COSHG Conference: the Path to Health and Wellbeing

WELCOME

EVENTS

Northern Transport Links Project Meeting

COSHG Conference: The Path to Health and Wellbeing

7th Human Rights Oration: Putting Equality Back on the Agenda

TRAINING

Advanced Diploma (Certificate VI) in Disability Work – Chisholm Institute

PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

Publication: Disability Support Services 2005-06: National Data on Services Provided Under the CSTDA

HREOC FAQ: The Right to Vote is not Enjoyed Equally By All Australians

BreastScreen Victoria Familiarisation Visits for Women with Disabilities

GP Assessments for People with Intellectual Disabilities

IN THE NEWS

Blind Citizens Australia Welcomes Extension of Inquiry into Media Access

Rex Airlines Notice of Application for Temporary Exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act

Carers Alliance Announce Victorian Senate Team

PAID AND VOLUNTARY POSITIONS

Education Officer, Office of the Disability Services Commissioner (0.5FTE)

(Admin): Education Support Officer, Office of the Disability Services Commissioner (0.5 FTE)

WELCOME

Hello, and welcome to the weekly update from the Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU). If you would like to be removed from this list or kept up to date another way, please reply to this email and let us know.

DARU has been funded by the State government. It is run by a governance group, including members of the Victorian Disability Advocacy Network (VDAN), and the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS). DARU’s staff currently includes a Co-ordinator, Sharon Granek, and a Project Administration Officer, Leah Hobson.

We are always happy to hear from people who are interested in what we do. If you have a question, an idea, some news you’d like to see in the next update, or even if you just want to tell us something we’re doing is good or bad, get in touch! Call us on 03 9639 5807 or email Sharon or Leah.

Please note that material contained in the DARU Update copy does not necessarily reflect the policy of DARU or the views of any staff members. Statements in the DARU Update do not comprise advice and readers should avail themselves of professional advice where appropriate.

EVENTS

Northern Transport Links Project Meeting

When: 3:30 – 5:00pm Wednesday 31st October

Where: City of Whittlesea Civic Centre, Ferres Boulevard, South Morang

Registration: RSVP to Felicity on (03) 9217 2474 or via email.

The Northern Transport Links project has now been successful in gaining funding from the State Government for three years.
This project will seek to increase the mobility of transport to disadvantaged communities and residents within the local government areas of Whittlesea and Hume. The areas that have been identified for the project to focus on are socio-economically disadvantaged urban areas, growth areas and rural areas. These three areas all have unique transport issues for which relevant strategies and responses will be developed.

If you are attending from the Hume municipality and have transport difficulty, contact Narelle at LINK Community Transport to arrange transport Ph: 9355 8484 or Email: .

COSHG Conference: The Path to Health and Wellbeing

When: Friday 30th November & Saturday 1st December, 2007

Where: Maribyrnong Community Centre, 9 Randall Street, Maribyrnong

Registration: A PDF version of the registration form can be found here. Anyone with further enquiries should call 03 9439 2301 or email the conference organisers.

Cost: 2 day registrations: $15 (Low income COSHG members), $20 (Low income non-members), $50 (Working/organisation COSHG members), $65 (working/organisation non-members). One day registrations are also available.

This conference offers a rare opportunity to exchange information, ideas, knowledge and experience in exploring the contribution to health and wellbeing that self help groups bring to their members, families and society as a whole.
It will also provide for information exchange across sectors by including a diverse range of participants linked to health related organisations and groups to share expertise and knowledge and to learn from the self help group model.
The conference coincides with 30 years of the Council of Self Help Group’s (COSHG) existence and provides a time to reflect on its history and consider future challenges and opportunities for COSHG and self help groups.

7th Human Rights Oration: Putting Equality Back on the Agenda

When: 12:30 – 1:30pm, Monday 10th December 2007

Where: ZINC at Federation Square, corner of Flinders and Swanston streets

Registration: The event is free but registrations are required. Please register with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission on 9281 7144 or via email.

Join us on 10 December as we mark United Nations Human Rights Day with author and journalist, Dr Anne Summers, who will deliver the 2007 Oration - "Putting equality back on the agenda"

Equality for women has been off the political agenda for too long now. No human rights agenda can be complete without the inclusion of a clear commitment to the equality of women.

TRAINING

Advanced Diploma (Certificate VI) in Disability Work – Chisholm Institute

Are you are a Supervisor, Coordinator or Manager in the disability field? Or are you aspiring to be a leader? Then this course is tailored to you!
Chisholm Institute is offering the Advanced Diploma in Disability Work at its Frankston Campus.
The course is offered part time with weekly workshops, incorporating work based learning and assessments. Applicants are encouraged to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to recognise work experience and skills.
If you would like to know more, attend an information session at the Frankston Campus on Tuesday 27 November at 6pm in Building M, Room 117.
Contact Nadia Parzybok on 03 9238 8454 if you have any queries.

PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

Publication: Disability Support Services 2005-06: National Data on Services Provided Under the CSTDA

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released a new report on Friday 19th October. It can be found under AIHW catalogue number (DIS 51).

Hard copies of the report can be obtained from Can Print for $30 (1300 889 873).

Click on the link to view the media release and report.

HREOC FAQ: The Right to Vote is not Enjoyed Equally By All Australians

A healthy democracy makes sure that all members of the community have equal access to the political process. Australia is a democratic nation where governments are elected by popular vote. However, even though almost all Australians over 18 years old have the right – and the obligation – to vote, not all Australians enjoy that right as a practical matter.
If you are young, live in a rural or remote area, have a disability, are Indigenous, homeless or a prisoner serving a sentence of more than 3 years, your right to vote in a federal election may be restricted as a legal or practical matter.

For more information, visit the HREOC webpage.

BreastScreen Victoria Familiarisation Visits for Women with Disabilities

Do you have a disability or know someone who does? Perhaps you are a carer who looks after someone with special needs? BreastScreen Victoria recognises that having a mammogram (breast x-ray) can cause anxiety for some women, and may pose added challenges for women with disabilities.

In an effort to address this, familiarisation visits are offered so that women with special needs can attend with a friend, family member or carer to see the facility and equipment, meet the staff and have any questions answered before making a decision about attending for a mammogram. These visits help to demystify the screening process and encourage women with disabilities to participate in the program.

BreastScreen Victoria’s Screening & Assessment Service in East Ringwood has friendly, female staff who are sensitive to women’s needs. There is disabled parking available and ramp access to buildings, as well as height-adjustable x-ray machines suitable for women in wheelchairs. Group bookings and transport can be arranged upon request, and longer appointments can be made if extra time is needed. Other screening services are conveniently located in Box Hill, Boronia and Lilydale.

BreastScreen Victoria is a free service and no doctor’s referral is required to participate. Simply call 13 20 50 to make an appointment. Familiarisation visits can be arranged by contacting an Information Officer at BreastScreen Victoria, Screening & Assessment Service, Maroondah on phone 9870 0988.

GP Assessments for People with Intellectual Disabilities

The Medicare health assessment items 718 and 719 have been introduced for people with an intellectual disability.
For the purpose of the health assessment, a person has an intellectual disability if they have significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning (two standard deviations below the average intelligence quotient (IQ)) and would benefit from assistance with daily living activities.
The health assessment provides a structured clinical framework for general practitioners (GPs) to comprehensively assess the physical, psychological and social function of patients with an intellectual disability and to identify any medical intervention and preventative health care required.

For more information, visit the Department of Health and Ageing website.

IN THE NEWS

Blind Citizens Australia Welcomes Extension of Inquiry into Media Access

Press Release 19th October 2007

As a keen proponent of better access to popular culture, Blind Citizens Australia welcomes the forthcoming investigation into the accessibility of electronic media through audio description.

Senator Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, today announced that audio description, which is vital to media accessibility for people who are blind or vision impaired, will be examined by the federal government. Audio description provides a verbal account of what is happening on screen, allowing a person who is blind or vision impaired to follow jokes, key plot points and changes in scene more easily. The investigation into audio description will be part of an inquiry originally set up to look at the accessibility of electronic media for the hearing impaired or deaf, who use captions on screen to read what is being said aloud.

"This is a great step forward for people who are blind or vision impaired," declared Robyn McKenzie, Executive Officer of Blind Citizens Australia.

The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts expects to release an issues paper in the next few weeks. As the peak advocacy organisation for people who are blind or vision impaired, Blind Citizens Australia encourages those interested in this issue to step forward and express their views.

Rex Airlines Notice of Application for Temporary Exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act

Rex Airlines has recently applied to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) for an exemption from Parts 23 and 24 of the Disability Discrimination Act. This exemption would include people who use wheelchairs, people unable to understand safety instructions, and people with contagious diseases.

The full text of the application can be found on the HREOC website.

Carers Alliance Announce Victorian Senate Team

The Carers Alliance Victorian Senate team is bringing together diverse candidates in order to force governments hand on the neglect of the issues of caring and disablement.
Junelle Rhodes brings with her personal experience, caring for her own children with additional needs and professional experience working within psychiatric services and the disability sector for both government and non-government organisations.
Dr Gibilisco has a Ph.D. in Political Science and brings to the Carers Alliance his valued research into social exclusion with his paper 'The Political Economy of Disablement'. Dr Gibilisco speaks from life experience as he was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia at 14 and was wheelchair bound by 23.
"It is time that Australia's 'forgotten people', the 2.7 million isolated carers and the people who need support, are recognised as having the right to total and equal citizenship in this country," said Dr Gibilisco.
"Carers and people with disabilities are such an enormous cohort of the voting community that it is possible for them to hold the balance of power in the Senate."
"The Carers Alliance will ensure that the impact of legislation upon carers and people with a disability is examined thoroughly; every piece of legislation can have a positive or adverse impact upon vulnerable people in the community," Ms Rhodes said.

PAID AND VOLUNTARY POSITIONS

Education Officer, Office of the Disability Services Commissioner (0.5FTE)

Closing date: 5th November 2007

This position is responsible for developing and delivering a suite of training packages to both disability service providers and clients of these services. These education and training packages will seek to improve the capacity of service providers to respond effectively to complaints as well as assisting clients to be empowered to complain effectively. The position is responsible for the design, implementation and evaluation of effective training and education programs.

The position also involves directly assisting organisations to develop appropriate complaints handling policies and processes. A key accountability of the role is being able to identify and respond to the ongoing development needs of the disability services sector and people with a disability.

For more information, please visit the job advertisement web page.

(Admin): Education Support Officer, Office of the Disability Services Commissioner (0.5 FTE)

Closing date: 5th November 2007

This position is responsible for ensuring that the various information and education activities performed by the office are undertaken in a well organised and professionally delivered way. There are essentially two components to the role. The first is ensuring the timely and targeted distribution of information to a range of stakeholders including people with a disability and disability service providers. The second component involves assisting the Principal Officer Capacity Development and Education Officer in relation to organising the various education forums. These forums will seek to improve the capacity of service providers to respond effectively to complaints as well as assisting clients to complain effectively.

For more information, please visit the job advertisement web page.