by Dr Graeme Innes AM
I attended my first BCA Convention in Sydney in my very early 20s. They have been a golden thread throughout my life ever since.
When I think about the mentors I have had throughout my life most of them have been blind. That’s no coincidence. I am constantly benefitting from the awareness of the achievements of many others who do things that I thought as a blind person I could not do. Through their demonstrable achievements, and their willingness to share their knowledge, my life has been a success.
Being a husband and a dad, being a lawyer and a senior public servant, being a mentor and guide to many others. I could not have done these things without other blind people.
And most of the blind people I met were through BCA conventions. Once held in hotels around the country, where many of us travelled by train because it was less expensive, and reported on in hard copy braille and large print through our magazine BUFF.
This magazine, an acronym for Blind Unity, Fellowship and Fulfillment, was the conduit for information outside conventions. As well as our radio programme New Horizons.
These days it’s the internet – BC News arrives in a digital file, our radio programme is also now a podcast, and social media shares our immediate news.
But the thread which runs through it all is the chance for blind people to gather in conventions. Whether it’s to hone our speaking and debating skills, share and receive encouragement about our challenges through life, or get a quick tip on a new iPhone app, there’s nothing like doing it face-to-face.
The two key differences BCA has to most other blindness organisations are; first, that we are blind people speaking for ourselves, not service providers speaking on our behalf. And second, that we have the chance to share our knowledge with others who, due to our lived experience, have the first-hand knowledge themselves.
Our conventions are the perfect vehicle for both. May they long and regularly continue.