DARU Update
6 September 2010
· ON THE MOVE
· IN THE NEWS
· EVENTS
· PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
· SUBMISSIONS, CONSULTATIONS AND FORUMS
· PAID AND VOLUNTARY POSITIONS
ON THE MOVE
Southern Citizen Advocacy has a New Name
Southern Citizen Advocacy has changed its name to Southern Disability Advocacy and is currently undertaking a branding process. Address and phone number remain the same: 269 Centre Road, PO Box 161, Bentleigh Victoria 3204, 03 9533 597. The generic email however has changed to .
Chief Executive Office Appointed at Alzheimer’s Australia
Maree McCabe commences in her new role on 11 October 2010. She is highly qualified and experienced from a background of Mental Health nursing, with vast experience over the past five years holding senior positions the TLC Aged Care, a provider of nine aged care facilities with a large workforce. Maree brings a deep knowledge and understanding of the major challenges facing society as the numbers suffering from dementia grows significantly.
New Project Officer at Action for Community Living
Kirra Litchfield is a community development worker who has come from working in local government in Bushfire Recovery. Her new role is within the Disability Emergency Management Advocacy (DEMA) team leading the Inclusion in Emergency Management project. This community development based project will support and work alongside communities, local councils and community organisations to increase inclusion in emergency management.
For more information about the project please phone Kirra on 9489 2999 or visit the Action for Community Living website at
http://afcl.org.au/dema/Pages/default.aspx.
New Name for Victorian Women with Disabilities Network
After 15 years of operation the members of Victorian Women with Disabilities Network have voted to change the name of the Network to Women with Disabilities Victoria. The new name is easier to pronounce and better expresses what we stand for.
Staff and organisation email and website addresses have changed and all other details remain the same. The new details are as follows:
· Website www.wdv.org.au
· General email
· Keran Howe, Executive Director,
· Jen Hargrave, Policy Officer,
· Sarah Boyd, Information & Administration Officer
· Lauren Hayes, Project Officer: Peer Mentoring &
Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE) Office Relocation
On September 1, ADDE moved from Action For Community Living in Northcote to Australian Federation of Disability Organisations where two workstations have been allocated for two part time staff. Positions include Operations Coordinator and Development Officer.
This partnership between ADDE and AFDO will be a great opportunity to enable views of our members to be heard and acted upon much more effectively by all levels of Government.
New office address is Ross House, Level 2, 247 Flinders Lane
Melbourne 3000. Contact details are phone number 9662 3324 and website www.adde.org.au.
ADDE President, Peter Rickards can be contacted on 0407 509117 or .
New Statewide Aids and Equipment Provider
25 August 2010
Ballarat Health Services (BHS) has been appointed as the new statewide provider for the Aids and Equipment, Domiciliary Oxygen, and Continence Aids Programs. BHS is already the existing service provider for the Vehicle Modification Subsidy Scheme which will be integrated into the new service.
In developing a statewide service, the government is aiming to improve outcomes for individuals and aim to achieve a customer focussed service through: streamlined and timely access to an integrated and coordinated service delivery system; transparent processing, prioritisation, and equitable access; and efficient and cost effective use of resources.
The new service will provide:
· a single point of entry;
· a single waiting list; and
· A new function of clinical advisors, who will provide clinical expertise on applications.
There will be no immediate change to the provision of aids and equipment.
People wanting to receive aids and equipment will continue to liaise with their local prescribing therapists or local issuing centre. It is anticipated that the gradual transition process will commence in December 2010 and be completed by June 2011.
NDS notes that the move to a statewide provider has the potential to make the aids and equipment system more streamlined and cost efficient. However, the major funding shortfall in aids and equipment is not addressed through this initiative.
Answers to common questions about the new service are available from the frequently asked questions webpage on the Aids and Equipment Redevelopment website at http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/disability/supports_for_people/living_in_my_home/aids_and_equipment_program/aids-and-equipment-program-redevelopment/faqs.
For more information, contact Sarah Fordyce, Senior Policy Advisor, NDS Victoria on phone 03 8341 4303 or email .
IN THE NEWS
Internet an Equalizer for People with Disabilities
The Age, Glenn Chapman, 6 September 2010
Sally Harrison is developmentally disabled, but on Facebook the 35-year-old woman is just like anyone else.
Victor Tsaran scours the Web at lightning speeds and loves his touch-screen iPhone in seeming contradiction to the fact that he is blind.
Internet gadgets and software are creating a virtual world of equality and opportunity for a large segment of the population once marginalized due to physical or mental impairments.
To read full article, visit http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/internet-an-equalizer-for-people-with-disabilities-20100906-14wa4.html.
Murrays Bus Company in Discrimination Complaint
PIAC Media Release, 18 August 2010
Mr Ron Murray AM owns and operates a fleet of express coaches that carry hundreds of people each day around Australia.
But some people are not welcome on board the Murrays Australia Ltd fleet, and Sydney resident Julie Haraksin is one of them.
Ms Haraksin has brittle bone disease. She claims that when she tried to book a seat with Murrays last year to attend a work conference in Canberra, the bus company told her none of its coaches could take her because she uses a wheelchair.
To read the full article, visit http://www.piac.asn.au/news/2010/08/murrays-bus-company-discrimination-complaint
EVENTS
National Rural/Regional Law and Justice Conference
When: 19-21 November 2010
Where: Lady Bay Resort - Warrnambool, South Western Victoria
To Register: Download the registration form from http://www.deakin.edu.au/buslaw/law/rrjc/registration.pdf.
Deakin University is pleased to present the inaugural National Rural/Regional Law and Justice Conference, to be opened by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, The Hon Chief Justice Robert French.
The conference will cover three broad themes:
· Social Justice Issues - Engaging communities, government and legal service providers in influencing social justice outcomes for rural and regional Australians.
· Legal Practice - Exploration of issues and innovations in legal practice in rural and regional Australia.
· Legal Service Systems - Making legal services and systems relevant, accessible equitable for rural and regional Australia.
The aim of the conference is to influence and shape the direction of policy and debate in Social Justice, Legal Practice and Legal Service Systems. The conference will highlight initiatives currently being undertaken in rural and regional Australia and focus attention on the areas of greatest need now and in the future.
For more information about speakers, accommodation, the program and pricing details, visit http://www.deakin.edu.au/buslaw/law/rrjc/ or email .
Australian Youth Mentoring Conference 2010
When: 10 & 11 November 2010
Where: Radison Resort Gold Coast, Palm Meadows Drive, Carrara QLD
To register: Go online to http://www.youthmentoring.org.au/events/?catID=25 to purchase tickets. Early Bird prices are available until 10 September @ $495.
Some guest speakers have now been announced. They include:
· David L. DuBois, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Community Health Sciences , School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago
· Prof Martin Westwell,Director of the Flinders Centre for Science Education in the 21st Century at Flinders University
· Bev Cassidy-Mackenzie, General Manager, Youth Mentoring New Zealand
· Dr Kristy Muir, Director of the Disability Studies and Research Centre at the University of New South Wales
To view the conference program and abstracts, visit http://www.youthmentoring.org.au/conference_program.html
For more information and to download a flyer, visit http://www.youthmentoring.org.au/whats-new-details.php?wid=173
Peer Mentoring Program
Women with Disabilities Victoria is leading the way for the rights of Victorian women with disabilities. They believe their greatest strength is their members who are passionate about implementing change at government level and in the community so that the rights of women with disabilities are upheld.
Women with Disabilities Victoria provides support and mentoring to their members and all women with disabilities as leaders, advocates and community educators. You are invited to be a participant and/or mentor in a peer mentoring program that will focus on developing leadership, representation and advocacy skills. The final program will be guided by you and will consist of six 3-hour sessions held weekly.
To participate in the program, you must:
· Be a woman with a disability
· Commit to attending all sessions
· Be willing to listen, and to be open and supportive to other participants
Participants will develop the skills to act as peer mentors to each other.
The program will commence in late September, with dates to be determined with participants.
To register your interest or to find out more about the project please contact Lauren Hayes on phone 9664 9342 or email: .
PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
New Equal Opportunity Act Strengthens Discrimination Laws
Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission eUpdate, 31 August 2010
The new Equal Opportunity Act 2010, which will come into effect in August 2011, strengthens discrimination laws in Victoria by changing some key definitions and creating new responsibilities for the Commission.
The new act will strengthen the Commission’s role in helping government, business and the community to identify and eliminate discrimination. It will have a positive duty to eliminate discrimination, which obliges organisations covered by the law to take proactive, reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation.
Other new features include simplified definitions of direct and indirect discrimination that make the law easier to understand.
Detailed information about the new Equal Opportunity Act is now available on the Commission’s website at http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/projects%20and%20initiatives/eoa2010.asp
Training sessions on the new Equal Opportunity Act are booked out but for more information and to register your interest, visit http://www.victorianhumanrightscommission.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=456.
Ways to Work
Carers Victoria
This research report outlines the issues on employment support for carers of adults with an intellectual disability with recommendations for what needs to be done to address them.
This report would be of interest to people who are caring for a son or daughter with a disability and struggling to juggle paid work with family care responsibilities.
To read the report, visit http://www.carersvictoria.org.au/Assets/Files/ways-to-work-mar-2010.pdf
SUBMISSIONS, CONSULTATIONS AND FORUMS
VCAT Review Submission
In June 2009 the Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic (HPLC) and Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV) completed a joint response to the Review of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).Their joint response recognises that even though the ‘lived experiences’ of HPLC and SRV clients are diverse in many ways both groups are often seriously affected by VCAT decisions. They experience disadvantage and inequality when they engage with judicial bodies and tribunals, particularly where their personal circumstances include an intellectual and or sensory impairment, physical disability, addiction, literacy issues, extreme stress or financial hardship.
People with an experience of homelessness and older Victorians are most likely to interact with VCAT processes and decision-making through the Residential Tenancies List and the Guardianship and Administration Lists. In both of these lists, the impact of VCAT orders on the lives of disadvantaged individuals can be far-reaching and lea to, for example, their eviction from stable housing or the removal of day-to-day decision making ability.
The HPLC and SRV are principally concerned to ensure their clients have access to justice at VCAT. They consider the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 and the rights to equality before the law and to a fair trial are critical measures of whether older Victorians and people with an experience of homelessness actually have that access. Their submission makes a number of recommendations including the need for measures to track the ways in which disadvantaged clients move through VCAT, the need for a case management system for disadvantaged clients similar to the Magistrates’ Court ‘CISP’ program, the need for measures of the quality of decision making by the Tribunal and a more comprehensive scheme for taking special circumstances into consideration.
To read the submission, visit
http://www.pilch.org.au/Assets/Files/SRV%20and%20HPLC_FINAL%20VCAT%20submission%20120609.pdf
DARU Forum – Workforce Gap Analysis Project
When: 21 September 2010, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Where: VCOSS Boardroom, Level 8, 128 Exhibition Street Melbourne
To Register: Contact DARU on phone 03 9639 5807 or email by Friday 17th September. Please let us know of any additional requirements you may have (transport dietary or attendant care etc.)
The Workforce Gap Analysis Project was identified as critical by industry stakeholders including people with a disability, peak bodies, training organisations, unions and service providers. It will inform future workforce development for services and supports for people with a disability by identifying the current workforce (2010), desired future workforce (2020) and providing an analysis of the gaps.
Precision Consultancy has been engaged by the DHS to undertake this work. DARU is assisting Precision Consultancy to facilitate a focus group for Disability Advocates.
For more information, please contact Rosalie Flynn Director, Precision Consultancy Phone: 03 9606 0118 Email: or download a flyer from the DARU website at http://www.daru.org.au/events/items/2010/08/345005-upload-00001.docx
Developing an Accredited Advocacy Course: An Opportunity to Have your Say
When: Tuesday 14 September, 10am - 1pm
Where: Multicultural Hub, Purple Room, 506 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne (opposite Queen Victoria Market)
To Register: RSVP by 7 September. Contact DARU on phone 03 9639 5807 or email Please let us know of any additional requirements you may have (transport, dietary, or attendant care etc.)
DARU has engaged People with Disability Australia Ltd and the Disability Studies and Research Centre, based at the University of New South Wales, to deliver an options appraisal paper for the development of an advocacy course and to investigate education pathways that may be available into higher education. The aim is to develop a course that is available to advocacy workers across Victoria.
For more information and to download a flyer, visit http://www.daru.org.au/events/items/2010/08/344265-upload-00001.docx