Hello again, and welcome to the spring issue of Blind Citizens News. As usual, it contains a host of interesting and varied information which should cater to a wide range of interests and passions (well, maybe). I'm especially pleased that the letters section is very full: the last issue, in particular, elicited a lot of response from readers, which is great - and a number of people responded to my plea for contributions from the less populous parts of the country. I'd still really like to see some contributions coming in from Tasmania and the Northern Territory, though.

Here's something for you to think about. The first issue for 2000 (assuming that we survive all the prophecies of doom, Y2K computer bugs, et cetera) will be largely devoted to the theme of employment, unemployment and underemployment - big issues for blind and vision impaired people everywhere. So start thinking now about whether there is anything you would like to say on this subject - or perhaps you have a suggestion for an interesting article, even if it isn't something you want to write about yourself. Since this will be an issue with a special theme it will require more forward planning than is usual, so I invite you to contact me NOW with your ideas and suggestions. You can contact me via the national office, or directly by telephone on 02-9438-5675, fax on 02-9436-1872, or email at jbasti@ozemail.com.au. I hope we can produce a really good issue on this subject.

In recent times there has been some very lively discussion about the images of blindness and blind people which are used by service providers in their fund-raising campaigns. Coincidentally, I've just been reading 'Quest For Equity', a history of blindness advocacy in New Zealand written by Greg Newbold, and I was interested to read the following passage:

"In 1968 ...the Braille Week campaign had come under fire. That year, blind Victoria University student, Alan Jones, had complained that the 1968 Braille Week slogan, "Angela will never see the warmth of her mother's smile", played on sentimentality and was prejudicial to the welfare of the blind. It highlighted the helplessness of the blind rather than the enablement which could be produced by adequate welfare services. The campaign reinforced a false perception of the blind as pathetic and incapable, he said, thus masking their potential for normality. .... Dissatisfaction arose because in the interests of maximising returns the Foundation was continuing to use an appeal to sympathy to attract donations. ... [it was argued that] the damage which emotive appeals did to the image of the blind was not worth the little extra money which the campaigns may have drawn. In the December, 1974 edition of 'Focus' (the Vice-President of the New Zealand Association of the Blind and Partially Blind) Terry Small wrote of Braille Week, "This is negative advertising in the poorest taste, and it is quite unnecessary. A positive, commonsense appeal made with skill and integrity, will be just as successful as repeated doses of sickening and sickly emotionalism. Blind people must not be subjected to this annual indignity, and the sooner the Foundation and their advertising agency revise their methods, the better". "

Some things just don't seem to change, do they?

I enjoyed your Editorial in the February edition of Blind Citizens News and would like to tell you that your circumstances mirror mine.

I also have been an ardent reader of high quality books and have never been able to resist buying good books. I have read avidly all my life. I lost my reading sight many years ago and had to rely on tapes. I used to receive books from Melbourne on a regular basis. Like you, the books were not to my standard of reading and I found that I was getting frustrated.

One day I was talking to a social worker who suggested that I learn Braille, but being almost 70 years old I didn't think I would be able to handle it. One phone call later saw me being tested with a lot of dots on paper which meant nothing to me. I learned Braille and have now become a teacher. And I find that I can now get good books to read from the Queensland Braille Writing Association Library which fulfils my needs. The point of this letter is just that - to inform you of the availability of high quality Braille books with a diversity of subjects. Catalogues are also readily available on loan. I have great respect for the dedicated volunteers who keep this library going. For your information I include the address:

Queensland Braille Writing Association
507 Ipswich Road,
Annerly, Qld 4013
Tel: 07-3848-5257
(call Mondays)

I am responding to the letter by Jessica Richards concerning child abuse and disability. It is an unhealthy thing to link the two together. In my childhood I had a lot of bad experiences while institutionalised in a boarding school for the blind run by a religious order. Fear was part of life for me. In my 20's I had a run of mental breakdowns which included several stays in hospital. I will not dwell on this area now except to say that I was born vision impaired, and then in 1972 I became totally blind.

I know I blamed my parents, the school and my disability for my mental illness. So far as I was concerned, I was the victim of what the past had done to me and how others, especially the sighted, treated me. Since joining GROW (a community mental health self-help group), I have learned to put into practice a more positive way of looking at life. As it happens, I am the only person who is blind in WA's branch of GROW. Yet I have heard many testimonies of "sighted" women who endured physical, sexual and mental abuse as children and young adults. Their stories are so similar to Jessica's letter, except there was no disability. One person told me that she hated all men before coming to GROW. Now she is a warm, loving person and has written her testimony to show that healing is possible.

We in GROW (me included) have learned that we can become adjusted to life and can learn to overcome our inadequacies by accepting responsibility for our lives, regaining self-esteem (or personal value) and acknowledging that we have been hurt by the past and other people. The 12 steps of GROW have helped me to break out of the cycle of going in and out of hospital and being on heavy medication. I still have my disability and I still remember parts of the past, but my mental health is on a par with those round about me.

I consider that the May newsletter of BCA was one of the most interesting and thought provoking editions we have had. I would like to compliment you, Lynne, on an excellent editorial. The articles written by the three folk who are learning to read and write Braille in their adult years, I would like to congratulate them and all other folk who are doing the same. I admire their courage and determination for I am sure it would not be easy. Maybe it will be some consolation to you folk that when you're struggling to master Braille on a Perkins Braille machine you write as you read. When I started school at RVIB I was 10 years of age and had been at a sighted school for three years and had learned to read and write print and handwriting. But my sight deteriorated to such a level that I could not continue at the sighted school. That was 70 years ago and when you mastered reading Braille you then had to learn to write it. Our only Braille equipment in those days was a wooden board with a metal guide with two rows of 6 dot Braille cells. As we made the dots with a hand held stylus, with the dots facing downwards, we had to learn to write from right to left and every letter had to be written back to front. The page was then turned over and we read from left to right.

As children it was not difficult for us to learn Braille as it was part of our everyday schooling . We also learned touch typing which I still find a great asset. Back in those days there were no talking books and radio was in its infancy. So if blind people wanted to read books they had to learn Braille so that they could borrow books from the Braille library. The Braille library employed a blind man to teach Braille. His name was George Benson and he travelled all over Victoria teaching Braille and was also a great help to many folk helping them adjust to blindness. I am pleased to hear that Braille is experiencing a revival and organisations for the blind are employing blind people to teach newly blind people to read Braille.

There was a time just a few years ago when sighted staff who should have been encouraging these folk to learn Braille were telling them that Braille was out of date, too hard to learn and not worth bothering with. The truth of the matter was that it was too hard for the sighted staff to learn. In Victoria blind people can receive tuition in Braille by attending classes at the RVIB where a blind person is employed as a Braille teacher. The Vision Australia Foundation employs a blind person to visit blind and vision impaired people in their homes all over Victoria to teach them Braille. Due to the efforts of Blind Citizens Australia we are now able to receive our telephone account and Commonwealth Bank statement in Braille. I find it very satisfying to be able to go through these statements and have all the details at my fingertips.

Years ago I had a sighted friend who was a voluntary Braille transcriber at the Braille library. He wrote from right to left with a hand held stylus. When he checked his work he read from right to left which of course would be the back of the page to us. But he could not read the Braille when the dots were facing upwards because it was all back to front to him!

I am pleased to know that our blind and vision impaired folk are still being taught to write with a stylus if they wish. It is not everyone who has a thousand or more dollars to purchase a Perkins. About 150 years ago, when Louis Braille invented the Braille system he experienced a lot of opposition from management of organisations for the blind and teachers of the blind. The reason for opposing the introduction of the Braille system into the school for the blind was that it would be too difficult for the teachers to learn.

Thankyou for the very interesting Blind Citizens News. I enjoy reading it and keep hoping that I will see a solution to the problem that my husband and I have.

I have been declared ineligible to receive the Disability Support Pension (Blind) because my husband receives weekly Workcover payments, these payments being classified as compensation. Not a lot of money, just too much for me to get even a Health Card. I have rung or written to every government department that I can think of. I have had Social Security Appeals, et cetera, but no-one can help.

The annoying part is, if we were not married but just living together there wouldn't be a problem. If my husband was working or I was working then 'they' would pay me the Disability Support Pension (Blind). I am wondering whether any other couples have the same problem and if so, could they offer me any suggestions as to what else I/we can do apart from getting a divorce.

[Editor's note: this issue was discussed in some detail in the August 1998 issue of Blind Citizens News. BCA has researched the issue of whether the situation would have been different had Mr & Mrs Welsh not been married but living in a defacto relationship. The relevant legislation refers only to "partners" which includes anybody living in a "marriage like" relationship. This has been confirmed by Centrelinks Compensation Section.]

Today I took a little time on my relaxing Sunday afternoon to listen to the May issue of Blind Citizens News.

Being a well-seasoned member of NFBCA since its inception, I could not count the number of these editions I have received. However, none have ever been as enjoyable to listen to as the May edition I have just heard. As always, the content was interesting and edifying, but the overriding factor in my mind was the truly professional and beautifully enunciated manner in which it was read (by Ronnie Evans). Her diction and voice modulation were a real pleasure to hear, and no matter what content the News contained I believe the listener would have derived great joy in just hearing the manner in which the material was presented. It would please me no end to know that Ms Evans was made aware of my impressions and received my sincere congratulations for her meritorious narration. I take this opportunity of thanking you and congratulating you for making the choice of Ms Evans for this month's reading.

Your efforts overall are greatly appreciated and please accept my personal thanks to you and those involved in the production of each month's edition.

For the blind person, tactile marking of equipment is an important part of access. Appliances and equipment may otherwise be totally inaccessible. Some little plastic `blister bubbles` are sold specifically for the purpose. They are tactile to a degree, but the surface of the bubble is generally quite smooth. For a rougher texture, pieces of adhesive sandpaper material are popular. One of my friends has uncovered a product which I feel is far superior to either of the above. The product is available in hardware stores as `Shower Safety Strips`. You may have felt it on the base of baths and showers. It stops your feet slipping on the wet surface. The profile is thin, little more than a millimetre. The surface is similar to `goose bumps`. It is sold in several forms: fancy shapes such as flowers, fish and so on; but the cheapest form is a pack of ten long rectangular strips for around ten dollars. You can cut it to any shape, to suit a particular application. If you need little dots, these can be punched out using a paper or leather punch. Very narrow strips, only three millimetres wide can be cut. Since the material is designed for wet areas, the adhesive properties are excellent.

In my home, I have found many applications. For instance, stove and clothes drier dials, VCR, CD and tape players, plus a button accordion. It's very important not to create confusion by OVER-MARKing. Be prepared for some trial-and-error, until the result suits YOU. In some cases, I've found it more effective to mark a location rather than a particular button. For instance on my CD Player, a single tactile dot provides a `jump-off point` for index finger to select `Play` or `Next Track`. If accidental pressing of particular buttons on any machine is a potential hazard, I usually mark either the button itself or frame beside, with a large X (eg, the `Record` button on cassette or VCR).

I have also found the material most helpful on my computer keyboard. I am fully aware that the standard typewriter keyboard should have just 2 tactile dots, on the F and J [although some of us also choose to mark 3, 6 and 9 on the numbers row]. But the computer has a lot more keys than a typewriter. and I found even after some months of use, I was regularly hitting wrong keys. My friend designed for me some highly distinctive markings, which assist greatly in keeping mis-hits to a minimum. The markings are unobtrusive, and cause no interference for sighted members of my family who use the same keyboard. If any readers would like details of the keyboard markings, I can arrange to have a plan drawn up and posted out.

At $10 a packet, these shower safety strips are the best little bargain I've struck in a long time.

Here it is, August 99, and just a couple of months until our Brisbane Convention. I've got plenty of news for Members and lots I'd like to tell you about but in this issue I need to make sure I deal with issues relating to our Convention first. Perhaps in the next issue we'll have enough space and time to let you know about some other things, including my recent trip to Los Angeles where I participated in the American Council of the Blind Annual Convention, and matters closer to home.

Before I get onto Convention issues, however, I want to do two things. Firstly I want to congratulate Lynne Davis for her terrific work as Editor for Blind Citizens News. I'm sure you would all agree with me that the News continues to bring us articles of interest and importance to us as blind people. Lynne is doing a great job and it's made easier by the growing involvement of Members who are putting forward contributions for inclusion.

Secondly I want to congratulate the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children on doing a grand job with the Brailling of the last issue of Blind Citizens News. You will remember that in the last issue Bill Jolley criticised the Institute for the sloppy job they had done on the previous couple of issues. The criticism was well-founded, but their effort for the last issue was top class. Not only was the Braille good quality, but the Braille edition came out at the same time as the large print and audio editions. A big "well done" to the staff at the Institute. You've set a high benchmark to work from!

Now to important Convention-related matters.

For the past two years Blind Citizens Australia has been able to sponsor the attendance at Conventions of younger Members under our Leadership 2000 program. I am pleased to announce that again this year we will be running Leadership 2000 and we are now looking for Members to lodge applications.

Leadership 2000 is targeted at BCA Members between 18 and 28 years of age who have never previously attended a BCA Convention. BCA supports these members by meeting air travel and Convention accommodation costs. Successful applicants must meet their own ground travel and meal costs as well as the $150 Convention registration cost.

The Leadership 2000 program aims to encourage the involvement of younger Members in the Convention and to foster their future interest in greater participation both at a local and national level.

In 1997 and 1998 the Leadership 2000 program was particularly helpful in bringing Members to the Adelaide and Melbourne Conventions from outside South Australia and Victoria. This year, even though Convention is being held in Brisbane, we will also be able to provide some support to younger Queensland Members through a sponsorship which has been secured by Karen Knight. Well done Karen!

If you are keen to attend the Brisbane Convention from 15 to 17 October and you would like to apply for the Leadership 2000 program contact our National Office or the President of your local Branch. Selection will depend on the number of applicants, local Branch endorsement, age, and willingness to participate in pre and post Convention Leadership 2000 teleconference meetings.

For an application form or to get contact details for your local Branch President contact BCA's National Office on

1800-033-660.

It has become traditional that at our Convention we recognise and acknowledge the outstanding efforts of individuals through the presentation of awards. These awards recognise the contributions which individuals have made to Blind Citizens Australia or to improving the quality of life for all blind people.

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

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

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

Over past years the David Blyth Award has been presented to eight individuals who have made selfless and outstanding contributions to the lives of blind people. Amongst these are Mercy Dickenson for her work in the field of education, Joan Ledermann for her contribution and commitment to Braille, Stephen Jolley for his work in bringing radio for the print handicapped to fruition, Barbara Sattler for her efforts in establishing the "Hear A Book" service and Hugh Jeffrey for his contribution to education and music for blind students.

I'm looking forward to presenting awards this year at our Brisbane Convention but I must warn you that they are not presented as a matter of course. The individuals nominated must be deserving and their contributions must be outstanding.

Nomination forms and criteria can be obtained by calling BCA's National Office on 1800-033-660. Nominations should be directed to me as Convener of the BCA Awards Committee and must be received in our National Office by Friday 24 September.

If, over the past 18 months, you haven't read any issues of Blind Citizens News, attended any Branch meetings, attended the last Convention or heard one of the many Horizons radio programs or SoundAbout cassettes, you can be excused for not knowing that there has been much discussion about the future shape of Blind Citizens Australia. In fact since March 1998, following a Blind Citizens Australia Development Forum, the Board, Branches and Individual Members have been taking a close look at how we function, how we develop policy, and how we want the organisation to look.

A paper, "Options for The Future", was written encouraging Members and Branches to consider issues such as Membership, voting, State and National Conventions, the Board of Management, and policy development.

As a result of feedback from Branch meetings where the paper was discussed, input from individual Members and submissions, we are now at a point where we can propose some Amendments to our Memorandum and Articles of Association, commonly called our Constitution.

I'm pleased to say that the feedback from Individual Members and Branches was strongly in favour of many of the options proposed in the "Options For The Future" paper. The input from discussions around our Branches and from individuals has resulted in amendments being drafted which will reflect Members' wishes. These include:

• The reaffirmation that BCA is an organisation which blind people can join as a matter of right.

• The reaffirmation that BCA is an organisation managed by blind people where all Full Individual Members have equal voting rights.

• The introduction of a postal voting system for the positions of President and Directors of the Board.

• The reduction of the number on the Board of Management so that it would be comprised of an elected President and six elected Directors.

• The establishment of a National Policy & Development Council, to include elected representatives from States.

• The running of State Conventions every second year with a National Convention being held every alternate year.

More detailed information will be provided as Amendments to our Memorandum & Articles of Association are drafted and made available in the lead up to this year’s Convention in Brisbane. I encourage you to take an interest and to give me a call on 02-9715-1450 if you wish to discuss any of the proposed amendments.

The work to ensure that BCA is shaped to meet the needs of Members has taken hundreds of voluntary hours. I want to thank everyone who has participated on the working parties and in the Branch discussions. I think we can feel proud of the outcomes.

Finally I want to thank all Members who supported our recent Lottery. Many Members dug into their pockets to purchase tickets or took books of tickets to sell to friends or relatives. The Lottery was drawn on 30 June by Trish James, President of Sydney Branch, and the winners were:

The Christmas Lottery is now running, so keep an ear out for a phone call. It might be the call to sell you the winning ticket!

See you in October at Convention.

If after making your Christmas pudding you hang it over the laundry sink approximately 1.5 metres above the floor to cure, you'd think that it would be fairly safe. However, life is not made of reasonable assumptions.

In 1998 I wrote an article for Blind Citizens News, titled "Swapping A Cane For A Harness", in which I discussed my decision to apply for a dog guide. Jordana (AKA Jordie - Jordana is just too pretentious a name for a dog, even a dog guide) arrived in September last year. In this article I will describe my experience so far, and analyse my decision with the 20-20 vision available from hindsight.

As previously explained, I was not in a position to go to Melbourne or Campbelltown for a three or four week in-house training course. I did not want to be away from my family for that long, and I could not afford the time away from my work. So domiciliary training was arranged.

This consisted of having Jordie at home from the first day I met her, and of training sessions around my local area and then into the city. We trained for several hours a day, and I was able to fit this in around my work commitments. This led to a fairly busy few weeks, but was by far my preferred option. The other advantage was that from the beginning I was working with the dog in streets that I knew quite well.

Working with a dog guide is very different to using a long cane. In the first few days, before you begin to develop a trust for the dog, you feel far more exposed because you do not have control of something which is probing the space in front of you. However, my head told me that the dog was specifically trained to look out for my interests, and that I just had to deal with this natural hesitancy which I experienced. It felt quite uncomfortable for a day or two, but after that I began to get used to the feeling. I also began to enjoy the sensation of striding out freely without the concentrated effort needed to use a cane effectively at the pace at which I walk - quite fast.

Learning the necessary basic commands is not difficult, and they are reinforced by repetition. The trickier process for me was working out the balance of control between myself and the dog. I was not prepared to let her have total control, but I found that allowing her a reasonable degree of initiative, and trusting her decisions, made the process smoother and quicker. I'm sure that we won't always get this "teamwork" right, but it gets better and better the longer we are working together and getting to know each other's foibles. This process starts in training, but is still continuing, and I am sure will do so for some time. Just today, when I was uncertain as to whether I should curve left or go straight ahead, I let Jordie make the decision, and we became even more lost than we had been before. However, half an hour later I did the same thing and she took me to exactly where I wanted to go. Just like humans dogs are fallible, but a dog which can see, smell and has a good memory will often be closer to the mark than a totally blind person, even one with good orientation skills.

Another difference is that I have much less information about my environment, because I am walking around and through things rather than having to find them and then go around them. Of course, I still use my hearing and smell, although often on familiar routes concentration is lower and so less is picked up using these means. This is often of little consequence as the important thing is where I have come from and where I am going. But it can be hard if I am trying to locate a particular place, as my ability to find my landmarks is lessened.

Undoubtedly my travel is smoother and faster. It is smoother because Jordie can move around things that she sees, whereas having a cane I must locate them first. I walk no faster with Jordie, but I get to places more quickly because there is much less of the inevitable stop-start of cane travel. However, Jordie seems to think that I take up more space than I do, and will sometimes stay behind another pedestrian rather than overtaking, or not go through a gap which I know I could fit through. I think I will be able to minimise this as our teamwork gets better.

Travelling with Jordie has meant a major decrease in the stress and tiredness caused by independent travel. This is particularly true on known routes. Between my home and the station, or the station and the building in which I do most of my work, I can - I imagine - only use about the same amount of concentration on my route as would a person with sight. This is a great relief and benefit for me. It means that I have a lot more time for thinking or day-dreaming. It also means that I can do much more walking for pleasure, something which I very much enjoy but which I have done little of in the last few years because it was just too much like hard work. On unfamiliar routes I do have to concentrate more, but still much less than if I were using a cane.

This has had a major impact on my independence. I now move around the city a great deal more during the day, completing tasks during my lunch-hour that I would previously have delegated to someone else, done much more slowly by post or other means, or just not done. I go for walks in the park whilst toiletting Jordie - something I have always thought would be pleasant but never got around to. These achievements should be given greater weight in "the Games city" where, if building and footpath reconstruction were an Olympic event, we would be "going for gold".

Finding something for the first time or which is not remembered can - as I have said - have its difficulties. I do not have the same capacity to "probe" for doorways or other landmarks. Also, because I am unsure of my environment, I am unable to give Jordie clear and decisive instructions. When she knows that I am uncertain she tends to become less confident and therefore less effective. In such situations, whether using a dog guide or a cane, asking - although sometimes frustrating - is still the best method.

Walking with friends or colleagues is not something that as yet works well for me. During training I was encouraged to direct Jordie to follow the other person. However, this is not the usual way that two people walk together - they would normally walk side by side. Because of the space that this takes up, and Jordie's keenness to keep me in the centre of the footpath, this can sometimes become clumsy. In some circumstances, I have found it best to drop the handle and take the person's arm.

People talking to the dog is, as I predicted, one of the things which causes me most problems. Firstly, I am insulted by the fact that most people talk to Jordie before they talk to me. I find this quite unacceptable, and a comment on the social status given by the community to animals and people with disabilities - I had hoped that I would be higher on the social totem pole, but for many people this is clearly not the case. I try, at times unsuccessfully, not to respond to this. However, it is one of the major disadvantages of having a dog guide.

A related problem is that Jordie is distracted by people patting her and talking to her while she is working. If you assumed that common courtesy would cause people to ask permission before doing this, in many cases you would be wrong. I can tolerate this from children, who may not know any better but from the adults who do it, it is thoughtless and demeaning of me as a person.

Having a dog guide with you means that you take on extra responsibilities. Whilst out these include toiletting, providing drinking water, finding an appropriate location either next to you or when you go away for a time, ensuring that food is not stolen by or given to the dog, and making sure that she has enough space. All of these are important, and none of them are unduly onerous, but they are always present and must always be considered.

Each time I go away with my family now I have to make certain decisions - will we take Jordie, and what impact will this have? Sharing a motel room with a teenager and a baby certainly takes some of the romance out of a weekend away. But when you add a dog to the equation the conditions become decidedly cramped. There are advantages in having Jordie with me - I go for walks by myself and have a little more independence. But sometimes having her in the room and the car, arranging for her food and other accoutrements, and looking after her in restaurants and places we visit where I could as easily just take Maureen's arm, make having her not worth while. This means, of course, that I have to arrange for her to go to a kennel for the weekend, and add taking her there and picking her up to the list of tasks before the weekend can be enjoyed.

Having Jordie around the house is something that, on the whole, my family have appreciated. Both Leon (16) and Rachel (21 months) enjoy playing with her and having her company, and this relaxation is good for Jordie as well. Jordie's propensity for ensuring that not a crumb is left lying around means that we need to clean our kitchen floor much less than most families with a toddler. She is washed once a fortnight (by a mobile dog washing service) and wears deodoriser which minimises her doggy smell. I also wash her blanket and air her bed once a week. She is a good companion to all of us around the house, and a great foot-warmer on those cold winter nights.

Any dog is naturally an advantage taker. Therefore Jordie, despite her training, will take food if the opportunity arises. No longer can we just leave the pizza on the coffee table in the lounge room while we pop out to answer the phone or attend to the baby. In the kitchen we must also think about what we leave on bench-tops, etc. All of these lessons we have learned to our cost. Of course Jordie is punished if we catch her in the act, but it's a hard lesson for a dog to learn.

My work requires me to travel and sometimes I stay in hotels. This is generally not a problem except that - as for any new location - I have to find an appropriate toiletting area for Jordie. Apart from this she settles into the hotel room as if she were at home.

Staying with friends is a little different. I have to think about the impact a dog will have on their household - yet another responsibility. And, as my friends Chris and Trish have learned, Christmas puddings have to be put out of reach. None of us thought about it when we locked Jordie in the laundry before going to sleep the first night I stayed there. She enjoyed a midnight feast, and Trish had to make another pudding.

Air travel has been very easy for me. Of course it is important that the airline is aware that you are travelling with a dog guide. However, I have just included this in my frequent flyer profiles, and there has only been one occasion when the information "fell out of" the system. When this did occur the airline wanted me to travel on a later flight because business class was full, but when I explained that this was unacceptable, and that I would sit in economy, a business class seat became available. Oh yes, the upgrades which Jordie organises for me certainly improve the monotony of flying.

One problem with flying has been toiletting facilities at airports - there aren't any. On most occasions I have persuaded the airlines to let me walk down the stairs near the gate lounge and let Jordie go on the ramp area. However, this is technically a security breach as these stairs are only available to staff. Whilst staff are reluctant, they are often persuaded by pointing out the alternative - toiletting of necessity on the aircraft. Of course this is unlikely to happen in reality, as I always encourage Jordie to go at the last possible time before reaching the airport.

I have only been refused access by two taxis and two restaurants since Jordie's arrival. For both taxis I was able to obtain their numbers from a bystander and lodge a complaint, and both drivers have been fined. Of course there may have been others who have just not stopped, but I am not aware of them.

Both restaurants were quite entertaining. In the first I showed my dog guide owners card, which is signed by the NSW Attorney-General and refers to the provisions of the relevant legislation. The manager accepted this, borrowed the card while we were eating and showed it to all other staff - he clearly saw a good opportunity for a bit of impromptu staff training. In the second restaurant the manager was of non-English-speaking background, and could not read the card. However, when I explained Jordie's purpose he consulted patrons at the three occupied tables and took a straw vote. We were admitted with an overwhelming majority, and the manager now knows that guide dogs are allowed thanks to what the patrons told him.

The final responsibility which comes with a dog guide is grooming. This takes 5-10 minutes every day, and is done for health reasons as well as appearance. It is not in itself a major problem, but just another task to add to a busy day. However, I normally do it when there is something on the radio to which I want to listen, and thus make best use of my time.

As you have probably already realised from the tone of this article, I believe that I made the right decision. This is not to say that I regret having not obtained a dog guide earlier. I am pleased that I have Jordie now, but earlier in my life she would not have suited me so well. The choice must be an individual one, and must depend on the person's circumstances at the time. Clearly there are extra responsibilities as I have outlined. Also, my concerns about community attitudes were well-founded. However, for me, the benefits of easier, quicker and less pressured travel outweigh the disadvantages. The pudding has been eaten (metaphorically by me and literally by Jordie) and both of us are well satisfied.

As some people would be aware, Blind Citizens Australia auspices the DDA Standards Project for the whole of the disability sector. There are, however, issues specific to people who are vision impaired or blind that have been addressed through some of the DDA Standards development processes. The most advanced of these processes is the Draft Accessible Public Transport Standard. The Australian Transport Ministers endorsed this draft at their meeting on 30 April 1999. The Ministers agreed to the implementation of the Draft Accessible Public Transport Standard and recommended that the Commonwealth proceed along these lines. There are a number of technical legal issues about how the Draft Transport Standard will work that still need to be addressed.

You may be wondering exactly how the Draft Transport Standard will impact on the lives of people who are blind or vision impaired. The document itself has two parts:

• Part 1: the Draft Disability Standards; and,

• Part 2: the Draft Guidelines.

Basically Part 1 tells transport owners, operators and infrastructure providers what they have to do to meet the requirements of the Standard. Part 2 sets out some guiding principles and expands on some issues in more detail, so that transport owners, operators and infrastructure providers know why they have to do certain things, and how much scope there is within the Draft Standard.

One of the key features of Part 1 of the Draft Standard is the definition of an Access Path as a path that "permits independent travel for all passengers within public transport premises, infrastructure and conveyances."

Another important concept is the staged implementation of the Draft Standard over a twenty-year time period. This does not mean that you will have to wait for twenty years before the public transport system becomes accessible. Within the first five years operators and providers of all conveyances, premises and infrastructure (except for bus stops) will have to comply with the Draft Standard requirements for waiting areas; symbols; signs; alarms; lighting; furniture and fittings; hearing augmentation; information; booked services; food and drink service; belongings and priority. In addition, response times for accessible vehicles have to be consistent with those for other taxis.

For people who are blind or vision impaired, this means that within five years of the implementation of the Transport Standards:

• Where signs incorporating raised lettering or symbols are used the lettering must be at least 0.8mm above the surface and if Braille characters are used they must be placed at the left of any raised characters.

• Raised taxi registration numbers are to be placed on the exterior of passenger doors forward of the handle.

• When a fire alarm sounds, exit signs are to sound audible signals.

• Lighting must comply with minimum levels of maintenance illumination for various situations.

• Accessible berths on trains must be connected by an access path to essential facilities such as toilets, bathrooms and food service areas if these are not part of the accessible cabin. If this is not practicable, operators can provide direct assistance.

• General information about transport services is to be accessible to all passengers. If information cannot be supplied in a passenger's preferred format, direct assistance must be provided. Large print format type size is to be at least 18 point sans serif characters. Copy is to be black on a light background.

• All passengers must have access to information about their whereabouts during a public transport journey.

• On booked services, operators are to locate carers, assistants and service animals with the passenger. In the case of carers or assistants, this would normally be in an adjoining seat. Service animals accompany passengers at all times and must be able to travel without encroaching onto an access path.

• Operators may provide space for passengers using mobility aids in food and drink service areas or give the same convenience by equivalent access.
• Disability aids (equipment and apparatus including mobility, technical and medical aids) are to be in addition to normal baggage allowances and must be treated the same as cabin baggage wherever possible.

However parts of the Draft Accessible Public Transport Standard have a 'staged' implementation over a twenty-year period. How does this affect people who are blind or vision impaired or deaf-blind? Lets take one example - tactile ground surface indicators.

Within five years 25 per cent of the tactile ground surface indicators used in conveyances, premises, and infrastructure including bus stops must comply with the requirements of the Transport Standard. Within ten years 55 percent compliance must be reached. By the fifteenth year 90 per cent compliance is required. And by the twentieth year there must be 100 per cent compliance. This is just one example of the way the staged implementation will impact on the lives of people who are blind or vision impaired.

Embedded within the Draft Transport Standard are also two concepts you may not be familiar with. The first is 'equivalent access'. If an operator cannot meet the requirements of the Standard for some reason, he/she may provide a similar level of access by alternative means but maintaining the same level of amenity, availability, comfort, convenience, dignity, price and safety.

The other concept is 'unjustifiable hardship'. In exceptional cases, operators may argue that it would impose unjustifiable hardship on their company to comply with the Transport Standard. In these cases operators may be able to use the defence of unjustifiable hardship. However, the burden of proof is on the operator, not on the person with a disability. Even if an operator successfully argues unjustifiable hardship they must still comply with the Transport Standard to the maximum extent possible not involving unjustifiable hardship.

Over the past few months, I have been working with Maryanne Diamond and Sandra Knight from our national office to continue the implementation of the new corporate image, particularly in relation to information for members.

We have produced a new general information brochure which discusses the work of Blind Citizens Australia, giving specific examples and relevant contact information. It is a brochure aimed at people who might want to know about BCA, but may not want to become members.

We have developed two new kits: a prospective members' kit and a new members' kit. The information in these kits is contained in a folder which has been especially designed for this purpose. The colouring and design of the folders are in line with the new logo and we also have new tape boxes for members who receive information on cassette.

The prospective members' kit contains the general information brochure, a membership application form and an ID card application form. The new members' kit is designed for members who have just joined the organisation. It contains a welcome letter, the most recent copy of the relevant state SoundAbout magazine, the latest Blind Citizens News, a list of BCA policies and the new ID card (if the application for this was received with the application to become a member). All of the material in the new members' kit is available in the member's preferred format and we are working on having the general information brochure, the membership application form and the ID application form available in Braille on request.

For further information, please feel free to contact either Maryanne Diamond, Sandra Knight or myself.

The last few months have been extremely busy with the progress of many disability discrimination complaints. One area of discrimination about which we have received many complaints is the area of access to information.

The most recent complaint to be lodged by a BCA member is against the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG). The complaint relates to the failure to have the ticket book available in Braille and the failure to create an accessible web site. Applications for tickets to attend the Olympic Games have to be made using the ticket book application form. The ticket book contains descriptions of events, times, prices and locations and has to be sent to SOCOG by 16 July 1999.

The complainant, Mr Bruce Maguire, attempted to obtain the ticket book in Braille by contacting SOCOG and he was originally told that SOCOG was obtaining a quotation for the Braille production from the Royal Blind Society of NSW. He was later told by the Corporate Manager, Mr Paul Reading, that it would be too expensive to put the ticket book in Braille and that a blind person was in no different position to a person who could not speak English and therefore could not read the book.

A complaint was then lodged with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission (HREOC) and BCA made an application on behalf of Mr Maguire for an interim determination. The purpose of an interim determination is to preserve the rights of the parties to the complaint. The normal investigation time for a complaint would be approximately six months and it could possibly be another six months before a final decision was handed down at a public hearing. This would mean that by the time the complaint was through it would be too late for Mr Maguire to obtain a Braille copy of the ticket book if his complaint was successful, and make an application for tickets. Despite opposition from SOCOG, BCA and Mr Maguire successfully obtained an interim determination which means that SOCOG cannot, prior to the settlement or resolution of this dispute, allocate tickets in a manner that would disadvantage any future application for tickets by Mr Maguire.

This has been a complaint which has attracted very different responses from the public. BCA has argued that the Olympics is an extremely significant cultural event in which all Australians should be able to participate. SOCOG has sufficient funds available to make information about the Olympics widely available. A view expressed by other people has been that blind people should arrange for a sighted person to read the ticket book, even if only a summary is given. The next stage of the complaint will be an attempt to conciliate the complaint and, should that fail, the complaint will be arbitrated at a public hearing.

This complaint pushes to the forefront the issue of equal access to information. BCA will keep you posted.

The World Blind Union (WBU), in cooperation with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), invites any individual to enter a Braille essay contest on the topic 'What Braille Means To Me'. Essays should be written from a personal perspective and describe how Braille has affected or changed a life.

Ten winners will be chosen: each winner will receive $500 (Canadian) and the winning essays will be published in English, French and Spanish and distributed internationally. Published essays will become the property of the WBU. Submissions must be postmarked or received electronically by February 1, 2000.

The contest is open to individuals who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind or sighted. There are no citizenship restrictions.

Entries can be submitted in English, French or Spanish.

There is no entry fee.

Entries may be written in print or Braille; electronic submissions are preferred.

The essay should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length.

Each entry must include, on a separate sheet of paper, the individual's name, address and phone number. Essays should not include personal identification within the text.

Winning essays will be selected based on their ability to capture the judges' interest and how compelling, powerful and creative they are.

Entries will be judged by an international panel.

Submissions will not be returned.

Entries should be sent to:

CNIB
1929 Bayview Ave.
Toronto, ON M4G 3E8
Attention: James W. Sanders

or by e-mail to: sanderj@east.cnib.ca

East Asia and Pacific is one of the seven regions of the World Blind Union (WBU), and the one Australia is part of. Other countries in this region include: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Hong Kong, Fiji, China, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan. The WBU has established a number of standing committees: Blindness and Ageing, Youth, Technology, Human Rights and the Status of Blind Women.

The purpose of the committee for the Status of Blind Women is to provide women with the skills and support to actively participate and take a leading role in the WBU and the organisations they represent in their own countries. Within each of the regions there is a women's committee and the chairs from each of these form the WBU standing committee. Kicki Nordstrom, who is the first Vice President of WBU, chairs this committee.

The current committee for East Asia and Pacific was elected in Seoul, Korea in June 1998 at the regional assembly. The chair of the committee is Angeline Chan from Fiji and the other members are: Lee Nak Young from Korea, Vu Hong Chin from Vietnam, Yang Jia from China and myself. Our region is very large in geographic terms and the differences between countries in wealth and culture is enormous. For women from some countries, the culture will make equality with men very difficult, and for blind or vision impaired women equality is even more distant. Access to basic education and independent living is often not possible. Communication with other blind or vision impaired women in the same country can also be extremely difficult.

In a country such as Australia, many people may claim that opportunities for women are no different to those for men, and this extends to people who are blind or vision impaired. In my view if this was the case there would be no need for a strong women's movement in this country. From my experience blind and vision impaired women do not enjoy employment levels, educational opportunities and participation in the community at the same level as blind and vision impaired men. The major difference between a country such as Australia and many developing countries is that the treatment of women and the acceptance of this by women is done in a more subtle way.

While she represented this region on the women's committee, June Ashmore initiated the idea of a regional newsletter, Women in Action, and edited and distributed the first issue. The current women's committee has decided to continue producing Women in Action. We feel that it is one way of learning from each other and sharing information. Women in Action is produced twice each year. It contains articles written by women from each of the countries in the region. All women are welcome to contribute to the newsletter. Articles cover a variety of topics: individuals telling their stories, what activities are occurring for women in organisations within various countries, information forwarded from other WBU regional women's committees and anything that others may find interesting and inspiring. Angeline Chan has the difficult role of collecting the material and organising it into a format suitable for distribution. It is envisaged that for future issues Blind Citizens Australia will assist with the alternate formats of the newsletter.

Another aim of the committee is to encourage and support each other so that women participate equally in their own country's organisations for and of the blind. We also aim to support women in obtaining the skills to participate with confidence and to ensure women's issues are considered and given the respect they deserve by all leaders of our organisations. Women in Action is a means of learning from, and sharing ideas with each other. Although we live in a highly developed country, there is much we can learn from our near neighbours.

Due to our great distances and differing economic situations, it is impossible for the committee to meet face to face other than at the regional or general assemblies. Women in Action is one of the few means of communicating and sharing information with other countries in the region.

If anyone is interested in receiving a copy of or contributing to this newsletter they should contact me at BCA's national office.

Many readers of Blind Citizens News will be aware that Bruce Maguire is one of Australia's most enthusiastic users of Braille. In partnership with his wife Bruce runs Brailleways, which produces material in Braille, large print and computer disk.

In 1998 Bruce commenced study for a Master of Policy and Applied Social Research degree at Macquarie University. His aim was to develop skills that would help him make a contribution to the field of debate and research in disability issues.

Earlier this year, Bruce was awarded the June Opie Fellowship for 1999. This fellowship is the first of its kind in the world, and is designed as an incentive for students of high academic achievement who also have a severe disability. It is primarily intended for those who plan to undertake graduate study with a view to preparing themselves for a role in the professions, in politics, or in university teaching and research, and who have a continuing interest in disability issues.

The fellowship, which is available to permanent residents of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, is made to enable the recipient to pursue effective study and preparation for the future.

"I never really thought that I had a chance of being awarded the fellowship," Bruce said, "and it is a great honour, not just for me, but for blind people in Australia. As part of my degree, I plan to do some research into the effects of unemployment on the lives of blind people. Most research done into blindness regards blind people as numbers; I don't want to come up with a lot of statistics, but rather I want to talk to people about what unemployment means for them in their lives, and how it has changed the way they think about things. I'm especially interested in the effects of unemployment on the way blind people participate as citizens in the life of the community. I'm hoping that I will be able to make some useful statements about how service providers can be more effective in assisting blind people to deal with the experience and effects of unemployment."

If anyone would like to talk to Bruce about participating in the research, he can be contacted on 02-9639-5346, or by email at bmaguire@ign.com.au.

Congratulations, Bruce, on winning this very prestigious award!

If you are female, and if you plan to attend the 1999 BCA Convention in Brisbane, do think seriously about arriving one day earlier so that you can join us at the women's forum. You don't need to be a member of our branch, though of course you're more than welcome to become one. You just need to bring yourself and your willingness to participate.

Let me tell you what we planned at a most enjoyable luncheon I attended in Brisbane in mid April. These ideas are the result of enthusiastic suggestions by a number of delightful Brisbane ladies I had not met before. If all goes to plan, the Forum should include:

Individual consultations with a colour adviser. What colours suit you best? What colours should you avoid? Well, you know the idea.

A makeup expert advising on the most suitable shades for your skin tone.

These sessions will run concurrently, so when you've finished with one expert, you pass along to the other.

The next session will be a learning experience of a different kind, a nurse will show us things sighted women know from looking at pamphlets in chemist shops or a doctor's surgery, but which are often unknown to us. Your questions will be welcome.

After lunch, we will hold a leadership seminar. We hope this will be conducted by an expert in the field, but if that doesn't happen, we have enough expertise among us to manage it ourselves. It should be fun as well as a learning experience.

My contribution to the day's enjoyment is a reflection of one of my own interests. While travelling back and forth to the luncheon, Karen and I shared a taxi with a lady who used to own florist shops and, though no longer able to see well, still makes and sells flower arrangements. I asked her if she would bring some to the forum, and if she would be willing to sell them to interested attendees. She hopes to do this. The next step, at least for me, was an easy one. Why shouldn't we mount our own handicrafts exhibition as a part of the forum? I'll gladly bring my homespun wool, and would love to see what you enjoy doing in the handwork line, pottery, cross stitch, knitting, crocheting, whatever gives you pleasure and satisfaction. This exhibition will be as good, or not, as you make it. I'm looking forward to it. If you would like to sell items, please attach a price tag. It would be helpful if it could be in large print and Braille. Also please PLEASE put your name on every item you bring to the exhibition.

The actual labour of organising this day will be undertaken by the ladies of the Brisbane branch, so do let's support their efforts. You will enjoy meeting them, I'm sure, as much as I did. A few may be known to you already, such as Karen Knight, Beverley Burrows and Christina Flaskas, who have attended conventions in other states. Now they and the others are getting ready to welcome us to their home state. Come, join us.

The closing date for articles for the next issue of Blind Citizens News is Friday, September 24, 1999. Articles should be sent to Lynne Davis at the Blind Citizens Australia Office, in large print or in electronic form (disk or email attachment). If you would like to discuss your ideas for a possible article please call Lynne on 02-9438-5675 or send her a message via the Office.

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

Canberra -1RPH 1125 kHz
11.15am Tuesday;
repeated 8.00pm Tuesday
and 9.30am Saturday

Sydney - 2RPH 1224 kHz
3.00pm Wednesday;
repeated 8.15pm Saturday

Melbourne - 3RPH 1179 kHz
8.30pm Wednesday;
repeated 6.30pm Sunday

Brisbane - 4RPH 1296 kHz
6.05pm Monday;
repeated 7.00am Friday

Adelaide - 5RPH 1197 kHz
9.15pm Wednesday;
repeated 6.00pm Friday

Perth - 6RPH 990 kHz
10.30am Friday;
repeated 5.30pm Saturday

Hobart - 7RPH 864 kHz
12.30pm Friday