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i:D Bulletin of the Disability Council of NSW
Welcome to the November edition of i:D, the electronic bulletin of the Disability Council of NSW – the State’s official advisory body on disability. We produce this newsletter once a month so that we can keep you informed of our activities and the Council’s areas of interest.
Please feel free to circulate this newsletter to anyone you believe may be interested in receiving it. If you decide that you would rather not receive it please send an email to us with the words UNSUBSCRIBE BULLETIN in the subject line. We hope, of course, you’ll be happy to read our newsletter and give us feedback.
If you have any topic you wish to raise with the Disability Council of NSW please contact us by email.
Dougie Herd
Executive Officer, Office of the Disability Council of NSW
1. Chair's Introduction by Andrew Buchanan
There
is always work to be done in the disability sector; always some way
in which we need to look more closely at what we do and how we
perform as we work together to makes the lives of people with
disability and their families that little bit better. Sometimes,
though, there’s time to pause and say … well done because
here’s some good news.
It’s my very great pleasure to offer congratulations to Professor Ron McCallum AO on his recent election to the position of Chairperson of the International Committee of Experts, which scrutinises and oversees implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In my view there couldn’t be a better selection than our good friend Ron. Well done sir!
Congratulations too, to my colleagues in Best Buddies Australia who recently won the Disability Inclusiveness Award at the annual City of Sydney Business Awards. Read more about their success in this edition of our bulletin.
And it’s very heartening to receive reports of the strong signs of progress towards a more accessible built environment with the deliberations a couple of weeks ago at Kirribilli House. You may have caught the references by Parliamentary Secretary The Hon Bill Shorten MP on last week’s Q & A on the ABC.
Promoting the greater development of universal design of new dwellings has been a policy goal of the NSW Government for several years. The key question has always been … how do we achieve that goal? For us, at the Disability Council of NSW, answering that question has been a key policy priority for the last five years. We are very fortunate to have Amelia Starr as a member of our staff team, surely Australia’s leading expert in this field. We’ve strongly supported Amelia in her role as Convener of the Australian Network for Universal Housing Design and it is Amelia’s work in that role that resulted directly in the Kirribilli House developments. We’ve not reached the end of the road yet but watch this space for news of Kirribilli House Summit Part 2, scheduled to take place before Christmas. As with the first meeting, we will be represented by our Executive Officer Dougie Herd and, of course, Amelia.
Finally, I want to draw your attention to the imminent celebrations of the UN International Day of People with Disability… 3rd December 2009. The NSW campaign, Don’t DIS my ABILITY, is at the forefront of Australia’s celebrations of the contributions made by people with disability to all our communities. Read about the campaign’s ambassadors in this bulletin. Check out the campaign web site. Most of all … get involved. Let’s make this year’s events the best yet.
Regards
Andrew Buchanan
Chair
Disability Council of NSW
2. National dialogue on Universal Housing Design
The Disability Council of NSW welcomed the opportunity to participate in the National Dialogue on Universal Housing Design which was held on Tuesday 26th October 2009 at Kirribilli House. Representing the Disability Council at the Dialogue was Dougie Herd, Executive Officer and Amelia Starr, Council's Senior Policy Officer who is also the current National Convenor of the Australian Network for Universal Design (ANUHD). The Dialogue hosted by the Prime Minister's wife, Ms Therese Rein and convened by Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, The Hon Bill Shorten MP brought together 20 of Australia's leaders from both the housing industry and the community sector to discuss how homes could be better designed to meet our changing needs and abilities.
A universally designed home is one that incorporates a range of low cost/no cost design features that will enable homes to be more responsive to the changing needs of families, people who are ageing and people who have a disability across the lifespan.
Universal housing design has been a key priority area for Council for 5 years and the success of the Dialogue is due, in part, to Council's continued commitment and noted expertise in this area. Over the past three months Amelia, with the full support and backing of Council, has been working in close collaboration with key personnel from the Parliamentary Secretary's office and the Department of Families and Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to bring the Dialogue to fruition.
The Dialogue was a great success with participants agreeing to work together to develop a nationally harmonised approach to universal housing design in Australia. Participants agreed that there is a genuine and real need to ensure that homes are built to meet the changing needs of home occupants across the lifespan and have committed to participate in a high-level working group to develop a national strategy. The strategy will seek to codify basic universal design solutions through to more aspirational features for homes. Essential elements on which consensus was achieved include wider doorways and passages; wet areas, such as bathrooms, on an entry level; and reinforced bathroom walls to allow grab rails to be easily fitted in the future.
Most critically, the dialogue saw consensus from industry leaders, advocates and government on an aspirational target that all new homes will be of agreed universal design standards by 2020, with interim targets and earlier completion dates to be determined for some standards.
Amelia Starr and Peter Verwer (CEO, Property Council of Australia) have been asked to take a leading role in developing a draft outline of the National Strategy. The draft will form the basis for discussion at the next National Dialogue meeting which will be hosted at Kirribilli House in mid December.
For a full list of the attendees and to read in full Statement of the Forum go to:
3. Equality in GP visits for people with a disability
Australian Human Rights Commission
Media Release 21 October 2009
Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, recently called on the Royal College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to ensure equality in access to medical care for people with a disability by making it mandatory for GP surgeries to have height adjustable examination beds.
Commissioner Innes made the call for changes after receiving a report from the Physical Disability Council of NSW (PDCN), which showed that most patients with a physical disability visiting their GP could not get a full examination or screening for possible conditions because they could not get onto the examination table.
“There is no valid reason why people with a physical disability should continue to have lower levels of health care – it is an unacceptable situation,” said Commissioner Innes.
“As this report highlights, there is a continuing problem for people with a physical disability visiting their GP - if you can’t get onto an examination bed, it is so much harder for your GP to conduct a thorough examination or complete screening procedures, and consequently there is a very real danger of receiving lower levels of health care,” Commissioner Innes said.
RACGP is reviewing its GP Standards, which currently encourage GPs to have height-adjustable examination beds, but do not make them mandatory for accreditation.
In 2004, research undertaken by Sheila King, from Access for All Alliance, showed that under 5% of GP surgeries had height adjustable examination beds. Today, while GP accreditation bodies report that just under 50% of GP surgeries have an adjustable bed, the experience of PDCN is that less than 20% of patients have access to them in reality.
“RACGP has worked hard over the past few years to educate its members about the benefits of having height adjustable examination beds for both patients and staff, which has certainly helped to improve the situation,” said Commissioner Innes. “It now has an opportunity to really show some leadership on this issue and use the current review to make height adjustable examination beds mandatory.”
4. National Arts and Disability Strategy
Australian Government
Media Release 9 October 2009
Arts Minister Peter Garrett and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Bill Shorten, recently commended the Cultural Ministers Council for endorsing the National Arts and Disability Strategy at their national meeting.
"Arts and culture enriches us all - and with one in five Australians experiencing some form of disability, it has been an imperative to include and enable everyone who wishes to engage with such a vital part of Australian life," said Mr Garrett.
The National Arts and Disability Strategy came out of a consultation process between the Cultural Ministers Council and the arts and disability sector, including organisations and individuals, and with submissions from arts practitioners and arts consumers in the sector.
"We now strongly recommend that state and local governments, venue owners and others review this important document and incorporate it into their future planning and approach," Mr Garrett said.
"Australians with a disability face barriers to participation, whether physical, financial or social," said Mr Shorten. "This strategy sits under a broader national strategic policy push to get people past these barriers and into full participation in the life of the community."
Partnerships among governments, and between governments and the private and non-profit sectors, are a vital component of the strategy, which guides partners to identify and develop priority projects.
Four priority areas are set out in the National Arts and Disability Strategy: finding ways to address barriers to participation, as audiences or in arts practice; aiding ambition, and helping emerging professional arts practitioners; growing audiences for work created by those with a disability; and empowering people to participate in arts policy development and planning.
5. Don't DIS my Ability ambassadors to spread word
Establishment of Ageing, Disability and Home Care
Media Release 1 November
Australian marathon swimmer Susie Maroney will feature as one of 16 ambassadors for the 2009 Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign, Minister for Disability Services Paul Lynch announced this week.
Susie Maroney, who was born with cerebral palsy joins John Foster, a founding member of the Aboriginal Disability Network, who has a hearing impairment and singer-songwriter Krystel Keller, who is blind.
Don’t DIS my ABILITY celebrates the diversity and ability of people with a disability. Mr Lynch said the Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign ambassadors represented the remarkable contribution people with a disability make to the State’s working, sporting and cultural life.
“Through personal experience, they demonstrate that people with a disability lead productive and exciting lives,” he said.
“By sharing their stories at corporate and social events, the ambassadors will actively promote and celebrate the diversity of people with a disability in our communities,” he said.
“They will also help educate people about the greater need for accessibility, awareness and understanding in all areas of the community,” Mr Lynch said. “The ambassadors will help break down barriers and dispel the myths around disability,” he said.
- Alex Jones (Sydney) is a co-founder of Access
Innovation Media. He was the Director of the critically acclaimed
2005 Deaflympic Games Cultural Festival in Melbourne and is
currently the Chairperson of the Deafness
Forum of Australia. Alex is the proud father of Tobian, who is
currently teething (and signing).
- Amethyst Barnbrook (Bega) travelled to Japan to play
with the Yamaha Youth Orchestra. A competitive sailor, she won the
Go Getter Award in 2008 (awarded to a young person who has made a
significant contribution to improving the lives of people with
disability). In 2007 she received a sports scholarship from
Wollongong University. Amethyst was born without arms and only the
lower half of her left leg, a result of a condition known as
phocoamelia.
- Camilla Connolly (Lismore) is a passionate and
successful artist. In 2008 she won the Waverley Art Prize. She was
a very bright child but found relating to people awkward and
confusing. She has only in the last year discovered she has
Asperger's Syndrome. Camilla is also an ambassador for
rehabilitation centre, The Buttery.
- Janel Manns (Port Macquarie) is a teacher at the North
Coast Institute of TAFE, Port Macquarie and Kempsey campuses. She
teaches Certificate IV in Community Services Health Work and
Certificate III in Disability Work. Janel has paraplegia and
passionately believes in social justice for all minority groups.
She is a member of the National Women's Wheelchair Tennis
Squad.
- Jeremy Doyle (Marrickville) has risen to the highest
ranks of wheelchair basketball in a very short time. He debuted
for Australia in May at the Paralympic World Cup in England where
the Rollers won gold. Jeremy has represented Australia
internationally at the World
Cyber Games and was also a member of the Australian wheelchair
hockey team. He now works at ING and lives in Dulwich Hill. Jeremy
has paraplegia.
- Tracy Barrell OAM (Menai) works at Sutherland
Shire Council and is a mother of two. She won a gold medal in
swimming at the Barcelona
Paralympics in 1992, and was awarded the Order of Australia
Medal in 1993 for outstanding contribution to sport. Tracy
represented Australia last year at the Shanghai Women’s
Sitting Volleyball Tournament. Tracy is a triple congenital
amputee.
- David Gwilliam (Blue Mountains) is enrolled at Ultimo
TAFE studying a Diploma of Library and Information Services. He
loves walks in the Blue Mountains, watching DVDs and videos,
gardening and going to the South Coast. David works at Woolworths
and in the Library at the University of Western Sydney. He has
Asperger’s Syndrome.
- Tony Purkiss (Newcastle) is a committed yachtsman,
competing in 9 Sydney to Hobart races. In 2005 Tony became legally
blind as a result of the Bali bombings. He is a motivational
speaker, still sails and also pilots a plane. Tony lives in
Newcastle.
- Professor Ronald McCallum AO (Lane Cove) is the
foundation Blake Dawson Waldron Professor in Industrial Law at the
University of Sydney. He is the first blind person to have been
appointed to a full professorship at any university in Australia.
In 2008 Ron was appointed member of the United
Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
He is a music enthusiast and loves to meditate.
- Michael Bartels (Vaucluse) is the Deputy Chairperson of
the NSW
Council for Intellectual Disability. He has played cricket for
NSW in the Lord’s Taverners Shield for people with an
intellectual disability for the last nine years and has
represented Australia in the Australian Allstars Team. Michael is
dedicated to giving people with intellectual disability better
rights and services.
- Kurt Fearnley OAM (Bathurst) is a teacher and current
holder of nine individual marathon titles on five continents. Kurt
won gold medals in Athens in 2004 and in 2007 he won gold in the
South African, Osaka, Paris, Rome and Los Angeles marathons. At
the Beijing 2008 Paralympics
he won a gold medal in the marathon, two silver medals in the 500
and 800m races and a bronze medal in the 1500m race.
- Dr Mark Bagshaw (Sydney) is the Managing Director of
Innov8
Consulting Group and was formerly Business Development
Executive for IBM. His primary focus is to demonstrate to the
world business community that addressing the issues faced by
people who are economically disadvantaged is right for our society
and makes good business and economic sense. Mark has
paraplegia.
- John Foster (East Hills) is a Tharawal man and was a
founding member of the Aboriginal
Disability Network. In 2005 he represented Aboriginal people
with a disability at the Pacific Disabled Forum in Fiji and in
2007 John attended the United Nations Economic Social Council
Regional Forum on Disability. He is an Elder within his community
in the southern suburbs of Sydney. John has a hearing impairment
and manages depression and anxiety.
- Krystel Keller (Gosford) is a singer-songwriter,
accomplished on guitar and piano, who performs regularly at
festivals across Australia. At the age of six months, she was
diagnosed with Bilateral Retinoblastoma (cancer of the eyes) and
by age two she was completely blind. Krystel says that music is an
important part of her life as “it is a tool for communication
and expression”.
- Susie Maroney OAM (Cronulla) is an Australian marathon
swimmer. In 1990 she became the first person to swim from Manly to
Darling Harbour and back in seven hours and she broke the speed
record for swimming the English Channel that same year. At age 22
Susie was the first person to swim the 180km from Cuba to the
United States. She went on to swim a record 197km from Mexico to
Cuba. Susie was born with cerebral palsy.
- Fiona McKenzie (Coogee) is a member of the Board of Directors at NSW Council for Intellectual Disability and is also committed to completing the annual City2Surf. She is a baker’s assistant, rising every day at 4.30am to start work. Fiona is involved with a new group called SWB @ CID (Secret Women’s Business at the Council for Intellectual Disability), for women with intellectual disability to meet and discuss important issues in a comfortable environment.
6. People and Places
Every month in i.D we like to pass on news about the people and organisations that make up the disability sector in NSW and beyond. If you have snippets of news about people joining, moving within or leaving your agency pass it on to us and we’ll share it with broader community. Indeed, if you’ve any news about your agency that people might like to read about, send it to us. We’ll try to find space to put it in but please … keep it brief.
Contact us at: Kristine.Schneider@dadhc.nsw.gov.au
Upcoming Events
- Don’t DIS my ABILITY
Join in and celebrate International Day of People with a Disability in NSW through the Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign. Over 100 events are held throughout November and December each year to celebrate the diversity and ability of people with a disability.
International Day of People with a Disability is held on 3 December each year.
More info about the Don’t DIS my ABILITY ambassadors, events and activities is available at www.dontdismyability.com.au
- Powerhouse Museum Event – ‘A spoonful of
music’
Date: Friday 11 December, 11am – 12.30pm
Become an honorary member of the Sydney Symphony for the day! Sydney Symphony and the MBF will present a special music4health performance for adults living with disabilities, and their carers, at the Powerhouse Museum. The music4health program is symbolic of the health industry’s recognition of the therapeutic power of music.
This special concert at the Powerhouse will feature Sydney Symphony musicians as well as one of Australia’s leading performers Trisha Crowe, singing favourites and encouraging audience participation. Entry is free with Museum admission ($6 concession, $10 adult, free admission for the companion of companion card cardholders)
Bookings essential at http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/whatson/spoonful or
for further info, contact the Powerhouse Museum, Ph: (02) 9217 0222
Access details: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/visit/access.asp
- Access All Areas Film Festival
Date:
Monday 16 November – Thursday 3 December
Orange, Griffith, Wagga Wagga, and Sydney will play host to the AAA Film Festival during November with the closing event at Dendy Opera Quays on International Day of People with a Disability, Thursday 3 December.
This fully accessible film festival will see two Australian feature films and a program of Australian short films for children travel through NSW with special guests.
All films will be audio described, open-captioned and wheelchair accessible. Introductions and Q&A sessions will be Auslan interpreted.
For more info on dates and screening times visit: www.accessallareasfilmfestival.com.au or www.dontdismyability.com.au
Other news
Winner of City of Sydney 2009 Business Awards
Best Buddies Australia won the 2009 City of Sydney Business Award for Disability Inclusiveness on 20th October.
Best Buddies is a not-for-profit organisation seeking to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disability, by creating socially inclusive environments through powerful one-to-one friendships.
Best Buddies attended the awards night with Chairman Andrew Buchanan and other distinguished guests, including Best Buddies Ambassador, Deborah Hutton.
The Award was accepted on behalf of Best Buddies by program participant and Buddy Director, Hannah Croaker and Board Member, Michael Bartels, who both did an excellent job of speaking about Best Buddies and their own personal account of the opportunities that exist when you have a friend.
Congratulations to Best Buddies and keep up the great work!
If you would like to know more about Best Buddies, please visit their website www.bestbuddies.org.au or
contact Executive Director, Mark Trevaskis Ph: (02) 9211 8722.
7. About the Disability Council of NSW
The Disability Council of NSW is the official advisory body to the State Government on disability matters. We also provide advice to the Commonwealth on the effect of national policy at a State level.
We seek to provide best quality advice to Government and promote a positive vision of the future for all people with disability.
For us that means working with others to achieve a socially just community in which Government policy and practice reflect the lives and experiences of people with disability as individuals, family members and participants with many roles in a broad range of diverse settings. At all times we strive to remain mindful of the rights of people with disability, respecting their choices, celebrating their diversity and valuing their contributions.
Our role is clearly set out by an Act of Parliament, The Community Welfare Act of 1987. We have three duties as a result of that Act. They are:
- To advise Government on disability matters;
- To raise community awareness about people with disability and their aspirations; and
- To promote participation by people with disability.
We are committed to building and sustaining partnerships across sectors around a shared purpose. It is our hope that you will feel encouraged by our goals and will want to work with us as we organise to achieve them.
Contact Details of the Disability Council of NSW
Disability Council of NSW
L19, 323 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000
Tel/TTY: (02) 9211-2866
Fax: (02) 9211-2271
Tollfree (Voice/TTY) 1800 044 848
Email:
disabilitycouncil@dadhc.nsw.gov.au
Web: www.disabilitycouncil.nsw.gov.au
8. Your Privacy
We are committed to protecting your privacy and commit ourselves to conforming to the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Bill 2000, which came into effect in December 2001 and the National Privacy Principles issued by the Australian Privacy Commissioner.
This electronic bulletin is distributed by email. You have provided us with an email address. This email address will be used only for the purpose for which you have provided it. You can have your email address removed from the list for this bulletin at any time by sending an email to the Disability Council of NSW.
This Bulletin may contain links to external websites. The Disability Council of NSW cannot be held responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.
SOURCES
Establishment of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services Media Release, Don’t DIS my ABILITY ambassadors to spread the word (1 November)
www.dadhc.nsw.gov.au/dadhc/media_releases.htmDon’t DIS my ABILITY Campaign
www.dontdismyability.com.auAustralian Human Rights Commission Media Release, For people with a physical disability, it is time for a simple change that will provide equality in GP visits (21 October 2009)
www.humanrights.gov.auNSW Companion Card
www.nds.org.au/nsw/companioncard/What's_On_Oct09.docAustralian Government Media Release The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP and the Hon Bill Shorten MP, National Arts and Disability Strategy (9 October 2009)
www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/mr20091009a.htmlAccess All Areas Film Festival
www.accessallareasfilmfestival.com.au
