazines and other information, to a regular standard of excellence." We shall have more details in the next edition of NFBCA News.
NFBCA Convention is always a tremendous experience. Along with the camaraderie, sense of unity and purpose amongst the blind and vision impaired people from all States and Territories who attend, there is also a real feeling that people are not facing problems on their own. Our Convention has traditionally been held over the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June each year. As the result of changing our financial year however, to have it end on 30 June, we will now hold our Convention in October. All indications are that this time of year will suit more of our members and I look forward to seeing many of you in Melbourne in October 1998.
NFBCA Council and Strategic Directions
The new NFBCA Council met in June to elect Vice-Presidents with specific responsibilities: Robert Altamore for Community Access, June Ashmore for Disability Services, Karen Knight for Membership & Communication and John Simpson for Planning & Development. The Executive, meeting in September, set goals and priorities for NFBCA over the next twelve months and assigned Councillors to take lead responsibility for their achievement. These were under the headings of Resourcing, Future Development, Communication, Education, Employment, Information Access, Built Environment, Transport, Agency Services and Late Onset Blindness. Full details will be provided in the next edition of NFBCA News, following ratification by the Council at its November meeting.
The proposed changes to NFBCA's Articles of Association were agreed to at the Convention. NFBCA's financial year now runs from July to June, and all branches must adhere to this new timetable. The number of members needed to form a branch was also increased from six to ten.
A new set of Model Bylaws for Branch Administration has been issued, with an explanatory memorandum from the President requesting their adoption by the end of 1997. Branches are an integral part of NFBCA, as an organisation which encourages its members' participation and respects its corporate responsibilities, and Branch Bylaws are necessary for NFBCA's efficient and effective operation throughout Australia.
The Council had a meeting at the end of August which, along with an Executive meeting three weeks later, set the strategic direction for NFBCA for the year ahead. With an extra three months in the term of this Council, due to the change in NFBCA's financial year, this is a good chance to take stock of our present situation and the world around us, and to make plans for the future.
The August Council meeting was preceded by an information day for Councillors and members of staff. We appreciated the contribution of Lindsay McMillan, Chief Executive Officer of the MS Society of Victoria, who talked about the role of the Board of Directors, and the individual duties and responsibilities of Directors. His presentation has confirmed the thinking of some of us that the NFBCA Council has a dual role - as a Board of Directors and as a National Policy Advisory Board. I have been asked by Executive to structure the agenda for future Council meetings to reflect these separate roles of NFBCA Councillors in their governance and leadership of NFBCA.
I gave a presentation about the history and philosophy of NFBCA, familiar ground for some but new information for most. There's a presumption around that NFBCA is closed, that it dominates rather than leads, and that very few people have ever served on NFBCA's Council. NFBCA was formed in 1975 with an Executive of six. The number was increased to ten a few years later, and currently there are twelve members of NFBCA's Council. This list is taken from my own notes and is roughly in the chronological order of people joining the Council.
Personal Reflections
It has been a difficult year for many of us, away from NFBCA, myself included. My wife, Carmel, is recovering well from a broken leg which happened on the way home from a family funeral early in July. She got out of the car, stood on the edge of a garden bed and tripped. She broke three bones in her ankle. After six weeks with the leg in plaster she is regaining her strength and mobility using a walking stick. She made it to the AFL Grand Final, surpassing the year's achievements of her beloved "Geelong Cats". I have been touched personally by the perils of illness, death and youth suicide this year. I sometimes reflect, with relief and thanksgiving, that I have been fortunate to be blessed with good health, energy and a loving family network.
Also in July the twelve-year-old son of friends of ours died. He was born with a profound disability due to a copper deficiency and didn't develop beyond infancy in most respects. But his parents never parked him in an institution or denied him warmth and tenderness. Along with his brother and two sisters they gave the extra time to feed him, care for him and love him as an integral member of their family. For me it was a deeply moving experience when I was sitting in the church at the requiem mass for Paul and the priest included in his speech a letter written on the day Paul died. It was from Carmel, about her reflections having minded Paul on many occasions and with her words of comfort to his parents. It was a beautifully written letter to a friend, which said much about acceptance, care and love for people with profound disabilities. A casserole or cake for the family would have been nice, but transient. Carmel, immobilised with her broken leg, gave the family much more, something to keep as part of their celebration of Paul's life.
Many of us have been saddened to learn of the death's of Will McKennariey, Hugh Bray, Paul Carlson and Andrea Willison. Will, who came from Brisbane and lived in Melbourne, died from a heart attack, and Hugh, from Adelaide, died from cancer. We extend deepest sympathy to their families. Andrea Willison was a dear friend to many of us and a great NFBCA supporter. In my introduction to the Annual Report at the Convention I said these words.
Andrea first worked for NFBCA in 1982 and stood by us with encouragement and support in our darkest days in the mid 1980's. Andrea is now at peace after a long illness from cancer. As her family and friends mourn her passing, they can at least do so in the knowledge that she made an outstanding contribution to the community. For ten years Andrea gave NFBCA willing voluntary assistance, and she attended fifteen National Conventions in a row. Up until just a couple of months ago, she was a regular volunteer in the NFBCA office - reading for correspondence tapes and typing reports for Councillors or articles for NFBCA News.
It was very sad for us to learn of the serious illness and death of Paul Carlson. Paul was an NFBCA member, a hard-hitting batsman in the Richmond Blind Cricket Club and a good friend to many of us. He died in June aged twenty-two, after a long battle with cancer. Paul's sister Micheline died similarly, when aged nineteen. Micheline and Paul were born with retinal blastoma, a tumour behind the eyes. I was disappointed to miss the funeral, attended by more than 300 people, as I was overseas; but Terry and Anne, Adam and Christopher were upper-most in my thoughts and prayers during that time.
There have also been some happy times this year. In September I attended the eightieth birthday party of Hugh Jeffrey. It was a special day for Hugh, with many life-long friends present. For me, honoured to make some brief remarks, it was a chance to reflect on Hugh's contribution to many people and many causes, and it was a chance to say thank you to Hugh for his leadership and inspiration to me as a role model to learn from, respect and follow.
Aileen McFadzean has taken time out from her advocacy work with NFBCA to give birth to and care for her new baby. Liam Michael was safely delivered in early September, weighing ten pounds five ounces and measuring close to twenty-three inches in length. Aileen and her baby are doing very well and we look forward to Aileen's return from maternity leave when she is ready. In the meantime, Isabel Anton has joined NFBCA as Aileen's replacement. Isabel is a lawyer with experience in equal opportunity and immigration law, and she is leading NFBCA's individual advocacy service.
Communication and Co-ordination
We haven't had a very good year for getting NFBCA News published regularly and distributed to everyone on time. Unfortunately, there will not be another edition of NFBCA News before Christmas, with the next one coming out in February 1998. We are working to put NFBCA News back on a regular footing as the premier national news publication to blind people and the blindness industry in Australia. Lynne Davis, an NFBCA Council member from Sydney, has been appointed as editor of NFBCA News and I shall work with Lynne to have NFBCA News come to you regularly in a variety of formats - large print, cassette, braille, computer disk and e-mail. Please note that if you would like to receive NFBCA News on disk or by e-mail you must let us know. Please call Cheryl or Sandra at the NFBCA office.
We shall also make NFBCA News available on NFBCA's web page. The page is developing well, thanks largely to the efforts of Barry Chapman, and we are pleased to announce that Horizons, our weekly radio program, will soon be available on the Internet via Real Audio. If you have a standard multi-media computer running Windows 95 and you can access the Internet, you will be able to hear Horizons each week. I know that the system works - I heard some of the AFL Grand Final over the Internet via Real Audio last September. The sound quality was quite good, as if the commentators were in a shed rather than their usual commentary box at the MCG.
The Council and Executive have reviewed NFBCA Committees in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. Fiona Woods has been appointed as Convenor of the NSW/ACT Co-ordinating Committee, with June Ashmore as Council's second nominee. Maryanne Diamond has been reappointed as Convenor of the Victorian Co-ordination Committee, with Michael Janes and Leighton Boyd as Council's other nominees. Kym Hand has been appointed as Convenor of the SA Development Committee, with Karen Knight as Council's second nominee, and this year both the Royal Society for the Blind and the Guide Dog Association have been invited to provide nominees.
At its meeting in September the Executive considered many issues concerned with NFBCA's operations. It decided to recommend to Council that, at its November meeting, Council should adopt a common usage name for NFBCA which is a shortened faithful representation of the present name. The Executive has recommended "Blind Citizens Australia" as NFBCA's common usage name. The Executive also asked that this note be included in NFBCA News requesting comment from interested members, especially those with reservations about the change. Please direct your comments in writing to the President care of the NFBCA office.
NFBCA Identity Card
Many members have asked about the progress on an NFBCA identity card, as the need for personal identification is increasing. Although a pension card will often suffice, it is not always sufficient because it does not include a photo. Besides, sometimes people do not want to use a pension card because it is an inappropriate means of personal identification on some occasions.
We have struck a technical/legal problem in seeking to issue an identity card with the same identification status as a driver's licence and have it formally recognised. There are two issues: identification for financial transactions and identification for access to goods and services. In the former case the pension card will usually suffice, whilst in the latter case photo-id is often required.
We wrote to the Attorney General's office and requested that an NFBCA Identity Card be formally recognised under the 100 point identification regime of the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1988 and the Regulations made under that Act, and that it be given the same weight (allocations of "points") as a driver's licence. Under the Act an NFBCA Identity Card would only have 25 not 40 points, so it cannot have the status of a driver's licence in connection with identification for financial transactions.
We consider that identification for financial transactions is not the most important part of this matter, so we are going back to the Attorney General in connection with identification for access to goods and services. We cannot claim that an NFBCA Identity Card will have equal status to a driver's licence, but we may be able to achieve an identity card with sufficient authority to make it unlawful under the DDA for a provider of goods or services not to accept it as valid personal identification.
I am pleased to introduce NFBCA's Annual Report for the year ended March 31, 1997. Again we have had a good year and this report shows that our organisation continues to grow in strength, and that through our actions we do bring about change for blind, vision impaired and deafblind people.
The year under review has been a positive one for NFBCA, marked by a high level of activity, both through our National Office and through our network of Branches.
We continue to work in line with our mission, which 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.
Our key activities over the year were:
NFBCA achieved a great deal during the year and much of this can be directly attributed to our hard working, expert and dedicated staff, led by Executive Officer, Bill Jolley. Our Branches and many individual members also played their part through the running of forums and by participating in the management of various projects. A number of projects carried out or completed during the year are explained later in this report; but I particularly wish to mention here that we are increasingly using projects to achieve our overall objectives and to bring about positive change. Projects worked on during the 1996-97 year included:
We have been successful in obtaining specific funding for most of these projects and I am pleased that we have been able to carry them out, as they have a direct impact on the quality of life for blind, vision impaired and deafblind people in Australia.
We have started work to develop an NFBCA Identity Card. We have asked Mary Ward to carry out the investigation and make a report for us. The work is not yet finished and the details are not clear, so it is too early to report progress. One thing is clear: we want the NFBCA Identity Card to have the same status as a driver's licence, so we are making our plans carefully and thoroughly.
Our key objective as an organisation of blind and vision impaired people is to make a difference in Australia; but we cannot ethically, as a developed country, forget our blind and vision impaired friends in developing countries. We have both the capacity and expertise to affect change both at home and overseas, so NFBCA's Council agreed to seek funding to run projects in Viet Nam and Fiji. Funding and management support or two projects has been provided by AusAID through ACROD and I am pleased to say that the projects are advancing well. They are reported on fully later in the report.
NFBCA also participated at an international level through our involvement with the World Blind Union. A particular highlight was the World Blind Union Fourth General Assembly held in Toronto, Canada, in August. It was important for Australia to be represented at this Assembly, as it saw the end of David Blyth's four year term as WBU President. David was a founding member of NFBCA and he continues to play an active role in our work. June Ashmore and Bill Jolley were the official Australian delegates to the Assembly and I thank the blindness agencies for providing financial assistance to cover their costs. NFBCA was represented through the attendance of other members including myself, and I particularly thank the Commonwealth Bank and Computer Power for providing sponsorship. This meant that my involvement came at no cost to NFBCA.
The year was also a positive one from a financial perspective. We had strong and generous support from our members, continuing support from the Office of Disability and most blindness agencies, and generous sponsorships for special projects. I particularly want to acknowledge Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, Computer Power, Novell and Microsoft for their generous support to NFBCA.
I also want to make special mention about a bequest left to us by Bill Elliott, one of our members from Victoria. This bequest is much appreciated and has now been put into The Jeffrey Blyth Foundation so it, along with other contributions, will go on supporting NFBCA's work into the future.
Through careful and prudent management we have finished the year with a small surplus of $7,815. Whilst this is a good result it is no reason to become complacent. Our membership has grown by almost 50% over the past three years from around 1600 in June 1994 to around 2,400 in June 1997. It is vital that we stay in touch with our members to make sure we are addressing their needs, but this is costly both in terms of producing alternative format material and in staff management time. Just keeping names and addresses of more than 2,000 people is a big task, so this year we are getting a new computerised records management system to help us become more efficient.
NFBCA's Council recognises the need for increased income so we approved the appointment of a Marketing Adviser who commenced late in 1996. Through the work of our Marketing Adviser, Michael Cassar, we will be seeking sponsorships from more Trusts and Foundations, companies and Government programs. We will also be looking to maintain and even expand the generous support given by members, and in particular we will be implementing a bequest program to encourage members to support NFBCA through their wills.
Overall it has been a tremendous year for our organisation. I would like to thank our staff for their continued efforts, our members and Branches for their continuing loyalty and effort at a local level, and NFBCA's Council: Robert Altamore, June Ashmore, John Bastiaans, Lynne Davis, Peter Johnson, Karen Knight, Joan Ledermann, John Simpson, Gai Wibberley and Fiona Woods. They have all contributed to our achievements during the year.
I look forward to another year of high achievement in 1997-98, and to the continuing involvement and support of NFBCA members.
I feel that it has been a very good year for NFBCA. We have done well to meet the challenges of growth of the organisation, growth in the demand for our services and support, and scarcity in available resources. We have been extremely well led by our President Michael Simpson, with support from Executive members, Councillors and other people at National and Branch level in the organisation. Michael's leadership, enthusiasm, commitment and energy have been outstanding, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude.
Individual Advocacy Support
Aileen McFadzean, our National Advocacy and Policy Officer, has been the main-stay of our individual advocacy work at national level. As Aileen takes leave from NFBCA to have her first baby, I wish her happiness and fulfilment. I'm sure that I speak for everyone connected with NFBCA in looking forward to her return one day, to continue her excellent advocacy for people who are blind or vision impaired.
The report this year concentrates on NFBCA's handling of discrimination issues, many of which have led to the lodgement of complaints under Federal or State Disability Discrimination Laws. We received more than 350 inquiries during the year, many of which could be answered simply, but some of which have turned out to be extremely complex in their resolution.
There have been two important trends emerging this year. The first is the need to make more use of State Legislation rather than the Commonwealth law. The second is our need to support complaints beyond the conciliation stage. We can no longer say that we simply cannot provide support in the hearing stage, but we must make a careful decision taking into account both our expertise and our limited resources to ensure the best support for the complainant.
The areas of insurance, pedestrian access, employment, dog guides and education have been particularly important this year. I am very concerned about the extent to which discrimination exists in employment. I fear that complaints will escalate as the new industrial relations environment takes effect.
We are continuing to receive requests for help from people unlawfully denied public access with their dog guides. This has prompted Council to start a review of the relevant State legislation, both Dog Acts and Health Acts, towards a uniform law throughout Australia and as a forerunner to a community awareness campaign.
Confidentiality restrictions usually prohibit us from giving
specific examples of individual advocacy support. Suffice it to
say that in the conciliation stage we have the winning habit and
we don't settle for second best. For the insurance cases, as an
example, we have found a reluctance by insurers to let cases go
to hearing, that they are tough negotiators, but we have achieved
outcomes that will make insurance more accessible and less
discriminatory for people who are blind or vision impaired.
Systemic Advocacy
The report on our Systemic Advocacy work this year covers DDA matters, community access and information access. I thank Aileen McFadzean, John Simpson and June Ashmore, who contributed material for the report.
The DDA related matters included Applications for Exemptions, Action Plans, DDA Guidelines and changes in the processes of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). A major part of our work, leadership in the development of DDA Standards, is covered later in the report.
Action Plans are an important instrument under the DDA because they focus attention on the avoidance of discriminatory practices in the provision of goods and services. For example, Telstra now has a good Action Plan and the awareness of Telstra management has been heightened. NFBCA was involved in Telstra's disability awareness staff training video. We have provided comment on draft Action Plans for Commonwealth Departments, as part of our ongoing work as a peak disability organisation.
We have given advice to HREOC in the development of DDA Guidelines for insurance, accessible Internet Web pages and accessible premises. We have made major contributions concerning insurance and Web pages particularly. Under the area of Community Access the report covers banks, access to pharmaceutical and medical records, housing, employment, social security, the Commonwealth Disability Strategy and access to the environment. We are pleased to report that Westpac, ANZ and the Commonwealth Bank now have fees policies that we are satisfied with. Our work is ongoing to bring other banks into line and eliminate discriminatory practices.
Much of our Information Access work this year has been carried out by a Resource Group based in Sydney. The Group has given advice to DEETYA on its EDNA (Education Network Australia) Internet Web Site; it has given similar advice to the Attorney-General's Department in New South Wales; it has prepared NFBCA's submissions on the DDA Accessible Web Page Guidelines; and it has made a submission to the Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations concerning the Commercial Television Codes of Practice. The latter submission focused on vision only announcements, the clarity of on-screen text and graphics, spoken program classification information and the need for advisory notes on the media portrayal of people with disabilities.
Membership, Development and Information
This work was led by Karen Knight in her first year as an NFBCA Vice-President. We had a very successful year.
Membership increased from 1991 to 2407, largely due to an increase in South Australian membership. We thank Royal Society for the Blind which helped us distribute information leading to almost 300 people joining NFBCA from South Australia.
A highlight for NFBCA this year was the Branch Development Seminar. This was arranged and led by Karen Knight with support from John Simpson. It was a two-day seminar held in Melbourne, last March, at which two representatives were present from most Branches, plus most Councillors. It was a great chance for Branch representatives and Councillors to come together to look at many issues concerning the role of Branches within NFBCA and the opportunities and challenges resulting from the growth of our organisation. A working party has been set up to take the recommendations from the Seminar and transform them into concrete proposals for consideration by Council.
A pleasing aspect about the Seminar was that when we decided to hold it we were able to do so by allocation of the necessary funds. This financial stability is a relief to those of us who remember how some years ago it was our very survival which was paramount.
At its April meeting Council adopted Bylaws for Branch Administration. For more than ten years Council has from time to time thought about such bylaws, and they've eventually come to fruition. We thank Fiona Woods who led the work for their development. We feel that these Bylaws are a very good framework for the smooth administration and participation of NFBCA Regional and Special Interest Branches as part of our national organisation.
We continued to hold forums around Australia, and these have given us excellent feedback on people's needs and concerns. Forums were held in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland. We thank everyone who contributed physically and financially to their success. We were pleased to be able to conduct twelve forums throughout Queensland, with a small advocacy grant from the State and Federal Governments, and we hope to increase our advocacy work in Queensland this year. Issues of transport, pedestrian safety, isolation, access to services and safe use of medicines were prominent in the forums in all States.
We have continued to produce our radio program on a weekly basis. Thanks to Neville Kerr for his continued commitment and thoroughness. We now call the program "Horizons" and, in addition to the RPH Stations, we send it to Community Stations using ComRadSat - the Community Radio Satellite.
We have continued to produce NFBCA News in multiple formats. We are still experiencing problems with reliable production of NFBCA News in braille. We have supplemented the formats of large print, audio and braille, with NFBCA News now also being available on computer disk, by e-mail and over the Internet.
NFBCA now has an Internet Web Page. We thank our Web Master, Barry Chapman, for doing the work to give NFBCA this new and powerful way of distributing information. The Web Page carries NFBCA policies and news, and will become a valuable resource for our members and others interested in blindness and vision impairment issues. Already the Web Page includes links to other relevant sites.
External Relations
NFBCA continues to be active in relation to co-ordinating bodies in Australia, and some details are given in the report. We encourage our members to become involved in outside organisations, either in their own right or as NFBCA nominees.
At the international level there are two significant matters to report. First, we joined the DAISY Consortium in partnership with blindness agencies in Australia and New Zealand. DAISY stands for Digital Audio Information System and concerns the new formats and protocols for digital talking books. This is an exciting development and one we are pleased to be a part of. We want to play our part to ensure that there are open architectures, that file formats are compatible, that there are internationally agreed standards and that mistakes of the past are not repeated.
The World Blind Union held its Fourth General Assembly last August in Canada. It marked the close of the four-year term as President for David Blyth. David was a wonderful President and he deserves our heart-felt thanks for his efforts.
I was privileged to be an Australian delegate to the General Assembly, along with June Ashmore. We were both able to make good contributions, continuing the strong performance of Australian delegations to WBU. For me, guiding through constitutional changes and convening the Nominations Committee in a multi-lingual and multi-cultural environment were exciting challenges.
For June, her participation and leadership in the World Blind Women's forum was an enriching experience.
Administration and Finance
The NFBCA Council worked hard this year led by Michael Simpson as President with support from Vice-Presidents Robert Altamore, June Ashmore, Karen Knight and John Simpson. Other Councillors - John Bastiaans, Lynne Davis, Peter Johnson, Joan Ledermann, Gai Wibberley and Fiona Woods - all contributed to a busy and successful year for NFBCA.
I also thank the members of the NFBCA staff who have supported our work so well - Aileen McFadzean, Cheryl Gration, Sandra Knight, Robert Mascitti, Rose Ross and Michael Cassar. Leslye Thies left NFBCA last December and we record our appreciation to her for the work she did. In April we welcomed Ivan Peterson to work as our Victorian Advocacy and Information Officer.
NFBCA has always received wonderful help from a small band of volunteers. Again this year, our volunteers have given great assistance. It is sad for us to record the death of Andrea Willison in May 1997.
NFBCA's financial situation this year was quite good, with a small surplus of $7,815 being recorded. Our turnover, in excess of $500,000, demonstrates the growth of the organisation and the wide range of our involvements.
We thank our supporters including members, blindness agencies, the Federal and Victorian Governments and sponsors of projects and special events for their generous contributions. This year we received $28,000 from NFBCA members and $57,000 from blindness agencies. We received project income from Office of Disability, Australian National Training Authority, Reserve Bank of Australia, AusAID and the Attorney-General's Department.
Council has developed a protocol that normally the major portion of bequest income will be transferred to The Jeffrey Blyth Foundation. Already the Foundation is building up nicely, with a capital fund close to $50,000, and we look forward to its support of NFBCA in the long term.
Introduction to Services and Projects
Funded services and projects are assuming an increasing importance in NFBCA's mix of activities. The report gives details of the National Advocacy Service, Victorian Advocacy and Information Service, DDA Standards Project, Needs of People who are Deafblind, Consumer Information Access, Impact of Digital Radio Broadcasting and Braille Literacy in Viet Nam.
We were broken-hearted, battle-scarred and close to surrender after the introduction of the Disability Services Act 1986 when we could not get advocacy funding for another six years. Five years later the situation has changed and the picture is much brighter. The $290,000 we now receive from the Federal and Victorian Governments, and from blindness agencies, is a platform from which we can work to attract support from other sources and to carry out projects. Rather than being a drain on our human resources, projects can contribute a small amount to our running costs and can help us to do the work we want to do. A good example of this is our relationship with the Reserve Bank.
In 1995 we helped to develop, and have since distributed, CashTest Australia - the small plastic banknote recognition device. This project was fully funded. We have also received funding from the Reserve Bank to distribute information about the new series of polymer banknotes, and last year we made and distributed a cassette about the new one hundred dollar note.
Not everyone can use CashTest Australia easily, especially people with diabetes and people with poor finger dexterity. Last year we received funding from the Reserve Bank to investigate the feasibility of an Electronic Banknote Recognition device. We concluded that such a device was not feasible in the short-term, but we appreciated the support of the Reserve Bank to make the investigation. We also took the chance to make recommendations for consideration by the Reserve Bank when there is next major change to Australia's banknotes.
National Advocacy Service
The National Advocacy Service is funded under the Disability Services Act 1986 to consult with and represent the collective interest of people with a print disability throughout Australia. It now also supports NFBCA's Individual Advocacy work. Its objective is to enhance the equality of opportunity for people who are blind or who have other print disabilities by the removal of barriers to access by this group and through individual advocacy support.
The work carried out under this service is NFBCA's core systemic and individual advocacy work, and the reporting is dispersed throughout NFBCA's Annual Report.
The themes of the National Advocacy Service are: Consumer Awareness Raising and Advice, Community Awareness Raising and Advice, Monitoring Change, Policy Work, Individual Advocacy and Peak Body Representation.
Victorian Advocacy and Information Service
NFBCA has continued to receive a grant of just over $60,000 from the Victorian Government for an Advocacy and Information Service. Our new Project Officer is Ivan Peterson, and I thank him for contributing to NFBCA's Annual Report.
During the year NFBCA received more than 500 requests for advocacy or information from blind or vision impaired people, the general public, or staff of blindness agencies and community organisations. Most of these requests were easy to satisfy. Pedestrian safety, audible traffic signals, transport issues, and access to services were dominant issues.
We continued to produce SoundAbout-Victoria and SoundOff, as cassette magazines, and the Parent Newsletter.
We thank Dale Simpson, Stephen Jolley, Maryanne Diamond, Kylie Partington, Nadia Mattiazzo and Robyn Stephens for their consistent voluntary effort throughout the year.
We held two forums during the year, which were very successful in providing information to blind and vision impaired people and in getting feedback from them. Forums are an important part of our communication with members and potential members, and we plan to hold more forums this year.
DDA Standards Project
In July 1996 NFBCA took responsibility for hosting the DDA Standards Project. I have been Project Convenor since April 1996, and Rose Ross has been Project Officer since November 1995. Rose is based in Canberra, and has done an excellent job in policy analysis, administration and co-ordination. The Project aims to ensure that the community of people with disabilities is informed about DDA Standards development and is empowered to participate in the development process through community consultation and by written submission.
NFBCA hosts the Project on behalf of the National Caucus of Disability Consumer Organisations. Our high level of involvement reflects our commitment to achieving strong and effective DDA Standards, thereby improving community access and ensuring the protection of rights for people who are blind or vision impaired.
The Disability Discrimination Act provides for the making of Disability Standards by the Commonwealth Attorney-General in the areas of transport, employment, education, accommodation and Commonwealth laws and programs. There has been progress in all these areas except for accommodation where Standards development has not yet begun.
Kevin Murfitt has been one of the representatives of people with disabilities in the development of an Accessible Transport Standard. Kevin is an experienced NFBCA member who frequently uses public transport.
Last June the Council of Transport Ministers agreed on the technical feasibility of a draft DDA Transport Standard and referred it to the Commonwealth Attorney-General pending the development of a Regulatory Impact Statement. Since that time there has been much lobbying as the forces of darkness have gathered to prevent an Accessible Transport Standard on the simple grounds of cost.
It was reassuring to learn that the State Transport Ministers have recently reaffirmed their support for a DDA Transport Standard. We commend Kevin and the other community representatives on their excellent work and sustained commitment, and we hope that a DDA Transport Standard will be approved before too long.
John Simpson has played a major part in community representation and consultation in relation to a DDA Employment Standard. John hosted two video-based consultations and has represented people with disabilities on HREOC's DDA Employment Standard Sub-Committee.
NFBCA has made strong submissions on the Employment Standard, largely through the efforts of Aileen McFadzean and Robert Altamore, which have drawn out some very important and complex issues for public debate - such as the concepts of Reasonable Adjustment, Unjustifiable Hardship and Inherent Requirements of the Job.
The Draft Employment Standard has raised important questions around the development of DDA Standards, such as the need for any Standard to be sufficiently strong and the possibility that a poorly framed Standard could enshrine discrimination against particular groups within the community of people with disabilities.
Needs of People who are Deafblind
NFBCA has continued to give priority attention to issues which are important to people who are deafblind. We have been fortunate to have the consultancy services of Mary Ward and Tim Noonan, and to have received project funding from the Office of Disability and the Australian National Training Authority. NFBCA has also funded some of this work from its own resources.
During the past year NFBCA has taken the following actions:
We use a functional definition of deafblindness to include all people whose lives are significantly restricted by combined sensory impairment. We know that there is still a lot of work to be done, but we are making a start to identify the issues and work with the agencies and individuals that specialise in supporting people who are deafblind.
There is still no braille-based text telephone for use by people in Australia who are deafblind. The benign neglect of the communications needs and rights of people who are deafblind is an indictment on us all. We are committed to do something about it.
Having received representations from people who are deafblind and their advocates, NFBCA quickly realised the complexities of braille-based text telephony, not the least of which are technical and regulatory issues. We hired Tim Noonan to make an investigation and give us a report. Tim has particular expertise in computer access through assistive devices and in related technical standards.
His report provides recommendations which, if implemented, should lead to a timely and effective solution. "I just called to say ..." will pave the way for people who are deafblind to use the telephone to communicate with whom they want, when they want, with the privacy they want and deserve - rights we all take for granted.
Consumer Information Access: Everybody's Business
NFBCA has published "Everybody's Business: Consumer Information Access for People who are Blind or Vision Impaired". Telstra is meeting the challenge of information access, and in 1995 it funded NFBCA to carry out a research project. The work was undertaken for NFBCA by Gunela Astbrink, an experienced researcher with a background in library services and information access for people with disabilities.
The project sought to determine the information needs of consumers who are blind or vision impaired, and to propose efficient and effective accessible consumer information delivery systems. People who are blind or vision impaired have great difficulty in accessing consumer information from public utilities, companies and government departments - information which is essential for activities of everyday life such as paying bills,
accessing entitlements or choosing between comparable products and services.
The report provides a wealth of information by way of background and pointers to other information and research projects. It makes fifty recommendations: directed to companies such as telecommunications carriers and banks, to government, to NFBCA and to ACROD's technology committee. The recommendations did not constitute a set of prescriptions, for example, when to use which formats - since most people can use one or more formats but they cannot comfortably use all of them. The report gives suggestions, proposals, strategies, solutions and referrals. It is a major contribution to the body of knowledge in this field.
Impact of Digital Radio Broadcasting
John Simpson carried out the research for NFBCA to study the Impact of Digital Radio Broadcasting in Australia. His understanding of vision impairment issues and of the technology of broadcasting have given him a unique insight into the important issues, and have enabled him to raise disability awareness in the broadcasting industry.
Among the mix of new technologies that are fast becoming part of Australian life, the introduction of Digital Radio Broadcasting (DRB) could be of major value to people who are print handicapped. There is, however, a danger that the system itself might incorporate features and functions that deny or limit its useability by such people. In May 1996 a research project was funded by the Office of Disability for NFBCA, in association with RPH Australia, to investigate the Impact of Digital Radio Broadcasting for people who are print handicapped.
DRB is a new type of broadcasting technology, which may start to be introduced into Australia within five years. It is based on the same digital concepts as are used in computers, compact disks, digital mobile phones and telecommunications. DRB presents opportunities for more RPH broadcasting and for other radio services and programs of particular interest to blind people. There are many other potential benefits.
On the other hand, there are some major threats from DRB. In essence, the problem is that the new digital receivers will include a small screen so that text and graphics can be used by the broadcaster to supplement the audio information - traffic reports, lyrics to songs, sports scores, channel selection and program menus.
Our objectives with this research, and we feel that we have been quite successful, have been to understand the new technology, to analyse the implications for people with a print disability, to alert developers and planners to think inclusively, and to lobby for universal access to be an underlying principle of transmission standards and equipment design.
Braille Literacy in Viet Nam
NFBCA's involvement in Viet Nam started in 1993 with funding of the Thai Binh Blind Women's Literacy project, which last year was supplemented by a small project in Long An. Long An is a very poor district west of Ho Chi Minh City, still suffering in the aftermath of the war.
Last November we received funding of $168,000 for a three-year project to run residential train-the-trainer courses in four separate provinces - two in North Viet Nam and two in Central Viet Nam. In a formal sense the funding from AusAID is provided to ACROD which has the necessary credentials as a development aid agency. I express appreciation to Helen McAuley from ACROD who has given us much assistance and who accompanied me on the trip to Viet Nam last December. A requirement of the project is that we make two visits from Australia to Viet Nam each year, so the next visit is scheduled for the end of June.
Each of the four teacher training courses will run for nine to twelve months, plus another six months for monitoring, and will provide basic training for twenty to twenty-five women, about 60% of whom are blind or have low vision. In Viet Nam there is an emphasis on literacy through braille, plus the teaching of some vocational skills, orientation and mobility and health & nutrition. We hope, in the future, to introduce some basic low vision assessment and elementary low vision techniques that will benefit many people.
We have a liaison officer in Viet Nam, Miss Phuong, and she has been very helpful as our translator and as my sighted guide. She interprets for us when we are in Viet Nam and makes any necessary travel arrangements. Working in Viet Nam is professionally challenging but personally enriching. For me it has been a privilege.
Summary
To summarise the year for NFBCA is difficult. It has seen many achievements, and we face some new challenges. We tend to be harsh judges of our own performance, so I'm sure that we'll try to achieve even more successes next year. However, I'm sure that any objective assessment of NFBCA's performance would rate us very highly on all important criteria.
For me it has been another demanding but enriching and fulfilling year. I particularly thank our staff for their loyalty, commitment and teamwork during the year; and I thank the President and Councillors for their support. We are fortunate to have Michael Simpson as our leader, and I deeply appreciate his commitment, advice and example. I also thank my family and friends for their support, particularly my wife Carmel and my children for their sacrifices. I have pride and satisfaction in commending to you NFBCA's Annual Report for 1997.
Vice-President Membership and Development, Karen Knight, presented a summary report on the activities of NFBCA Branches and Organisational Members to this year's Convention. Karen's presentation was based on reports from all NFBCA Branches and several of our Organisational Members which are included in this year's NFBCA Annual Report. Below is an extract from Karen's presentation.
From reading the reports of Branches and Organisational Members, it is evident that there is a lot of very good work being done by blind and vision impaired people for blind and vision impaired people. I encourage you to read these reports, as they highlight the richness of our branch structure. Branches are playing a vital role in the organisation, they are able to respond to local issues as they arise and are able to provide peer support and a united voice for blind and vision impaired people in the local community.
This report emphasises some of the unique work of Branches and highlights some areas where Branches are working on very similar issues. On behalf of Council, I would like to congratulate Branches and Organisational Members on their tireless efforts in pursuit of equity and equality for blind and vision impaired people.
Transport
My overwhelming impression from Branch reports was the amount of work being undertaken in relation to access to transport and pedestrian safety issues. The Adelaide Branch has made submissions to the review of the Access Transport Scheme advocating for its expansion to include blind and vision impaired people. With the assistance of Aileen McFadzean, the Branch opposed the South Australian Passenger Transport Board's request for a five year exemption from complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act in relation to accessible public transport in South Australia.
The Sydney Branch has focused much of its effort on working towards safer train travel for blind and vision impaired people. A submission was presented to the NSW Minister for Transport outlining concerns such as lack of announcements on platforms and on trains; lack of tactile and visual markings on platform edges and steps; gaps between the platform edge and the train and lack of accessible timetable information. The response from the Minister was unsatisfactory and a petition has been drawn up to present to Parliament.
Similarly, the ACT Branch has been working on improving access to transport. In particular, the Branch has continued to press for adequate funding of the ACT Taxi Subsidy Scheme for people with disabilities and for the opening up of the Scheme to people who have been refused entry. This issue has also been raised in other transport forums which Branch delegates have attended.
The WA Guild of Blind Citizens has been lobbying to have the review of the Taxi Subsidy Scheme in WA implemented. It has now been assured that the review will be implemented in the forthcoming budget. The Guild has also been liaising with the Department of Transport to introduce markings on bus stops and shelters to make them easier to access for blind and vision impaired people. Clear signage of priority seating on buses and trains is yet another example of the Guild's outstanding work in the area of Group Advocacy.
Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian Safety has been another important aspect of the work of many NFBCA branches. The Tweed Valley Branch has been lobbying for improved pedestrian safety in the Murwillumbah area and it reports that there has been satisfactory progress to date. It is also liaising with the Shire Council in planning for the year 2000 and beyond.
The Adelaide Branch has also been working on pedestrian safety issues in conjunction with the Access Committee of the South Australian Blindness Council. The Branch has been involved in setting priorities for the installation of audible traffic signals and has provided advice on the redevelopment of bus and train interchange facilities as well as the upgrade of pedestrian walkways and shopping areas.
The Brisbane Branch has developed a positive working relationship with the Brisbane City Council and there has been extensive consultation with blind and vision impaired people on pedestrian safety issues as the Council upgraded the Stones Corner area. This is an inner city suburb in which a number of blind and vision impaired people reside and in which some of the blindness agencies are located.
The WA Guild of Blind Citizens has addressed pedestrian safety issues by liaising with Telstra to place tactile markings near half length payphone booths, by making representations to the City of Perth about A-frames and other street clutter and by approaching the City of Perth about tactile markings on ramped kerbs as just some examples.
The Melbourne Branch is very fortunate in that it has support from the Victorian Advocacy and Information Coordinator who works out of the National Office. Branch meetings are a forum for members to bring issues to the attention of this worker. Pedestrian safety has been a key feature of Leslye's work and no doubt Ivan will also continue to address these issues on behalf of the Melbourne Branch.
Regional Branches
NFBCA Regional Branches have had other many and varied highlights during the year. Sydney Branch Executive Member, Trish James, was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. She is currently in the United States undertaking a course to help her in her work with the deafblind. We are all very proud of her achievements and offer our hearty congratulations. During the year, the Sydney Branch was asked to nominate a representative to serve on the Olympic Coordinating Access Committee. The work of the Committee is to ensure that all Olympic venues are accessible for people with disabilities. Also, in conjunction with the ACT Branch, Sydney Branch has been preparing a Directory of Services for blind and vision impaired people. It reports that the Directory is now complete and has been produced in alternative formats. Both branches report yet another successful joint initiative.
With respect to other joint projects, the ACT and Sydney Branches continue to produce Soundabout NSW/ACT. Many people have donated a great deal of time, resources and energy to the production of this quality audio magazine and we sincerely thank all of them. RBS NSW continues to support the development work being conducted in NSW and the ACT. The ACT Branch reports that a very successful forum was held in Goulburn recently. We thank RBS NSW for supporting this project.
Robert Altamore, as President of the ACT Branch, reported that an active member of the Branch and National Vice President Disability Services, Mrs June Ashmore, was elected President of the Canberra Blind Society. Congratulations June and we wish you all the very best in this new role.
While membership in most states is steadily increasing, the major achievement this year for the Adelaide Branch was the recruitment of over 270 new members. A membership drive was conducted by placing a membership brochure in "Vision SA", the newsletter of the Royal Society for the Blind. We thank RSB SA for its sponsorship of this project and for making funds available for further development in South Australia. Forums will be held in regional areas of South Australia in the coming year and the introduction of an audio magazine called "Soundabout SA" is planned for September.
At last year's Convention, it was reported that the Brisbane Branch had applied for advocacy funding. Although this application was unsuccessful, the Branch did receive a small grant to carry out a study into the advocacy needs of blind and vision impaired people in Queensland. This has been the major activity for the Branch this year. After consulting with a number of advocacy groups in the disability area, we decided to conduct a series of forums throughout the State to give an opportunity to as many blind and vision impaired people as possible to tell us about the issues which affect them in their daily lives. Key issues included mobility problems, difficulties in accessing technology, and lack of employment opportunities.
Stories of hazard, humiliation, anger and frustration were common, highlighting a great need for systemic advocacy throughout the State.
The Melbourne Branch has had another busy and successful year. Along with the Melbourne Branch, we would like to pay tribute to the hard work of Leslye Thies and wish her well in her future endeavours. We also welcome Ivan Peterson to the team and look forward to working with him. The Melbourne Branch tried a mix of business meetings, guest speakers and dinner outings this year.
At one of its meetings, the Branch had a very interesting speaker - Ruth Nicholson, an orthoptist with the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind. She brought with her plastic models of the eye which enabled members to gain a better understanding of how the eye works. She spoke about the most common eye conditions causing vision loss.
The Branch also hosted a Dinner in December to acknowledge the work of David Blyth following the successful completion of his four year term as President of the World Blind Union. It was a great honour to have Dr William Rowland of the South African National Council for the Blind present at the dinner. In March, the Branch hosted a function in conjunction with the Branch Development Seminar. This was a most enjoyable occasion and a wonderful opportunity for Melbourne Branch members to meet members of Regional and Special Interest Branches.
The Melbourne Branch continued to produce Soundabout Victoria and Sound-Off this year. Many thanks to Stephen Jolley, Dale Simpson and Nadia Mattiazzo for their ongoing commitment to the production of these audio magazines.
Tweed Valley Branch reports that one of its members attended a Women's Seminar in Sydney organised by the Disability Council of New South Wales. She enjoyed the experience and returned to the Branch with more confidence and improved skills in meeting procedures. The Branch had a special guest attend its Christmas function. Louisa Young is a thirteen-year-old girl from Brisbane who is an excellent pianist. She provided some very good musical entertainment and all who attended had a very enjoyable Christmas celebration.
The WA Guild of Blind Citizens reports that 1996-7 has been one of the best and most successful years in the history of the Guild. In addition to the work already reported in group advocacy, the Guild was involved individual advocacy this year. It has also supported the setting up of a sub-branch at Mandurah which is currently functioning as a social group.
Earlier this year, the Guild held Forum 97. This annual event was again well-attended by blind and vision impaired people. Six workshops were conducted and all who attended said that it was a great learning opportunity and a chance for peer support and social interaction. The Guild will soon have the services of a Public Policy Officer. This is a part-time position funded by the Association for the Blind WA and seconded to the Guild for a period of two years. This person will work on public policy development and group advocacy issues.
Special Interest Branches
Just as all Regional Branches have been busy this year, so too have NFBCA's Special Interest Branches. The Computer Users Group of Victoria reports an increase in membership. It has worked hard to have a range of interesting guest speakers address its meetings including presentations on Microsoft's work in the area of disability; new software for use in the Windows Environment; and new products available. The group has also had meetings for exchange of information among members and a particularly enjoyable activity was the opportunity to look inside a PC. Members see a bright future for the Computer Users Group of Victoria.
Likewise, the National Women's Branch reports a busy year. It has continued to produce "Women In Touch" and now has a "Leadership Book" available for purchase at a cost of $15.00. Much of the work of the Women's Branch this year focused on organising the conference held the day before Convention. Topics covered included Women and Finance, Women and Health, Women and Employment and Women and Violence. The conference was in direct response to the Women's Branch National Survey addressing issues related to women that was conducted last year.
The Overseas Services Branch has continued to support the Ratmalana School for the Blind in Sri Lanka and the Welfare Society for the Blind of Catabetta in Sri Lanka. These projects have included providing financial support for pharmacy items for the school sick room, powdered milk for infants and materials for the library. The Branch continues to send braille paper to both organisations. In fact, the braille paper project continues to grow steadily. To date, approximately 553 3-kilogram packs of braille paper have been sent to organisations for the blind in third world countries. This is a great achievement.
SA Supporters of Radio for the Print Handicapped has continued to liaise with 5RPH this year. The Branch has been working towards having consumer input seen as an essential element of service provision. Appreciation has been expressed for coverage of the NFBCA Convention, but negotiations are continuing to ensure that prior notice is given if there are changes to program times or cancellation of programs. The Branch also records special thanks to Peter Greco and Philip Vandapeer for producing and hosting "Leisure Link" and "Focal Point".
For Victorian Supporters of Radio for the Print Handicapped, meetings have been focused on the Association for the Blind's Mildura RPH project and detailed discussions about the introduction of "talkback" programming to 3RPH. VSRPH has representatives on the 3RPH Operations Committee and the Program Review Committee, both of which are important and mutually beneficial involvements. The highlight of the year, however, was the presentation of the VSRPH Voluntary Service Award to a Station volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to 3RPH from a listener's point of view. Matt Collins, the presenter of "Talking Law" and a host of the Station's Audio Description programming was this year's winner.
With the likelihood that RPH Services will be provided from several centres around Victoria in the future, VSRPH believes it is time to look to a new structure within NFBCA that will ensure appropriate listener input into service planning and delivery.
As this report indicates, special interest branches have again made valuable contributions to the work of NFBCA and I am confident that 1997-98 will be another successful year for all of you.
NFBCA Councillors
Michael Simpson, President,
Sydney, 02-9744-7754 (H)
Robert Altamore, Vice-President,
Community Access,
Canberra, 02-6282-2805 (H)
June Ashmore, Vice-President,
Disability Services,
Canberra, 02-6258-2150, (H)
Karen Knight, Vice-President,
Membership & Communication,
Brisbane, 07-3278-6691 (H)
John Simpson, Vice-President,
Planning & Development,
Melbourne, 03-9889-0392 (H)
Lynne Davis, Councillor,
Sydney, 02-9437-5675 (H)
Kym Hand, Councillor,
Adelaide, 08-8295-8323 (H)
Peter Johnson, Councillor,
Perth, 08-9309-1664 (H)
Joan Ledermann, Councillor,
Sydney, 02-9314-3318 (H)
Doug McGinn, Councillor,
Hobart, 03-6273-8738 (H)
Gai Wibberley, Councillor,
Sydney, 02-9850-7920 (B)
Leighton Boyd, Organisational
Members' Representative,
Melbourne, 03-9434-3832 (H)
NFBCA Staff
Bill Jolley, Executive Officer
Aileen McFadzean, National Advocacy & Policy Officer (absent
on
maternity leave)
Isabel Anton, National Advocacy & Policy Officer (acting)
Cheryl Gration, Secretary
Robert Mascitti, Finance Officer
Sandra Knight, Clerical Assistant
Ivan Peterson, Victorian Advocacy & Information Officer
Michael Cassar, Marketing Adviser
Rose Ross, DDA Standards Project Officer (based in Canberra)
Tran Dan Phuong, NFBCA Representative in Viet Nam
NFBCA Consultants
This year's NFBCA Convention saw the election of three new members to Council. Doug McGinn and Kym Hand were elected by the membership for two-year terms while Leighton Boyd was elected by Delegates of Class A and Class B Organisational Members to fill the position of Organisational Members' Representative for a one-year term. Below Leighton and Kym introduce themselves. We'll hear from Doug in the next issue of NFBCA News.
I was diagnosed as having Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) when I was about four years of age, although my mother had suspected that there were some problems prior to this diagnosis. I come from a family of five children, having a younger brother and one niece who also have RP. There was no known history of RP in our family prior to my diagnosis.
I have been married to Rosemary for 23 years, and have two children, Darren 16 and Catherine 14. In my spare time I love dining out, enjoying hot and spicy food as well as drinking good wine, particularly in the company of friends. I have been a life-long sporting fan, and love to watch or listen to all types of sport.
My career has been interesting and varied, beginning with my study of Electronics at RMIT for three years, after completing year eleven, at Oak Park High School. Following this I worked for the Australian Taxation Office for five years and the Family Court for ten years. I was then a "house husband" for four years looking after our, then, young children.
I became a member of the RP Society of Victoria in early 1982, currently holding the position of President. At present, I manage our Office, attending each week day morning, and I am responsible for completing all of the necessary tasks. I have been an active member of the Australian Retinitis Pigmentosa Association (ARPA) since 1987 and at present I am its Vice-President. Another position I have held is the Chairperson of the Disability Advisory Committee for the Shire of Diamond Valley, in the outer North Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
In April this year I was pleased to receive a Shine On Award, presented by Rotary International, for "Outstanding Community Service by People with Disabilities Australia-wide".
I joined the NFBCA a number of years ago, following its progress with interest, and was recently elected to the Committee of the Melbourne Branch. I have been able to attend two recent Conventions and I have thoroughly enjoyed the varied program offered, as well as the ability to socialise with other members.
As the recently elected Organisational Members' Representative on the Council, I plan to liaise with all member organisations, encourage other eligible organisations to join, fulfil my obligations as a Council Member, and, as well, provide support to the Vice-President Membership and Communication.
I look forward to meeting and talking with members during my term of office.
I am a Solicitor by occupation and run my own legal practice at Brighton, a suburb of Adelaide. My main fields of practice are Wills and Estates and Family law.
At 44 years of age I am married with two children. I have a form of retinal degeneration. My vision was found to be below average when I was about nine years of age. By the second year of high school I was sitting at the front of the class, but still had difficulty reading the blackboard.
However, I continued at high school and then went to the University of Adelaide to study Law. I completed my studies in 1975, attaining the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and after serving a period as an articled clerk in a legal practice, I was admitted as a practitioner of the Supreme Court of South Australia in March 1977.
As the years have passed my vision has continued to deteriorate.
I am a member of the Adelaide Branch Committee and a member of the Board of the Royal Society for the Blind of South Australia. I am Chairman of RSB's Client Advisory Committee. My other interests include travelling and history, and I am a member of a local Baptist Church.
The following article comes from Tim Connel from Qantum Technology, a Sydney based supplier of Adaptive Technology. Tim would welcome your response to this thought provoking article. He can be contacted by phoning 02-9684-2077 or by e-mailing quant@peg.apc.org.
The last decade has been marked by an explosion in the number and variety of technology options to assist blind and vision impaired children in education. Today the choice can be bewildering: computers with speech and screen readers or refreshable braille displays, scanners and OCR systems, braille printers, portable note-takers and much more.
The benefits of all this technology include increased independence and access to information. However, what I call the "gee whiz" factor has often obscured some simple truths, such as the fact that a person has to be literate for the technology to be of any value at all.
Today there is a widespread recognition that braille is the cornerstone of literacy for a blind person, yet there still remains much confusion amongst teachers, parents, and even some braille readers themselves about the importance of learning good braille skills early in life.
Some people still hold the view that computers with speech, or even braille note-takers with speech, minimise or eliminate the need to learn braille. The following poem is dedicated to them. When this poem is spoken by a voice synthesiser, it sounds perfectly correct. When it is run through a spell checker, no errors are detected. Read On!
The Hearing Herd
Now I no computers are not always write,
But they are pretty good for people with no site.
Just like this poem, I can be shore,
My writing has improved so much moor.
In just a while I'm applying four a job,
I know my resume will leave them all agog.
So get with it kid's; don't learn Braille,
Be dependant on electronic male.
If your blind, they'll understand,
Its just two hard to reed with your hand.
You'll find those dots are for the birds,
Come join us hear in the hearing heard.
Yes, there are fifteen glaring mistakes in this poem. So what exactly is literacy? Literacy is reading and writing. For a blind child, one way of learning to write is by using a braille keyboard. However, learning to read can only be achieved through reading braille. Listening to a tape or speech synthesiser is not reading. For a blind child, literacy is writing braille and reading braille.
It is strange therefore, that this vitally important area of braille literacy has been the most resistant to technological change. In Australia early braille skills are still mostly taught using the Perkins Brailler. To give the Perkins its due, it has provided excellent and reliable service over the years. However, I believe there is a need to examine the role of the Perkins in today's education system. As we move into the next millennium, will the Perkins continue to provide the best opportunity for young blind children to become braille literate?
I think not. Some of the problems with the Perkins are that it is heavy, has a badly designed keyboard that can lead to repetitive strain injuries, and requires a significant amount of hand and arm strength for continued use. Infants should be given the opportunity to start "scribbling" with braille at the earliest possible age, not to wait until they are five or six or seven years of age and have enough physical strength. But one of the biggest drawbacks of the Perkins is the very obvious fact that all it does is produce braille. The implication of this is that educational opportunity is only available when a braille literate person is with the child. In the days when all blind children attended specialised schools, this was not such a problem. Today, with most children in integrated settings, it can be a real problem. We need to recognise that the education system for teaching blind children has changed dramatically; however, the basic tools we are using have not.
Today, information is increasingly provided in digital form. Very soon most classrooms around Australia will have Internet access. This trend will only be increasing with time, and along with it will be the increasing need for blind children to fully participate in this information revolution.
I believe that NFBCA has an important role to play in ensuring equal opportunity in education for all blind and vision impaired children in Australia. There is a need for dialogue with teachers and parents about the importance of braille literacy and the options that exist for achieving it. There is a need for dialogue with the various educational authorities in determining policy and funding levels to ensure that such opportunities are achievable. Every vision teacher I have met in Australia is genuinely interested in doing the best for their students. However, often they are not supported with appropriate training or the provision of technology options in the classroom. Individual adult blind consumers can be, and should be, key advocates in ensuring this doesn't continue.
No piece of technology is a "cure all" that will solve all problems. Technology is just part of the overall mix of options that a blind child needs to achieve their full potential. In countries such as Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, a more enlightened social policy has resulted in really advanced technology such as refreshable braille displays being made available to every child that needs one. Usually in combination with a braille keyboard, these provide a completely electronic equivalent to the Perkins, but unfortunately they come at a very high price.
In Australia we have one of the most important developments in braille writing in the form of the Mountbatten Brailler. This is generally not a well understood product, but it does offer many significant advantages over the Perkins. It is a tool that is just as useful to the teacher and the parents as the student themselves. It is also a natural evolution in braille writing technology from the Perkins, as it still produces braille on paper. Yet it can connect to a computer, or a printer, or turn information from the Internet directly into braille. Unlike the Perkins, the Mountbatten Brailler is growing all the time, as it adapts to our changing world.
There is also a need for evolution in our "low-tech" braille writing technology - the slate and stylus. There will always be a need to spontaneously write a note, without electricity, batteries or software.
I haven't noticed pens and pencils going out of style lately, but I have noticed that most blind children are coming out of school with poor or no slate and stylus skills. Again, we have overlooked the fact that the technology being used is simply out of date. The slate and stylus hasn't changed since Louis Braille first developed the braille code. Quantum is addressing this need by developing some low cost alternatives to the slate and stylus. We anticipate that these will be coming onto the market in the next twelve months.
We all have the responsibility to ensure that blind and vision impaired children get the best possible opportunities. One of these is the opportunity to become braille literate using well designed, modern, and appropriate technology for learning braille.
Competitive international cricket for the blind and partially sighted commenced with the inaugural Test Match between Australia and New Zealand, held in Wellington, New Zealand, on 9 February, 1992. Prior to this a delegation from the Australian Blind Sports Federation, in 1986, and a Squad from the Australian Blind Cricket Council (ABCC), in April 1987, had established links with the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind. New Zealand quickly adapted the game of cricket for its members and our two countries have exchanged tours over the past ten years.
Previously there was a tour of Sri Lanka, organised by Ivan Molloy and auspiced by NFBCA. The three-week visit in 1981 included two unofficial test matches. It was a highlight of the ongoing efforts of Ivan Molloy to introduce blind cricket into Sri Lanka and India back in the 1980s.
Early in 1993 the ABCC undertook a project to link up with other countries interested in establishing a World Blind Cricket Council. Replies were received from England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and South Africa. These countries expressed interest in a World Blind Cricket Council and correspondence was exchanged concerning various rules and different types of cricket balls used.
During the Mid Term Meeting of the ABCC held in Sydney in October 1995 an International Delegate, Mr George Abraham from Delhi India, was our guest. Following discussions with Mr Abraham and contacts with other countries, India hosted an International Conference on blind cricket in Delhi in September 1996. At this Conference the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) was founded. Mr Abraham is Chairman of a committee of nine delegates. Australia was represented by Peter Donovan from Queensland, Michael Linke from New South Wales and Malcolm and Rosemary Penn from South Australia. Australia currently has two delegates on the Council, Peter Donovan, Vice Chairman, and Michael Linke, Treasurer.
The WBCC has drafted a Constitution and International Rules. The period from 16 to 28 November 1998 has been set for the Inaugural World Cup of Blind Cricket, to be held in Delhi India. A decision was taken by the delegates to use the audible ball from India for the matches of the World Cup. Prior to taking this decision, delegates experimented with five different types of cricket balls including the nylon ball used in Australia. Competing countries are to trial other audible cricket balls over the next two years. There are many changes to the rules of blind cricket as well as the ball from India. For example, compared with the traditional Australian Rules of Blind Cricket: catching is out, batting at both ends, over-arm returns are allowed, and byes, leg-byes and over-throws are counted as runs.
The ABCC has selected a training squad of twenty-four players for the World Cup which will be trimmed back to seventeen following the final training camp, to be held in Melbourne during Easter, 1998. The players from this squad are using the ball from India and playing under the International rules.
South Africa hosted the second WBCC Conference in Cape Town last September. Delegates from six of the competing countries and WBCC Committee members reviewed progress towards the World Cup Tournament and other important changes to the game in their countries. The Host Country, India, has issued a formal invitation to all seven countries to nominate for the World Cup, and has also confirmed the major sponsor as Coca Cola India. Categories of players to compete in the World Cup will be under International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) Rules of B3 partially sighted, B2 partially sighted and B1 totally blind.Cricket has been a great outlet for blind people in Australia as followers and players. We are now involved in a wonderful initiative to internationalise the game of blind cricket. Whilst our young blind cricketers in Australia can benefit from the experience of international competition and cultural exchange, they can do something much more important. They can make a major contribution to the opportunities for blind people in the developing countries of the Asian sub-continent and elsewhere by their very presence, inspiration and leadership.
Diabetes Information on Audio Cassette
Diabetes Conquest is now available on audio cassette. We are
advised that all or most of this quarterly magazine is being
produced and made available by the Royal Society for the Blind
of South Australia.
Southern Cross Games - Tasmania 1998
Hobart will host the Southern Cross Games for Blind and Vision Impaired Children, during March 15-19 1998. Teams of children from as far as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Western Samoa, New Zealand and all mainland states of Australia will be in attendance. More than 150 school aged athletes and 90 officials are expected to participate in these games.
Children participating don't need to be good athletes. There are both Championship and Achiever sections in all events, with the achiever level also incorporating students with an additional disability. The main aim is "participation to the best of your ability".
Athletes may compete in as many events as are scheduled for their age group, plus any open events they choose. An athlete may compete as an achiever for track events and at championship level for field or swimming events, or vice versa.
Some selection guidelines previously agreed are that athletes:
For further information please contact David Gordon: Secretary of the Southern Cross Games Organising Committee phone, 03-6261-3089; mobile, 0419-535-105; fax, 03-6261-3089.
The Australian Retinitis Pigmentosa Association (ARPA) Biennial Congress will be held in Brisbane, at the Mater Hospital, on October 25 and 26. The Congress enables people with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and associated conditions to meet together to hear the latest developments in scientific research and to share experiences with others in similar circumstances.
Accommodation has been arranged at a reasonable rate, within walking distance of the Mater. Full registration for two days including lunches, morning and afternoon teas, is $30.00. The Congress Dinner on Saturday night will be $30.00 extra. The Congress fee has been kept as low as possible in consideration of the distances people may have to travel to reach Brisbane.
As usual, scientists funded by ARPA will attend the Congress and present findings from their research. Dr Michael Denton, whom many may remember for his work at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney and who is now settled in New Zealand, will have some interesting news for people with RP.
Panel sessions will look at important issues like employment and there will be interactive workshops on mobility, recreation, genetics, Usher Syndrome, relationships and "when to give up driving".
For more information please contact the RP Society of Queensland,
PO Box 12544 Elizabeth Street Brisbane 4001, phone or fax 07-3229-0484.
Perkins Braillers from South Africa
The South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) is proud to announce the manufacture in South Africa of Perkins Braillers. Manufacture will be at BayGen Manufacturing Company (BPM) in Cape Town, the factory which is famous for the production of the clockwork radio. The braillers will be marketed by the SANCB in Pretoria.
Manufacture in South Africa means a dramatic reduction in the price of Perkins Braillers of around 25%.
Workers at BPM have been trained in America and will be using high quality equipment similar to that at Howe Press near Boston. This ensures that South African Perkins Braillers will be produced to the same high standard that has always been associated with this product. Production in South Africa began in July 1997.
By agreement with Perkins School for the Blind, South African Perkins Braillers will be marketed worldwide. SANCB is proud to announce the project internationally to blind people and their organisations and to call for support in making the project a success. The SANCB acknowledges with gratitude the role of Perkins School for the Blind in this joint venture intended to produce an affordable brailler for blind people everywhere.
Effective Committee Participation
We all have much to learn in becoming more effective participants on committees. Consumers' Health Forum (CHF) has published a booklet which is available in print, on cassette and on disk. "Guidelines for Consumer Representatives on Committees and Working Parties" gives Suggestions for consumer or community representatives working on public committees. It costs $10.00 from CHF, 67 Launceston Street, Lyons ACT 2606; Tel: 02-6281-0811, Fax: 02-6281-0959.
CHF is an independent national organisation that commenced its work in 1987 to represent the community and consumer groups at a national level on health related issues. The booklet is well written, divided into eight chapters, followed by references and three appendices. Copies were distributed earlier this year to NFBCA Councillors, and the booklet is highly recommended by all of them who've read it.
Outstanding Leaders Receive Honours
Grace Chan from Hong Kong China
Congratulations to Mrs Grace Chan, Director of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind (HKSB). Mrs Chan has received the honour last June of being made a Justice of the Peace, the only Imperial Honour being recognised by the Special Administrative Region following the hand-over of Hong Kong to China on July 1.
This year Mrs Chan was also awarded the twentieth Takeo Iwahashi Award for her services to blind people in Hong Kong and China. Many readers will know that Hugh Jeffrey and David Blyth are both previous recipients of the Iwahashi Award.
Mrs Chan, who has been HKSB Director since 1987, has been very active in development programs in China, including leadership training of blind people and prevention of the causes of blindness. She is currently President for the East Asia Pacific region of World Blind Union.
Euclid Herie from Canada
Dr Euclid Herie has been appointed to the Order of Canada. This is the highest honour bestowed by the Government of Canada, established to recognise outstanding achievements and service. Dr Herie was recognised for his leadership, dedication and unselfish devotion in advancing the cause of people who are blind or vision impaired in Canada and throughout the world.
Dr Herie, who has visited Australia on several occasions, is President and Chief Executive of Canadian National Institute for the Blind. He is currently the President of World Blind Union, a position to which he was elected in 1996 following the presidency of David Blyth from Australia.
David Blunkett from United Kingdom
Congratulations to David Blunkett. It's an honour of a different kind - more a challenge and an opportunity. Mr Blunkett, aged 49, was appointed in May as Minister for Education in the new Labor Government in the United Kingdom. Mr Blunkett, who was educated at a school for the blind, was elected to the British House of Commons in 1983. Unlike the Australian situation, the Education Minister holds a senior post in the British Government, and Mr Blunkett therefore ranks third or fourth in Tony Blair's Cabinet.
The Women's Branch had a rather busy time at this year's NFBCA Convention. First there was our conference on Thursday, then our Annual Meeting on Sunday, and finally I gave a conference report on Monday, followed by a tantalising snippet from our new book.
I was very happy with our conference. Comments after the event ranged from accolades about the beaut food to wishes that Pat, who talked about women and health, could have gone on talking for much longer. Two things particularly pleased me. Firstly the wide age range of those who attended - we had senior citizens, young women and those in between. That's great, and nobody hesitated to express their point of view. The other plus for me was the organisation of the myriad details that go to make up a successful function. One of the pieces of advice handed out in our book on women and leadership is to be prepared to delegate. Well, I did, particularly since I don't live in Adelaide, and have since expressed my heartfelt thanks to Joan McCann, Erika Webb, Dolly Lee and Dorothy Laughton, who made sure that all the arrangements went without a hitch.
Thanks too to June Ashmore, and to Pam Crothall from N.Z. View. June stimulated our interest in the women of the East Asia Pacific Region of the World Blind Union. Pam talked about employment, and offered some advice on applying for a job based on her own experience and applications written by other people which she has considered.. I would also like to thank Christine Simpson for copies of her practical, resourceful paper presented at "Seeing is Believing" a couple of years ago.
The Women's Branch Annual Meeting was well attended. I could not persuade anyone to take on the President's role, (but maybe next year?) The new Executive is:
Among decisions taken at the meeting was one to cease running the Women's Bookshop. Bill Jolley once told me I'd learn from my mistakes. True enough. The bookshop wasn't a mistake in itself, and I'm glad we were able to encourage members of our Branch and of NFBCA to buy and enjoy books instead of only ever borrowing from libraries, but the practicalities are defeating. It's not easy to physically take the books to Convention, nor to find people willing to sell them during much needed tea breaks. Accordingly, the books we still have on hand will be sold or donated to libraries who would like them. The book list is at the end of this report. Prices are those we paid for the books, but we would be willing to lower them if necessary.
I have just been listening to "Women and Leadership: Reflections and some helpful tips from members of the NFBCA National Women's Branch". It has been produced by Information Alternatives and read byFiona Saint. It's odd to hear something you have written or edited read by someone else, but I must say that, listening to our book, I felt proud of it and of every Branch Member who had contributed to it. Of course, no book is of any use to anybody unless they read it, and this one, like our Home Nursing and Parenting books, is meant to be an ongoing resource. The book costs $15.00, and I hope that many NFBCA members, particularly women, will find it helpful. Orders can be sent to the treasurer Joan McCann at PO Box 546 Port Pirie SA 5540, or to me at 43 Woodside Avenue Burwood 2134.
Subscriptions to Women In Touch should also be sent to Joan McCann. The next edition will feature interviews with Jan Miller from Tasmania and Pam Crothall from New Zealand, among other interesting items.
Now for the book list!
Large Print Books at $10.00 each:
Braille Books:
Cassette Books:
Books on four track read by RBS Student Services:
Bookshop inquiries should be directed to me please,telephone 02-9747-2741.
"What do you see" have you ever been asked that question? I certainly have, especially over the long period during which my vision was deteriorating.
For many years I used a long cane at night and sometimes an identity cane during the day. I was once accused, while staying in a caravan park, of trying to confuse people, especially "those dear little children". The dear little children were probably more understanding than adults who sometimes need concrete proof of a hidden disability.Many of us have encountered the bus driver who looks suspiciously at the bus pass and says loudly that "you don't look blind to me". Taxi drivers pull at your heart strings by quoting tales of others who are much worse off than you. Bank queues become moments of sheer horror as you try to work out where that imperious "next please" voice is coming from. One cannot always blame the public for their response to our behaviour.
I remember the surprise on the face of an onlooker when, during a mobility training session in a busy shopping centre, I tucked my cane under my arm and aimed my drink carton accurately into a rubbish bin.
So how do we deal with these issues that can make our daily lives intolerable. We can be polite and give explanations when asked; but, if it happens six times in one day, the response becomes a little terse. At least, we can take every opportunity to speak openly in forums and seminars about issues related to low vision. At the Convention, some discussion ranged around the use of special symbols for people with low vision. Some people use a badge identifying themselves as having low vision. This works well in crowded situations with sighted people. Some members of our discussion group raised the issue of coloured canes and dog harnesses to indicate low vision. For this to be effective, a huge awareness raising program would be necessary to indicate to the general public the difference between low vision and blindness, if indeed they cared.
How can we explain that when we are ill, or when the light changes, our vision may be worse than usual?
Flickering lights, white buildings on a sunny day and poor definition between paths and roads, all help to make our lives stressful. I believe that a campaign centred around "white cane day", with people designated to respond to the media, would go a long way to changing attitudes.
Perhaps a brochure that answers the question "What Do You See?" could be used. We do not want to re-invent the wheel; so, if you know about a current useful brochure, please let me know. In Victoria, NFBCA has established a good relationship with transport workers and authorities through interactive information sessions. Other states and territories may also have routines others could copy.
Some years ago, there was a good segment related to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) on "A Country Practice", a well known TV soapy. Similarly, "E.R." recently had a brief snippet on RP. Should we be lobbying current soapies to do similar programs? If you wish to contact me about these issues please call the National Office and I will ring you back.
Telstra has launched a program to provide telephone bills in braille. This was one of the recommendations coming out of the report "Everybody's Business: Consumer Information Access for People who are Blind or Vision Impaired" by Gunela Astbrink, which resulted from research carried out by NFBCA with funding from Telstra.
The Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, who launched the bill, said it was gratifying to see Telstra taking the lead and giving customers who are blind equal access to a service which other Australians take for granted.
"This indicates that in a deregulated market, highly focussed customer service and greater efforts to meet the needs of market segments are the key ingredients to success," Senator Alston said.
Telstra's Managing Director Commercial and Consumer, Peter Shore, said the braille bill would help many blind people in Australia become more independent as they would no longer need to rely on friends or family to tell them the cost of their telephone bill. He said the completed roll out of Telstra's new billing system, Flexcab, to seven million customers had enabled the company to provide more detailed information to customers and meet the needs of specific segments of the market.
"While we do not have a large number of customers who are blind, the production of the braille bill is consistent with Telstra's commitment to improve access to telecommunications services for all people with disabilities," he said.
"We could not have created the bill without the co-operation of the National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia (NFBCA) and the businesses and associations that support people with vision impairment. Producing and packaging documents in braille has many challenges including careful attention to quality assurance. To provide this area of expertise Telstra has selected Brailleways as a partner in ensuring that the project is a success," he said.
Bruce Maguire is the Principal of Brailleways, which he formed this year after a long career in braille production. He is Australia's leading expert in braille production, and he has devised some clever ways of automating the production of braille bills, ensuring quality and maintaining confidentiality.
Speaking as President of NFBCA, Michael Simpson said that NFBCA was delighted with Telstra's commitment to address individual customer needs.
"Braille is our medium for literacy and we cherish the independence and opportunities that braille allows. Telephone bills in braille will give us independence and privacy," he said.
The braille bill is currently undergoing trialing but is expected to be broadly available from mid October. It will be provided to customers who require it at no cost. To register for the braille telephone bill service customers should ring Telstra's Disabilities Inquiry Hotline on 1800-068-424.
Charge Blocked on Directory Assistance
Service
In late August it was announced that the Federal Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, had rejected Telstra's proposed fifty-cent charge for certain calls to its Directory Assistance Service. In a press release which followed, Telstra advised that it will review its Directory Assistance service in light of the Federal Government's decision.
Telstra indicated its disappointment with the decision but stated that it recognised and accepted the Government's role in considering tariffs that are notifiable to the Minister.
Telstra had proposed a 50-cent Directory Assistance charge for numbers correctly listed in local White Pages Directories, with certain exemptions. Telstra also proposed a cut of $5.40 to every customer's basic line rental. The reduction was based on the expectation that the number of non-genuine Directory Assistance calls would be reduced if a charge was introduced.
Telstra's Managing Director, Operator Services, Andrew Day, said Telstra would reassess the best way to deliver Directory Assistance which was being swamped by 8.5 million calls a week. Mr Day said:
"We will look at a range of different options, assess the impact that other directory products may have on the service and examine ways to maximise their potential. For example, we have CD-Rom directories, White Pages on the Internet and Call Connect, a one-step directory service which through-connects the caller to the requested number for a small charge. We hope that options such as these, and potential new services, will go some way to managing the overwhelming demand on Directory Assistance."
Mr. Day thanked the business, consumer and community groups for their willingness to engage in the consultative process that preceded Telstra's proposal. NFBCA was one such organisation which provided comment and advice to Telstra. We maintained a neutral stand on Directory Assistance Charging in general terms; but we remained adamant that the introduction of a charge without adequate exemptions and safeguards for people with print disabilities would be fiercely resisted. We considered that Telstra's proposed exemption arrangements were adequate.
So Directory Assistance Charging goes away for who knows how long. With the changes in technology and telecommunications regulation in Australia, we must stand ready to ensure that any new threat to equal access is averted. On the other hand, any diminution in the current Directory Assistance service, due to over-loading or under-resourcing, will adversely affect us; so we must also promote non-abuse of the service by members of the general public who are quite capable of finding numbers in the local telephone book.
Telstra has announced changes to the numbers used to access its various Operator Assisted Services. These numbers are now in use and from December will replace the traditional numbers.
Telstra's new Call Connect Service is available on 12456. This Service allows you to request connection to a person or organisation where you don't know the number. A charge of 75 cents applies. An exemption to this charge is available for people who have a disability which precludes their normal access to the telephone service. While blindness is not considered sufficient grounds for the exemption, blind people with additional disabilities that prevent them from comfortably remembering and dialling a telephone number may be eligible.
97.1 NEEDS OF SENIORS
Whereas NFBCA recognises that it is desirable that it become better acquainted with the needs and concerns of Seniors, and recognising work already done by blindness agencies in identifying the needs of Seniors, as exemplified in the recent report published by the Royal Blind Society "When Even Glasses don't Help"; this Convention requests the NFBCA Council to seek government funding for the conduct of a project which will result in NFBCA being better able to ascertain and meet the needs of Seniors.
This Convention also requests that, in order to ensure effective communication with Seniors, the project should be guided by a reference group of NFBCA Councillors and members who have the ability and empathy to communicate effectively with Seniors.
97.2 ACCESS TO EFTPOS AND LIKE FACILITIES
Whereas blind and vision impaired people are unable to independently use EFTPOS and similar facilities and thereby suffer a loss of privacy when they need to do so, and whereas blind and vision impaired people have the same rights as sighted people to use these facilities with independence and privacy; this Convention requests the NFBCA Council to work with the distributors of this equipment and other relevant organisations such as banks and supermarket chains to achieve equal access for blind and vision impaired people to EFTPOS and like facilities.
97.3 BINAURAL SONIC GUIDE
This Convention requests that the NFBCA Council investigate the availability in Australia of servicing for the Binaural Sonic Guide and take action as it can to ensure that servicing for this orientation and mobility aid continues to be available.
97.4 AIRLINE SAFETY
This Convention requests the NFBCA Council to remind airlines of their obligation to both provide and promote the availability to blind and vision impaired people of information (including diagrams) on the safety features of passenger aircraft, and remind them also that their failure to do so may be unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act.
Council is also requested to refer to the World Blind Union the question of access by blind and vision impaired people to passenger safety information on aircraft operating on international routes. Further, NFBCA members are to be encouraged to bring to the attention of the National Office instances where airline staff fail to make passenger safety information available to them.
97.5 ACCOUNTABILITY OF SERVICE PROVIDERS
NFBCA asserts the principle that organisations providing services to people who are blind or vision impaired should be equally accountable to consumers, irrespective of whether those services are government funded or funded by other means. We note the current situation whereby it is substantially more difficult for consumers to hold service providers accountable where a service is not government funded than it is where the service receives government funding. This Convention calls on the NFBCA Council to develop a strategy to ensure the accountability of services irrespective of their source of funding.
97.6 SIXTH HELEN KELLER CONFERENCE
A) Noting the announcement of the Sixth Helen Keller World Conference of People who are Deafblind to be held in Columbia from 13 to 19 September 1997, and recognising that Australia has been invited to send two delegates with interpreters and one professional worker as official participants; and
B) Recognising the need to address the situation of people in Australia who are deafblind and their unique communication and support needs; and
C) Recalling the report by Mary Ward, "Investigation into the Needs of and Services for People in Australia who are Deaf Blind", published in 1994, which showed how great this need is and which highlighted a number of issues which need to be urgently addressed;
This Convention recommends that Australia be represented at the Sixth Helen Keller World Conference of People who are Deafblind and requests the NFBCA Council to approach the Commonwealth Government for financial support for Australia's official representation at this conference. This Convention further recommends that Arnold Cielens be financially supported to attend this conference.
97.7 IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS
This Convention:
A) Notes the major areas of concern highlighted by the report "Investigation into the Needs of and Services for People in Australia who are Deaf Blind" by Mary Ward, published in April 1994;
B) Notes the recommendations of the final report of the review of the Commonwealth/State Disability Agreement in July 1996; and
C) Requests the NFBCA Council to encourage the Commonwealth and State Governments to implement the recommendations of Mary Ward's Report as a minimum standard for services for deafblind people through the Commonwealth State Disability Agreement. 97.8 SWEDISH MODEL FOR SERVICES
This Convention recommends that the NFBCA Council bring to the notice of Commonwealth and State Governments and service providers the approach adopted in Sweden to the provision of services for people who are deafblind. Further that in its advocacy work for people who are deafblind the NFBCA strive for the adoption of "World's Best Practice" in Australia and highlights the strengths of the Swedish model of service delivery to people who are deafblind as an example of what can be achieved.
97.9 TRAINING IN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
This Convention recommends that the NFBCA Council use the following statement as a basis for the development of NFBCA policy with regard to the provision of training and communication skills for people who are deafblind.
Being aware of the specific situation of people in Australia who are deafblind, we recognise that the fundamental need of such people is access to a means of communication which is provided from an early age and then maintained throughout life.
Clearly, early diagnosis and intervention are essential in order to address the need for specialised education that results from a combined lack of hearing and sight. With neither of the primary senses used for communication, the deafblind person faces particular challenges in education. This is especially the case in Australia, where currently there are very few teachers available who have the training and experience necessary to support deafblind people in meeting these challenges. Of equal importance is the use and maintenance of these communication skills throughout life.
We recognise that in advocating for governments and others to address the particular needs of deafblind Australians we must strive for the provision of a balanced range of services that will support the deafblind person throughout their entire life. Early diagnosis and intervention, leading to appropriate education programs, must be matched with ongoing skills development and training opportunities which stimulate the deafblind person of any age to use and develop his/her communication abilities.
It is clear that without communication skills deafblind persons have no possibility of participating in the range of everyday activities that the broader community takes for granted.
97.10 SERVICES FOR DEAFBLIND SENIORS
This Convention recognises that seniors who are deafblind have unique needs which cannot be met by generic community services or by services for people who are either blind or deaf. Accordingly, NFBCA in its advocacy for people who are deafblind should work to ensure that there are services to meet the needs of seniors who are deafblind.
97.11 COST OF ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Recognising the importance to blind and vision impaired people of access to adaptive computer technology and the financial barriers faced by blind people in obtaining this necessary equipment in the form of the cost of the hardware components; this Convention requests that the NFBCA Council encourage government to take measures, such as Sales Tax Exemption, to reduce the cost of this necessary equipment - thereby making it more readily available to blind and vision impaired people.
97.12 RELATIONS WITH ORGANISATIONAL MEMBERS
This Convention welcomes the initiative taken by the NFBCA Council to develop a statement clarifying the role of the "Representative Member" on Council, and requests Council to give high priority to its implementation as a strategy for improving communication with Organisational Members.
97.13 NFBCA NEWS
While Convention recognises that aspects of the production of NFBCA News are beyond the control of NFBCA, and that as a result braille readers of the publication sometimes receive their copy significantly later than users of other formats; we urge the NFBCA Council to do all in its power to ensure that wherever possible the braille version of NFBCA News is available at the same time as other formats.
It is also recommended that braille readers be invited to nominate a second format in which they will receive NFBCA News, ensuring their short term access to its information content.
97.14 CONVENTION BYLAWS
Recognising that National Convention is the NFBCA's supreme legislative body, having final authority over all matters of rules and policy; and reaffirming the principle that Convention decisions are to be made in a spirit of openness and inclusiveness; this Convention calls on the NFBCA Council to develop a set of bylaws for Convention administration. These bylaws should, among other things, provide for:
A) A process for the consideration of Resolutions by Convention;
B) Procedures for the lodging of Resolutions with the Company Secretary and their circulation to Convention Registrants, Branches and Organisational Members; and
C) Procedures for nomination for and election of the NFBCA President and Council Members.
For the latest information from NFBCA tune 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 ove