L,
RAINBOW NEWS
CFN: 15925
JANUARY2012
This Newsletter comes to you from the Hand Over Hand Club. The club is a
self-determining group of people with both hearing and vision loss. It is an important
part of the DeafBlind Association of NSW and is assisted by Vision Australia formerly
Royal Blind Society of NSW. The club provides interesting outings, information and
social interaction for its members. The newsletter is produced in Braille, Large Print,
Regular size print, as a word doc, on CD and can be sent by e-mail.
Put yourself on the mailing list by ringing Janne Bidenko 02 9456 2372 / 0419 420
239 Voice OR send a fax to DBA FAX: 02 9744 0171 Fax anytime OR e-mail to
dbansw@bigpond.com.
Our website address is: http://www.dbansw.org.au
We meet on the last Saturday of each month except December.
We welcome all articles from members.
Articles, inquiries, comments and general correspondence may be sent to:
The Deafblind Association (NSW)
P.O. Box 1295
Strathfield NSW 2135
This month’s articles:
- SANTA CAME TO TOWN - by Tony Hirst
- JANNE’S CORNER
- CHRISTMAS RAFFLE
- BIRTHDAYS
- DEAFBLIND ASSOCIATION (NSW) INC. - MINUTES OF AGM HELD AT
BURWOOD RSL ON SATURDAY 29 JANUARY 2011
- NSW DISABILITY NETWORK FORUM
- COAG ENDORSES NATIONAL DISABILITY SCHEME
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- SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT – Mr John Robertson Leader of the Opposition,
NSW Parliament
-UPDATE ON FUNDING APPLICATIONS AND SUBMISSIONS
- DARWIN READER - ANDROID BOOK READER - Erica Webb BCA-WA
-DBA / HAND OVER HAND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, SATURDAY
28th JANUARY 2012 by Tony Hirst.
- MEMBERSHIP LETTER AND RENEWAL APPLICATION FORM
SANTA CAME TO TOWN - by Tony Hirst.
Sunday 27th November dawned cloudy & threatening, but this gave way to a perfect
sunny day for the DBA Christmas Party.
Most people arrived around 11AM with Santa arriving around Midday. The jolly man
in red proceeded to spread goodwill, cheer and presents among our many
enthusiastic party goers.
Our Christmas Party guest list included, Janne Bidenko, Pat Robinson, Irene McMinn,
Rae Williams, Jesse Connolly, Wayne Bushell, RosSackley, John Hutt, Holly Hutt,
Beth Valentine, Peter Risby, Emily Wu, James Waugh, Lachlan Clear, Petta
Patterson, Ian Parebo with staff Ross, Felicity Douglas, Tony Hirst, David Dawson,
Mark Hoarau, Gaie Barrett, Cindy Scarcella, Mick Plowman, Juanita McLeod, Leonie
& Kwame Ahenkan, Joe Habib, Shayne McDonagh, Shane (Woody) Woodbridge,
Sue Macleod, Dean Hanlon, Brett McCreath, Leanne Brimms, Donald Snowfoot,
Donny with staff Ken, Nolan Fraser, Chris Hammond, Barbara Fleming, Cathy
Robinson, Graham, Sue, Janaleen Wolfe, Allan Bornefield, Kala Williams,
CarlieNimmo, JenniParkes, Elaine Vey-Cox, Del Vey-Cox, Steven Parkes, Jenny
Parkes, Tia Parkes, AelaParkes, Rick Vey-Cox, Wheely Warriors - Brett Kelly,
George Zamanos, Hans Kumpel, Richard Bassett and Santa Claus, Amber House,
Neridah Wooldridge, Cathy Palmer, Libby Page, Graham Lamont, Patrick Slaven,
Neil, Trish Wetton, Nell & Robert Bennett, Margaret & Henry Pan.
The team of volunteers put together a great lunch with everyone hoho hoeing into
BBQ sausages & onions, chicken sticks, Potato salad, Tabouleh, Rice & Egg salad,
Carrot salad, Crunchy Noodle salad, Pasta salad, Coleslaw and bread rolls washed
down with various cold drinks, tea and coffee. Then everyone hoed in to the banana
cake and chocolate cake served with custard.
After lunch some of the revellers took advantage of the great weather to have a swim
in the pool. Others took turns to go for rides around the carpark on the specially fitted
out motor bikes with the Wednesday Wheely Warriors.
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With all the smiles and laughter and chatter it was apparent that everyone enjoyed
the day. This was confirmed by the people who called, emailed and left messages
thanking DBA for a great Christmas Party.
This would not be complete without thanking the many people who supplied,
prepared, cooked and served our lunch, drove the vehicles, watched and helped and
supervised us, cleaned up after us, participated, smiled, laughed, encouraged, took
photos and had a great time with us - THANK YOU!
JANNE’S CORNER
I hope you all had a Happy Christmas, we started well with our Christmas party on
Sunday 27th November, at RIDBC North Rocks. This went off swimmingly, especially
for those using the pool, and at a pace for those enjoying the motorbike rides from
Wednesday Warriors. Santa handed out gifts and we all ate wonderful food prepared
by JenniParkes and her team of helpers. A good time was had by all.
Happy New Year to everyone, I hope 2012 will be a good one, and that we will make
more impact on the Government, this year, to address the important Deafblind issues.
December was a busy month, beginning with a NSW Disability Network Forum
Meeting on 29th November.
The NSW Disability Network Forum received
presentations on that day, from Department Family & Community Services, Ageing
Disability and Home Care (ADHC). These were followed up with a submission to
ADHC re the NDS Implementation Plan, prior to this going to COAG, and a Meeting
with the Director, about this, on 21st December.
Irene and I were busy selling raffle tickets at Pennant Hills, on 3rd December, where
we raised $200 on tickets plus another $100 in donations, people there are very
generous. It did lead to the first 3 prizes going to people in that area though. In all
we raised $530 in the Christmas raffle and $162 in donations while selling these, a
boost to our funds of $692.
We finished up Craft with a party on 9thDecember, thanks go to Pat and Vivien for
keeping this going well during 2011. We look forward to great things in 2012. We
have also acquired two new drivers to bring ladies to craft in the new year, they have
answered our advertisement through Centre for Volunteering. Kamal, an older man
looking for volunteering in his retirement (his wife told him he needs to get out of the
house more!) met the ladies on the 9th, but will actually start driving from 10th
February, our first meeting for the year. The ladies liked him and he was very
impressed with the greeting he received from them. Sanj is a young man, studying
Ophthalmology, he will act as a back-up to Kamal, but will also get to meet more
people and do more in 2012, possibly driving one of the buses as well. We also have
a possible new volunteer for HOH, Shaun, who will come along to meet people in the
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new year. We will be holding a Volunteer Training Day on 10thMarch, it would be
great to see ‘old volunteers’ there as well to encourage the new ones.
We also finished up 2011 with our DBA meeting on the evening of the 9 th December,
thank you to the committee for all the work done throughout the year. We have 2
nominations for re-election, but look forward to hearing from anyone who would like to
put their names forward for this in 2012, either let Tony or me know beforehand, but
definitely come along to the AGM, where we will also ratify our new Constitution, on
28th January. Please bring your new application forms and membership forms with
you – or send them in early in 2012.
I am looking forward to a holiday in Melbourne, visiting Kris and family, before we get
down to business for 2012. This morning I saw my grandson Walt off to Vietnam, for
nearly a month, with his school and World Challenge. I am sure they will have a
wonderful time there.
CHRISTMAS RAFFLE
1st Prize
2nd Prize
3rd Prize
4th Prize
Kerryn, Pennant Hills
Jill, Thornleigh
John Pollock, Cheltenham
Alan Bornefeldt, Mt Druitt
BIRTHDAYS
We will start with Peter Minter on 31st December, who I had marked down as the 1st
January. Happy Birthday Peter, and a very happy birthday to all our January
“birthday people”
1st
Eliza McEwin
th
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Peter Tarrant
th
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Evelyn Ferry
nd
22 Jade Engelhardt
And 2nd February Yannis Chong.
DEAFBLIND ASSOCIATION (NSW) INC. - MINUTES OF AGM HELD AT
BURWOOD RSL ON SATURDAY 29 JANUARY 2011
The meeting opened at 1.30PM with President Mark welcoming everyone.
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ROLL CALL: Mark Hoarau, Tony Hirst, Felicity Douglas, Joe Habib, Gaie Barrett,
Irene McMinn, Linda Finucane, Melissa Norris, Juanita Mcleod, RosSackley, Nell
Bennett, Robert Bennett, Caroline Hindmarsh, Peter Minter, Laurie Kingshott.
APOLOGIES: Janne Bidenko, Dean Hanlon, Leanne Brimms, Brett McCreath, Chris
Hammond, Cindy Scarcella, Leonie Ahenkan, Kwame Ahenkan.
The President then called for a 1 minute silence to remember members, family and
friends who have passed away.
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: Tony stated that the minutes of the previous
AGM were published in Rainbow News January 2011 and moved that they be taken
as read. Seconded by David Dawson, there being no dissension the motion was
carried.
REPORTS: Tony stated that the various reports have been published in the last 2
editions of Rainbow News and moved that they be taken as read. Seconded by Gaie,
there being no dissension the motion was carried.
Lawrie read excerpts from the Auditors report. Lawrie moved that the Auditors report
be accepted. Seconded David Dawson, there being no dissension the motion was
carried.
ELECTION:
Mark then handed the meeting over to our Returning Officer, LawrieKingshott.
Lawrie called for a vote of thanks for the outgoing committee and the work they have
done for the past 12 months.
He then declared all positions vacant and asked for nominations.
PRESIDENT: Mark Hoarau accepted nomination for President by Tony Hirst.
Seconded by Nell Bennett, Mark Hoarau was declared President unopposed.
VICE PRESIDENT: Gaie Barrett accepted nomination by Tony Hirst. Seconded by
Mark Hoarau, Gaie was declared Vice President unopposed.
TREASURER: Tony Hirst nominated Peter Minter. David Dawson nominated Tony
Hirst who declined. Seconded by Mark Hoarau, Peter Minter was declared Treasurer
unopposed subject to payment of his annual subscription.
CORRESPONDENCE SECRETARY: Irene McMinn accepted nomination by Felicity
Douglas. Seconded by Nell, Irene McMinn was declared Correspondence Secretary
unopposed.
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JOINT MINUTES SECRETARIES: Tony Hirst and RosSackley accepted nomination
by Irene McMinn. Seconded by Felicity Douglas, Ros& Tony were declared Joint
Minute Secretaries unopposed.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Nell Bennett declined nomination. Joe Habib, Felicity
Douglas, LawrieKingshott all accepted nomination. Tony nominated Leonie Ahenkan
subject to her acceptance. Joe, Felicity, and Lawrie accepted appointment to the
committee.
SUB COMMITTEES:
RAINBOW NEWS – The following were appointed to the Rainbow News Sub
Committee subject to their acceptance: Peter Mulham (accepted), Janne Bidenko,
Tony Hirst (accepted), LawrieKingshott (accepted).
HOH: The following were appointed to the HOH Sub Committee, subject to their
acceptance: Irene McMinn (accepted) Tony Hirst (accepted), Nell Bennett (accepted),
Janne Bidenko, LawrieKingshott (accepted)
DB AWARENESS WEEK - Janne Bidenko, Irene McMinn
There will be appointments to various other committees such as Craft Committee, DB
Awareness Week Committee, Fundraising Committee, etc. which will be dealt with at
the first Committee meeting.
Lawrie then congratulated all the Office Bearers and Committee Members and then
asked President Mark Hoarau to chair the rest of the AGM.
BACK TO THE AGM
Mark thanked Lawrie for his work as Returning Officer. He also thanked everyone for
expressing confidence in him by returning him to the office of President. He then
congratulated the 2011 Committee.
David Dawson spoke about moving the date of the Christmas party and this will be
discussed in the HOH subcommittee.
Suggested HOH activities: Swimming, Zoo, Bondi Beach, Kendall’s Beach Kiama,
Hunter Valley, Circus, Theatre, Narrabeen Beach, Luna Park, Sailors with Disabilities
sailing - outside HOH previously. There was some discussion about Collaroy and a
limit of 10 people from each group as it has become too crowded. Picnic or weekend
at Newcastle. Spoke about Milson Island and it was suggested that this should be
done every second year. Lawrie suggested Point Wollstonecroft, and Narrabeen
Fitness Camp as alternatives to Milson Island
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DB Camp at Philip Island in April.
GENERAL BUSINESS: Laurie spoke about the bank account and receiving no
interest from the bank which was a note from the auditor in his report. Lawrie
suggested interest bearing deposits. Tony suggested investing in ING. Lawrie
suggested we ask the advice of the auditor, Geoff Walker about where to invest
money. Peter was concerned that Geoff Walker might charge to give us advice on
where to invest our money.
Lawrie said that Dept of Fair Trading has put up a New Model Constitution. DBA
NSW will need to call a Special meeting for a date later this year to vote on the
necessary changes this directive from Fair Trading is imposing on us..
The first meeting of the 2011 DBA Committee will be held on Friday, February 11,
2011 at Shirley House with committee to arrive from 6PM for a 6.30PM start.
Tony spoke about a meeting at Vision Australia re Self Advocacy for 17-25 year olds.
Tony also spoke about a Vision impaired escorted tour to Hong Kong in August and
you need to organize a companion. 7 nights, 8 days. Need 20 people for the tour to
go ahead.
Next AGM 28 January 2012.
Next Committee meeting 11 February 2011.
There being no further business, the President closed the meeting at about 2.30pm.
NSW DISABILITY NETWORK FORUM
DeafBlind Association (NSW) is a member of the NSW Disability Network Forum (the
Forum), which was established in June 2011 by the NSW Government. Irene
McMinn and Janne Bidenko are delegates on this Forum.
The Forum is made up of non-government, non-provider peak representative groups,
whose primary aim is to promote the interests of people with disability. The Forum‘s
aim is to provide a new avenue to build capacity within and across all organisations
and groups so that the interests of people with disability are advanced through policy
and systemic advocacy.
Since its inception, the Forum has developed formal Terms of Reference and a
priority issues list. This has included discussion and input to NSW Inquiry into
Transition of Students with additional and complex care needs, comprising initial and
supplementary submissions and appearance at the Inquiry Hearing. The Forum has
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also participated in several presentations and consultations, including COAG Reform
Council on Disability Reform agenda and National Disability Services NSW on the
Disability Industry Development Fund.
In October, the Forum discussed the National Disability Strategy and its impact on
progress for people with disability. The Forum strongly advocates the inclusion of
people with disability and representative organisations in the development of policy
and practice improvements, particularly at this time of rapid reform.
In October there was also a preliminary workshop on Decision Support Resources
under the NSW Government’s ten year plan, Stronger Together 2, which explored
what these resources should cover, safeguards and what could be needed. The
Forum resolved to continue this discussion as more information became available.
Finally, the Forum participated in a Commonwealth consultation on disability aids and
equipment by a consultant referred by EnableNSW. The Forum focused on consumer
needs and feedback but also provided some structural input to the consultant.
If you wish Irene and Janne to raise specific issues please contact us on
irenemc@oneseniors.com.au or janneb@tadaust.org.au
National Disability Insurance Scheme Update
In August 2011, the Productivity Commission released its report from its inquiry into
lifetime care and support for people with disability. The report is a comprehensive
document describing the purpose and the nature of a new National Disability
Insurance Scheme (NDIS). There is bipartisan support for the introduction of a NDIS
and the Australian Government is moving quickly to design the new system.
It is critical that people with disability remain informed about how the system will be
designed and be an integral part of that design as well as all aspects of
implementation of the new system.
PWD, along with other representative and advocacy organisations, including
DeafBlind Association, have been working collaboratively to ensure that people with
disability are at the centre of decision-making with regards to the NDIS and not just
consulted as an ‘interested stakeholder’.
Disability Support Organisations
One of the features of the new system, according to the Productivity Commission
Report, will be the role of independent support agencies, separate to both
government and service providers, referred to as Disability Support Organisations
(DSOs).
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In October this year, In Control Australia, of which PWD is an active member hosted a
seminar in Melbourne. A number of cross-disability peaks and advocacy
organisations were invited, to discuss what kind of support might be provided by
these DSOs and to begin to think about where this expertise, independent from both
service provision and government, may emerge from in Australia.
Steve Dowson from the UK attended the seminar and was able to provide some
examples of where this type of support has worked very well internationally, as well
as how self-directed supports and individualised funding delivered without any type of
assistance has led to people purchasing the same kind of services as they received
previously.
This was very much a preliminary conversation, but those attending have agreed to
share their discussion with the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Jan McLucas,
as well as other representative and advocacy groups.
NDIS Advisory Group
On 14 October, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin and Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for
Disabilities, announced the members of an Advisory Group to work with all
governments in laying the foundations for reform of the system of disability care and
support.
The new appointees to the Advisory Group are Dr Ken Baker, Dr Lorna Hallahan, Ms
Joan McKenna-Kerr, Mr Brendan O’Reilly and Ms Fran Vicary, who will join Advisory
Group Chairman Dr Jeff Harmer AO, Dr Rhonda Galbally AO and Mr Bruce Bonyhady
AM.
Part of the Advisory Group’s role is to talk with people around the country about work
to guide the foundations for an NDIS, as well as drawing on expertise from the
disability sector and outside through expert working groups to consider particular
elements of reform
While PWD recognises the need for a range of expertise on any such Advisory
Group, we are concerned about the lack of a representative voice of people with
disability on this group. Any new scheme for people with disability must have
mechanisms to ensure that people with disability are central to design and
implementation of the new scheme. This is in line with Australia’s obligations under
Article 4 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
PWD joined with the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) and the
Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) in writing to Minister Macklin and
Parliamentary Secretary McLucas about our concerns and to invite them to
participate in a meeting of representative and advocacy organisations on 22
November 2011.
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COAG ENDORSES NATIONAL DISABILITY SCHEME Media Release: The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) held its 30th
meeting in Canberra on 13 February. At this meeting, the National Disability Strategy
was endorsed which is a great step forward. The National Disability Strategy can be
accessed
at
http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2011-0213/docs/national_disability_strategy_2010-2020.rtf or here
http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2011-0213/docs/national_disability_strategy_2010-2020.rtf .
*** Media Release:
Australian Human Rights Commission
Monday, 14 February 2011
National Disability Strategy welcomed as commitment to change for humanrights
The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed the endorsement of a
National Disability Strategy by the Council of Australian Governments.
Federal Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes said, "Inadopting this
Strategy, Australia's governments - Commonwealth, State and Territory, and local have acknowledged that people with disability inAustralia are too often denied their
basic human rights and the chance tolive their life to its full potential - they are too
often discriminatedagainst, shut out and isolated."
Commissioner Innes said Australia's governments had now committed tochanging
this.
"I applaud our leaders for making this commitment," Commissioner Innes said. "It is a
commitment made in international law through the internationalConvention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
"Perhaps even more importantly, it is a commitment by our governments to our
people," the Commissioner said. "I call on every area and level of government to work
now to turn this commitment into reality."
Commissioner Innes said people with disability and their families simply want the
same rights and opportunities as other Australians.
Commissioner Innes said the Australian Human Rights Commission looks forward to
working with governments and with disability organisations in the further development
and implementation of the National Disability Strategy.
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SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT – Mr John Robertson Leader of the
Opposition,
NSW Parliament
DEAF-BLIND COMMUNITY AND HELEN KELLER DAY
Page: 5829
MR JOHN ROBERTSON(Blacktown-Leader of the Opposition) [3.50 p.m.]: I raise an
issue that is ignored far too often but that it is particularly important to give a voice to
in this place today. Deaf-blind people face incredible challenges, and neither the New
South Wales Government nor the Australian Government currently provides the
services so desperately needed to support the deaf-blind. Recently I attended a
morning tea with deaf-blind people from my electorate and representatives of the
DeafBlindAssociation (NSW) Inc. I encourage all members to make contact with the
association to gain a firsthand understanding of the problems faced by deaf-blind
people, and their urgent need for support.
Deaf-blind people are not looking to be passive recipients of help. Rather, they seek
some small level of fundamental support so they can enjoy the basic human right of
engaging with their community. Currently, due to a lack of awareness by government
and government services, deaf-blind people suffer a great deal. Many are sent to
group homes for people with intellectual disability, but they are not intellectually
disabled and these services do not provide real support for them. Deaf-blind people
live with staff who can see and hear, and who communicate orally and verbally. In
many cases deaf-blind people are left to sit alone, shut out of the world. This unfair
neglect often exacerbates their condition and leads to challenging behaviour that is
often treated with medication and restraints. This sort of treatment is totally
unacceptable, and it shames me that it still exists within our society.
I want to raise awareness of the suffering of the deaf-blind and I strongly urge those
present in the Chamber to take up this issue as well. In the throes of politics we too
often ignore those in desperate need of help, and people such as those who are deaf
and blind suffer as a result. The deaf-blind community urgently needs a specialised
service that targets the extraordinary challenge of deaf-blindness. To that end, I offer
my support to raising awareness both of the plight of the deaf-blind and of
international Helen Keller Day. The DeafBlindAssociation (NSW) Inc. is very
supportive of the recognition of Helen Keller Day. In light of the fact that we have just
acknowledged Grandparents Day, it is timely-by sheer coincidence-that I raise this
important issue today.
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Community awareness of the deaf-blind is very low and recognition of Helen Keller
Day on 27 June, her birthdate, will do much to raise the profile of deaf-blindness in
our community. Therefore, I urge New South Wales to recognise Helen Keller Day as
the first step towards showing our State's support for a community that truly needs
assistance. Helen Keller is the world's most famous deaf-blind person, and it is fitting
that a woman who was such an incredible advocate for the disadvantaged and the
downtrodden during her lifetime should be honoured in such a way. Helen Keller was
committed to the values of socialism. She believed in a fair society and, despite her
disability, was a powerful advocate in both political and social spheres for adequate
support for people with severe and chronic disabilities. She believed it was a basic
requirement of a civilised society to look after those who need a helping hand.
We would do well to listen to her message. I believe the measure of a society is how
well the least well-off in our communities are doing. As long as the deaf-blind are
ignored by government services, we are not properly representing our constituents.
The deaf-blind are not demanding a handout; they simply want to be able to live their
lives in the way the rest of us take for granted. Having a fair go is paramount to our
values as Australians, and the situation currently facingdeaf-blind people could not be
called fair in any way. I urge all members in this House to make a change and to
give deaf-blind people the recognition they deserve. I urge the New South Wales
Government to give serious consideration to declaring Helen Keller Day as an annual
day of recognition. It gives me great pleasure to be able to voice the concerns of the
deaf-blind community, and I hope that in time their specialised issues will be given the
attention they deserve.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prodIPARLMENTlhansArt.nsfN3
11091... 1/12/2011
KeyILA20
UPDATE ON FUNDING APPLICATIONS AND SUBMISSIONS
We have not yet been successful in receiving funding to print a brochure to go out to
all GPs, hospitals, ophthalmologists, hearing centres and community centres, with
information about deafblindness and an attempt to identify numbers in NSW. One of
our submissions failed, but we are still hopeful that this will eventuate.
Irene and I have been attending NSW Disability Network Forum meetings, and on
29th November we had presentations from two groups from ADHC.
The first presentation involved the National Disability Strategy.ADHC provided
detailed information on the National Disability Strategy (NDS), explaining about the
development of an NDS Implementation Plan which, after input from states and
territories, will go to COAG in February for signing off.
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The second was to discuss the Sector Planning Framework Policy which ADHC has
released. After a detailed presentation, the Disability Network Forum engaged in
robust discussion on how this Policy relates to the roll out of the person-centred
approach for people with disability, the role of service providers and the definition of
local community. The Forum wanted more time to consider the Policy and Guidelines
and referred this for further discussion next year. Janne raised the issue of specific
disability communities, with unique needs, rather than this being centred only on
Local Communities, unfortunately they had no answer to this, but NSW DNF will
pursue this at future meetings.
It is gratifying to see, though, that Deafblindness has finally been included in
publications coming through from both Federal and NSW Governments, e.g. THE
NSW GOVERNMENT RESPONSE to the “Inquiry into Services Provided or Funded
by the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care”, which was released in
December. There were 55 recommendations for improvements in Disability Support ,
that were supported by the NSW Government.
Recommendation 27 “That the Minister for Disability Services amend the eligibility
criteria of the attendant care program as a matter of urgency to include people who
are deaf and blind” SUPPORTED - “The needs of people who are deaf and blind are
bding further investigated by the Agency throughout Stronger Together 2. A research
project is being commissioned to investigate the needs of people who are deaf and
blind, services available, gaps in services and options for addressing unmet need.
Recommendations from this research may include broadening the eligibility criteria
and reasonable adjustments for a number of the Agency’s programs in order to meet
the needs of this target group”.
Recommendation 28 “That the Minister for Disability Services ensure that appropriate
services are available for people who are deafblind, through funding and training
interpreters and guides for deaf and blind service users.” SUPPORTED - “As noted
in the response to recommendation 27, the scope of the planned research on the
needs of people who are deaf and blind will include investigating effective ways to
communicate, such as the provision of interpreters and guides.
This shows our submissions and meetings have not been in vain. Even though there
is no money available at present, with the possibility of further funding for Person
Centred Services, and with the proposed NDIS funding, there is hope for the future.
At the ADHC meeting I attended on 21st December, with the Director of ADHC, she
showed interest in ADHC negotiating with TAFE re inclusion of interpreter/guide
training in some courses there. We need now to consolidate what each state is
doing, in this area, to develop a course that is comprehensive both for signing
courses and disability/welfare courses, to cater for both Congenital and Acquired
Deafblindness, and can be taught across Australia. Sharon Barry Grassick has done
much in this area, although she has not published the course she wrote, her input
would be very valuable.
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DARWIN READER - ANDROID BOOK READER - Erica Webb BCA-WA
http://www.darwinreader.com
Description
Darwin Reader is the first accessible Android book reader designed specifically for
blind, low vision, and print disabled users. The app fully supports DAISY formatted
audio and text books, and directly integrates with BenetechBookshare to make
downloading books amazingly simple.
Read books using your preferred interface. For blind and low vision users, the app is
completely navigable with the arrow keys. All menus are fully vocalized. Users with
dyslexia and other print disabilities can quickly navigate by tapping the stylized
graphics on the screen.
During playback, choose between two modes of operation. In the "Eyes-Free" mode,
simply swipe your finger across the screen to easily move between sentences and
sections. In the graphical mode, all menus are vocalized and include large, graphical
elements.
Complete DAISY Support
DAISY is the standard for e-books for blind and print-disabled readers.
Navigation with DAISY is easy! You can quickly jump to a specific chapter, book
section, or page. Darwin Reader fully supports DAISY 2.02 and DAISY 3.0 formats to
read full-text, full-audio, and combined book formats. Just drop your books onto your
Android device's SD card and start reading!
Customizable
Darwin Reader presents numerous options to tailor the application to yourspecific
needs. Change the font and background color, text size, font spacing, voice speed,
punctuation speech, and much more.
Paragraphs, Sentences, and Words
As the book is read to you, the text is highlighted in a large, colored font.Quickly skip
to the next paragraph, sentence, or even a single word. Onceyou've selected a word,
you can find out all about it from Dictionary.com and Wikipedia.org.
Quick Book Search
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Explore the vast BookShare library directly on your phone. Use your voice to search
for a particular book, or navigate through the many genres.
Instant Downloads
Download books directly to your phone or tablet. You can transfer your DAISY books
to your player from your computer, or you can download books directly from within the
app by connecting to the Bookshare library. Direct integrations with other content
providers are on the road map.
Periodicals
Subscribe to your favorite newspapers from BookShare and keep up to date on the
latest news and events!
DBA / HAND OVER HAND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, SATURDAY
28th JANUARY 2012 by Tony Hirst.
This year's first HOH activity is of course our AGM (Annual General Meeting) to be
held at 1PM on Saturday 28th January 2012.
VENUE: This year's meeting will once again be held in one of the meeting rooms
upstairs at the Burwood RSL which is in Shaftesbury Road Burwood, very close to
Burwood Station. Just ask at Reception and they will direct you to the meeting room.
You need to bring along your suggestions for HOH activities for the coming year. You
also need to think about who might be a good person to be on the committee so you
can nominate and vote for them.
NOTE: In order to vote you MUST be a current financial member of DBA (NSW). So
please fill out the Membership form and pay your membership prior to the meeting or
at the meeting prior to the voting.
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available at the meeting.
DATE:
Saturday 28th January 2012.
TIME:
Meeting at 1PM
WHERE: Burwood RSL, Shaftesbury Road Burwood
WHAT TO BRING:
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$5 annual subscription, subscription form and donations
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Those travelling on the buses, note we will arrive at Burwood RSL just before
Midday so you will have time to buy some lunch at the cafe inside the RSL.
They do a very nice Pizza and Fish & Chips.
Your suggestions for HOH Activities for 2011
If you need transport to the meeting contact Tony on 02 9642 7734 (leave a
message) or mobile 0425 289 259 or email to tony.hirst@optusnet.com.au
If you are buying your lunch at the Burwood RSL you will need to bring about
$20
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Dear DBA Member or DBA Friend
Because the Department of Fair Trading, has requested that all Associations update
their Constitutions, DeafBlind Association (NSW) has written a new Constitution in
2011 which will be voted on at the AGM in January 2012. WE MUST SEND
EVERYONE A NEW MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM BECAUSE IT IS A RULE
THAT WE MUST ALL RE-APPLY. Can you please fill this in or ask someone to help
you do this?
Please return the form with your 2012 membership fees, to DeafBlind Association
(NSW) Inc, PO Box 1295, Strathfield NSW 2135 or bring to the AGM on 28th January
2012.
Under the new Constitution, you will need to fill in the form and pay membership fees,
as Dept. of Fair Trading requires financial membership. In the past we have not
chased up this payment as we understand it is not always easy for Deafblind people
to organize this. To make it easier to pay, we have now changed this to 1, 3 and 5
year memberships, with reductions for the longer terms, 1 year will remain at $5, 3
years - $12.50, and 5 years - $20. We will send out reminders when your fees are
again due. Association/Corporate Fees will remain at $100 for organisations earning
over $100,000 and $50 for those earning under this.
If you wish to receive a copy of the draft Constitution, please let us know and we will
forward this to you in your nominated format, or if you have any questions please
contact me as below.
If you no longer wish to receive “Rainbow News”, please advise Janne Bidenkojanneb@tadaust.org.au or phone 02 9456 2372 or 0419 420 239
Yours sincerely,
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Janne Bidenko,
Public Officer
Appendix 1 Application for Membership of Association
(Clause 3 (1))
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP OF
DEAFBLIND ASSOCIATION (NSW) Incorporated
(incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009)
I, ....................................................................................................................
of ....................................................................................................................
[address]
hereby apply to become a member of the above named incorporated association. In
the event of my admission as a member, I agree to be bound by the constitution of
the association for the time being in force.
.........................................................................................………................
Signature of applicant
Date
I AMa Deafblind Person (member)
I AM NOTa Deafblind person (associate member)
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please underline one of above.
DEAFBLIND ASSOCIATION (NSW) INC.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - DUE JANUARY
Individual fee - $5.00 for 1 year OR $12.50 for 3 years OR $20 for 5 years
Organisations with annual income less than $100K fee - $ 50.00 per year
Corporations or Orgs with annual income more than $100K fee - $100.00 per year
Donation in addition to the Membership Renewal - $...............
Name:..........................................................................................................
Address:.......................................................................................................
.....................................................State:................. Postcode:.....................
Birthday: ....................................... (you don't have to include the year)
Phone Number:........................................................
Fax Number: ............................................................
Mobile: .....................................................................
E-mail address:........................................................
Preferred contact: (Mail / Phone / Fax / Mobile / TTY / SMS / Email)
RAINBOW NEWS - the newsletter of the DeafBlind Association (NSW) Inc. - is
produced monthly, 11 times each year. In which of the following formats would you
prefer to receive your newsletter: E-MAIL / PRINT / BRAILLE / CD - please circle
If in print, what size font would you prefer it in?:
14 Point / 18
Point / 24
Point / 30
Point / 36
Do you wish to receive Christmas Raffle Book with Rainbow? Y/N
For Office Use: Receipt No:
19
Point