CONTENTS
Special
General Meeting
Young
Adults with a disability!
IPART
Taxi Fare Review
Overview of
the 2007/8 Commonwealth Government Budget
Review
of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public
Transport
Adults
with Cerebral Palsy & Dysphagia over 30 yrs
old
Media
Release
Advocacy
Training
About
PDCN
Privacy
Statement
Welcome to Issue No: 37 of THE
PDCN BULLETIN, our topical issues newsletter and
information source for opinion formers, decision-makers
and others interested in disability sector topics. The
bulletin is produced by the Physical Disability Council
of New South Wales (PDCN). We are the peak body
representing people with physical disability across
NSW.
Our aim is to provide readers with
accurate, up-to-date and timely information, comment and
analysis of disability sector issues from the perspective
of people with physical disability in NSW, including
children with disability and their representatives. This
Bulletin goes out to PDCN members and others who wish to
receive it regularly by email.
Craig Andrew publishes this
electronic update bulletin each month on the Council's
current work. Internet links are included throughout the
bulletin for further reading.
Please forward this bulletin to
anyone you know would welcome it.
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1. Special General
Meeting
Members of the Physical
Disability Council of NSW are invited to a Special
General Meeting
Saturday, 23 June
1 PM
St Helen’s Community Centre184 Glebe Point
Road
Glebe NSW 2037
VERY SOON, you will receive Notice
of a Special Resolution and Notice of a Special General
Meeting of PDCN members. This means that our new
Constitution is ready for you to consider and, hopefully,
accept.
 544
KB Click
here for a copy of the Constitution
We plan to hold our Special General
Meeting on Saturday, 23 June, at 1 PM, at the meeting
room in St Helen’s Community Centre, 184 Glebe Point
Road, Glebe NSW 2037.
For those of you who have not been
to a PDCN General Meeting before: St Helen’s
Community Centre is next-door to the Glebe Library, and
there is a car-park behind the building. To access the
car-park from Glebe Point Road, turn into Wigram Road and
then turn left into Wigram Lane, continue down Wigram
Lane, veer left past the playground, and into the
car-park. The meeting room is directly accessible by ramp
from the car-park.
The new Constitution which we
present at this Special General Meeting has been
completed by Baker
& McKenzie, the firm of
solicitors who have been aiding us in our travels through
the niceties of tax and association law.
PDCN thanks Baker
& McKenzie for all
of their assistance and advice in our efforts to bring
our Constitution into line with changes in tax
regulations, while respecting the necessity for
PDCN’s Constitution to maintain the integrity of the
aims and goals of our organization. Baker and
McKenzie’s advice and assistance in this matter was
given to PDCN, without charge.
I realise that a new Constitution
may not sound terribly exciting, but it is extremely
important to the operation and long-term viability of
PDCN. If you are unable to attend please give your proxy
vote to another member. 192
KB Proxy
Form
Please give serious consideration
to attending the Special General Meeting on 23rd June. I
extend a cordial invitation to all members of PDCN to
come along and be part of the approval process
Ann-Mason Furmage
President of PDCN
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2.
Young Adults with a disability!
We are seeking the views,
opinions and guidance from Young Adults (18-30 years old)
with a disability throughout April and May 2007 about
what you really want and need so you can live the lives
you want to lead.
Surveys will also be available from
Northcott
Society, ParaQuad
and Spinal
Cord Injuries Australia.
If you know a young adult with a
disability who might not be receiving this bulletin -
please let them know about it.
You can carry out a survey online
at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=688653715497
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3.
IPART Taxi Fare Review
Jordana, our Policy Officer,
has prepared the PDCN response for the IPART Taxi Fare
Review. To read this document, you can view a copy here
56.0 KB IPART
Taxi Fare Review
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PDCN
Forum Are you in NSW with a physical
disability?
The PDCN
Forum is our online email group where people with a
physical disability in NSW, Australia and ideas come
together. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pdcndiscussion/
4.
Overview of the 2007/8 Commonwealth Government
Budget
The recent 2007/08
Commonwealth Government budget contained the following
initiatives to assist people with disabilities:
National Disability Coordination
Officer Programme
- 2.4 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Aimed at assisting people with
disabilities to access post-school education and
training.
Mobility Allowance-expanding
eligibility criteria
- 2.6 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- The current payment of $74.30
will remain, but the eligibility criteria for this
Allowance will be expanded to include people with
disabilities receiving the Parenting Payment, a
Supported Wage Payment and people participating in
Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
Parenting Payment—expanded
access to supplementary concessions
- 2.8 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Added financial assistance to
include both recipients of the Parenting Payment
(Single) and the Parenting Payment (Double) for people
with a partial work capacity due to
disability.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Services and the Disability Employment
Network—additional places
- 10.2 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Annually an increase of 1,480
places for people receiving vocational rehabilitation
services, and 987 places within the Disability
Employment Network.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Services and the Disability Employment
Network—eligibility for adult prisoners with a
disability
- 0.7 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Approximately 150 prisoners
with disabilities, per annum will benefit from
improved specialist disability employment services to
assist with future employment.
Carer bonus
- 3.9 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Financial assistance to
recipients of the Carer Payment and Carer Allowance in
recognition of their contribution in caring for people
with disabilities and older people.
Carer ex-gratis
payment
- 6.5 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Financial assistance to
families with young children with a disability or
illness who are not entitled to the Carer
Payment.
Commonwealth State and Territory
Disability Agreement-negotiation of new agreement with
the States and Territories
- 153.7 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget (Each of the State Governments
contributes to this payment provided by the
Commonwealth Government).
- Under the Agreement, the
Commonwealth Government’s primary responsibility
is to provide employment services, and the State to
provide accommodation support, community support
services, and respite care for people with
disabilities.
Disability business
services-continuation of case-based funding
model
- 28.2 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Aimed at assisting people with
disabilities to gain and maintain
employment.
Health Care Card for ex-Carer
Allowance (child) students aged 16- 25
years
- 4.5 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Financial assistance to assist
students who have a disability or medical condition
and do not qualify for a Health Care Card.
National Disability Advocacy
Programme-enhancements
- 2.8 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Additional funding to provide
the opportunity for individuals to advocate
effectively.
Pension Bonus
Scheme-enhancements
- 9.1 million available in the
2007/ 08 budget
- Additional immediate and short-
term respite places for carers of young people with a
severe or profound disability.
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5.
Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public
Transport
From May-August 2007 the Allen Consulting Group
will be starting the consultation phase of the first
review of the Accessible Transport Action Plan (2002).
As part of the Disability Discrimination Act,
1992 (Cth), the Ministry of Transport adopted the
Accessible Transport Action Plan (2002), for NSW
Transport, Roads & Maritime Agencies. Due to the
complexity of actions included in this plan, the
Commonwealth Government decided that this plan needed to
be reviewed every five years over the 20 year life of the
plan.
Transport providers were required to provide at least
25% access in the first five years, 55% by 2012, 80-90%
by 2017 and 90%-100% by 2022.
As part of this initial review, PDCN will be preparing
responses to the Issues Paper, shortly to be announced in
May 2007, and the Public Hearing in August 2007.
To prepare for these important documents we will be
seeking your comments on services in metropolitan Sydney
and country NSW regarding the infrastructure, and
services for the following modes of public transport:
- Public and private bus operators
- CityRail and CountryLink services
- Light- rail
- Ferries
- Airplanes
- Regular and Wheelchair Accessible Taxis
(WATS)
- Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme
- On-site and off-site accessible parking
- Mobility Parking Scheme
Members of PDCN have frequently commented on the
following issues, but we will need as much feedback as
possible concerning the barriers limiting access to
public transport:
- Footpaths and bus stops that are not
accessible;
- Bus timetables that aren’t always
accurate;
- Planning trips using accessible buses is often
more difficult to organise due to the irregularity of
accessible buses;
- Private bus operators not promoting bus routes
that provide access;
- Poor access to CityRail and CountryLink stations,
particularly on the Inner West, Bankstown and
Newcastle lines;
- At times, train station staff are not available
with the mobile ramp, to assist passengers in
wheelchairs depart from the train;
- Inaccurate information on the relevant
websites;
- Excessive cost of taxi travel for people often on
limited incomes;
- Design issues, most importantly the distance
provided between the floor and the roof of the
wheelchair compartment;
- Limited assistance or capacity of some airlines to
carry passengers with limited mobility;
- Limited availability of accessible parking spaces
; and
- Abuse of accessible parking available for
recipients of the Mobility Parking Scheme.
PDCN will need your feedback to ensure that we respond
appropriately.
PDCN will continue to promote the consultation, and
how you can become involved via future E-Bulletins, PDCN
Group Discussions and on the PDCN website.
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6. Adults with
Cerebral Palsy & Dysphagia over 30 yrs old
Who is invited to
participate?
Adults with cerebral palsy
over the age of 30 years, who have difficulty with
eating, drinking or swallowing and who have
experienced changes in their mealtimes over the past
two years.
Participation is voluntary and
you can withdraw from the project at any time.
No information about you from
this study will given to your service providers or
will be used by the researchers in the management of
your mealtimes.
Who is carrying out the
study?
The study is conducted by
Associate Professor Susan Balandin and Bronwyn
Hemsley, at The University of Sydney.
This study has the ethical
approval of The Spastic Centre and The University of
Sydney.
What does the study
involve?
An interview about your
mealtime experiences that will last one to two hours
– at a place and time to suit you
Completing a survey about your
swallowing and how it impacts upon your quality of
life – this takes about 10 minutes (at a time and
place to suit you)
A mealtime observation. We will
watch you eating a meal of your choice that will
enable us to gather information about your current
mealtimes - this takes about half an hour (at a time
and place to suit you)
If you would like to know more
Please contact Susan
Balandin on (02) 9351 9334
or Bronwyn Hemsley on (02) 9351
9148.
No guarantee can be given that
participants will benefit either directly or indirectly
from their involvement in this study.
Any person with concerns or
complaints about this study can contact theManager for
Ethics Administration, University of Sydney on (02) 9351
4811 or email gbriody@mail.usyd.edu.au
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7. Media
Resource
Certainly has been busy
lately. I’m pleased to say ‘Words Matter.’
A guide for Journalists has now been published and has
gone out. There has been genuine interest from the likes
of the Fairfax papers, urging their staff to visit our
site and download their own copy and Employers
Making A Difference (EMAD),
who requested copies for their own staff and put a link
on their website..
Personally, it has been an
involving and rewarding process from start to
finish.
One thing interesting was when I
talked about this project among friends and family (and
anyone who would listen,) after describing it “What
is it for?” was the question asked most. I’ll
do my best to tell you in my own words here.
PDCN has worked to create a
reference tool for those in the public arena to utilise
in order to better represent and include people with
disability as part of their audience.
As we know, this is a continuing
issue for our members as well as all people with
disabilities in NSW, and Australia as a whole. Social
model versus medical model is an ongoing process, but if
people are ever going to really get away from the medical
and embrace the social, then the people they listen to,
watch and read each day need to be encouraged to be
inclusive, just as much as other policy makers do.
It’s a big job, but every little bit helps achieve a
positive and lasting change. That, as best as I can say
is what ‘Words Matter’ is for.
We have also conducted a bulk
mailout to diverse contacts across politics, education
and the media. There has been a positive response,
including those from Alan Jones (2GB) and Dean of Studies
at The Australian Film Television and Radio School Graeme
Hare, who has asked their library to add it to their
catalogue for the immediate use of staff and students.
While it is for Journalists, the
inclusive message is a much broader one, so another mail
out is always around the corner.
Talk to you again soon, Lachlan
PDCN Media Officer
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8.
Advocacy Network
Forums and
Training
PDCN will be holding public forums
in Wollongong and Goulburn to listen to the concerns of
people with physical disability.
We will also use the forums as an
opportunity to bring people up to date with PDCN
activities.
The Wollongong forum
will be held on Friday 18 May
20073.00 - 5.00pm, Illawarra Master Builders Club61
Church Street Wollongong NSW
The Goulburn forum will be
held on Friday 15 June 20072.00 - 4.00pm, Uniting Church
Hall, Cnr Goldsmith & Bourke Streets Goulburn
NSW
Enquiries about the forums should
be made to PDCN on 1800 688 831.
PDCN is also conducting training
for people who want to be registered with PDCN as a
person who could support a person with physical
disability who wants to advocate on their own behalf, but
who would like some support and advice to do
that.
Enquiries about the training for
Support People should be directed to John Moxon on (02)
9639-9110 (any day but before 8.00pm).
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About
PDCN
The Physical
Disability Council of NSW Inc (PDCN) is the peak body
in NSW representing people with physical disability
across the state. Our overall purpose is to provide a
state-wide voice for people with a physical disability
living in NSW.
For information
about membership of PDCN
please see our website http://www.pdcnsw.org.au/about/membership.html
or contact us on (02) 9552-1606.
Privacy
Statement
We are committed
to protecting your privacy and commit ourselves to
conforming to the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector)
Bill 2000, which came into effect in December 2001 and
the National Privacy Principles issued by the
Australian Privacy Commissioner.
This newsletter
is distributed by email. You have provided us with an
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for the purpose for which you have provided
it.
You can have
your email address removed from the list for this
bulletin at any time by sending an email
to Craig Andrews at PDCN.
This Bulletin
contains links to websites. We cannot be held
responsible for the privacy practices (or lack
thereof) or the content of such websites.
Put
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Physical Disability
Council of NSW
St. Helen's Community Centre
3/184 Glebe Point Road
Glebe NSW 2037
Telephone (voice) 02 9552 1606
Telephone (TTY) 02 9552 1370
Fax 02 9552 4644
Web Site http://www.pdcnsw.org.au/
Email admin@pdcnsw.org.au
To be added to or
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