Wow! What a busy time it has been in the BCA office since the November edition of Parent News! In the time since the last edition, electronic assisted voting has come and gone (look out for information in this edition about electronic assisted voting for the upcoming Federal election), BCA held a Victorian Metropolitan Public Transport Forum, there were audio described performances of the Wizard of Oz and BCA has been pushing for the introduction of a form of recognised identification that has the same value as a driver's licence to be available to non-drivers. No wonder we're tired!

This edition is equally jam-packed with lots of tid-bits to keep you interested and informed. There's information about the new public transport ticketing system which will be coming into effect in Victoria later this year, details on the Federal Access Card and a new section called "In My Own Words" - see page 24. With tax time creeping up, I also thought it would be timely for us to make friends with our budgets and to pass this information on to the little spenders we know.

Also included with this edition is a letter which we have sent to individuals who donate to BCA in order to support and strengthen our advocacy focus. As it is the end of the financial year, now might be a good time to claim a tax deduction by donating or becoming part of our Pre Authorised Credit Card (PACC) donation scheme - for details contact our National office on (03) 9372 6400.

Hope you enjoy this edition and remember that your comments, stories and feedback are what makes Parent News what it is!

Until the next edition,
Jessica Zammit
Editor

Phew what a year! The BCA team has undergone a few changes as of late - we said goodbye to one of our favourite admin staff members, Judi, who has settled nicely into retirement and to Alyena Mohummadally who left to complete her thesis, then realised that she missed us all too much and returned to BCA as our Solicitor and Community Legal Education Officer! Our National Policy Officer, John Power, contributor to 'BCA Developments' has also left the building and is now working for Carers Victoria, with Mary Latham, our Operations Manager leaving to take a job with VCOSS. In their place, we welcome Augustine Arogun as our new Admin and Finance Officer and Leah Hobson as our new National Policy Officer, so when you call the Office, be sure to extend a warm hello! Our Board has also had a revamp, with David Blyth, AO coming in as BCA's new President and Frank Nowlan and Don Draffin representing Victoria as Board members.

Now to the serious stuff. The following is John's last contribution regarding developments within BCA and focuses on the Federal Government proposal for the Access Card.

During April last year, the Federal government announced its intention to introduce a health and social services access card. Since this time, the development and implementation of the access card has gained great momentum. However, when the enabling legislation for the card reached the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee, it came under considerable scrutiny due to privacy concerns. It is expected that the revised legislation, together with its adjunct privacy regulations, will be reintroduced into parliament during June this year.

Contained below for your information is an excerpt from the governments access card website, which covers some important information about the proposed card. It is important to note that the Access Card is not a mandatory card nor does it constitute a national identity card.

Editor's Note: The Victorian election has come and gone, however we are now gearing up for the Federal election. Here's an opportunity to find out how the trial went from a BCA perspective and what to expect for the upcoming election. We also require your support- read on!

The Victorian State election was held on Saturday 25 November, 2007, with the first ever Victorian trial of electronic assisted voting taking place in Victoria at 6 E-Centres. The E-Centres provided access to a computer with a touch-screen, keypad and headphones, with voting instructions provided audibly through screen reader software. Voters were also able to choose to access instructions and candidate options in large print, with magnifiers and maxi pencils provided. Text enlargement software was also provided, with two levels of contrast: black font on a white background or vice versa.

BCA received a lot of positive feedback from members who trialled electronic assisted voting. A number of voters stated that this was the first time that they were able to cast an independent vote, with one person stating that being able to independently vote made him feel "just like a regular citizen". However, the turnout of blind and vision impaired voters to trial electronic assisted voting was very low, creating doubt as to whether this would be provided at the 2007 Federal Election. This uncertainty was based on the financial costs of making the technology available, without the numbers to support its availability.

Luckily, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) agreed with the need to provide electronic assisted voting at this year's Federal election, with 30 polling E-Centres to be allocated throughout Australia. It is expected that there will be a few E-Centres in Victoria in Melbourne and selected regional areas. The location of these E-Centres is still to be decided, with BCA continuing our input into this process. It is envisaged that there will be similar provisions as to what was provided for the Victorian trial but keep an ear out through your service providers for more information closer to the Election.

Currently, we are reassuring the Federal government that electronic assisted voting is a positive step forward in ensuring the independence of people who are blind or vision impaired. Furthermore, we want electronic assisted voting to be a permanent fixture at future state and Federal elections, rather than see all of our hard work go down the drain. So the best way you can help is to consider doing the following:

Editor's note: In my role as the Victorian Advocacy & Information Officer, I have put together a Q&A document of frequently asked questions relating to the new ticketing system. Please note that aspects of the system have not been finalised and may be subject to change.

The current ticketing system will be replaced with a long life smartcard called myki which has a microchip installed in the card. myki will be used for all train, tram and bus travel in Melbourne and in major regional centres including Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Moe, Morwell and Traralgon. This also includes VLine services. Commuters will be required to scan on and scan off when travelling on the public transport system.

To scan myki, you need to hold the myki card approximately 10cms away from the myki scanner. The scanning of the card needs to be an intentional action but does not require direct contact with the scanner. It doesn't matter which way you hold your card in order to swipe it.

At train stations that have barriers, the scanner will be located on your right hand side at waist height on the top of the barrier. Once your card has been successfully scanned, there will be an audible beep and the gates will open to allow you to walk through. These barriers will have multiple sensors at different points on the gate to track a person's movement to ensure that people with mobility restrictions have enough time to pass through the barriers safely.

At stations without barriers, the myki scanner will be located at the entry/exit area of the platform where existing validator machines are located. For those with some usable vision, the myki scanners are bright yellow and are placed at between shoulder and waist height on a pedastool. The screens will have large black font on a white background.

For users who need to put funds on their card, a blue myki check device will allow you to check the balance of your myki and view the details of your most recent trips.

The larger myki vending machines will dispense short term tickets, allow top up of your myki card and allow you to check the history of your most recent trips. These machines will allow commuters with low vision to change the colour of the screen to black text on a white background to increase contrast. It will also allow you to zoom in on the text which is in sentence casing to make it easier to read. Raised tactile and Braille will also be included on the vending machine to provide the user with information about how to change the visual settings.

The location of the myki scanners will vary for the different modes of public transport, but will remain consistent to the current arrangements for most modes of transport.

Metropolitan trains - At present, people who use a travel pass must make their way to the wide barrier which allows for access for people with a disability. This barrier is normally identified by the use of Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSIs) to make it easier for a vision impaired person to locate the barrier. Travel pass holders can now enter and exit the station independently without having to wait for a staff member to open the gate at premium stations such as Flinders Street. We would however still recommend that members use the wide barrier to enter and exit these stations. The level of staffing at premium stations is not expected to change, so assistance from staff can be requested.

VLine services - myki scanners will also be located on VLine train station platforms at the entry to the platform. Inspectors will carry small, light hand-held devices similar to personal organisers which they will use to check myki once you have boarded the train. This will also be used by ticket inspectors on all modes of transport. For VLine, your card can be scanned after you have boarded the train and are in your seat.

Trams - myki scanners will be located on both sides of the entry doors on both sides of the vehicle.

Buses - myki scanners will be located at the entry point of the bus, next to the driver and at the rear door.

The myki rollout will begin with a customer pilot later in 2007 and will continue into 2008. This will allow commuters plenty of time to get used to the system. This pilot will be conducted in Geelong and participants will be recruited by a market research company based on their transport usage. The TTA has indicated that representation by people with disabilities within this geographic area is important and will include people who are blind or vision impaired.

The best opportunity to see how myki works is to visit the myki Discovery Centre located at the Collins Street end of Southern Cross Station. To locate the centre, enter from the corner of Collins and Spencer Streets, turn right and walk straight for approximately 40 metres. The myki discovery centre is the size of a small retail outlet and is semi enclosed. Platform 1 will be on your left hand side. The centre will be open Monday to Friday - 8.30am to 6.30pm, and Saturday and Sunday 9.00am to 5.00pm (Editor's note: The centre is temporarily closed due to construction work by will reopen by the mid-late July).

The centre is aimed at increasing public awareness about Myki and the need to scan on and off the system. Please note that this is only a demonstration and therefore it is not an accurate reflection of the system which will be implemented as much of the software and hardware is still being reviewed.

The purpose of scanning on and off is to enable myki to calculate the best fare for you based on how frequently you travel. If you do not have a National Blind Travel Pass, failure to scan off when you are leaving a mode of transport will mean that the best fare might not be calculated and you will be charged a default fare. The default fare is yet to be determined. For individuals who have a travel pass, this is not an issue as the recipient is entitled to free travel and therefore a default fare will not be charged. Where possible we recommend that you scan on and off when travelling on public transport. It is important to note that at stations with barriers, you must scan on and off to be able to enter and exit the public transport system.

The Transport Ticketing Authority (TTA) are working on the business rules governing Myki which may lead to greater flexibility in whether a person with a travel pass needs to scan on and off the system.

If you have not renewed your travel pass in the last year, you will need to provide a photo to the Central Pass Office (CPO), so that this can be scanned on to the Myki card, which will be automatically sent to you once the card design has been approved. You can visit the Central Pass Office (CPO) at the Bourke Street end of Southern Cross Station or send a colour passport size photo, a photo copy of your current pass and a stamp self addressed envelope to the CPO to be processed. For details contact the Central Pass Office on (03) 9619 1568.

BCA are pushing for the existing companion card to be fitted with a microchip rather than an additional separate Myki card being issued. A decision is yet to be made by the Transport Ticketing Authority (TTA) regarding this). The name of your companion will not be contained in the microchip, as it is recognised that your companion will not always be the same person. It is expected that this card will still contain photo identification. The entitlements of this card will not change due to the introduction of myki.

As stated earlier, myki will be automatically issued to travel pass recipients. Other concession card holders will be contacted and advised how to obtain their myki concession cards. Individuals who are not entitled to a travel pass can purchase myki from customer service centres at train stations, myki machines located at train stations, tram super stops, selected retail outlets such as 7-11, the myki customer service centre and the myki website. Remember, you only need to purchase one myki which you can then top up with funds. To put money on your card you can use all of the services listed earlier, as well as the Internet and the phone.

You should be able to leave your myki card in your wallet.

No. myki cannot be used on public transport in other states of Australia. However, for travel pass recipients, myki can be used in the same way as the current travel pass when travelling interstate, as it will contain photo identification and your name. Just show your myki when travelling interstate to ensure that you continue to receive free travel.

Your travel pass will still be accepted in Victoria, however you will not need to swipe in and out of the system. At premium stations, staff should be present to open the barriers to allow you to enter and exit the station. Other transport modes will operate as per current arrangements.

This is yet to be confirmed, but BCA have strongly encouraged that a tactile feature be included on Myki.

If you have a registered myki and you lose your card, the card will be cancelled and a new myki, with your travel pass details (if applicable) will be registered and sent to you. If a non-registered card is lost, the card and the remaining funds will not be replaced, as there will not be a way to verify the cardholder. The cost of replacing a lost or damaged card has not yet been established.

BCA has been extensively involved in consultation since the inception of the myki idea. Our feedback has led to changes in the screen output, including zoom functionality, black and white contrast, height of the machines, luminance contrast, the need for raised tactile and Braille markings on the machine and adherence to disability legislation and standards. Further consultation will be undertaken leading up to the introduction of the system and in future developments and modifications through our role on the Public Transport Access Committee.

The Transport Ticketing Authority are in the process of developing second-generation vending machines which will be audio enabled and are aimed at ensuring greater accessibility and functionality for people who are blind or vision impaired. BCA will continue to consult on the development of these machines.

Editor's note: There is nothing harder than sticking to a budget - particularly when you want something but know that you shouldn't have it. This section provides budgeting tips as well as sources to help you make a budget and stick to it. Information has also been provided on concessions to make budgeting that little bit easier!

Editor's note: In My Own Words is a new section within Parent News, which will look at providing the stories of everyday and not so everyday blind and vision impaired Australians. It is the telling of their personal story, from their perspective. I hope you enjoy! This edition focuses on the story of Anita Viglione and her experiences as a university student.

My name is Anita Viglione. I have recently completed a double degree of Bachelor of Computer Engineering and Bachelor of Science and am beginning a Masters in Engineering Science. I was born with a vision impairment which affects my reading and writing speed and accuracy and my capacity to navigate new environments safely. Throughout my schooling I found it difficult at times to work with the materials I was given but that never stopped me from learning.

I wanted to study at university because I like learning and wanted to enter into the field of research. I have an interest in both computers and physics and that is why I chose the degree that I did. I chose to do the masters to be able to continue into the research field. The University of Melbourne provided me with a scholarship which greatly assisted my capacity to complete my studies.

Photo: Anita Viglione graduating from the University of Melbourne.

Because of my vision impairment the major obstacles I have had to deal with are text size, both printed and computer screen, and exams. What helped me overcome this was being able to adjust the text size on computer screens to a larger size and to have my exams printed in larger text. It also takes me longer to read text because of my vision impairment, and thus I have extra time for all my end of subject exams. Practical classes were more difficult because of my impairment and when given a choice of experiments I had to choose ones that my impairment would not interfere with.

I have found the university very helpful and encouraging, in particular the staff of the Disability Liaison Unit (DLU) have always assisted me to manage my university program. While the DLU were helpful with my end of semester exams, if a subject had a mid-semester exam or any other type of test I had to tell the lecturers about my vision impairment and ask them for more time on these assessments, and this became frustrating at times. A central system that advised all lecturers of my disability at the commencement of every semester would have been useful.

I have terrible handwriting due to my impairment but have been lucky that most of my assessments I have submitted as typed reports. My impairment also affects my writing speed thus having printed or online lecture notes has been really helpful for me because it means that during lectures I can listen to the lecturer more attentively.

I have found my experience at the University of Melbourne enjoyable and with all of the assistance I feel that I have been able to manage my program very effectively regardless of my impairment.

The Young Adults Program is a newly developed aspect of Guide Dogs Victoria's O&M service. The service will provide a range of exciting O&M programs for young people who want to develop their O&M skills and at the same time extend their social networks. The programs also offer an excellent opportunity to learn a wide range of important life skills in a fun and stimulating way. The goals of the program are

• O&M skill development
• ADL skill development
• Increase confidence and enhance self-esteem
• Decision making skill development and practice
• Develop self-advocacy skills
• Provide opportunities for leadership and using initiative
• Opportunities to encourage ownership of choices, consequences and responsibilities
• Social skill development
• Opportunities to develop and extend social networks and to develop peer mentoring
• Awareness of other services

The team is also developing a Young Adults program Newsletter that will contain information about upcoming events and reports about completed activities. The newsletter will be sent to all on the mailing list. Events for 2007 include an Alternative Mobility Aids program on August 31and September 1and a Ladies Day Out on November 8. Upcoming programs also include Amazing Race and A Cultural Experience, with dates and program themes to be confirmed. For further information about the programs or any other aspect of the Young Adults program please contact Darlene McIntosh, John-Ross Barresi or Rosalie Long on (03) 9854 4444.

Editor's note: A friend of mine works for People Outdoors and I've heard about some of their great events, which would definitely be open to students who are blind or vision impaired and love the outdoors.

People Outdoors is a community based non-profit organisation, established in 1989, by the Australian Camps Association. Their vision is to achieve "Adventure for All" and cater for people at all levels of ability. Made up of a team of dedicated volunteers, their focus is towards:

• Providing recreation programs designed to promote cooperation, leadership and self-esteem.
• Nurture, encourage and challenge participants to be independent.
• Tailoring services and programs to individual needs and goals.
• Provide opportunities for individuals to reach goals and enjoy lifestyles appropriate to their age.
• Increase the opportunities for all ages to be involved with camping and outdoor recreation activities.
• Increase the opportunities for children and teenagers with disabilities to access mainstream school holiday camps.
• Provide respite alternatives for families, whilst offering fun for the individual camper participating and assist families to link into other community activities and networks.

New campers are eligible to apply if they live or are cared for by an unpaid carer, must be aged according to the programs and must live within the nominated program areas. Programs are run in the Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern Regions.

Unfortunately the website has not been updated to reflect programs for the next half of 2007, therefore if you would like further information about programs, contact People Outdoors on (03) 9350 5116 or peopleoutdoors@auscamps.asn.au

It's back! The Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Program is an initiative of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC). Its main aim is to identify people with physical disabilities or vision impairments who display the athletic potential to one day make it to Paralympic level competition.

The Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Program is only open to people with disabilities which would enable them to participate in events currently on the Paralympic Games schedule. The age group that is being targeted is 12 years and above. The Australian Paralympic Copmmittee will be conducting sporting tests to help identify future Paralympic athletes. Some of the sports that will be targeted are athletics, cycling, swimming, wheelchair basketball and table tennis.

Following the success of the program in 2005/06 a calendar incorporating 20 Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Days across all states and territories of Australia has been developed. The dates for the Paralympic search are as follows:

• June 24 - Mentone Grammar School, 63 Venice Street, Mentone 9.30am-1.00pm
• October 20 - Melbourne East
• December 1 - Melbourne (Metro West)\

For further information and to register contact: Tim Matthews (03) 9614 6800 or tim.matthews@paralympic.org.au

Source: Adapted from the Chronicle Herald, Nova Scotia, Canada, Tuesday, November 28, 2006, written by Joel Jacobson

Blue. Spell it with me. B-L-U-E.

That's a talking crayon, one developed to help toddlers learn colours and how to spell. It talks through a battery-operated plastic base in which it is inserted. The base reads the colour and relates the information. However, six-year-old Rachel Yorke has found another use for the crayon. Because she is blind, the Grade 1 student at Salmon River Elementary School is able to 'see' each of the six colours in the package by using the base.

They're called Dora i-crayons -- 'i' for interactive, which is becoming a norm with many of today's children's toys and learning methods. Many of the tools Rachel uses in school and at home have interactive components so she can sense what she cannot see.

She hugs a Winnie the Pooh bear that talks to her, asking questions for her to answer aloud about his (and her) favourite Pooh characters. She has learning tools such as colouring pages with raised images for her to fill in areas with her talking crayons. She learned braille as a toddler and now has an older machine at home and a sleeker, more modern one at school to type in Braille, which helps her keep up with her classmates.

But it's the talking crayons that have created the most enjoyment for this youngster since her grandmother Linda Babineau accidentally found them in a Truro department store a couple of weeks ago.

Candace Yorke picks up the story. 'I was in Halifax at the IWK Health Centre for an eye checkup with Rachel. My mother took our four-year-old, Kaytlen, shopping and Kaytie saw the crayons and wanted them.' She laughs. 'Of course, her grandmother gave in, not knowing they talked, but just that her granddaughter wanted them. When we realized they talked, the first thought was how perfect they were for Rachel. Now she can colour without having to ask anyone for help. She has independence when colouring.'

Candace says she had attached braille labels to her earlier crayons for Rachel to identify the colours but this had the advantage of the crayons talking to the little girl.

Candace e-mailed International World of Toys in Montreal, which created and patented the crayons a year before, expressing her delight with the product and explaining how Rachel is blind and able to use this wonderful new tool to help her learn.

'I was overwhelmed to hear from Candace,' says Laurie Verrelli, president of the company, which has sold more than 300,000 sets of six crayons worldwide since the launch a year ago. 'When we developed this a year or so ago, our aim was to teach toddlers. I was so happy to hear Rachel received such pleasure, and independence, from the crayons. We had never thought that far ahead, that the crayons would help blind children.'

She reacted instantly. The next day, an express van pulled up to the Yorke house with a parcel for Rachel: Laurie had sent her a few extra sets of crayons.

'Through Candace, we've started to make contacts with schools to provide them with crayons,' says Laurie. The Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority, which provides education and programs for children and teens who are deaf, deaf and blind, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, is one.

Rachel nibbles on an after-school cookie and drinks some milk as she talks about her crayons. 'My favourite colour is magenta. I like it. It's a dark colour, but I don't like black and green. I like most of them though,' she says of the package that contains red, yellow, blue, green, purple and orange crayons.

Rachel was born sighted, but cataracts, which she had from birth, weren't diagnosed until she was two. By then, she had developed glaucoma and other eye diseases. By four, her vision was gone. She's had various tests and procedures to try to save some sight, but Candace says all hope for that is gone now.

'Rachel is doing awesome,' Candace says proudly. 'She has a little white cane and boogies around the school very easily. The other kids and all the staff are aware of her and are careful not to move things. If they do, they let Rachel know. They've been wonderful at the school.'

"We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!". The young and young at heart were able to enjoy the audio described performances of the Wizard of Oz which were held in March. Patrons were able to enjoy the visual elements of the movie, by using a headset and listening to a description of what was occurring on the screen, coupled with the dialogue. The experience was enhanced by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra who accompanied the soundtrack music with a complete orchestra located at the front of the theatre.

The feedback received for this production was very positive, with a lot of constructive feedback on how to improve audio description. One attendee noted: "I benefited greatly from the audio description. I went to see The Wizard of Oz as a ten-year-old kid, but without audio description. I remember now that I got lost in the story line during the storm, and I never recovered.... With the audio description I now have a much better understanding of this famous story. My children had the video of The Wizard of Oz but I never watched it with them. Not knowing the story-line, I couldn't join in their conversation". We couldn’t ask for better encouragement to continue audio description!

Another edition completed which I hope you have enjoyed reading. As always, any contributions and feedback for Parent News is appreciated, particularly if you would like to see something included which is not currently provided in this magazine. If you have any information that would be of benefit to other parents or would like to contribute a piece, please forward this no later than September 7, 2007 to Jessica Zammit by mail (PO Box 24, Sunshine, VIC 3020), email (jessica.zammit@bca.org.au) or call (03) 9372 6400.

Also just a reminder that included with this magazine is our donor appeal letter - your donation great or small will ensure that we can continue to advocate on issues for people who are blind or vision impaired throughout Australia. Thank you for your support.