Letter from the Chair - Home - VisAbility … · Web viewIt’s hard changing years and years of...

VisionaryMembers Magazine: June 2016

Edition 3

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Visionary June 2016 Edition 3

ContentsLetter from the Chair.......................................................3

Junior Fun Club Exclusive Backstage Experience.........5

Learn Safe, Live Safe.....................................................7

Assistance Available for Election Voting........................9

Robbie Takes the Lead................................................11

Sensory Impairment Doesn’t Stop Shamira.................13

VisAbility Library Supports Local Authors.....................15

Global Accessibility Awareness Day............................17

Connecting with VisAbility............................................18

Workplace Gender Equality Report..............................20

NDIS Update................................................................21

Thank You!...................................................................22

SALSA Camp a Big Hit.................................................23

Save the Date – Technology Outlook...........................25

Entertainment Book......................................................27

Albany Support Group..................................................272


Visionary is available in large print, Braille, audio or

email formats. It is also available on our website at

VisAbility Website:www.visability.com.au in PDF, rich

text and word format.

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http://www.visability.com.au/about-us/publications/

Letter from the Chair

It’s hard to believe we are nearly half way through 2016

already. There has been so much happening here at

VisAbility and I’m pleased to share some of our stories

with you.

Our Junior Fun Club kids had the opportunity to get

hands on with the props for The Spare Parts Puppet

Theatre’s production of The Little Prince.

We recently soaked up the beauty of Nanga Bush Camp

in Dwellingup for our annual Social and Life Skills

Activities (SALSA) camp. You can read from the children

themselves what the camp meant to them this year.

We share the heart-warming story of Penny who had

rediscovered her independence thanks to Guide Dog

Zimba, and how she handled Zimba’s retirement. Read

her story and meet the new Labrador in her life.

Did you know our Library supports local authors? You

can read about some of the great books we have

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narrated and learn a little about our featured Perth

author, Linda J Bettenay.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more

about the services and programs offered at VisAbility,

contact our Gateway Services team on 1800 847 466.

I hope you stay warm, cosy and well this winter and I

look forward to sharing more VisAbility stories with you

later this year.

Debbie Schaffer

Chair of the Board

Junior Fun Club Exclusive Backstage ExperienceBlind and vision impaired children from our Junior Fun

Club recently experienced the joys of puppet show, The

Little Prince, at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.

The children were allowed onto the stage beforehand to

understand the layout and how the props would be used

throughout the show.5


This exclusive backstage experience gave the children

the context for the story they would soon watch. The

stage manager and two actors described the stage sets

and passed around several of the puppets for the

children to touch and explore.

In addition DADAA provided audio description for the

show. Audio description is when a narrator broadcasts

descriptions of what is happening on stage to a headset

worn by a person with vision impairment.

Ryan Honschooten, VisAbility Youth Support Officer,

said it was very rewarding to see how much the children

were enjoying the show. A special moment for Ryan was

during an act that didn’t involve dialogue.

“It was a scene where a puppet took a selfie and

everyone laughed. But the best bit was the children with

no vision laughed too as they could understand from the

audio description what was happening at the time. So

instead of having that instance where they realise they

are missing something and have to ask what everyone

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is laughing at, they were just enjoying the moment and

laughing along with everyone else.”

Giving children the opportunity to experience the puppet

show in this way is a great step forward in creating an

inclusive and accessible society, where disability is not a

barrier to enjoying visual arts.

Our Junior Fun Club children all really enjoyed the show

and had a lot of wonderful things to say about the show

afterwards.

If you’d like to know more about our Junior Fun Club or

any of our services for children with disability, please

contact our friendly Gateway Services team on 1800 847 466 or visit our website VisAbility

Website:ww.visability.com.au

Learn Safe, Live SafeWould you like to feel more confident in public, identify

signs that may indicate danger, and know exactly how to

avoid the situation or defend yourself? Then our Living

Safe Program is perfect for you.

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http://www.visability.com.au/

http://www.visability.com.au/

The Living Safe Program is a two day course full of

invaluable techniques and tools to help you feel more

confident and more aware of your surroundings. You’ll

leave the course knowing how to feel safe in any

situation.

Tailored specifically for people with vision impairment,

we use real life scenarios to show you how to use your

other senses to identify what is happening around you,

or how to use your cane as a defence if needed.

The Living Safe Program is structured to provide

strategies relevant for vision loss and will show you how

to effectively defend yourself without using vision.

Available in both the Perth Metro area and country areas

to people over 18 years, we also encourage you to bring

your carer, spouse or friend. The course caters for

people using a walker or wheelchair.

If you’re interested call our Gateway Services team on

1800 847 466 for more information about a Living Safe

Program near you.

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Assistance Available for Election VotingThe next federal election is just around the corner and

there is a range of information and services available to

assist people with disability to vote.

Locations with disabled access will be available online

before the day and there is the option to have someone

assist you on the day. Polling staff are available to help,

or you can nominate someone you know.

For people who are blind or vision impaired, there is an

option to vote in secret by phone from any location,

including your own home.

You do need to register to vote by phone. Visit the

website Australian Electoral Commission Website

www.aec.gov.au/election/assisted/blv.htm to find details

on how to register.

When you call to register, you will be asked questions so

they can check you on the electoral roll and then you will

be asked to choose a PIN. Once registered, you will be

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sent a registration number by email, SMS, postal mail,

or phone call.

Telephone voting will be available from Tuesday 14

June 2016. When voting, you will not need to give your

name. Your registration number and PIN will be used to

mark your name off the electoral roll while protecting

your privacy. So it is important to remember your

registration details.

A call centre voting assistant will record your

preferences on the ballot papers. The vote will be secret

and a second voting assistant will ensure that the vote is

recorded according to your intention.

The vote remains secret because the call centre voting

assistants will not know your name and address. Once

the vote is complete, the voting assistant will place the

ballot papers into a secure ballot box.

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Robbie Takes the LeadMany of us look forward to retirement - but when it’s a

Guide Dog who’s retiring, it can be daunting for a person

whose very freedom depends on them.

Penny’s first Guide Dog, Zimba, changed her life

enormously. Previously, she faced many daily struggles,

but with Zimba by her side, she was able to rediscover

her independence. Penny felt safe outside her home

with Zimba. She was much more relaxed, especially in

busy areas like her Northbridge home.

Penny first began losing her vision in her 20s to Usher

Syndrome. This condition includes progressive

deafness, as well as Retinitis Pigmentosa: an eye

condition that deteriorated Penny’s vision over time.

“My life was being restricted - not just my vision. When I

met Zimba, I was so excited! He is a fabulous dog.”

Zimba guided Penny with confidence and safety, acting

as a natural extension to Penny’s own self.

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The pair worked smoothly together for years. But at ten

years old, Zimba was preparing to put his paws up full-

time and retire. It became clear to Penny that to keep

the same level of life-changing independence, she

would need another faithful guide like Zimba.

“If I was to be left without a Guide Dog, I would be

devastated!”

Lucky for Penny, another beautiful black Labrador

named Robbie was waiting in the wings.

“Having a Guide Dog allows me to participate in the

world outside my house. With Zimba, and now Robbie, I

have the choice to live my life how I want to.”

Penny and Robbie have been bonding, getting to know

each other’s behaviours and habits. It’s been an

adjustment for Zimba, too.

“When I’m putting the harness on Robbie, Zimba just

hangs around. He isn’t sad, just a little puzzled. It’s hard

changing years and years of habit but he is loving just

being a dog now.”

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However, when Robbie’s harness comes off, she’s the

first to join the fun: “The two hang out together and I

worry about the advice Zimba might be giving to

Robbie!”

If you’d like to find out if a Guide Dog is for you, then call

us on 1800 847 466 or visit Guide Dogs WA

Website:ww.guidedogswa.com.au/apply-for-a-guide-dog

Since this article was written, Sadly Zimba passed away.

Our thoughts are with Penny at this time.

Sensory Impairment Doesn’t Stop ShamiraEleven-year-old Shamira has always had to work a little

harder, be a little more patient and build a little more

resilience than other children her age. Shamira was born

with severe vision impairment, severe hearing

impairment and oral and physical dyspraxia.

It’s been tough for Shamira. But, thankfully, she is

tougher.

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http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/apply-for-a-guide-dog

http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/apply-for-a-guide-dog

Up to 80% of a child’s learning is through sight. Without

it, everything—from learning to talk, to learning to walk—

becomes so much harder. Beyond the learning

challenges, Shamira also knows she is different.

Her mum has watched her daughter struggle with this:

“There are times when Shamira has believed she is the

only child in the world that is blind or hearing impaired.”

“It’s difficult for Shamira to play with the other children

and to join in, which means school can be very lonely for

her.”

We help children with disability, like Shamira, in many

ways. Our programs help children develop important life

skills like socialising, cooking and using public transport.

And they get to meet and play with others who face

similar challenges.

Shamira looks forward to attending our programs,

because here she has friends who also know what it’s

like to be vision impaired—here she is just one of the

kids.

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Our Children and Youth Services programs are essential

for children like Shamira. Not only do they help her to

gain important life skills, they give her a sense of

belonging, of friendship.

Like many children we work with, Shamira has come so

far. Her mum is thrilled to see her daughter blossom:

“She is so happy when she’s there. Shamira has made

many friends through the program—it’s fantastic.”

If you’d like to know more about our Children and Youth

Services, please visit our website or call our Gateway

Services team on 1800 847 466.

VisAbility Library Supports Local AuthorsYou may know that our Library provides valuable

services to people with print disability, but did you know

we support local authors?

We have recently partnered up with local renowned

author and editor, Linda J Bettenay.

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Linda spent over 30 years as a teacher and principal in

schools across regional Western Australia. Since 2008,

along with her husband Mike, Linda is owner and editor

of the well-known publication The Roleystone Courier.

Linda has also published the Secret Series - three

fictional novels based in our State’s rich history.

Our library is currently recording her first two novels,

Secrets Mothers Keep and Wishes for Starlight. Linda

was motivated to write her first novel Secrets Mothers

Keep, after discovering an amazing true story from her

husband’s family’s past.

The story had been kept secret since 1928 and was only

recently uncovered. Her second novel, based on her

father’s stories, Wishes for Starlight, is set largely in the

Perth Hills area - a location Linda is very passionate

about.

We also have good partnerships with several other

publishing companies including Fremantle Press and

UWA Press.

Other popular books we have narrated include:16


Under a Tin Grey Sari by Wayne Ashton.

Bad Seed by Alan Carter.

Salt Story: of Sea – Dogs and Fisherwoman by

Sarah Drummond.

For more information, visit our website VisAbility

Website:www.visability.com.au/our-services/leisure-

sport-rec/talking-books or call our Library on 1800 847 466.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is a day to

get everyone talking, thinking and learning about making

the digital world accessible for people with disability.

Twenty-nine cities across the world celebrated on the

19th May 2016, including Perth. We celebrated by taking

part in activities prepared by our Accessible Information

Services (AIS) team and attending the A11y Bytes

Global Accessibility Awareness Day event held in The

Perron Centre.

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Our AIS team prepared a small challenge for staff to

take part in and support GAAD. The challenge was to

decode and translate a braille message.

Even our wonderful Public Relations Guide Dogs Luna

and Gidgee had a go in translating the braille message!

The AIS team also challenged attendees who

participated in A11y Bytes Global Accessibility

Awareness Day event.

For more information, contact VisAbility Library on 1800

847 466 or visit our website VisAbility

Website:www.visability.com.au/our-services/leisure-

sport-rec/talking-books

Connecting with VisAbilityWe always appreciate hearing from you. It’s how we can

ensure we are providing you with the level of service you

need and want.

In particular we listened to your feedback on how you

would like to stay connected with us. As a result we now

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offer you the opportunity to contribute to the VisAbility

vision in two meaningful ways.

A relaxed and friendly way to stay connected, the

‘Friend of VisAbility’ is $20 and includes:

Regular newsletters in the format you prefer

10% discount on Aids for Daily Living products

Up to 10% discount on other selected products

Invitations to networking opportunities

Partner Discounts, for example.

Following your feedback we reviewed our membership.

We’re pleased to offer membership for a reduced cost of

$40, with an increase in the value of benefits. This is an

opportunity to stay connected and have a voice, and

includes:

Regular newsletters in the format you prefer

15% discount on Aids for Daily Living

Up to 15% discount on other selected products

Invitations to networking opportunities

Partner Discounts, for example

Invitations to Special Member Events

Voting rights and an invitation to our AGM.

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To choose how you’d like to stay connected, you can

return the form you received in the post, or call our

friendly team on 08 9311 8202 to pay over the phone by

credit card.

Workplace Gender Equality ReportVisAbility is a diverse organisation with a range of

careers and occupations, ranging from therapists and

professional staff to skilled support staff.

Our organisation provides a supportive team

environment and family friendly working conditions for all

staff. Last year we opted to register and report to the

Workplace Gender Equality Act, proving to have a

successful track record of gender equality employment,

and equal opportunity in the workplace.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency is an Australian

Government statutory agency created by the Workplace

Gender Equality Act 2012. The Government body is

responsible for promoting and improving gender equality

in Australian workplaces. 20


Visit our website VisAbility

Website:www.visability.com.au/about-us/publications to

view our 2016 Gender Equality Report.

NDIS UpdateA staged roll out of the full NDIS has been confirmed for

1 July 2017. In the interim the two trial sites will be

expanded as the Commonwealth and State

Governments continue their assessment of the NDIS

and WANDIS (formerly My Way) trial models.

The State Disability Services Commission WANDIS trial

sites, which are currently operating in the Lower South

West region and Cockburn-Kwinana area, will expand to

local government areas Armadale, Murray and

Serpentine-Jarrahdale from 1 October 2016.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) model

delivered in the Perth Hills region will be expanded to

Bayswater, Bassendean, Chittering, Toodyay, York and

Northam from 1 January 2017.

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If you’d like further information on what this means for

you, or have questions about NDIS, contact our

Gateway Services team on 1800 847 466 and we will

talk you through every step of the process.

Thank You!You might remember from the last edition of Visionary

we asked for volunteers to help out at our annual Street

Appeal on International Guide Dog Day.

We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who

supported us on the day by volunteering or donating.

This year’s event was our biggest and best to date and

we’re thrilled by the results.

225 amazing people braved the cold wintry morning to

flood the CBD and Claremont Quarter in orange t-shirts

to shake tins for all the morning commuters or kept

spirits high during the lunchtime break.

Every year the people of Perth are so generous in

supporting our Guide Dog Program, and this year was

no exception. We’re pleased to report that we raised 22


over $27,000 this year, which will go a long way to

helping provide the life-changing gift of a Guide Dog.

So a big thank you again to our wonderful volunteers

and donors and we hope to see you again in the City for

next year’s Street Appeal.

SALSA Camp a Big HitThis year’s Social and Life Skills Activity (SALSA) camp

took place in the beautiful bush surrounds of the Nanga

Bush Camp in Dwellingup, during the April school

holidays.

The annual SALSA camp encourages young people with

vision impairment to learn valuable social and life skills,

and provides an important opportunity to make friends in

their own peer group.

This year the children challenged themselves to a range

of activities where many new friendships were forged.

Eleven year old Josh, a first time camper, said “I have

met new friends Alan, Michael, Harry, Richard and Kahn

who were in the dorm with me and Jake. Some of the 23


activities we did were basketball, cricket, rock climbing,

swinging on a rope and a talent show. I had a great time

at the camp and I can’t wait to go again next year”.

For children who live in the country SALSA Camp is

especially important, as fifteen year old Bree from

Broome explains; “It was great to see these guys after a

year and see some newcomers I hope everyone had a

great time and that Alan, Harry and Khan had a fantastic

last camp, it's going to be different without you guys,

Khan's boat jokes, Harry's sunscreen worries and Alan's

quietness. It was a pleasure getting to know you guys

and I hope we see each other in the near future. We all

had some laughs that will last a life-time, I'm sad we

can't see each other more often!”

On the last day of camp we asked the children to tell us

what they loved and enjoyed most and it wasn’t long

before a strong theme emerged. Rachel’s story sums up

the effect the camp has; “I had an awesome time at

camp, just where do I begin! I got to spend time with my

best friends and made new friends. We did some

activities which I thought weren't going to be fun but they

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ended up being very fun. We did a zip line thingy, some

group activities, some rock climbing and abseiling. We

had lots of delicious food. I loved spending time with my

friends.”

The next SALSA camp will take place in April 2017. If

you live in the WA NDIS (formerly My Way) or NDIS trial

sites, please contact the Children and Youth Services

team about including the camp in your child’s plan.

Save the Date – Technology OutlookThis year sees the return of Technology Outlook! This

excellent two day free event showcases the best

technologies to make life easier for people with vision

impairment.

Are there daily activities that you’re having a little

difficulty with? Cooking, reading, dressing or using

public transport. Then mark the date in your diary and

come along to Technology Outlook.

You will have access to a wide range of assistive

technologies all in one room. Wander around the event 25


and receive demonstrations on a wide range of

technologies from the experts in the industry.

Plus we have a cooking demonstration, showing which

equipment can help with whipping up your favourite

meal. And you can hear from our inspirational Keynote

Speaker, Kate Stephens, who will be sharing her story

of how technology has made her life easier while she

raised her daughter, worked and studied.

Technology Outlook takes place 15 and 16 September

in the Handa Hall at VisAbility, 61 Kitchener Ave,

Victoria Park. Further details will be available on our

website in the coming months.

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Entertainment BookOrder your new 2016/2017 Entertainment™ Book or

Entertainment™ Digital Membership today, and you’ll

help support our life-changing Guide Dog service!

To get your hands on over $20,000 worth of valuable

offers valid until 1 June 2017, visit the website

Entertainment Book Membership

Website:www.entertainmentbook.com.au to order your

Book or Digital Membership today. 20% of the proceeds

will go towards our Guide Dog program.

Don’t forget to tell your friends and family too!

Albany Support GroupIf you, or someone you know, lives in the Albany area,

there is a support group for people with vision

impairment.

The group meets each month at the Senior Citizens

Centre on the third Wednesday of the month, and new

faces are always welcome!

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For more information please call us on 1800 847 466.

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Letter from the Chair - Home - VisAbility … · Web viewIt’s hard changing years and years of...

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