Media Enquiries
If you would like BCA to comment in relation to an issue that is relevant to people who are blind or vision impaired please contact media@bca.org.au
18 May 2021
20% of people in Australia identify as having a disability yet people with disability make up only 7.3% of higher education enrolments. On top of this, students with disability are the second lowest funded equity group attending tertiary institutions. To address the financial barriers to tertiary education, BCA has launched the BCA Hugh Jeffrey Scholarship Program which is exclusively available to students who are blind or vision impaired.
31 March 2021
One in seven people have a disability, but fewer than 1 in 14 of board level executives identify as a person with disability. Whilst there is support for people with disability to participate in entry-level roles in corporate and not for profit organisations, there are very few opportunities for people with disability to take on managerial and executive positions. In order to address the systemic barriers to disability leadership, BCA has launched an Executive Leadership Program that is exclusively available to Australians who are blind or vision impaired.
31 January 2021
Blind Citizens Australia congratulates Uber and the Victorian Government for introducing subsidised Uber fares for people eligible for the multipurpose taxi program following a successful pilot last year. The organisation urges other state governments to follow Victoria’s lead to ensure all Australians with disability have access to affordable door to door transport.
23 June 2020
After twenty-five years of campaigning, people who are blind or vision impaired will finally be able to enjoy television with family and friends when Audio Description (AD) is launched by Australia’s public broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, on 28 June.
21 May 2020
The #BeThatPerson campaign is a collaboration between Blind Citizens Australia and The Kindness Pandemic. For people who are blind or vision impaired, COVID-19 presents unique challenges. Social distancing is difficult because guide dogs and white canes can’t measure the required 1.5 metres, see the new markings on the floor for queuing or read the signs at shops about COVID-19 precautions. These difficulties mean some people who are blind or vision impaired may feel nervous going out and are spending more time at home than usual. There are some simple ways the whole community can help.
View the full media release here.
18 December 2019
A national aids, equipment and assistive technology program should be established to meet the needs of people with disability who are not eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, says an alliance of organisations spanning the ageing and disability sectors. In its submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, The Assistive Technology for All Alliance (ATFA) – lodged last week – has called for people with disability over the age of 65 to have the same access to assistive technology as younger people who qualify for the NDIS.
View the full media release here
Information about making a submission
16 December 2019
Australians who are blind or vision impaired are celebrating today following an announcement by the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts that funding will be made available to Australia’s public broadcasters to implement Audio Description. Read the full media release here.
10 November 2019
Emma Bennison, BCA’s CEO, recently went public about her experience making a submission to the disability royal commission.
Read her Probono Australia article
Listen to her interview on Radio National Breakfast
25 June, 2019
Thanks to strong advocacy by Blind Citizens Australia, its members and partner organisations, participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme will now receive correspondence in their preferred format. Read the full media release.
30 May, 2019
Peak bodies Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) and Deafblind Australia (DBA) have called on all airlines to implement policies to make their practices fully inclusive and respectful towards all passengers, irrespective of their impairment. Read the full media release.
20 May, 2019
Dear Mr Morrison,
In your victory speech on Saturday night, you said that you would govern for “all Australians”. That statement gave many people with disability hope that they would have a stronger voice and that their needs would be given higher priority by your Government in this parliamentary term. Read the full open letter.
28 June, 2018
Blind Citizens Australia, as part of their commitment to providing opportunities for young people who are blind or vision impaired, has selected four teenagers this July to attend Enchanted Hills Summer Camp in California, USA. Read the full media release.
24 May, 2018
Minister for Communications, Mitch Fifield continues Australia’s shameful track record of keeping Australians who are blind or vision-impaired waiting to find out when they will have the right to enjoy the full experience of television which sighted viewers take for granted. Read the full media release.
May 2018
APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority) has just released the report of its inquiry into The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), finding the bank’s culture “insular” and an environment where learning from experiences and mistakes was ignored. Read the full media release.
May 2018
The Australian Government has committed $56 million in grant funding to help make Australia more inclusive for people with disability. Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) has been announced as a successful provider for projects in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia commencing in the 2018/2019 financial year. Read the full media release.