Access News – Volume 1, 2013
Certificate IV in Access Consulting
Enrolments open for courses commencing in Brisbane - March 2013, Melbourne May 2013, Sydney - July 2013 - book online now - places limited. Courses also
available ‘in house’.
New IATA Nationally Recognised Access Courses for 2013
The only courses of this type in Australia - book now!
IATA has developed a range of new and exciting nationally recognised access
courses for 2013. These incorporate units of competency from the Certificate IV and
Diploma in Access Consulting. They will allow students to complete either
individual units or groups of units, or a whole qualification. See the IATA training
calendar in this Access News for further details.
Enrol in any of these courses on the IATA website or send an email with your details
to info@accessinstitute.com.au and we will forward further details.
Access Considerations in Disasters and Emergencies
From bush fires to floods, tornados to top temperatures, Australian communities bear
the brunt of a wide range of ‘natural disasters’ on an epic scale. Planning for
emergency evacuation is critical, especially for people with additional access
challenges, older adults and small children.
For the thousands of people with disabilities and other access challenges, surviving
a disaster can be extremely difficult and can pose ongoing issues that must be
addressed once the immediate disaster has passed. This has been brought to our
attention again, with the death of a person using a wheelchair in the recent floods in
Queensland.
Inaccessible environments become much more challenging and often impossible to
utilise during and after an emergency. For example, people with physical disabilities
may not be able to reach accessible exits, or gain access to their personal items and
emergency supplies. People with vision and hearing loss and people with speech
related disabilities often encounter many more communication barriers, especially
when regular communication channels are down or overloaded. These barriers
appear at a time when rapid communication may be crucial to survival and safety.
Emergency or disaster planning includes preparing individuals, organisations and
staff to deal with natural and manmade disasters; to support people with disabilities
in preparing for a disaster; and to provide education and information to ensure local
and statewide emergency officials are fully prepared to address the needs of people
with disabilities in the event of an emergency.
Often the needs of people with disabilities in emergency preparedness are
unaddressed or plans are not well coordinated, leaving individuals with disabilities
unnecessarily vulnerable in the event of an emergency.
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The critical needs of individuals with access challenges during an emergency include
the evacuation of people using transport systems (e.g. underground rail), getting to
safe shelter in the event of a natural disaster.
If you, an employee or someone close to you has a disability or particular access
challenge, you may have to take additional steps to protect yourself and your family
in an emergency.
If you are an employer, ensure that the needs of people with access challenges are
considered and evacuation ‘drills’ include practising the evacuation strategies for
staff with disabilities or other access challenges.
It’s not good enough to think it will be O.K. and that people will just manage when the
disaster hits. We all need to be ready and consider the following:
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People with vision impairment may need to depend on others to lead them. A
guide dog could become confused or disoriented in a disaster
People with hearing impairment may need to make specific arrangements to
receive warnings
People with mobility challenges may need assistance to get to a shelter
People with special dietary needs should take precautions to have an
adequate emergency food supply
People with medical conditions should know the location and availability of
more than one facility if dependent on a dialysis machine or other lifesustaining equipment or treatment
People with intellectual disabilities may need help responding to emergencies
and getting to a shelter
People with dementia should be supported and arrangements made for them
to stay with a carer.
Preparedness must begin with each of us. Preparation, which includes practice, is
the key to success in dealing with a disaster. Preparation is an ongoing process.
Keep in mind the usual means of support and assistance may not be available
during an evacuation and after the disaster. Prepare a personal disaster plan today tomorrow may be too late.
Citation: Disabled World News - Information regarding disaster and emergency planning and
procedures for seniors and persons with disabilities in emergencies: http://www.disabledworld.com/disability/emergency/#ixzz2JIyi6ruX
Masterchef Raises Awareness of Assistive Listening Technology
After a lengthy summer advertising campaign, Channel 10 has launched the new
series of hit show Masterchef, this time focusing on contestants who are already
professionals in the food and beverage industry.
Episode one featured a brief background of many of the contestants, including 23
year old Bonny Porter, a chef at Neil Perry’s famous Rockpool Bar and Grill in
Sydney.
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Our first introduction to the young chef comes prior to host Matt Preston addressing
the contestants for the first time. Porter politely steps forward and asks the host if he
could wear a lapel microphone, a part of her assistive listening device.
Since the age of seven, Porter has been deaf in both ears, making her a master lipreader. She is such a good lip-reader in fact, that according to producer Margie
Bashfield, “production had to be careful about talking in her line of sight in case we
inadvertently gave anything away."
"Matt and Marco (Pierre White) were very conscious of the fact that they needed to
be looking at her when speaking. Her team members were always aware of this too."
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/deaf-and-determined-to-dazzlein-the-kitchen-20130110-2ciji.html
iPhone 5 Noise Cancellation Feature
Over the recent holiday period, Apple launched two new commercials for its iPhone
5, with one highlighting the phone’s noise cancellation feature. The iPhone 5′s clever
microphones block out background noise to provide the user with clearer calls.
According to the commercial, narrated by Hollywood actor Jeff Daniels, “when the
world gets noisy, calls sound better.”
The noise cancellation feature is potentially very beneficial for people who are hard
of hearing, and require as little interference as possible to use a device such as a
telephone.
Although Apple has aggressively marketed this feature of it’s iPhone 5, noise
cancellation is not unique to the company, with Samsung and Nokia amongst other
brands who also utilize the technology in their mobile phones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVs5zFNeTqU
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A rear microphone which cancels out background noise during phone calls is pointed
out in a new Apple commercial.
Space Age Spatial Awareness
Special glasses for people who are blind that could take the place of white canes
and guide dogs may be available in two years. They are designed to stop legally
blind people with a small amount of residual vision from bumping into things.
They use tiny cameras in the frames to project images on to the lenses, which
become brighter the closer an object is. From January, the glasses will be tested in a
series of trials involving 160 people with severely impaired sight in Oxford and
London.
Developer Dr Stephen Hicks, from Oxford University, expects a pair of the glasses to
cost £600 – far less than the £30,000 it costs to train a guide dog. He said: “This is
not restoring sight, but we can improve spatial awareness.”
Berlin Becoming Barrier Free
The Access City Award 2013 for disabled-friendly cities has been awarded to Berlin.
The award is organised by the European Commission together with the European
Disability Forum.
Berlin was selected as winner by the jury for its strategic and inclusive disability
policy, which has invested heavily in turning the formerly divided city into an
accessible, barrier-free environment. The jury highlighted Berlin’s transport system
and investment in accessibility for disabled people in reconstruction projects. Berlin's
comprehensive approach to accessibility is fully embedded in the city’s policies and
broadly supported by its decision-makers.
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Free Mobile apps for Sign Language (AUSLAN) and Communication
With usage of smartphones and tablets increasing every day, it is important to keep
an eye on the many new apps and programs becoming available.
AuslanToGo is an offline mobile dictionary based on The Auslan Dictionary for
Teachers, Parents, and Professionals: 2012 Edition. There are two versions of the
app available in Apple’s App Store, and the Android Marketplace: ‘AuslanToGo –
Lite’ is free and features over 100 unique signs, with each clearly illustrated. The full
version of the app features over 2000 signs and costs $19.99.
‘Phrase Board Junior’ is another free app which can assist communication. The app
contains several basic words and phrases which can be pointed to in order to
communicate without speaking. The phrases are categorized into basic messages,
medical instruction, and single word responses.
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We have uploaded student photos from a range of IATA courses as well as links to
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Did You Know?
Australia’s representatives in the wheelchair tennis section of the Australian Open,
Adam Kellerman and Daniela Di Toro, both made it through to the quarter finals.
Institute of Access Training Australia
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IATA Access to the Built Environment Training Calender 2013
Certificate IV in Access Consulting – CPP40811 – 10 days
Brisbane: 20th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 26th March and 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th, 19th June 2013
Melbourne: 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 22nd May and 15th, 16th, 19th, 20th, 21st August 2013
Sydney: 25th, 26th, 29th, 30th, 31st July and 9th, 10th, 11th, 14th, 15th October 2013
Conduct and Access Audit – Buildings, 2 day course
Melbourne: 13th & 14th May 2013
Brisbane: 20th & 21st June 2013
Sydney: 15th & 16th July 2013
Melbourne: 8th & 9th August 2013
Adelaide: 16th & 17th September 2013
Conduct a Transport Infrastructure and Conveyance Access Audit, 2 day
course (NEW)
Brisbane: 14th & 15th March 2013
Melbourne 29th & 30th April 2013
Sydney: 18th & 19th July 2013
Conduct a Playground and Outdoor Recreation Area Access Audit, 2 day
course (NEW)
Perth: 18th & 19th April 2013
Melbourne: 12th & 13th August 2013
Adelaide: 19th & 20th September 2013
Sydney: 17th & 18th October 2013
Conduct an Education Facility Access Audit, 2 day course (NEW)
Melbourne: 28th & 29th August 2013
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Adelaide: 23rd & 24th September 2013
Sydney: 21st & 22nd October 2013
Interpreting Access Legislation and Standards, 1 day course (NEW)
Brisbane: 13th March 2013
Melbourne: 30th May 2013
Adelaide: 26th September 2013
Sydney: 30th October 2013
Read, Interpret and Assess Plans for Access, 2 day course (NEW)
Melbourne: 27th & 28th May 2013
Brisbane: 24th & 25th June 2013
Sydney: 28th & 29th October 2013
Conduct a Streetscape and Activity Centre Access Audit, 2 day course (NEW)
Brisbane: 18th & 19th March 2013
Melbourne: 27th & 28th May 2013
Sydney: 24th & 25th October 2013
Contact us at info@accessinstitute.com.au to register
Institute of Access Training Australia
www.accessinstitute.com.au