On Tuesday, 3rd June, BCA Inform was held to explore the impact of the recent Australian Federal election on disability policy, with a focus on the blind and vision impaired community. The session was facilitated by BCA President, Vaughn Bennison and featured Corey Crawford, Policy Advisor at Vision 2020, who drew on his extensive knowledge in politics and disability advocacy to unpack the implications of the Federal election results.
Vaughn and Corey reinforced the importance of ongoing advocacy to drive systemic change. They encouraged BCA members to share their personal experiences to support these efforts and underscored the critical role of organisations like BCA and Vision 2020 in shaping policy outcomes.
Issues raised by attendees included the exclusion of people who are blind or vision impaired from jury duty and ongoing inaccessibility in government communications – an area where progress has been slow. The session concluded with updates on structural changes, including the transition of the NDIA to the Department of Health, Disability and Aged Care, with time to demonstrate what this might look like in practice.