Every second year Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) hosts a national convention, with state conventions held in the years between national events. This page includes some recordings of sessions from our most recent conventions and forums, and other events that may be of interest to people who are blind or vision impaired. Please note that due to limited resources we are not able to record all state events.
Visit our Events page to find out what’s coming up at BCA.
- BCA Conversations – Chat with Emma Bennison
- BCA Connect 2022
- An Eye to the Future – Employment Symposium
- Emma Bennison’s Farewell
- BCA’s 46th Annual General Meeting
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities (2021) Speech featuring Martin Stewart
- BCA Awards Ceremony 2021
- BCA Connect 2021
- Happy Hour – Sleep with Dr Bei Bei
- National Reconciliation Week 2021
- BCA’s 45th Annual General Meeting
- BCA Connect 2020
- BCA Inform
- Health Forum held by the Sydney Branch on 26 September 2020
- 2019 National Convention
- 2017 National Convention
BCA Awards Ceremony 2021
The BCA Awards Ceremony (held online this year) on International White Cane Day, the 15th of October. A night where BCA recognises the contributions that others have made to People of the Blind and Vison Impaired Community. Here you can hear the entire event, the beautiful singing of Julee-Anne Belle, presentations of the David Blyth award, the Dianna Braun Aspirations award, and the BCA Certificates of Appreciation.
Listen to the Awards Ceremony here.
BCA Connect 2021
Our virtual conference for 2021 was held on 29th May. You can access recordings from the sessions below.
- Session One: Raising Your Voice – Welcome, Keynote Address, and panel discussion on communications technology
- Session Two: Having Your Voice Heard – the path to an independent, secret, and verifiable vote
- Session Three: Where to Next? – wayfinding in today’s world
- Session Four A: Taking Charge – resilience
- Session four B: Taking Charge – the entrepreneurial mindset
BCA’s 45th Annual General Meeting
Our AGM covering the year 2019-2020 was held on Saturday 28th November 2020 via Zoom.
BCA Connect 2020
Our first virtual conference, held via Zoom, took place on 17 October 2020. Recordings and presentations from the event are listed below.
- Audio Description – with Paul Fletcher, Michael Coonan, Gerry Neustatl, Alison Myers and Dr Lynne Davis
- Disability Royal Commission – with Prof Ron McCallum AO, Clara Crompton, Rikki Chaplin and Emma Vardy
- Making a Complaint – with Dr Ben Gauntlett, Daniel Stubbs, Robert Griew, Janet Anderson and Martin Stewart
- BCA Connect Full Transcript
- NSW State Forum presentation
BCA Inform
- November 2023: Responding to the Disability Royal Commission
- October 2023: Voice to Parliament Referendum
- September 2023: Standing for Election
- July 2023: Challenges with Taxi and Rideshare Services
- June 2023: Talking healthcare with the National Policy Council
- May 2023: Support workers
- April 2023: Self-advocacy
- March 2023: Member Consultation – Constitution Review
- February 2023: Member Engagement
- December 2022: Audio Description
- November 2022: An Update on the Disability Royal Commission
- October 2022: BCA Elections
- September 2022: NDIS Update
- August 2022: Banking and Financial Services
- July 2022: Strategic Plan
- June 2022: Concessions
- May 2022: Federal Election
- April 2022: Employment
- March 2022: Education
- February 2022- NDIS Participant Portal and “My NDIS” Mobile App
- December 2021 – E-Scooters and Pedestrian Safety
- November 2021 – Employment
- October 2021: Standing for election
- September 2021: Recommendations session
- August 2021: Policy, Projects and Future Prospects
- July 2021: Wayfinding – let the adventures begin, again!
- May 2021: Taxi and Rideshare Services
- April 2021: BCA’s Service Charter
- March 2021: BCA’s International Engagement
- February 2021: The Year to Come: An Overview of BCA’s 2021 Project-based Opportunities for Member Engagement
- December 2020: The Year That Was – a panel discussion of BCA’s 2020
- November 2020: Round Table on NDIA Independent Assessments and the Participant Charter
National Convention 2019
In 2019 the National Convention was held in Hobart from 29 – 31 March. You can find recordings of Convention Sessions and Workshops below.
- Listen to Workshop 1A – Doing it Our Way
- Listen to Workshop 1B – Beyond the Bare Minimum, the Future of Audio Description in Australia
- Listen to Workshop 2A – Braille Music: From the Perkins to the World
- Listen to Workshop 2B – Diverse Experiences of Blindness
- Listen to Session 1 – Opening
- Listen to Session 2 – With an Eye to the Future
- Listen to Session 3 – Blindness Services in the 21st Century
- Listen to Session 4 – New Developments in Australia’s Blindness Service
- Listen to Session 5 – From Past to Present
- Listen to Session 5A – Ultimate Independence
- Listen to Session 5B – Life Hacks for Surviving Hospital
- Listen to Session 5C – Taking the Stress out of Travelling Alone
- Listen to Session 5D – When Blindness is Not Your Only Impairment
- Listen to Session 6 – The NDIS and My Aged Care
- Listen to Session 7 – BCA Your Way: Recommendations
- Listen to the Convention Dinner – Award Presentations
National Convention 2017
In 2017 the National Convention was held in Melbourne on 13, 14 and 15 October.
- Listen to Session 1 Opening
- Listen to Session 2 Blindness an Information Disability
- Listen to Session 3 Emerging Technologies
- Listen to Session 4 Enchanted Hills Camp
- Listen to Session 5 Emotional Wellbeing
- Listen to Session 6 Frances Gentle
- Listen to Session 7 Getting a job Session A
- Listen to Session 7b Getting a job Session B
- Listen to Session 8 Recommendations and Close
- Listen to Workshop 4a My Age Care
- Listen to Workshop 4b The NDIS
- Listen to Workshop 5a Living in the Country
To listen to older recordings, visit our Past Publications page.