Accessibility Information for New Years Eve in Sydney

Sydney has to be one of the best places in the world to bring in the New Year. There's nothing quite like the fireworks going off around the Harbour.

It's estimated 1.6 million people gather around the various vantage points around the Harbour which makes for a busy night. 
 

Image courtesy of City of Sydney

So how do you snag a top spot to enjoy the spectacle? Well the City of Sydney has put together some great information to help plan your visit to the Harbour.

They have produced vantage point information including mobility accesss and accessible toilet information to selected locations. There's also the official 2013 Sydney New Year’s Eve App.

There are a number of designated accessible viewing areas for people with disability to enjoy the event with their family or friends.

For further enquiries, or to register your interest, please contact the relevant person below:
 

Location	Contact Name	Contact Details
Cahill Expressway  and Ballarat Park, Pyrmont	Paul Nunnari	02 9228 5667  or 0477 318 481 paul.nunnari@dpc.nsw.gov.au
Pirrama Park , Pyrmont	Danielle Miller	02  9265 9325   nyedisability@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Sydney Opera House	Jenny Spinak	02 9250 7175 accessibility@sydneyoperahouse.com

 

If you're not able to make it to somewhere around the Harbour to watch the fireworks, you can watch on ABC 1 and this broadcast will include live closed captions.

2RPH will also be providing an audio description from 8:30pm – 10:00pm and 11:30pm – 12:30am on 1224AM.

If you would like to find out more general information, including road closures, accessibility for public transport users as well as information on accessible accommodation visit: 


http://www.sydneynewyearseve.com/accessibility/

Access All Areas Film Festival

The Access All Areas Film Festival is an accessible showcase of new Australian films for people with a disability. The tour features 50+ screenings at accessible cinemas, schools, community centres and disability groups in NSW and nationally.

The program consists of a feature film as well as a community tour featuring family friendly short films. This year’s feature film is The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby and the family friendly short films will be showing on the following dates and venues:
 
Monday 2 December - Parramatta
Riverside Theatre - Wheelchair accessible venue and hearing loop.
Cnr Church and Market Streets Parramatta, NSW
12.30pm: Family-friendly Shorts (Auslan & Open Captions)
6.30pm: The Great Gatsby (Auslan & Open Captions)

Tuesday 3 December - Sydney
Dendy Opera Quays - Wheelchair accessible venue, hearing loop.
9/2 East Circular Quay
Sydney, NSW
6.00pm: Opening night Gala with complimentary drinks
6.30pm: The Great Gatsby (Auslan & Open Captions)

Saturday 7 December - Casula
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre - Wheelchair accessible venue, hearing loop.
Powerhouse Road, Casula, NSW
12.30pm: Free BBQ – all welcome!
2.00pm: Family-friendly Shorts (Auslan & Open Captions)
5.00pm: The Great Gatsby (Auslan & Open Captions)

Monday 16 December - Campbelltown
Campbelltown Arts Centre - Wheelchair accessible venue, hearing loop.
Cnr Camden and Appin roads
(Art Gallery Road)
Campbelltown, NSW
12.30pm - Family Friendly Shorts (Open Captions)
2.30pm - Family Friendly Shorts (Audio Description
6.30pm - The Great Gatsby, 143 mins, M - (Open Captions)

How to Book
All of the above screenings are free, but you must make a booking to reserve your spot and avoid disappointment! To book for the Parramatta, Sydney and Campbelltown showings please contact the Access All Areas Film Festival office via 02 9281 5608 or email bookings@thefestivalists.com
 
To book for the showings at Casula Powerhouse, please make contact to the Casula Powerhouse Box Office by phone on 02 9824 1121 or by email to reception@casulapowerhouse.com

Also keep an eye on the Access All Areas Film festival website as more information comes to hand about the Community and School Tours which will feature the Family Friendly short films. www.aaaff.com.au

Access Info
If you would like further information on venue accessibility and how to get there, you can call IDEAS who are the proud information partners for the Festival on 1800 029 904.

How Ability Links NSW will Work with Aboriginal Communities

The NSW Government through the Department of Family and Community Services, Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) is establishing a new service in NSW called  ‘Ability Links NSW’, for people with disability. 

As part of this process Ability Links NSW will establish 27 Aboriginal ‘Linkers” across NSW. ADHC would like to invite community members and non-government organisations to discuss how Ability Links NSW will operate with Aboriginal communities.

The consultation and briefing sessions will provide the following information: 

• An overview of Ability Links NSW 

• An overview of key information for organisations that are interested in delivering ALNSW to Aboriginal communities, including an outline of planned delivery arrangements and the procurement process.

17 briefings will take place across NSW in the following locations:

Parramatta: Friday 1 November, 9:30 am – 12:30pm at Parramatta RSL, O’Connell St, Parramatta

Springwood: Wednesday 4 November, 10:00am – 1:00pm at Springwood Sports Club, 83 Macquarie Rd, Springwood 

Ingleburn: Wednesday 6 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Ingleburn RSL, Chester Rd, Ingleburn

Kogarah: Wednesday 6 November, 10:00am – 1:00pm at Kogarah RSL Club, 254 Railway Parade, Kogarah

Kiama: Friday 8 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Kiama Leagues Club, 109 Terralong St, Kiama

Brewarrina: Friday 8 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Brewarrina Visitor Information Centre, Bathurst St, Brewarrina

Broken Hill: Tuesday 12 November, 11:00am – 2:00pm at the Musician’s Club, 27 Crystal St, Broken Hill

Narrandera: Tuesday 12 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Narrandera Bowling Club, Cnr Bolton & Jonsen Sts, Narrandera

Cowra: Wednesday 13 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Cowra Services Club, 101 Brisbane St, Cowra

Moree: Monday 18 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at More Services Club, Albert St, Moree

Batemans Bay: Tuesday 19 November, Tuesday 19 November, 1:30pm – 4:30pm at Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, Beach Rd, Batemans Bay

Glenn Innes: Tuesday 19 November, Tuesday 19 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Glenn Innes and District Services Club, Cnr Lang and Grey Sts, Glen Innes

Lismore: Tuesday 19 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Lismore Workers Club, 231/235 Keen St, Lismore

Tamworth: Wednesday 20 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at West Diggers, Kable Avenue, Tamworth

Coffs Harbour: Wednesday 20 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Club Coffs,  61A W High St, Coffs Harbour

Laurieton: Thursday 21 November, 9:30am – 12:30pm at Laurieton United Services Club, Seymour St, Laurieton

Redfern: Monday 25 November, 10:30am – 1:30pm at Club Redfern, 2/159 Redfern St, Redfern

Dubbo: Tuesday 26 November, 11:00am – 2:00pm at the Macquarie Inn, Cnr Wheelers Ln & Birch Ave, Dubbo.

Please register to attend a briefing session, by providing names and contact details ablitylinks@kpmg.com.au or 02 9455 9243. If you require respite or community transport to assist you attend this can be discussed.

However, even if you don’t register you are welcome to attend.

For further information please contact Jaimie Moreno on 02 9455 9243 or Joe Short on 02 9346 5652.

Self Advocacy Workshops

IDEAS is pleased to present a series of Self Advocacy workshops for people living in the Wollongong area.
Come along to our 4 interactive workshops. You will learn about:

• Self Advocacy
• Your rights and responsibilities
• Practical ways to make your own choices
• How to Speak Up to get what you need

Fridays 8 November, 15 November, 22 November & 29 November
(please note, to get the most out of the workshops particpants are encouraged to come along each week)

Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Venue: Wollongong City Library Theatrette, Burelli St, Wollongong

For more information or to RSVP contact Melissa:
Ph: 42 261 597
SMS: 0423 062 053
education@ideas.org.au

Carers Week

Next week (13-19th October) is Carers Week. It's a time to recognise the role of the 2.6 million unpaid carers in our community who care for a loved one.

It is said carers are the cornerstone of Australia’s mental health, aged, disability and palliative care systems. Without the support of unpaid family carers these systems would simply collapse.

There are a number of activities on during the week to celebrate and recognise the important role these carers play in our community. One of these events is Carers Day Out which will be held in Sydney's Martin Place. 

The day will feature some fun activities and time out for carers. Activities will include;

• Gardening Workshop
• Introduction to Art Therapy
• Laughter Wellbeing
• Tea Ceremony

If you can't make it to the Sydney event, there are a number of other events around the state that you can attend. To find out the closest event to you visit the link: 

http://www.carersnsw.org.au/carersweek2013#Carers_Day_Out_Sydney

Dine Out for Disability

Over the weekend of Friday 4th to Sunday 6th October, hotels all over the Hunter are donating $1 from every meal to help support buy a much needed bus to assist people with disability get around.

The Dine Out for Disability campaign is put together by ConnectAbility Australia and the Newcastle and Hunter Australian Hotels Association.

There are over 50 hotels across the region supporting this campaign.

To find out which hotels are helping out visit www.dineoutfordisability.org.au.

Cycling and Epilepsy

Thanks to Halley Weaver who has shared with us her article appearing on Bike Shop Girl which tells her story on the challenges of cycling with epilepsy.

Halley also shares her story via her blog http://bikeleptic.com/


When you are triaged at the emergency room or picked up by the ambulance after a bicycle crash involving no other vehicle, the intake paramedic or nurse will write “FDGB” on your form. What super official medical term does this acronym mean? “Fall Down Go Boom.” It does get the point across, at the very least.

In 2009, I was going to the emergency room approximately every six to eight weeks for similar reasons. Part of it I was cycling more so naturally I was on my bike versus say in my apartment or walking. It made me a prime candidate for tipping over randomly. A few crashes I just stood up and dusted myself off, but several of them were pretty epic with full facial road rash, splayed out in the middle of road and no memory of how I actually ended up there. That last part was the most unsettling of the entire affair.

That’s when they sent me to a neurologist. It seemed that I had been what are called “absence seizures.” Chances are that I have been experiences them for a long time in my life and have never noticed them. I kind of freak out when I think of this, because I have driven a car a lot in my life and worry that I could have been driving when this had happened. Earlier in life, I would go into random crying fits that had been misdiagnosed as “hypoglycemia.” I very distinctly remember not being able to look at restaurant menus and see the words or formulate thoughts. The neurologist informed me that I was most likely experiencing what was called a “simple partial seizure” and having had them recently, I can attest all the orange juice and glucose tablets in the world won’t help, so while yes they do look like a low blood sugar crash, they are indeed not.

I had my first “grand mal seizure” during a bike ride in downtown Portland and hit a park bench. This was an extremely difficult and stressful time for me. I felt like my brain was trying to kill me. All I wanted to was live a car-free lifestyle, work at the women’s homeless shelter and continue my own business as a professional harpist (with a custom-made bike trailer for my full size folk harp). You know, the typical Portland Oregon lifestyle, right? I couldn’t really live that when I was riddled with migraines, my weight massively fluctuating from trying out new medications – and I already suffered from an overweight awkward childhood so this new struggle was just one more thing to add to my plate.

My neurologist and I struggled to deal with my daily migraines so that I could ride my bike again without the threat of seizure and we couldn’t figure it out until I came across something she didn’t think of. Allergies. I knew I was allergic to a few medications and chemical products, but in addition to them, I added gluten, lactose and egg to my list. Having a very severe latex allergy, I had never realized that banana or avocado were part of the same family, which while I loved and are very beneficial to most diets, unfortunately for me, they cause more harm than good. Cutting them out as well, cleared so many skin issues. It was actually about that time, 2010, I “went vegan.” I had already been eating mostly vegetarian due to the lack of dairy and egg products. My body has never processed red meat well and I don’t eat pork, so it was a pretty natural transition. The most difficult thing for me to break up with was gluten. Total carbitarian.

I want to smack myself in the forehead because it sounds so stupid writing this. You cut out the stuff that you’re allergic to and you stop being sick. I’m not a nutritionist, not giving you nutritional advice and I can only write what worked for me. And, let’s be honest. I still have seizures. It’s not all about food. But I did lose 70 lbs in less than a year, which I am sure was mostly because I was putting crap in my body that couldn’t be processed and broken down.

There are the good days and the bad. I have worked really hard to get to where I am. Charting when I have seizures. I have been on a bunch of different types medications that haven’t worked for me or that I have “grown out of,” meaning that dosage is at such a high mg that any more would be toxic so the doctor either has to supplement a different medication or change medications. There are literally dozens of different kinds of epilepsy that affect the brain. Mine is called progressive myoclonic epilepsy. In short, it means it’s going to get worse in time, but right now it’s really well controlled.

I love cycling and it’s my life. I ride with a primarily road racing team here in Portland, though my passion is cyclocross. I haven’t been able to race the last two years due to health reasons. My knee went out two years ago and I had foot surgery last year. This was related to a back fracture I had six years ago. Ironically related to the dysfunction in my right cerebral hemisphere, which causes discrepancies in motor skills, visuo-spatial, perception and coordination. Basically I FDGB. I am definitely looking forward to this fall and getting muddy.

October - Mental Health Month

Next week marks the beginning of Mental Health Month.

In NSW, Mental Health Month is led by the Mental Health Association of NSW and aims to increase awareness, and promote mental health and wellbeing for all people living in NSW. 

This year’s theme is ‘Kindness: little acts, big impacts!’ This theme promotes kindness to oneself and to others as beneficial to health and wellbeing for everyone.

As part of the campaign a fact sheet called:Kindness: little acts, big impacts! has been produced.

You can also download this factsheet in the following community languages: Arabic, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Spanish and Vietnamese 

Also available are fact sheets from previous years, which still have great, relevant information. These include: Celebrate Connect Grow  Wellbeing: Invest in Your Life   and 10 Tips to Stress Less.

The Mental Health Association also has two information services specialising in mental health. These are:


Mental Health Information Service 1300 794 991  - Information, telephone support and referral on issues relating to mental health generally. 

Anxiety Disorder Support Information Line 1300 794 992 - Focuses more specifcally on anxiety disorders. 
 
The operating hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm

 For further information including events you can get involved in, visit the Mental Health Month page via:

http://www.mentalhealth.asn.au/well-being/campaigns/mental-health-month-nsw.html


 
  

My Choice Matters

My Choice Matters has been created to help people get the most out of the system changes to person-centred support and live life their way. My Choice Matters is managed by Council for Intellectual Disability NSW with funding from the NSW Government.

To help people understand these changes a number of workshops called ‘Getting Started’ will be held people with disability and family members to hear  from people who have been exercising more control, voice and choice. The Getting Started Workshops run for about 4 hours (with breaks) and will talk about some of the changes that lie ahead with more person centred approaches and the introduction of DisabilityCare Australia (the national disability insurance scheme.)

The workshops will focus on the elements of a good life and encourage everyone to think what that might look like in your life. On the day of the workshop participants will be taking part alongside other people with disability and family members.

Participants will learn about new thinking and new ideas that will help you to get started and prepare for the changes ahead. Below is a list of when and where these workshops will be held.

• Bega - 10 September
• Wollongong - 14th September
• Taree - 17 September
• Kempsey - 18 September - Workshop for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
• Tamworth - 19 September
• Webinar - 21 September
• Albury - 24 September
• Wagga Wagga - 25 September
• Griffith - 26 September
• Sutherland - 28 September
• Sydney - CBD 2 October
• Webinar - 3 October
• Queanbeyan - 4 October
• Erina - 17 October
• Ryde / Epping - 19 October

The ‘webinars’ can be accessed anywhere, as long as you have a computer with internet access. Details of the addresses and times of the workshops as well as webinar details will be given when you register. 

To find out more information or register you can visit www.mychoicematters.org.au or call My Choice Matters on 1800144 653.

Qantas can “DisabilityCare”

It's really great to hear a good news story coming about as a result of people with disability traveling with airlines.

'My chair is my legs, handle with care'

Here special guest John McKenna writes about his experience on a recent trip using Qantas.

“When that has pups I’ll have one” as he pointed at my wheelchair.

A nice change to the normal “Wow how fast does it go?”
I’ve just arrived in far North Queensland and I must admit I love the spirit and personality of the locals.
Apart from the warmth and friendly people, the highlight has to be so far knowing my wheelchair traveled safely, thanks Qantas.

John transferring to his seat using the Eagle Lifter

It’s all about the preparation and signage that makes it easy for the luggage handlers who have to work with variety of mobility devices.

Other travelers in wheelchairs sometimes however prefer to have their own chair at the plane’s door when getting in and off the plane which can make it hard to prepare your chair for transporting of course.

My experiences with the staff at Qantas who communicated with me in a very respectful way as they introduced and used the “Eagle Lifter” to transfer me in to my seat on the plane.

The Eagle Lifter will soon be an option for passengers using Jetstar.

You can view John's original post and his blog here at www.johnmckenna.com.au

All You Need to Know About Voting

You really can’t miss that we have an election coming up on 7 September to decide who will be our Government and local member for the next few years! So how do you make your voice heard and ensure things that are important to you and your community are put forward?

Before and after the election is a great time to speak or write to candidates in your local area (electorate) and raise issues important to you. A good idea is to speak to candidates from all the political parties. That person you speak to could just be the person who puts your issue before Parliament some day in the future. This is how things like the NDIS started - by people talking to politicians and telling them a better system was needed for people with disability.

Ways can you vote
There are a number of new initiatives that will assist voting to be more accessible to everyone in our community. At the 2013 federal election, voters who are blind or have low vision will have three voting options:

New telephone voting option
Voters who are blind or vision impaired can telephone the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) call centre and cast a secret vote from any location, without attending an AEC office.

Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes

Voters must register to cast their vote by telephone. Registration for telephone voting starts two and a half weeks before election day and ends at 12 noon AEST on election day.

To register, voters need to call 1800913993. When a voter calls to register, they will be asked to select a PIN. Once registered, they will receive an acknowledgment letter at their enrolled address. The registration number can also be received by post, email, SMS or through a phone call.

Assisted voting at a polling place
Voters may choose to cast a vote with assistance at a polling place. A blind or vision impaired voter may choose an assistant to help cast their vote. The assistant reads the contents of the ballot paper then completes the ballot paper according to the voter’s preferences.

Assisted postal voting
Voters can cast a postal vote with the help of an assistant. The assistant may complete the ballot papers and envelope, but the voter must sign the envelope or make a mark as a signature.

Polling Place Voting
On election day you can go to your local polling place and complete your vote. To find out where your nearest polling place is you can search on the Electoral Commission website by suburb. It will also have a wheelchair symbol next to the listing to show that it is wheelchair accessible. Polling places open at 8am and close at 6pm sharp. 

If you’re not able for some reason to make it to a polling place on election day, then you can ‘pre-poll’ your vote at a pre-poll voting centre or divisional office in the lead up to election day.

You can find a list of pre-polling centres on the Australian Electoral Commission’s (AEC) website, or you can call 13 23 26 to find out.

How to Vote - Practice Voting
If you haven’t voted before, or you think you might need a brush up on how to do it, there is a Practice Voting Tool available on the AEC website.

On election day you will recieve 2 pieces of paper - one for the House of Representatives which is green. The other will be a big white sheet of paper which is the Senate Ballot paper. The practice voting tool lets you practice on both of these ballot papers and will check to see if you’ve done it correctly!

For the House of Representatives you number 1 to 8 (1 is your first choice and 8 is your last choice) next to the Candidate’s name.

For the Senate Ballot Paper, you can choose to vote in two ways. The first way is ‘above the line’ where you put a ‘1’ in the box for the party or group of your choice. By doing this you’re allowing the order of your preference to be determined by the party or group you’re voting for.

The second way to vote on the Senate Ballot Paper is ‘below the line’ where you can choose to fill in every box below the line in order of your preference. You must put a ‘1’ in the box beside the candidate who is your first choice, ‘2’ in the box beside your second choice and so on, until you have numbered every box. You must number every box for your vote to count.

The AEC has also put together this useful video in Auslan, captions and audio. It gives an overview on the ins and outs of voting

To find out more on how to vote on election day you can visit the AEC’s website at www.aec.gov.au  call 13 23 26 or email info@aec.gov.au.

If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment you can use the National Relay Service (NRS)

• TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 13 23 26
• Speak and Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 13 23 26
• Internet relay users connect to the NRS then ask for 13 23 26.

Making Performing Arts Venues Accessible to All

Accessible Arts (AA) is the peak arts and disability organisation across New South Wales.

AA promotes and provides opportunities for people with disability to participate in arts and cultural activities either as audience members; through attending galleries, theatres, museums and festivals; or as participants in art, drama, music, dance and multimedia activities; and by developing as professional artists.

AA has produced a great resource for performing arts venues to use in considering how to make their venues accessible to all in the community, including people with a disability.

The areas of consideration include: 

• Improving access to venues
• Marketing and Publication to the disability sector
• Training performing arts venue staff
• Anti-discrimination legislation compliance for venues

 

To find out more information visit: www.aarts.net.au/audience-development/access-to-performing-arts-venues

 

 

 

 

Focus on Ability Short Film Competition

The Focus on Ability Short Film competition is now in it's 5th year and asks people to submit short films in the 3 categories of 'open', 'schools' and 'corporate'.  The brief is to 'focus on ability'.

Voting is now underway to decide who will take out the major prize of 2 return tickets to Hollywood to study for 10 weeks at TAFTA’s film and television school, including accommodation and $3000 spending money.


So if you have a few spare minutes, check out some of the great entries via the link below and you can also vote for your favourite film in the people's choice:

http://www.focusonability.com.au/FOA/films.html

Voting closes 11th August at 11.59pm. There will be an awards ceremony on the 15th August in Sydney. For more info about the evening and tickets please contact Amie on (02) 98332500. 

If you missed out this year on entering, perhaps get your thinking cap on for next year's competition ;)

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

We all make them, yet sometimes we need reminding of what our rights are around making decisions.

We came across this great video produced by Speak Out Advocacy in Tasmania - who are an organisation working in advocacy for people with a disability. 

This video talks about what decisions are and what rights we have around making them. It's designed to teach young people with intellectual disability about choice and decision making.

Check it out below:

NDIS is now Law!

On Thursday 21st March the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) Bill passed in Parliament, which now makes the NDIS a reality for thousands of people with a disability across the country.

The NDIS Bill establishes the scheme and the NDIS Launch Transition Agency to deliver the scheme in the five launch sites across Australia.

The first stage of the scheme will benefit about 26,000 people with disability, their families and carers in the Hunter in NSW, the Barwon area of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.

The NDIS will roll out in full across NSW by July 2018, providing care and support to around 140,000 NSW residents with disability, following the agreement of the Australian and New South Wales Governments last year.

To find out more on the NDIS you can visit www.ndis.gov.au

Beware of NDIS Scammers

With the launch of the NDIS coming in June, there have been reports of individuals taking advantage of this situation by claiming to work for the Government.

These individuals have then asked people to pay an administration fee to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

These claims are false, and someone making these claims is part of a scam.

There is no need for people to pay a fee to join the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The Government is investing $1 billion to launch the first stage of the NDIS in five sites across the country from July this year.

The NDIS Launch Transition Agency will deliver the first stage of the NDIS and in the lead up to launch will communicate with many people with disability in the launch sites.

However, the Launch Transition Agency will not be seeking fees from anyone to participate in the scheme.

You should be very wary of anyone asking for payments for Government schemes, including the NDIS.

Please make sure you do not give any personal details to anyone who tells you there is a fee for the NDIS.

If you are concerned that your privacy has been breached or you have provided personal details as a result of one of these calls, you should report it to the police.

You can also report a scam and get further information at the Government’s Scamwatch website, www.scamwatch.gov.au, or call the hotline on 1300 795 995.

If you have any further enquiries about this scam, you can email
helpdesk.fraud@fahcsia.gov.au

If you want to know more about the facts of the NDIS please go to the Government’s official web site at www.ndis.gov.au