Parent News
April 2009
Welcome to the April edition of Parent News! It’s hard to believe that the weather is cooling down and Easter is on its way when it feels like that the year has only begun!
As always, it has been full steam ahead at BCA, with two major issues taking our focus. BCA will be implementing a campaign to improve access to audio description in cinemas around Australia. In addition to this, we’ve also been busy working to ensure that electronic assisted voting is here to stay, with much more work needed to ensure that both of these rights to access are protected. To read more about these two issues, go to ‘BCA developments’.
In addition to all of this, BCA is looking at starting a new committee and are keen to involve and hear from parents. This committee will focus on issues that are affecting Victorians, with a group of representatives to work with BCA to address these issues systemically. For more information about this great opportunity, go to page 11.
This magazine is also packed with information about the centenary of Louis Braille, tech savvy information, updates on the latest and greatest in entertainment and a special extra titled ‘you know you are blind when’, where the humorous and cringe-worthy incidents of regular everyday people who are blind and vision impaired have been collated (special thanks to members of the VIP-L list for sharing their experiences).
So off I go for another edition - special thanks to Bridget Jolley for her assistance with this edition of Parent News.
Until next time,
Jessica Zammit,
Editor
Exciting Announcement – YBCV’s Mentor Program
Campaign for Accessible Voting at the Federal Election
Campaign for Audio Description in Movie Theatres
Audible announcements on board vehicles
Update on Vision Australia’s Educational Services for Children
Working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development:
Bicentennial of Braille’s Birth
Tributes to Braille, Whose Vision Gave Books to the Blind
Commemorative Pre-paid Envelope
An Inspiring Dream for the Blind
U.K Physicist Invents Inexpensive, Water-filled Eyeglasses to Help Poor
Google Engineer Adapts Cell Phone for Blind
Blind Entrepreneur Helps Pave the Way
Vision Australia’s Equipment Solutions: Now Taking Online Orders
Disney Audio Description and GPS Coming Soon to Theme Parks
The New iPod Shuffle – the First Music Player that Talks
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1 – 25 April |
Melbourne International Comedy Festival Running for over three weeks, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is sure to feature someone who will have you rolling in the aisle. Performances range in time, place, price and age suitability. For more information visit the comedy festival’s website: http:www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2009/ |
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5 April 11 am |
AGNSW Audio Described Tour of Australia Uncovered Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) has an audio described (AD) tour of their Australia Uncovered exhibition. The AD will provide additional commentary, narrating visual elements of artworks being discussed on the tour. Objective descriptions of the subject of the artworks, surface qualities, brush marks, detailed informatin on colours, and a description of the gallery space will help listeners gain a better understanding of the exhibition.
Touch Tours The AGNSW also run guided sensory tours of selected sculptures and objects from their permanent collection explored through tough. Led by an experienced museum educator, tours are free and run for 45-60 minutes.
Bookings for all Access Programs are essential and 3 weeks notice for Touch Tours are required. For further information and bookings contact the Coordinator of Access Programs on 02 9225 1647, or via email at pp@ag.nsw.gov.au or danielleg@ag.nsw.gov.au |
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10 April (Good Friday) |
Bendigo’s Giant Easter Egg Hunt Bendigo’s Giant Easter egg hunt has 75,000 Cadbury Easter eggs for kids to find. Running between 9am-3pm, specific times are allocated according to age group. All proceeds go to Vision Australia’s Bendigo Centre. Entry is $6.00 on the day. Prepaid tickets available from Vision Australia can be bought at 92-100 McIvor Rd. Bendigo. For further information, visit |
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9 May 4 pm |
Realism – Audio Described and Tactile Tour On at MTC’s new Sumner Theatre, Realism is set during the summer of 1939. A small Moscow theatre company are rehearsing for a new play to commemorate Stalin’s sixtieth birthday. Realism is a comedy of nerves, a backstage farce set in a pressure cooker. It’s about the spirit that makes art live and the forces that want to crush it. To buy audio described tickets contact Ease Ticket Service on (03) 9699 8497. For more information about audio description contact Marj West on (03) 9864 9331 or marj.west@visonaustralia.org. |
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9 May |
Blind Citizens Australia’s Inaugural Charity Ball BCA are having a Ball! Come join us for a night of elegance, fun and romance. Live band ‘Cool Change’ will entertain you throughout the evening while you enjoy a great meal and dance the night away. There will also be a surprise guest speaker and the opportunity to win great prizes with our raffle and auction.
Cost: $65 per person (BYO drinks) Dress Code: Ladies - after 5, Gents – jacket and tie. Address: 153 Pakington Street, Geelong West. For a great accommodation deal for the night, contact the Chifley Hotel on 03 5244 7700 and mention the BCA Ball.
All proceeds go to BCA to continue their important work of increasing opportunities for independence, employment and social inclusion for people who are blind or vision impaired. For details contact: Faye Baxter on (03) 9654 1400 or Ernie Drew on (03) 5282 5546 or erniedrew@tadaust.org.au |
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10 May |
Mother’s Day Classic Join an expected 70,000 Australians by walking or running the Mother’s Day Classic with family and friends and help raise money for breast cancer research. The Mother’s Day Classic can be taken as seriously as you like; you may like to try run your best time, or simply enjoy a long stroll with friends and family through the Alexandra Gardens. There will be entertainment, kids’ areas and prizes to be won, as well as a few celebrity faces! For information or to register visit www.mothersdayclassic.org |
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30 May 9am – 4pm |
Guide Dogs Victoria’s Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. If you’re in the area and would like to support Guide Dogs Victoria, why not visit and buy a snag off them outside Bunnings Hawthorn (230 Burwood Road, Hawthorn)? All profits raised will go toward the raising and training of Guide Dogs. |
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13 June 4 pm |
August: Osage Country – Audio Described and Tactile Tour So what that mum pops pills like circus peanuts? Or that these three sisters would be Chekhov’s worst nightmare? Who needs happy marriages and kids who make you proud? Good or bad, family is family. So when the Old Man goes missing, it’s up to everyone to drop what they’re doing and haul their burdens of resentment back home to Osage County, Oklahoma. You can’t choose your relatives. A smash on Broadway, Tracy Letts’s caustic, darkly funny August: Osage County rewrites the grand American family drama for our cynical and confused age. To buy audio described tickets contact Ease Ticket Service on (03) 9699 8497. For more information about audio description contact Marj West on (03) 9864 9331 or marj.west@visonaustralia.org. |
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20 June 2 pm |
Avenue Q – Audio Described Avenue Q is a funny, poignant show which has been described as a cross between Sesame Street and the Muppet Show with an X rating. It is performed by a mix of humans and puppets. To buy audio described tickets contact Ease Ticket Service on 03 9699 8497. For more information about audio description contact Marj West on 9864 9331 or email marj.west@visonaustralia.org |
Thanks Jessica and Bridget, I really enjoyed the [last edition of the] newsletter! As well as the interesting information I just love reading success stories – I’m not going to do it but… I would love to see an accessible repository of success stories. It would be a shame to not keep these inspirational success stories somewhere! My days in the work force or education are long behind me, but even so I was quite uplifted reading about the judge and the young singer and I can imagine young people would get a real buzz too. We all go through times when the challenges ahead seem insurmountable and sometimes hearing about success stories can help us get up off the floor!
Cheers, Allan Bates
Young Blind Citizens Victoria are very excited to announce that they are beginning a Mentor Program for children aged 11-14 who are blind or vision impaired.
YBCV’s Mentor program aims to network young people with older peers, aged 18-30. Through consistent one on one contact, mentees and their mentors will become familiar with one another, creating an environment where a mentor’s experiences can be shared and learned from. Mentors and mentees will meet as a group once every two months for a ‘program day’. This will involve a fun activity (including an overnight stay!) and a discussion session on topical and life skills issues that affect young people who are blind or vision impaired.
YBCV’s main objectives in starting a mentor program include;
· Providing a forum for discussion on issues that affect youth who are blind or vision impaired.
· Providing an opportunity for youth who are blind and vision impaired to network and make friends
· Providing support on issues that are often faced by people with disabilities, specifically vision impairment
· Developing self awareness of how individuals feel about their disability and how they cope
· Assisting in the development of a position of self identity as a person with a vision impairment
· Providing young people with role models within the blind community
· Instilling a positive attitude towards future opportunities for people who are blind and vision impaired
· To have fun
Activities will include a swish tournament, cooking, a trip to Luna Park and an overnight stay. Discussion topics include connecting with friends and the wider community, coping with the demands of school, practicing self advocacy and developing self identity.
The program will begin in late July of this year and involve 8 mentees, 8 mentors and 4 assistants. Mentees and their mentors will be matched based upon similar interests, eye conditions, levels of sight, other disabilities/conditions and life experiences.
Mentors will be people who are aged 18-30 and who are blind or vision impaired. They will hold current Working with Children Checks and Police Checks and will participate in a training program to become a mentor.
More information and applications for mentee and mentor positions will be made available at the beginning of May from YBCV’s website www.bca.org.au/ybcv.
On 16 March 2009, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matter (JSCEM) released a report recommending that the government should not continue to pursue accessible voting for people who are blind or vision impaired.
Blind Citizens Australia is strongly of the opinion that this recommendation must be disregarded. We urge the government to protect our basic human right to participate in political and public life as stated in Article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability.
We have developed a letter for you to use as a pro-forma letter to write to your local MP and express concern about the recommendation that electronic voting be stopped. You will notice in the letter that some words are surrounded by double asterisks (**). These are items for you to change or personalize. We are happy for you to pass this letter on to anyone who may be interested in sending it themselves, regardless of whether or not they are a BCA member.
You can find out who your local federal MP is by looking at the Australian Electoral Commission website at: www.aec.gov.au under “Enrolling to Vote > Check Your Enrolment Details” or by calling them on 13 23 26. Alternatively, you can call the BCA office if you need assistance.
You might also like to send the letter to Bill Shorten, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and Children’s Services. His details are:
The Hon Bill Shorten MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and Children’s Services
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
BCA’s prepared letter can be accessed by visiting our website – www.bca.org.au/ or call (03) 9654 1400. Don’t forget to change/personalise the parts with the double asterisks (**).
Beginning in late April, BCA is campaigning for Audio Description (AD) to be available at major movie theatres.
The audio description (AD) will enable people who are blind or vision impaired to have a device with an earpiece that will provide a clear and private explanation of visuals that are displayed on the cinema screen. This will allow them to have a better understanding and appreciation of the film and to be able to enjoy the simple act of going to the movies.
BCA will have postcards available for people to sign and then send on to the Hon. Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. If you would like some postcards for you and your friends and family to sign and then send on, please contact BCA’s office on (03) 9654 1400.
How often have you boarded a train or tram in Melbourne and have listened to incorrect audible announcements telling you that you are approaching a stop you know you passed two stops ago? Or there are no announcements on board the vehicle at all…
BCA are working on a campaign to improve audible announcements on board trams and trains. This campaign aims to improve audible announcements by involving the experiences of public transport users.
If you have problems with audible announcements, we encourage you to inform the appropriate operators. BCA would also like to know of the feedback that you have passed on so that we are kept informed of the issues that are being raised and what is/isn’t working well. Please contact Jessica Zammit via email jessica.zammit@bca.org.au or (03) 9654 1400 after you have lodged your complaint with the operator.
Connex:
Connex, GPO Box 5092BB, Melbourne, Vic, 3001.
Ph: 1800 800 705
TTY: 03 9619 2727
Online Comments: Provide feedback online by visiting http://www.connexmelbourne.com.au/index.php?id=145#feedback
Yarra Trams:
Yarra Trams, GPO Box 5231, Melbourne, Vic, 3001.
Ph: 1800 800166
Online Comments: Provide feedback online by visiting http://www.yarratrams.com.au/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-228/
Metlink Melbourne:
131 638
Online Comments: Provide feedback online by visiting
http://feedback.metlinkmelbourne.com.au
BCA has developed a new State Advisory Committee (SAC) to better assist the advocacy and information officer (AIO) to prioritise projects undertaken in Victoria. The SAC will provide direct advice and support to the AIO.
The scope of the SAC role includes;
· Advising BCA of issues experienced by people who are blind or vision impaired which may affect the wider community.
· Providing advice to BCA on issues which have been identified by BCA as requiring attention.
· Working collaboratively and proactively with the AIO on the development and implementation of projects which affect people who are blind or vision impaired. Where branches are involved, this may include holding activities which directly align with the BCA Strategic Plan and/or support the activities of the AIO.
· Working collaboratively and proactively with the AIO in the lead up to member forums, events and conventions held in the relevant state.
· Consulting with other disability groups and stakeholders in order to provide appropriate advice to BCA.
· Providing feedback on issues in between meetings via phone or via the SAC email listing (preferred) and share information with other SAC members.
· Providing comment on submissions prepared by the AIO on behalf of BCA.
· Being available to occasionally represent BCA on external committees (eg. council disability advisory committees etc) and working groups and promote BCA at public events, talks and conferences. Promote BCA and positive images of blindness and vision impairment through member involvement in the community and in other groups.
BCA are now looking for expressions of interest from people who are interested in being on the SAC, including parents. If you would like more information or to put forward your expression of interest, please contact Jessica Zammit jessica.zammit@bca.org.au or by contacting BCA’s office on (03) 9654 1400.
Update on Vision Australia’s Educational Services for Children
This notice is designed to update our community about the progress Vision Australia is making following its decision last year to review the delivery of services for children who are blind or have low vision. *Please note that the following information has been prepared by Vision Australia for inclusion into Parent News.
In order to facilitate optimum social inclusion, Vision Australia agreed that children who are blind or have low vision should be included and supported in mainstream and specialist schools, as is the case in all other states and territories.
As part of this plan, Vision Australia is closing its school at Burwood and ceasing its Visiting Teacher Service, transferring the responsibility of educating students from Vision Australia to the State Government and other specialist education providers by December 2009.
This decision will enable Vision Australia to focus on delivering our specialist services to individual children nationwide. Good progress has already been made since the announcement.
Working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development:
§ Vision Australia is continuing its commitment to working positively and cooperatively with the DEECD. Our focus is to deliver the best possible outcome for each student.
§ Individual transition plans have been jointly developed with parents, senior staff from the DEECD, along with educational and specialist staff from Vision Australia. The transition plans address the current and long term requirements of each student including selecting the most appropriate school, goal setting to address the expanded core curriculum needs, and identifying suitable equipment and aids required.
§ Joint visits to state and specialist schools have been undertaken by Department of Education staff and Vision Australia education specialist staff to meet with Principals and class room teachers.
Arrangements have also been made for parents to visit state and special schools as part of the transition planning process.
Vision Australia will also develop individual transition plans for children currently receiving the Visiting Teacher Service.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development recognises the importance of Support Skills programs for students who are blind or living with low vision and has committed to exploring options to delivering these programs in the future. In the meantime, Vision Australia’s Support Skills and Residential Training Programs will continue to be provided throughout the 2009 school year.
Vision Australia’s specialist staff are continuing to provide professional development and in-service training to teachers in mainstream schools as well as a consultancy service for music, art and physical education throughout this year.
The Department of Education has been open and transparent in encouraging Vision Australia teachers and teacher aides to apply for future employment opportunities as they become available. Vision Australia is also providing input into the development of a position description for teachers in mainstream and specialist schools.
Vision Australia remains committed to keeping parents, staff and the wider education field informed of developments as the transition continues to progress over the coming months.
Glenda Alexander,
General Manager, Independent Living Services, Vision Australia
The National Human Rights Consultation provides the opportunity for you to share your views on human rights and is a great opportunity for parents to get involved about what is important for people and children with a disability. The Consultation is run by an independent Committee. The Committee is supported by a Secretariat in the Attorney-General’s Department. The Consultation is a chance to hear people’s ideas about human rights and talk about ways to protect and promote human rights in the future.
The location of consultations can be downloaded from:
www.humanrightsconsultation.gov.au/www/nhrcc/community.nsf/calendar
To find out more about how you can share your views, visit www.humanrightsconsultation.gov.au/www/nhrcc/nhrcc.nsf/Page/Haveyoursay_Haveyoursay or call 1800 086 134 (freecall, available between 10.00am and 4.00pm). Comments need to be received by 15 June 2009.
VIP-L is an email list to communicate about blind or vision impaired issues, particularly concerning technology. The following posts are from VIP-L subscribers who responded to a post of “You know you’re blind when…” Hopefully readers can empathise with these posts and find the humourous side of things.
You know you’re blind when…
You type Braille contractions in emails and messenger chats, and think that you’re cool because you’ve been doing it longer than people who txt message.
You get on the train and don’t check properly that the seat is vacant and you sit on somebody else’s lap.
You check out outfits on shop mannequins, and they suddenly clear their throats and move away.
You start eating french fries from your neighbour’s tray at McDonald’s thinking it’s your tray of food that has just arrived.
You bite into what you thought was a lettuce leaf only to discover that it’s the crumpled up serviette you had just dropped on the side of your plate.
You trust your dog guide to assist you in finding somewhere, only to find that they’ve taken you to where they want to be.
You put orange juice or chocolate milk in your tea/coffee instead of normal milk.
You spray hairspray under your freshly shaven arms instead of deodorant.
You apologise to inanimate objects when you walk into them.
You get frustrated at clear coloured bottles for not pouring fast enough and then realize that they’re empty
You grab a stranger and start walking off with them.
You mistake a stranger’s car for your friend’s or a taxi.
You get excited about black-outs.
You go to work and discover you’re wearing a nightie that felt like a new dress that you had just bought.
You go to work with what you though was a can of soft drink and discover at lunchtime that it’s beer.
You get off the elevator at the wrong floor, and only realize when your key won’t fit in the lock of your door.
Once I was onboard a ship and I went to press my back against the passageway wall to allow someone to pass, and instead stumbled backwards into a cabin.
In the early 70s, the era of bright coloured clothing, I happily went off to work wearing my brand new bone (almost white) flairs. I worked in Brisbane in a large open plan office. After having walked a few blocks from the bus stop to work and then moving around the office for a couple of hours, someone finally told me that I had sat in chocolate! And there are no prizes for guessing what it looked like.
I added a sachet of drinking chocolate to minced beef instead of taco seasoning. I realized before it was too late and rinsed the meat off and started again. My kids couldn’t believe I would waste such an opportunity, but I’m not sure that when confronted with chocolate flavoured meat filling for their tacos, they would actually have been all that enthusiastic.
One night at about 11 o’clock I was walking with a friend who was totally blind looking for a taxi. I tried to put her in an ambulance instead. We even opened the door and she was getting in and we wondered why there was no driver. When I looked a bit closer at the car, I quickly grabbed her and took off, hoping like hell no one had seen us.
I have accidentally hailed a police van and a rubbish truck. Both were very obliging and took me where I wanted to go.
Attending a camp during school holidays, I kept certain things in small travel bottles in my toiletry bag. I tried to lather my hair properly three times before I realized I was trying to wash it with sunscreen instead of shampoo. I ended up having to use an awful lot of my shampoo to get out all the sunscreen.
Once I was traveling alone in England and I wanted to visit the Parliament in Westminster. I had negotiated my way there okay and knew that I was within feet of my destination and was just wanting more precise directions in order to enter. It was very busy, and I was starting to get frustrated by the sighted people I asked for help who said “Sorry, I don’t know”, when we were right in front of the building. I asked an approaching woman if she could direct me, she replied “Sorry, I can’t help you… I am blind”. We both had a good laugh when I explained to her that I was also blind.
My partner and I were standing next to each other on the train. I reached out to give her an affectionate rub on the hand. Only problem was, it wasn’t her hand! It was another girl who must have had very similar features to my partner. The girl was very forgiving – thank God!
I was standing on a fairly packed train. I went to put my hand out to find the rail just inside the door, but instead found something quite a bit softer – the breast of an unfortunate woman who happened to be standing in front of the rail.
One time I was flying to Melbourne with my mum. I walked through the security scanner and heard one of the staff nearby say to another, “can you get the wheelchair?” I had not long come back from a trip to Fiji where staff at both ends had tried valiantly to convince me that I needed a wheelchair. I politely said that it was okay and that I could walk, and then wandered away. As we were going up the escalators I explained my frustration to my mum; “You know, it really annoys me when they do that, and staff in Australia should know better.” It turns out, that the staff weren’t talking about me at all, and that there was a lady in an actual wheelchair just behind me. Thankfully, I didn’t go with my first response which was a little less… polite.
To Join VIP-L, send a blank message to vip-l-join@softspeak.com.au the VIP-L info and settings web page is at
https://lists.pacific.net.au/mailman/listinfo/vip-l
How Do You Chronicle 50 Astonishing Years?
At Guide Dogs’ 50th anniversary celebratory function in May 2007, the book ‘Fifty Tails from Fifty Years’ was launched by Max Walker.
The concept for the book came from their Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Graeme White. It is not a formal record of the history of Guide Dogs Victoria, but rather a collection of stories that reveal the organisation’s heart. Tears and laughter spill off the pages, personal fears and challenges and the overcoming of them are shared – honestly and victoriously. In ‘Fifty Tails’ you’ll meet Guide Dogs’ inspirational clients, staff members, donors, volunteers, puppy raisers and supporters. And then there are the dogs!
Putting the book together involved extensive research from possible and willing contributors. Then followed many hours of interviews with people for face to face or telephone discussions. After months of writing, editing, designing and printing, ‘Fifty Tails for Fifty Years’ is now available from Guide Dogs Victoria at a cost of $10 per copy.
Please call Guide Dogs Victoria on 03 9854 4444 or email Guide Dogs info@guidedogsvictoria.com.au to order your copy.
2009 is the bicentennial of Louis Braille’s birth. The Frenchman was born on the 4th January 1809 and grew up to radically change reading and writing for the blind by creating Braille. Whilst
the Braille system was never recognized officially within Louis’ lifetime, today’s world-wide community of people who are blind celebrate the bicentennial of his birth, and rejoice in the opportunities that Braille provides them with.
For some quick facts about Louis Braille, take a look at Vision Australia’s Fact Sheet at www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=787.
For more extensive information, why not visit the online Louis Braille Museum at http://afb.org/louisbraillemuseum/
Source: The Australian - John Stapleton, January 5th, 2009. Available online at
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,,24872855-5018014,00.html
‘When her parents turn the lights off at night, Erica Chandotto can keep on reading her favourite Harry Potter without them knowing.’
Almost entirely blind, the 11-year-old’s love affair with the world of Harry Potter has been made possible through the work of Frenchman Louis Braille, two centuries earlier. Erica has not thought much about who Braille was, although she says “he must have been clever”.
Blindness organizations around the world yesterday celebrated the 200th anniversary of Braille’s birth. The Frenchman, who lost his sight when he was four after an accident in his father’s workshop, at the age 15 began developing a reading system that would allow millions of blind and sight-impaired people to receive an education and to explore literature.
He used a combination of six raised dots to make letters, words and numbers. It was a simple but brilliant modification of a method of communication originally developed for the French military to enable soldiers to communication silently and without light at night.
Erica can read as fast as a sighted person, although she struggles to explain how marks, or bumps, on a piece of paper translate to words and pictures in her head. “I just got on with what I had to do,” she said. “I just know which of the letters are different dots.”
Her mother Angela said Braille had opened up her daughter’s world. “She has been able to do exams, keep up with kids her own age and do what they do,” Ms Chandotto said.
Vision Australia head Gerard Menses said overseas celebrations started with an organ recital at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. In Australia, events included an exhibition at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum titled ‘Living in a Sensory World’. On display was a 1974 Braille Playboy. It only has the articles.
Mr Menses said Braille was one of the “big bangs in the history of the world”.
“Braille is central to enabling people who are blind to access information. Despite all our technological advances, Braille remains an essential component for the existence of someone who is blind. It increases their independence, which is very important.”
Erica was born with a rare genetic disorder that was cured when she was two months old by a bone marrow transplant from her sister Laura. But it left her almost totally blind. Early on, experts from the Royal Blind Society, now Vision Australia, helped her learn simple things such as sitting up, rolling, crawling and looking in the direction of people who are talking.
Blind and vision-impaired children are usually introduced to Braille at about the age of two. Vision Australia senior client services manager Jane Ellis said: “For a child who is blind or has low vision, it is vital that they are introduced to dots as early as possible so that they can keep up with their sighted peers.”
Through Australia Post, Vision Australia are releasing a commemorative pre-paid envelope (PPE) to celebrate the bi-centenary of Louis Braille’s birth. The PPE is a DL envelope (110mm x 220mm) with a pre-printed stamp which retails for $0.65 each. It is available from selected Australia Post outlets via mail order on 1800 331 794 or online at www.stamps.com.au/shop/stationery/ppe.
Source: Posted by Josh Weiner, TODAY producer at www.allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/06/1498180.aspx,
Imagine losing your vision - and finding a way to ski, sail, bike and continue
all your passions. It sounds impossible, right? Not if you're Ed Gallagher. I
met Ed recently for our TODAY story. Inspiring is the word that sums up this
his outlook on life.
Ed grew up near a Michigan lake, and he jokes that he "sailed" out of his mother's womb. A building contractor by profession, Ed always embraced the outdoors his entire life. Sailing became an integral part of his routine. But in his late 40s, Ed was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease. His vision began to fade slowly over several years, and he feared his sailing days were over. But Ed, 57, who now lives in San Francisco, came across a group called BAADS - The Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors. The club is comprised of folks who have all types of disabilities, but with the help of one another and many able-bodied volunteers, there are organised regular sailing ventures on the beautiful bay water.
Then Ed came up with an amazing idea he calls "Genoa Connections." Named after his beloved guide dog, it's a seemingly simple, yet brilliantly clever remote guidance system. Ed mounts a web-camera to a strap around his forehead, and the camera wirelessly transmits the live video over the Internet using free software called Skype. Ed's friends take turns acting as his guide. Both wear microphones and earpieces, and talk back and forth as the guide tells Ed what he's "seeing." He's testing the barriers, and regularly uses it to sail, but also tries shopping, cross country skiing and even biking in Golden Gate Park.
Ed has started an organization where he hopes to refine and mass-produce his system, so other blind people all around the world can use it too. Certainly it's not going to replace the time-tested travel tools like a white cane or guide dog (which already enable the blind to get around independently). But Ed believes it can greatly augment the lives of the blind and vision impaired through advancing technology.
His dream doesn't end there. Ideally, Ed says, homebound individuals, through a government agency, like the Department of Rehabilitation, would serve as the guides. That way it's a win-win. And according to Ed, the experience is just as rewarding for the guide as for the blind person. When our correspondent, Jenna Wolfe, told Ed he seems like someone who always sees the glass-half-full, he paused. Then, grinning, he responded, "that's what my mother always said!" To watch the video, visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/27047025
Source: Laurie Goering, Chicago Tribune, February 3rd 2009.
OXFORD, England – Joshua Silver, a lifelong tinkerer, was fiddling around one day with a cheap water-filled lens he’d built as an optics experiment when he noticed something interesting.
By adding or removing water he could not only change the power of the lens, he found, but he also could use it to very accurately correct his own nearsightedness when he looked through it.
“I was struck by the quality of the vision I could get with a device I could make for pennies and I could adjust myself,” remembers Silver, an Oxford University atomic physicist. “My immediate thought was, ‘If I can correct my own vision so easily, could other people?’”
Yes, it turns out. Eyeglasses using Silver’s simple, self-adjusting technology are now poised to revolutionise the way the world’s poor-and quite possibly the rest of us – see, potentially coming to the aid of billions who struggle to squint enough to farm, study, drive or hold down any job.
“With this technology, you can make your own prescription eyewear,” said Silver, who has so far turned out about 30,000 pairs of the cheap glasses. He hopes to find funding to distribute a billion pairs to people around the world too poor to afford glasses or living in places like sub-Saharan Africa, where the ration of opticians to residents is purportedly 1 to 1 million.
In a world where just about everybody older than 45 needs reading glasses and just 5 percent of the world’s poor get the vision correction they need, “the market is close to 3 billion people,” said the 62-year-old inventor, who took up studying optics to better view atomic structure and still considers himself a rookie at understanding vision.
Silver’s glasses, now in use in 15 African and east European nations, look as if they might pair well with a fake moustache. Thick Coke-bottle lenses sit in dark tortoiseshell frames flanked with a pair of syringes on either temple. By turning dials, the wearer pushes more or less fluid into the lenses, protected between two hard polycarbonate covers, until the prescription is perfect. The syringes can then be removed or left in place to allow continuing changes.
The reaction from new wearers “is universal,” said Maj. Kevin White, a U.S. Marine Corps logistics expert who persuaded the U.S. Department of Defence to buy and hand out 20,000 pairs of the new glasses as humanitarian aid in Angola, Georgia and other nations.
Handed a pair, “people put them on, they look at a chart on the wall, you see them dialling and suddenly their smirk turns to a smile. They say, ‘Wow! I can see!’ It’s mind-boggling.” White said.
Silver, who went along on the first field test of the glasses in Ghana, remembers how the first man to try a pair, a tailor forced to retire in his 40s when he could no longer see to work, grinned and immediately started up his sewing machine after being handed a pair.
“Tears came to my eyes,” Silver remembers. “I realised how really important it was for a guy like this to be able to see.” He also realized he’d made a strategic error – no one wanted to give back the prototypes after trying them.
White says he came across Silver’s invention after watching a Lions Club handout of used eyeglasses in Morocco. While many people got help, few were able to find frames that gave them 20/20 vision, he said. He decided there must be an easier way. A Google search turned up the self-adjusting glasses. White flew to Oxford for a look and within days had persuaded his impressed superior to place a big order.
“I’ve never seen the military move that fast,” he said. “No one’s a believer until they see them.”
The revolutionary glasses have a number of drawbacks. They don’t correct astigmatism, though about 80 percent of potential users have such mild astigmatism that the glasses can still be very effective, Silver said.
Critics also have argued that the self-adjusting feature could keep people with eye diseases like glaucoma from visiting eye doctors who could catch the problem. Silver dismisses that as a major concern because in the locations most likely to benefit from the technology “there are insufficient professionals and no infrastructure” anyway to catch such diseases.
Perhaps most troubling, both the size and price of the glasses remain daunting. The current hefty model going for $19 a pair. Silver is working on streamlined versions, with hopes of getting the cost down to about $2 as manufacturing volume picks up.
“I’m not in this to make money. I wouldn’t mind make some money,” he says. “But my motivation is to take this technology and get it to people who need it.”
Adapted from: Sunita Sohrabji, ‘Google engineer adapts cell phone for blind’, IndiaWest.com
http://www.indiawest.com/readmore.aspx?id=911&sid=1, February 19, 2009
How functional would your cell phone be if you couldn't see its numbers? For many blind users, including Google engineer T.V. Raman, the small keyboards of a cell phone can be daunting.
So Raman is developing software to adapt T Mobile's G1 touchscreen phone - which uses Google's Android software - to make it friendlier for blind people and others with limited vision, such as the elderly.
"The small keyboard of a cell phone is not easy to use, particularly if you need one hand free," Raman told India-West in a telephone interview from Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. The blind generally need one hand free to hold a guide dog.
Cell phone screen readers - software that reads aloud the content of the screen - are available, but often cost as much as the cell phone itself, said Raman, whose adaptation to the G1 allows the phone to be used with a single hand.
Blind G1 users begin by touching anywhere on the screen. Raman's dialer interprets that first touch as 5, the center of a regular dial phone pad. The user can then slide a finger up, down or sideways to finish dialing the number. Mistakes can be corrected simply by shaking the phone. "You can actually use it with one hand," said the affable Raman, 43.
The G1 has been on the market since October 2008, and Raman is releasing his software free and as an open source over a Google website http://code.google.com/p/eyes-free/. Raman and his colleagues at Google are also tweaking the G1's GPS system to meet the needs of the blind.
Source: Accomplish, www.infonews.co.nz, February 16th 2009.
When blind entrepreneur Terry Bartlett, of Dunedin, New Zealand, decided to start his own business two years ago, one of his biggest headaches was finding accounting software he could use.
"I was taking a big risk going out on my own, and it was pretty scary," recalls the Managing Director of Corner Enterprises Ltd. "I didn't know how I was going to be able to write quotes, or send out invoices, let alone handle money, reconcile bank accounts, keep track of GST and taxes and so on.
"I jumped on the internet and looked at all the different accounting packages, all the brands you can think of. But none seemed right to me. Then I stumbled on Accomplish CashManager, and was able to download a trial version of their accounting software which worked OK on my screen."
Terry was using Windows Eyes screen reading software, and found that CashManager was the only accounting software that was not only accessible to him, but also immediately useable. "At that stage it was not perfect - no software ever is. But I knew I could get it to work, as I do have a good background in IT and in accessible technology."
Indeed, Terry's business is based around teaching clients touch typing, designing web pages, providing advice on IT and accessible technology, as well as assisting customers with property management and even organising coal and firewood deliveries in the chilly southern climes with his staff which has now grown to four personnel.
Over time Terry jotted down ideas on how Accomplish could make the software even better for the blind or visually impaired user. "They responded very positively" he says. "I went to Auckland to meet with their people, not really knowing what to expect. And all of a sudden I found myself working alongside these fun people, who are only too happy to work with users in making their software better for their needs. They've got a very accessible team of people who enjoy helping and supporting their customers. Today I almost feel like I'm part of their family."
Accomplish general manager Grant Hewson says Terry certainly helped the company realise there was a new niche market for its software. "Our technical and programming people were only too pleased to make the improvements he was suggesting, many related to everyday use by someone who is blind or visually impaired. We will be continuing to make further enhancements progressively, as we have a policy of continual improvement to ensure we meet the ever-changing needs of our clients."
"Whilst driven by the needs of blind people, the changes suggested by Terry and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind have resulted in enhanced usability for all keyboard users. The changes indirectly benefit those with occupational overuse syndrome, limited mobility or simply a preference for using the keyboard," adds Grant.
In terms of the product's accessibility, CashManager is recommended to blind and partially sighted people by the RNZFB. This follows a comprehensive audit of the accounting software by the Foundation in December 2008. CashManager works well with the three major screen-reading packages available today - Windows Eyes and JAWS from the USA, as well as HAL from the UK.
Terry concludes: "Creating your own business is quite scary, but also very exciting. I would like to encourage those of you who feel you aren't achieving as much as you would like to, to contact me. I would love to assist you in beginning something that will be highly fulfilling, wherever it may lead."
Background information on Accomplish and its software, including an audit report from the RNZFB, can be found in the Resources section of its website, www.accomplishglobal.com
Terry Bartlett, Managing Director, Corner Enterprises Ltd
Phone +64 03 484 7487, Mobile+64 21 206 3874,
email: terry@cornerenterprises.co.nz
Vision Australia are pleased to announce that the Equipment Solutions product range will now be available for sale at their Online Ship. Vision Australia believe that this is a significant step for them, in their dedication to making the right equipment solution easy for clients. You can now browse the products at Vision Australia’s online store, make your selections, add them to your shopping basket and order by following a few simple steps using the online checkout system.
The new online shop is more than just a shop, it also acts as an information resource to enable clients and customers to make informed product choices and select the right product for them. Most products now feature additional information including further detailed information, product benefits, points to consider before buying, helpful hints and comparisons to other similar products.
Vision Australia are also working on providing downloadable instruction manuals in both large print and audio (braille available on request). For a sneak preview of the manuals in large print, visit the talking clocks and watches page; https://secure.visionaustralia.org/visionaustralia/onlineshop/Product.aspx?CatlD=61
Vision Australia’s online store –
As the site is in its early stages, Vision Australia value any feedback you may have about the Online Shop. Please forward your comments to Luisa Ferronato at 02 9334 3368 or luisa.ferronato@visionaustralia.org
Scott Erichsen, a Disney cast member working for the Disney Travel Company recently experienced the opportunity to help evaluate a new project that Disney will soon make available in their Anaheim and Florida theme parks.
Later this year, the Disneyland resort will have audio description (AD) available at attractions such as Winnie the Pooh, the Finding Nemo Submarine and Pirates. Florida, already has some in place.
Guests will be required to put a deposit down on a receiver which is attached to a lanyard. They would have a handset on and as they walked up to the cue of an attraction the description would begin. The AD would be based on each segment of the attraction having frequencies which would be triggered based upon where the guest was at any moment.
Disneyworld will soon have lanyards that also have GPS receivers so that guests can tell where they are as they move through the theme park.
Scott explains this project as being ‘very impressive’, and is quite excited for people who are blind and vision impaired, who will be able to find Disney’s theme parks more accessible.
There is now a website which makes watching YouTube videos more accessible. Easy YouTube allows greater control through the keyboard, works well with screen readers, and has large icons. You can find Easy YouTube at http://icant.co.uk/easy-youtube
Apple’s new iPod Shuffle is the first Mp3/music player to give audio information for tracks and playlists. The iPod Shuffle can play all sorts of audio tracks, from songs to audiobooks. This tiny device (45.2 mm tall x 7.8 mm thin) has the capacity to hold approximately 1000 songs, which can be played in order, or on shuffle.
The audio feature is called VoiceOver. When using the iPod, the listener can press a button and without interrupting the track, VoiceOver tells them track information such as the title and artist, or the name of the playlist.
As the iPod is integrated with the computer software program iTunes, the voice you hear is dependent of what type of computer system you use when synching your iPod Shuffle (downloading from the computer to the iPod). iTunes automatically selects the language and best voice for your song titles and artist names. If you prefer to hear the information spoken in another language, you can change the designated VoiceOver language for that song in the iTunes software.
Whilst this product is not specifically designed for people who are blind or vision impaired, it will be very useful, and is a step closer to having accessible portable music players.
Source: The Motorcycle Diaries is Article 2 found at ‘A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles’:
http://www.worldtour.org.uk/list%20of%20articles,%20interviews%20and%20publications.htm
Trainee Housing Coordinator, Cathy Birchall, describes her motorcycle odyssey…
A visually impaired person rarely gets the opportunity to trave 2,500 miles on a motorcycle through England, Ireland, Spain and France. Almost four months later, my experience seems somewhat surreal! Meanwhile, the rider of the BMW motorcycle which I travelled on the back of, still wonders how he ended up with a blind passenger and a disabled parking permit on his windshield.
The initial stage of our trip was a fleeting journey to visit family in Ireland. This short trip made me excited about what was to come, as we headed back to England before our 21 hour crossing to Spain. However, by the time we got off the bike at Plymouth, I was no longer excited. Following our 350-mile ride, 50,000 needles seemed to be stabbing my backside as the circulation returned! My sympathetic driver stifled his laughter at my wobbly first steps as I mumbled, “Where’s the cabin? I think I need to lie down.”
As we climbed the Pyrenees and the Alps of Provence to 8,900 feet on mountain roads, while the clouds scudded past below us, the sense of isolation and space was overwhelming. Using and intercom, my companion described the scenes to me as we criss-crossed through Spain and France.
I can still hear and feel the sound and vibration of the engine as we accelerated around bends which made my world tilt and shift. The echoes, as we blasted through Alpine tunnels, reverberated in my head and cold air from the rocks wrapped around me… before I was magically warm again as we reappeared into the sun.
I have always believed that being blind is about seeing the world in a different way. That’s all. I have seen a part of the worlds that many people do not get to experience. I have painted pictures in my head and I am happy.
I have survived ending up in a ditch in the Alps with the bike on top of me and the memory is still a good one!
However, my enduring image is of my companion unloading my mountain of clothes (which I will now admit that I didn’t need!) from the bike. After he had done so, he wandered off scratching his head and muttering something under his breath… I only caught the word ‘women’ as he rode off.
I am currently planning a round-the-world trip by motorcycle, to explore visual impairment in other countries and cultures.
Source: Vision Australia News Archive – Online; http://www.visionaustralia.org/info.aspx?page=823&news=925, 30th January 2009.
Vision Australia’s Special Projects Manager, Gerrard Gosens, has a list of achievements as long as his pet Paralympic event – the 1500 metres. He has competed in numerous marathons and has run the 2,000 kilometres from Cairns to Brisbane five times to raise money for charity.
Since being named Young Queenslander of the Year in 1995 he has reached Camp 3 at Everest (7,300 metres above sea level) and represented Australia at two Paralympic games.
It’s little wonder that in 2007 he was asked to become an Australian Day Ambassador, a duty that he still performs with pride. Read below for his personal account of what this honour means to him.
Sixty seconds with Australia Day Ambassador Gerrard Gosens
What was your first thought when told you were an Ambassador?
I have been given another great opportunity to express my pride about being an Australian. I have contributed to the Australia Day Ambassador Program for the last 5 years. It has been a privilege to reflect and portray my feelings about Australia. I was able to share my personal stories and my most honoured moments, such as walking into the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, Opening Ceremony and the incredible pride and spirit one feels whilst wearing the green and gold.
What types of questions were asked of you on the day?
How do we implement programs to assist people who are blind or have low vision to participate and achieve the College curriculum? (I spoke at the Agricultural College)
A great deal of questions about my experiences on Mount Everest.
Many questions were asked to gain some understandings about what it is like to be totally blind.
What were the top 3 highlights of your day?
Racing against Matt Welsh over 50 metres at the opening of the Longreach Memorial pool. With true 'ozzie larrikinism', we lined up on the starting blocks; stepped off the blocks, and raced. I won! (Gerrard actually climbed back out of the pool, ran down the side of the pool, jumped back in at the 49m mark and touched the end of the pool before his opponent)
Speaking to the resilient people of Longreach. (Gerrard attended seven events from Sunday to Tuesday)
The 747 Wing walk at the Qantas museum.
What advice do you have for others wanting to make a difference?
Everyone can make a worthwhile contribution and therefore a significant difference! Believe you can and remember that "Whether you win or lose is by the way you choose."
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 March 27, 2009 to Jessica Zammit by mail (Ross House, Level 3, 247-251 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000), email jessica.zammit@bca.org.au or call (03) 9654 1400.