Access All Areas Film Festival

IDEAS is again pleased to be partnering with The Access All Areas Film Festival (AAAFF) this December.

The AAAFF is a FREE event, bringing accessible screenings of the best Australian feature and short films of the past year to venues near you!

Feature Film - Tracks

A family-friendly program of award-winning Australian short films, and feature film Tracks, Access All Areas brings screenings featuring captions and audio description to accessible venues including cinemas, community centres and schools across Australia.

Parramatta– Monday 1st December
Riverside Theatres
Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta NSW
11am – Family Friendly Shorts [Open Captions & Auslan Interpreted]
12pm – FREE AFTERNOON TEA!
6.30pm – TRACKS, 112 mins, M. [Open Captions & Auslan Interpreted]

All sessions are FREE but bookings are ESSENTIAL to guarantee your seat!
Bookings: 02 8839 3399 or www.riversideparramatta.com.au.


Sydney – Wednesday 3rd December
Event Cinemas, George St
505-525 George St, Sydney
6.00pm – Opening Night Gala with complimentary drinks
6.30Pm – Tracks, 112 Mins, M. - Open Captions & Auslan Interpreted
6.30Pm – Tracks, 112 Mins, M. - Open Audio Description
All sessions are FREE but bookings are ESSENTIAL to guarantee your seat!
Bookings: 02 9550 2266 or bookings@thefestivalists.com

Campbelltown- THURSDAY, 4 DECEMBER
Campbelltown Arts Centre
1 Art Gallery Rd
Campbelltown, NSW
10am- Tracks, 112 mins, M - [OPEN CAPTIONS] [AUSLAN INTERPRETER]
1pm- Accessible tour of the Campbelltown Arts Centre
2pm- Tracks, 112 mins, M- [AUDIO DESCRIBED]

FREE but bookings essential: 9857 2527
Light refreshments and complimentary popcorn will be served. This is a partnership between Wesley Disability Services. Campbelltown Arts Centre and Campbelltown Council.
 

Casula – Friday 5th December
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
1 Powerhouse Rd
Casula NSW 2170
12Pm – Free BBQ
1pm – Family Friendly Shorts - Open Captions & Auslan Interpreted
6.30pm – TRACKS, 112 mins, M. - Open Captions & Auslan Interpreted
All sessions are FREE but bookings are ESSENTIAL to guarantee your seat!
Bookings: 02 9824 1121 or reception@casulapowerhouse.com

For further information visit: www.aaaff.com.au

Sydney Opera House Accessibility Program

The Sydney Opera House recently released details of their Accessibilty Program for 2014. The Program includes performances which have:

• Audio Description
• Auslan
• Opening Captioning
• as well as Austism Friendly Performances

There are also a number of other accessiblity measures the Opera House has put in place, such as free FM headsets for hearing assistance and a shuttle bus. The bus runs between Circular Quay near Stand E (under the Cahill Expressway) and the Vehicle Concourse on Ground Level for selected performances. However, there are no bus services on Sunday evenings.

To view a full list of the performances click here (opens a pdf)

You can also visit the Opera House's accessibility page for further information or watch the video below.

The City of Sydney Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan

The City of Sydney has drafted a new Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan, and they would like to know what you think about it.

With one in five people in Australia living with a disability, the City of Sydney is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive city for everyone. The new plan has been developed in consultation with the City’s Inclusion (Disability) Advisory Panel, building on the progress made from previous plans to improve inclusion and access across the City of Sydney.

The draft Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan 2014 -2017 sets out six key directions as well as priority actions to help people with a disability to get around, access City information, participate in cultural and recreational activities and have a say on shaping the City’s future.

The six key directions are:
  

• People of all abilities can get around the city
• Visitors and tourists of all abilities are welcome 
• People of all abilities live and work in the City 
• All people have access to City information 
• People of all abilities have a say 
• People of  all abilities are a part of city life 

You can download the Action Plan at:


www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/community-support/people-with-a-disability

There is also an easy read version. The plan can also be made available in alternative formats such as hard copy, braille, audio or large text, upon request.

You can also view the Action Plan in person by visiting the following City of Sydney locations:

CBD Level 3, Town Hall House
456 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Monday–Friday: 8am–6pm
Public holidays: Closed

Redfern 158 Redfern Street
Redfern NSW 2016
Monday–Friday: 9am–5pm
Saturday: 9am–12pm
Sunday: Closed
Public holidays: Closed

Green Square 100 Joynton Avenue
Zetland NSW 2017
Monday–Friday: 10am–6pm
Public holidays: Closed

The draft Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan 2014–2017 is on public exhibition until
Monday 31 March 2014.

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/

Disability not the Problem in an Accessible Society

The above is the statement the NSW Government recently made when it released the "The National Disability Strategy NSW Implementation Plan 2012 -2014". A long title indeed.

The plan commits all areas of government to shift the structural and attitudinal barriers which impact on the lives of people with disability.

The National Disability Strategy NSW Implementation Plan outcomes areas are:

• Inclusive and accessible communities - transport, housing, buildings, websites
• Rights protection, justice and legislation – address criminal justice issues, improve access to complaints handling, support people with disability to stand for local government elections in 2016, maximise people’s autonomy through supported decision making
• Economic security and employment - provide incentives to employ people with disability, create pathways for school leavers and volunteering opportunities
• Access to personal and community support – through self directed supports and individualised funding, assistive technology, housing for Aboriginal people with mental illness
• Learning and skills development - early childhood education, improve options to develop skills through community participation, life choices and active ageing
• Health and wellbeing – improve access to health services, prevention and screening programs

You can access a PDF version of the document here.

You can also access a HTML format here:  
http://www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/about_us/strategies/national_disability_strategy/nds_nsw_implementation_plan

New National Campaign To Create ‘Livable Homes’

This week has seen the launch of the 'Livable Homes' campaign by Livable Houses Australia. The  campaign aims to have all new homes being safer and easier to get around by 2020.
 
It includes 3 levels of "Livability" - silver, gold and platinum.

Below is an image of what a silver level house might look like and include in terms of accessibility.

There are also some great resources available on the LHA website including Liveable Housing Design Guidelines (PDF)

Visit http://livablehousingaustralia.org.au for more resources and information.

 

 Below is the Media Relase for the Campaign

 A front door you can easily wheel a pram through; living spaces that are safer to move around in; a step-free shower; a handrail on your stairs; and a toilet on the ground floor.
 

Launched today at Parliament House, Canberra, Livable Housing Australia (LHA) will target the housing industry to achieve the Livable Housing Design Quality Mark as part of a national campaign to ensure all new homes are safer, more comfortable and easier to get around by 2020.

 LHA will work with industry leaders to adopt seven critical design features to help make homes not only easier to access and live in, but more cost-effective to adapt when life’s circumstances change, LHA Chair Peter Verwer said.

“Livable Housing Australia champions the adoption of seven critical ‘livable’ design features that help make homes easier to access, navigate and live in, as well more cost-effective to adapt when life’s circumstances change,” Mr Verwer said.

“Livable homes work for pregnant mums, young families with kids, as well and those with disability and Australians with sporting or traumatic injuries. ‘Livability’ also caters for the needs of an ageing society by promoting homes better suited to seniors.

“Livable homes will also reduce stress on Australia’s 2.6 million strong army of unpaid carers[1].”

Also launched today, the Livable Housing Design Quality Mark is set to become a trusted measure of livability for consumers and the housing industry.
 

“The LHA’s Silver, Gold and Platinum performance ratings are based on practical, common sense guidelines to livability,” Mr Verwer said.

“The features contained in the guidelines are inexpensive to incorporate into new-build dwellings and will deliver huge dividends as well as peace of mind to future generations of Australians.

“It makes sense to commit to livability features when a home is first designed and built rather than wait for an unplanned need to arise. Our goal is to persuade the market to incorporate Silver level livability features in all homes by 2020.”

Therese Rein, National Patron for the LHA, was inspired by the experiences of her father who lost the use of his legs after a flying accident in World War Two to support Livable Housing Australia’s campaign.

“I grew up with my dad in a wheelchair and I know what a difference Livable Housing would have made to him, and to us as a family. That’s why I wholeheartedly support Livable Housing Australia; so that every Australian can occupy a home that feels like home,” Ms Rein said.

“We design and build for what we call a ‘Peter Pan’ population – homes for the fit and well, the here and now,” Livable Housing Australia’s executive director, Amelia Starr, said.

“Livable design seeks to embed the idea that, just like life, our homes should be future-proofed so that they can better meet our needs and abilities both now and in the future,” she said.

A further benefit of creating more livable homes is fewer injuries and a reduction in public health costs.

The family home accounts for 62 percent of all falls and slip-based injuries, and currently accounts for $1.8 billion in public health expenses[2].

The LHA’s seven core livable housing design elements focus on the key structural and spatial elements that are critical to ensure future flexibility and adaptability of the home. (see break-out box)

 “Incorporating these features will avoid more costly home modification if required at a later date,” Ms Starr said.

“Common sense and international research indicate it’s 22 times more efficient to design the house for change than retrofit it when an unforeseen necessity arises,” she said.

Media enquiries: Amelia Starr, Executive Director, 0403 091 452

[1] ABS (2009) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers.

[2] Monash University Accident Research Centre. (2008) The relationship between slips, trips and falls and the design and construction of buildings. (Funded by the Australian Building Codes Board).

My First Week with the iPhone

One of the other staff at the organisation I work for, IDEAS NSW, prompted me to read this posting from a very nice guy called Austin Seraphin. Austin writes about his experience having an iPhone for the first week. But heres the catch, Austin is vision impaired. I have to commend him for the way he has spoken and created the 'images' (yes that's right images) that this phone has given him. I am sure that an occassion such as this would be one of the most memorable experiences that one could go through. I have taken a little extract from the blog posting that he has done on his blog Behind the Curtain. I suggest that you follow the link and check out the rest of the post, truly is amazing.

My First Week with the iPhone, by Austin Seraphin


Last Wednesday, my life changed forever. I got an iPhone. I consider it the greatest thing to happen to the blind for a very long time, possibly ever. It offers unparalleled access to properly made applications, and changed my life in twenty-four hours. The iPhone only has one thing holding it back: iTunes. Nevertheless, I have fallen in love.

When I first heard that Apple would release a touchpad cell phone with VoiceOver, the screen reading software used by Macs, I scoffed. The blind have gotten so used to lofty promises of a dream platform, only to receive some slapped together set of software with a minimally functional screen reader running on overpriced hardware which can’t take a beating. I figured that Apple just wanted to get some good PR – after all, how could a blind person even use a touchpad? I laughed at the trendies, both sighted and blind, buying iPhones and enthusing about them. That changed when another blind friend with similar opinions also founded in long years of experience bought one, and just went nuts about how much she loved it, especially the touchpad interface. I could hardly believe it, and figured that I should reevaluate things.

..................
I have seen a lot of technology for the blind, and I can safely say that the iPhone represents the most revolutionary thing to happen to the blind for at least the last ten years. Fifteen or twenty years brings us back to the Braille ‘n Speak, which I loved in the same way, so have a hard time choosing the greater. In my more excitable moments, I consider the iPhone as the greatest thing to have ever happened to the blind, and it may prove so. Time will tell. The touchpad offers the familiar next/previous motion which the blind need, since speech offers one-dimensional output. Adding the ability to touch anywhere on the screen and hear it adds a whole other dimension, literally. For the first time, the blind can actually get spacial information about something. In the store, Mom could say “Try that button” and I could. Blind people know what I mean. How many times has a sighted person said “I see an icon at the top of the screen?” Now, that actually Means something. I want to find a way to browse the web with a touchpad on my computer. It truly represents the wave of the future.

........................

The other night, however, a very amazing thing happened. I downloaded an app called Color Identifier. It uses the iPhone’s camera, and speaks names of colors. It must use a table, because each color has an identifier made up of 6 hexadecimal digits. This puts the total at 16777216 colors, and I believe it. Some of them have very surreal names, such as Atomic Orange, Cosmic, Hippie Green, Opium, and Black-White. These names in combination with what feels like a rise in serotonin levels makes for a very psychedelic experience.

I have never experienced this before in my life. I can see some light and color, but just in blurs, and objects don’t really have a color, just light sources. When I first tried it at three o’clock in the morning, I couldn’t figure out why it just reported black. After realizing that the screen curtain also disables the camera, I turned it off, but it still have very dark colors. Then I remembered that you actually need light to see, and it probably couldn’t see much at night. I thought about light sources, and my interview I did for Get Lamp. First, I saw one of my beautiful salt lamps in its various shades of orange, another with its pink and rose colors, and the third kind in glowing pink and red.. I felt stunned.

The next day, I went outside. I looked at the sky. I heard colors such as “Horizon,” “Outer Space,” and many shades of blue and gray. I used color cues to find my pumpkin plants, by looking for the green among the brown and stone. I spent ten minutes looking at my pumpkin plants, with their leaves of green and lemon-ginger. I then roamed my yard, and saw a blue flower. I then found the brown shed, and returned to the gray house. My mind felt blown. I watched the sun set, listening to the colors change as the sky darkened. The next night, I had a conversation with Mom about how the sky looked bluer tonight. Since I can see some light and color, I think hearing the color names can help nudge my perception, and enhance my visual experience. Amazing!

I love my iPhone. It changed my universe as soon as it entered it. However, as any Discordian knows, every golden Apple has a golden worm at its center.

We Welcome Diana Palmer Back From Her Churchill Fellowship Research Trip

Diana has returned from her trip around for her Blakeney Millar Churchill Fellowship and wow does she have a lot to share with us about accessibility. Turns out Access Aware and IDEAS will be doing some big planning to get on top of the new trends and ideas around accessibility and helping people with disability.

It's amazing how technology can change the way that communication is managed with others particularly in regards to giving it to those that need it. All these new gadgets and gidgets that can help to create a togetherness through an 'authentic' communication source (such as our IPhone or IPad). 

Diana's comments around accessibility were that countries are still striving to achieve it, there are so many things that need to be considered, monitored and built upon before a street can even be accessible to all. It's a process of failure after failure until you reach upon a successful option. And often this becomes less practical as the world turns another year older.

I know what you are probably thinking, are we ever going to get there?!? All these countries with all their different finances, all their different technologies and we still haven't found an answer.

Stay positive Australia because at least some of us are trying. We will get closer, it just takes people like us to remind certain people to get going!!! 

Social Media and Accessibility

There is no denying that social media has become quite a hit in the online environment. Social Media sites are a great opportunity to stay connected with friends and meet new people. The very definition of social media is all about, you guessed it, being social! Let's have a look at some examples (the wording has been changed to make it a little easier to understand):


• Social Media are a variety of user-created works, including video, audio, text and/or multimedia that are ‘published’ and shared in a social environment – Capilano University


• Social Media are internet/computer tools that allows individuals and groups to create and exchange content as a means of communicating with peers – Bottle PR


• Social Media defines the various activities that join together technology, social interaction, and the creation of words and pictures – formicmedia

From even these examples, it is fairly reliable to suggest that Social Media is a term that refers to the creation of forms of communication in a social environment. IDEAS NSW uses a number of Social Media sites outside of this blog, inclusive of Twitter and Facebook.

But how accessible is Social Media? And what Social Media tools are out there that are really reaching the whole possible audience? Social Media is important and should be open to all, allowing people to avoid the barriers of time and distance.


I have found a very helpful document, the ‘Social Media Access Review’ from Media Access Australia and would like to share some of their findings in regards to six named Social Media sites, including: Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and Myspace. Their findings were:

• Facebook: ACCESSIBLE.

• Skype: ACCESSIBLE.

• YouTube: SOMEWHAT ACCESSIBLE.

• Flickr: SOMEWHAT ACCESSIBLE.

• Twitter: SOMEWHAT ACCESSIBLE.

• Myspace: INACCESSIBLE.

(Check out the document for comments on each site).

It is great that Social Media sites such as these are starting to become more aware of the issues faced by people with disability online, but there should be a standard for ensuring that these sites really are for EVERYONE to socialise. It is not uncommon for people with disability to feel isolated in their own world, Social Media allows communication without that isolation.

Social Media is definitely not something to ignore, it is ever-changing and moving fast towards becoming a prime toll for socialising, however, there is still a way to go for these sites to really connect the dots and recognise the ways towards a new tomorrow, where accessibility is for everyone!

The Traveller - Diana Palmer

I have been watching the movements of our keen disability information traveller, Diana Palmer, on her recent expedition to

• USA,
• Canada,
• the UK,
• Blegium,
• Czech Republic,
• Sweden and
• China.

The aim of the tremendous journey: to investigate provision of accessible and relevant information enabling people with disability to make informed travel choices.

I invite you to explore and discover along her journeys by reading it here on the DisCo blog. Diana does have her own blog and you can follow her findings there. Here's an introduction to what she has discovered:

San Francisco- tuesday April 13th

Yesterday I had a conversation with Scott Rains which was very informative. He is a fellow to keep in touch with and one who has a good understanding of what is happening at the moment in the accessible travel field. He is a very good networker and has names at the tip of his tongue, which has been of great assistance for me in planning the UK leg of this trip. His experience and knowledge of the different operators, experts and opportunities in the field are very valuable. The time spent with him was worthwhile indeed. I hope to be in touch with him again in the near future.



Today I met with Bonnie Lewkowicz from Access Northern California to discuss her experiences. Bonnie is leading activist and a great advocate for people with disability. Bonnie leads a small no profit which has developed access guides for the Northern California region as well as the San Francisco access guide. This was a nice introduction into the workings of the disability advocacy sector in the USA. Bonnie has a good handle on how things work and where things are at. We discussed the issues of maintaining information, its accuracy and reliability. My conversation with Bonnie was the first to see how similar the issues are in the US to those we have at home. The problems of collecting accurate information and maintaining it – the resources needed and the funding for it I don’t think are any different to our experiences in Australia.




For those after some travelogue information – the weather ahs been cold and wet, the tourist sites being visited are the iconic sites and information is being collected on the accessibility of these sites for future use by IDEAS NSW.




Now on to New York…

After all is said and done, a lot more will be said than done!

This quote is an all too reliable reference for some people with disability who are struggling to deal with the services and representatives of the Community Services Sector.

It is through the voices and stories of the disability sector that Australia may continue the journey towards understanding the needs of people with disability. Australia wants to recognise the rights of every individual!

And we would like to congratulate Australia for our efforts – the most recent news items have presented a very rare discovery of social change:

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL!

It seems like such a simple movement towards inclusion, and it is certainly an issue that has remained afloat for a length of time.

The federal government has announced minimum access requirements for public buildings built or renovated from the 1st of May 2011. There will be uniform building rules across Australia to end the isolation felt by as many as 4 million people who cannot properly use public facilities.

SHOPS, hotels and offices will soon be forced to widen corridors, install ramps and renovate toilets under new rules to improve access for the elderly, families with prams and people with disabilities. The rules will also include swimming pools, cinemas and common areas of blocks of flats (NB: information taken from an article from the Sydney Morning Herald).

Welcome to ACCESSIBILITY Australia!!!