adam hills on games commentating accessible travel in london the

Transcription

JUNE 2012 | Volume 21 Issue 2
ADAM HILLS ON GAMES COMMENTATING
ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL IN LONDON
THE NDIS GETS THE GREEN LIGHT
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Cover story
14
Someofthemostinspiring,upliftingandtrulyheroicsportingachievements
willbeondisplayattheParalympicGamesinLondonfromAugust.Butwill
muchoftheworldbewatching?
14
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Ed’sletter
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12
Astudyintoyouthwithdisabilityisbeingconducted
Yourletters
Linknewsbites
Seniorandsportnews
Australian2012ParalympicTeamuniformunveiled
CompanionCard–astepforwardforsocial
inclusion
WriterDanielKemp’sUK-basedbrother,Nicholas,
hascerebralpalsyandfindsitalmostimpossible
totravelbyplane
18
21
LondoncallsforanAdelaidejet-settingcouple
22
Howthedisabilitycommunityisbeing
representedintheworldofgaming
26
NationalDisabilityServiceschiefKenBakeron
implementingtheNDIS
DignityforDisabilityMLCKellyVincentintroduces
abilltolessenhumanrightsabuses
June2012—Vol21/2
28
Newnationale-wasteschememaythreaten
employmentforpeoplewithdisability
30
32
VickiKay’sshortstorytouchesondepression
34
IndonesianDeddyDachihasn’tletdisabilitydeter
himfromhislove:surfing
35
AbilityOptions’chiefMattDonnellyon
community-basedaccommodationoptions
36
FlautistGillianRankinehasrediscoveredaloveof
musicafterdevelopingdisabilities
38
AbasketballgameshowsJohnnyMackayhow
self-awarenessisthegreateststrength
40
AndrewBlanchardonSizzle:AnInclusiveArts
Festival
42
45
46
47
Entertainmentnewsandreviews
BruceMumfordfindshedoesn’thavetotravelfar
foranadventure
Breakthroughs
ThemusingsofPeterCoulter
What’son
linkmagazine
3
from the editor
Disability has been
at the forefront of
reality TV of late.
Adelaide singer
Rachael Leahcar,
who has a vision
impairment, stole
hearts with an
angelic performance
of Edith Piaf’s La Vie
En Rose on Nine’s
The Voice.
Meanwhile,onCelebrity
Apprentice,football
identityJasonAkermanisshowcasedhis
signlanguageskills,whichheusesto
conversewithhiswife’sparents–both
havinghearingimpairments–andmodel
NathanJollifferevealedhehadepilepsy
asachild.
Disabilitywillagainbeinthemedia
spotlightwiththeParalympicGamesin
London,startingAugust.Thisissue,when
interviewingretiredParalympianswimmer
MaraykeJonkers,hertakeonperceptions
ofdisabilityinthemediastruckachord.
Jonkerssaid:“Oneoftheinteresting
thingshasbeentowatchwheremy
storiesappearinthelocalmedia.Atfirst
whenIwas12andmademyfirstteam,
itwasonthefrontpageoftheSunshine
Coast Daily,butitwasverymucha
humanintereststory.‘Here’sthispoorgirl
who’sbeeninthistragiccaraccident’…
[Later]itchangedtobeinginthesports
section,allaboutsportandhowmuch
fasterI’dgot,andIreallylikedthatas
anathlete,becauseitwasneverabout
havingago.Iwastrainingmybackside
off.Itwasreallynicetobeinthesports
pagesalongsidetheotherathleteswhere
youreallybelong.”
Let’shopecontinuedexposureof
disabilityinthemediawillkeepbreaking
downthestereotypes.
Youth spotlight
NationalYouthWeekwasheld
inApril.Tomarktheoccasion,
Link
LinkinterviewedyoungLauren
Ripka,22,whohasahearing
impairment.
What challenges do you face
having a hearing impairment?
Ineverreceivedaproper
diagnosisuntilroughlylastyear…
[so]peoplenotbelievingmehasbeenachallenge…Alsolinkingthisto
thinkingitwasallmyfaultwhenIhadabikeaccidentwhenIwasnine.I
alwaysfeellikeIamthe‘in-betweener’asIamnotDeaf,butIamnot[a
hearingperson]also...ItishardformetoacceptIamhearingimpaired
somedays…[but]signlanguageisnowmysecondlanguage.
What do you think of Australian Communication Exchange
services Silent Tweets and Smart Auslan?IthinkSmartAuslan[a
smartphoneappthattransformsmuseuminterpretationsintosign
language]isafantasticideaandanincredibleresourceforpeople
whouseit.IfeelthesamewayaboutSilentTweets[freecommunity
broadcastingfortheDeafandhearingimpaired]...WithACE’s
developments,theDeafandhearingimpairedcommunitygetsthe
chancetocommunicatethebesttheycanandthat’sreallynice.
Pollies visit
ParliamentarySecretaryfor
DisabilitiesandCarersJan
McLucas,topright,dropped
intotheofficeofInprintDesign,
thepublisherofLink,inAdelaide
inMarch.Inprintalsohada
visitfromShadowMinisterfor
Disabilities,Carersandthe
VoluntarySectorMitchFifield
andFederalMemberforBoothby
AndrewSouthcottinMay.
Your views on Facebook
Link DisabilityMagazineisnowonFacebook.
Befriendourpageandfeelfreetoairyourviewson
allthingsdisability-related,plusgetinfoonthelatest
disabilityeventsandnews.
Carla Caruso, Link editor
4
linkonline.com.au
June2012—Vol21/2
letters to link
Winning letter - Art exposure
ThankyousomuchforthelatestcopyofLink
Magazine,whicharrivedtoday.I’vebeenhavinga
particularlytoughtimehealth-wise,andtoseeit,
reallyliftedmyspirits.
It’sabeautifulmagazine.Ihavebeenreadingit
allandthere’ssomuchgoodstuffinthere!Allof
you,whoworkthere,arereallyinspiringandthe
articlesarehighqualityandveryinteresting.
Congratulationsonajobwelldoneandthankyou
forincludingmyfriendGillian’sletter[aboutmy
art],aswellasaphotoofmyartworkandlinksto
mypages.
I’mveryexcitedformywebsite,wix.com/
shilohmoore/byshi,andblogtobe“outthere”
andgettingsomeexposure.Ithankyoukindly.
Keepupthegoodworkandthankyoutoyouand
allyourteam.I’lltreasuremycopy!
Shiloh Moore, Brisbane, QLD
Much thanks
IjustsawthenewissueofLinkandthearticleandphoto
about[musicgroup]HotTutti.Fantastic!Ijustshowedit
toAimee–oneoftheHotTuttigirls–andshelovedit.
Thankssomuchforincludingus.
Linda Jacobssen, Tutti Inc, Brighton, SA
Wewentovertochatanddiscoveredthattheingenious
chairwasindeedbasedonaSegwayandseemedvery
good.ThegentlemanalsohadMSandwasdownwith
thefamilytovisithisson,whowasstudyingwritingat
Wollongonguniandhadjustmovedintoanewflat!
Onreturninghome,Iopenedmymostrecentcopyof
LinkandtherewasGarry’sletter.Thephotocaughtmy
eyefirst.Ithought;thatchairlooksliketheoneIjustsaw
–andtheman’snamewasGarry…There’satermfor
that,butI’mnotsurewhatitis.“Spooky”willdo!
Bruce Mumford, Burrawang, NSW
Book success
InprintDesignstaffmemberJacyArthur,left,who
hascerebralpalsyandseveredeafness,wasecstatic
toreceive$1000fromZontaInternationalandmore
than$600fromHydePark
Presstohelpwiththe
printingcostsandlaunch
ofherautobiography,If
Only You Knew.Jacy’s
picturedherewith
Zonta’sPaulineGlover.
ifonlyyouknew.net
Artwork by
reader
Rosie Byles
A link indeed
AsamagazinepublishedinSouthAustralia,Ipresumed
Link Disabilitydrewitsreadershipmainlyfromthatstate.
SoIwasamazedtoseetheletterbyGarryWarren,of
Peakhurst,NSW,inthelastedition.Strangelyenough,I
alsohadanarticle,Wheelchair Etiquette,inthatissue.
Onlylastweekend,wehadobtainedawheelchairaccessiblebusandgonedownthecoasttoWollongong
tovisitmysonwhoisstudyingjournalismatthe
universitythereandhadjustmovedintoaflatnearby.
WhileourfamilyhadapicnicattheBotanicalGardens,
wenoticedanotherfamilypicnickingcloseby,witha
gentlemaninatwo-wheeledchairthatmybrother-in-law
saidlookedabitlikeaSegway.
June2012—Vol21/2
Send your letter to the editor:
Link, Inprint Design, 1B Laffer Drive, Bedford Park SA 5042
or email it to [email protected]
Please include your postal address (not for publication).
The best letter wins $50
By contributing a letter you authorise Link to publish it in the magazine or www.linkonline.com.au. Letters
may be edited for length and clarity. All published contributions earn the author a free copy of the magazine,
containing the letter (or current subscribers may specify that they would prefer their free magazine as an
extension of their current subscription), provided a postal address is included with the original letter. Your
name, suburb and state will be published with your letter unless you specify otherwise.
linkmagazine
5
news bites
Making an NDIS real
PrimeMinisterJuliaGillardannouncedinAprilthattheAustralian
GovernmentwouldfunditsshareofthefirststageofaNational
DisabilityInsuranceScheme(NDIS)intheBudget.
Frommid-nextyear,peoplewithdisability,theirfamiliesandcarersin
selectedsitesaroundthenationwillstarttoreceivecareandsupport
throughanNDIS.ThePMmadetheannouncementattheEvery
AustralianCounts’Make It RealrallyinSydney.
Theschemewillinitiallyinvolve10,000peoplewithdisabilityfrommid2013andwillexpandto20,000peoplefrommid-2014.Thescheme
willinsureallAustraliansforthecostofcareandsupportintheeventof
significantandpermanentdisability.
Aroundthenation,ParliamentarySecretaryforDisabilitiesandCarers
JanMcLucaswasalsopresentatarallyinBrisbane,whileOpposition
LeaderTonyAbbottjoinedcampaignsupportersinPerth.Abbottsaid:
“Everyoneshouldgetafairgoandthat’swhattheNationalDisability
InsuranceSchemeisabout.”
Above:PMJuliaGillardwithacampaign
supporterattheSydneyrally.Below:Ability
Options’teamof200attheNDISrallyinSydney.
Despitehisleader’senthusiasmforthescheme,Oppositiontreasury
spokesmanJoeHockey,however,toldMacquarieRadiohewas
stunnedonly$1billionoverfouryearswasassignedtothescheme.
“WesupporttheNDIS...butitcannotbeinapositiontoraise
expectationsandnotdeliver.Iwasstunned…athowunderfundedthe
NDISisgoingforward.”
Helping our wounded
warriors
Anewcharityprovidingsupportto
Australia’sphysicallyandmentally
woundedsoldierswaslaunchedin
April.
SoldierOnisthefirstcharityofits
kindinOzandissimilartooverseas
organisationslikeTop Gearhost
JeremyClarkson’sHelpforHeroes
andtheWoundedWarriorProject
intheUS.ItsvisionisforAustralia’s
woundedsoldierstohaveaccess
totheworld’sbestcare,sothat
theycancontinuetoachievegoals
despitetheirinjuries.
Co-foundersJohnBaleandCavin
Wilsonaimtoraise$1millionin
SoldierOn’sfirstyear,funding
projectsincludingimproved
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linkonline.com.au
rehabilitationfacilitiesatStAndrew’s
WarMemorialHospitalandThe
WesleyHospital,aswellascare
packagesforchildrenofinjured
servicemenandwomen.Injustafew
weeks,SoldierOnhadreachedmore
than1000Facebooklikesandhad
TinaArenaasoneofitspatrons.
peoplewhouseaugmentativeand
alternativecommunication(AAC)
aidsandvoiceoutputdevices.
Parents, carersandsiblingswere
alsoprovidedwithinvaluable
educationandsupport.
Aidedbyateamofvolunteer
speechpathologistsandmentors,
school-agedchildrencametogether
Variety Motor Mouth
Camp giving kids a voice
Communicatingwhenyoucan’t
speakcanbeabigchallenge,butit
becamealoteasierfor15children
fromaroundthestate,attendingthe
secondannualVarietyMotorMouth
CampinApril.
Thefive-dayschoolholidaycampat
PointWalter,WA,providedintense
communicationtherapyforyoung
BrentGoodallmakesaballoonrocketwith
helpfromvolunteersAnnabelCarterand
EmmaReeves.
June2012—Vol21/2
tolearnorfine-tunetheirskillsusing
aidstocommunicate.
VarietyWAprogramcoordinator
PhilCrootsaid:“Thejoythefamilies
gotfrombeingabletoconnect
moredirectlywiththeirchildren
wasamazing.Whilealldisabilities
arechallenging,notbeingableto
communicateeffectivelycanbe
particularlyfrustratingandisolating.”
Voices being heard
PersonnelEmployment–adivision
ofBarkumaInc–developedtwoof
theprogramsafteritsawaneed
tooffersupportingeducationand
employmentservicestopeoplewith
adisabilityintheearlierstagesof
theirlife.
ExecutivemanagerCraigHarrison
said:“Atthetime,thereweren’tany
servicesthatsupportedhighschool
studentsinthewaythatState
DisabilityTransitionprogramand
VETtoWorkdo.”
TheSouthAustralianGovernment
hasrecogniseddisabilityemployment
serviceproviderPersonnel
Employmentasaleaderinitsfield,
agreeingtoexpandthreeofits
uniquesupportprogramsidentifiedin
theStrong Voicesreport.
Theprograms,whichhavepreviously
onlybeenavailableinthenorthern
suburbs,willberolledoutthroughout
SA,allowinghighschoolstudentswith
adisabilityinremotecommunitiesto
accesssupportservices.
New advocate for
Victorians with a disability
JenniferFitzgeraldisthenewly
appointedchiefexecutiveand
spokespersonofScope,oneofthe
largestVictoriandisabilityservice
providers,bringingwithhermore
than30yearsexperienceinthe
disability,health,agedcareand
communitysectors.
Fitzgeraldsays:“BothScopeand
thedisabilitysectorareentering
aperiodofenormouschange.
Thepossibilitiespresentedbythe
NationalDisabilityInsuranceScheme
givesmetremendoushopefor
changethatwillpositivelyimpacton
thelivesofpeoplewithadisability.”
StudentsJoshClark,front,andMishu
WolianskyjcompletedaCertificateI
inHospitality(FrontofHouse)through
HospitalityGroupTraining.
Fresh perspective on love and life
At23,MichelleVujicicdecided
togivethreemonthsofherlifeto
helpthoseinneedinAfrica.
TheGoldCoastresidentisserving
asavolunteernursewithMercy
Shipsontheworld’slargestprivate
hospitalship,theAfricaMercy,
inTogo.Vujicicgrewupwithan
understandingoftheneedsof
others–herbrother,Nick,pictured,
wasbornwithnoarmsorlegs,
hence,shewasalwaysaware
ofhowadisabilitycouldaffect
someone’slife.
Shesays:“Theneed[forcarein
Togo]issogreatthatthousandsof
peoplequeuedonaMercyShips
June2012—Vol21/2
screeningday,seekinghelpfortheir
medicalconditions…Thesadpart
aboutallofthis,however,isthat
peoplewithobviousdeformitiesare
oftenostracisedbytheirfamilies
andcommunitiesinthebeliefthat
theyarecursed.Butthatiswhatis
soamazingabouttheworkdone
byvolunteersonthishospitalship–
livesareliterallychanged.Manygo
homehealedfromtheirconditionand
returntotheirvillagesandhomes.”
MercyShipsisaglobalcharitythathas
operatedhospitalshipsindeveloping
nationssince1978,providing
freehealthcareandcommunity
developmentservicestotheforgotten
poor,followingtheexampleofJesus.
Michelle’sbrother,NickVujicic,talkingto
patientsontheAfrica Mercywhilevisiting
Liberiaseveralyearsagoforpreaching
andmotivationalspeakingengagements.
linkmagazine
7
senior news
Homebound iPad buddy program
AdelaideCityCouncilisimprovingdisabilityaccess
tolibraryresourcesbyprovidinghomebound
clientswithe-readerdevicesonanongoingbasis.
TheHomeboundiPadBuddyProgrambeganon
March29,afterasuccessfultwo-monthtrialofthe
servicelastyear.Itprovideshomeboundclients
withimpairedmobilityandvisionequalaccessto
thelibrary’svaste-collectionofmorethan10,000
digitaltitles.EachclientispairedwithaniPad
Buddyvolunteertomakesuretheyhaveaccess
tothee-books,interactiveappsandinformation
they’reinterestedin.
E-readerdevices,suchastheiPad,enable
homeboundclientstoincreasethefontsizeofan
e-bookanduseaudiocapabilitiestoimprovetheir
readingexperience.LibrarymemberAnnetteCopley,
whohasarthritisinherhands,said:“Icouldjustzip
[myfinger]acrosstheiPadandturnthepage.”
sport news
Australia wins bid to host 2013
Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games
TheinauguralSpecialOlympicsAsiaPacificGames
forathleteswithanintellectualdisabilitywillbeheld
inAustraliainDecember2013,followingNSW’s
Newcastlesecuringthewinningbidagainststrong
competitionfromcitiesinIndiaandMalaysia.
Australiawillwelcomemorethan1700Special
Olympicsathletes,600coaches,4000volunteers
andabout200,000spectatorsfrom25nations
acrosstheAsia-Pacificregion.
Theannouncementwasmadeatapressconference
byGovernor-GeneralQuentinBryce,followingthe
decisionbytheSpecialOlympicsInternationalboard
ofdirectors.“Iamveryproudtobepatronofthis
nationalcharityanddelightedthatAustraliawillhost
theAsia-PacificGames,”Brycesaid.
The10iPadswillbeavailabletohomebound
clientsforathree-monthloanandrotatedamong
clientsonawaitinglist.
AthletesMelEustaceandChrisBuntonattheSydneyOpera
HousewithGovernor-GeneralQuentinBryce.
Photo:PeterMuhlbock.
SophieGreenassistinglibrarymemberBillyWarmington.
BabyboomersintheUKdownfarlargerquantities
ofillicitdrugsthantheirparentseverdid–especially
cannabis–accordingtoareportinNew Scientist.
NSWMinisterforSportandRecreationGraham
Annesleyofficiallyre-openedtheKevinBetts
StadiumatMountDruittfollowingamajor
refurbishment,whichwillprovideamodern,safe
facilityforwheelchairsportsinwesternSydney.
AstudybyKing’sCollegeLondonfoundthat11.4
percentof50to64-year-oldsintheUKhadtried
cannabis,whilejust1.7percentoftheirparents’
generationhad.Theresultsofthestudyshould
allowmedicalandsocialservicestoplanhowthey
willcareforelderlypeoplewhotakeillicitdrugs.
Therefurbishmentwasmadepossiblebyan
$888,000grantfromtheLifetimeCare&Support
AuthoritytoWheelchairSportsNSW.Features
includeimprovedwheelchairaccess,resurfaced
playingcourts,aswellaswallpaddingandcurtains
betweencourtstopreventinjuries.
Growing old disgracefully?
8
World-class indoor sport facility for
western Sydney
linkonline.com.au
June2012—Vol21/2
link | paralympics
Australian 2012 Paralympic Team uniform unveiled
TheAustralianParalympicTeamuniformfor
theLondon2012ParalympicGameswas
unveiledinMaywithParalympianstakingto
thecatwalkinSydneyaspartofAustralian
FashionWeek.
Theuniformfeaturesceremonialweardesigned
byiconicAustralianbrandR.M.Williams,aswell
ascompetitionandcasualweardesignedby
sportsperformancebrand2XU.
Australiawillsenditsbestpreparedteam
evertotheLondonGames,wheremore
than4200athletesfrom150countrieswill
contest20sportsover11daysinfrontof
anexpectedglobalaudienceof3billion
viewers.Theuniformwasproudlymodelled
bysomeofOz’sfinestParalympicathletes.
Clockwise from top:SwimmersMatthewCowdreyand
AnnabelleWilliamsmodeltheopeningceremonykitforthe
London2012ParalympicGames.KurtFearnley(athletics)
modelstheAustralianParalympictrackoutfitby2XU.
CarleeBeattie(athletics),left,JackSwift(athletics),Melissa
Tapper(tabletennis)andKellyCartwright(athletics)
modeltheircompetitionwearby2XU.Photos:Australian
ParalympicCommittee
June2012—Vol21/2
linkmagazine
9
companion card | nds
Companion Card in Australia
A step forward for social inclusion
Article supplied by NDS South Australia
ConceivedinVictoriain1997andnow
acceptedineverystateandterritory,
theCompanionCardisdesignedto
assistthoselivingwithpermanent
lifelongdisabilitytoparticipateat
venues,activitiesandevents.
Individualsareassessedindependently
byaregisteredhealthprofessional,
andthen,ifsuccessful,grantedacard.
Underthisprogram,thecardholder
isentitledtobringacompanionfree
ofchargetoparticipatingvenues
andevents.InWesternAustraliaand
NewSouthWales,NationalDisability
Services(NDS)administersthecard.
NDSSouthAustraliaisresponsiblefor
marketingthecardinthatstate.
Onceaffiliatedwiththeprogram,thevenue
oreventagreestoissueacompanion
ticketatnocharge.Notonlydoesaffiliation
increasecustomerbase,italsoenhances
positivepublicimage,supportsthesocial
inclusionofpeoplewithdisabilityandassists
withmeetingsomeoftheobligationsunder
anti-discriminationlegislation.
Oneinnovativeapproachisthattakenbythe
AdelaideEntertainmentCentretoinclude
acceptanceoftheCompanionCardintheircontracts
withthird-partyhirersofvenues.“Beingaffiliatedwiththe
CompanionCard[program]hasenabledtheAdelaide
EntertainmentCentreanditsticketingagent,Ticketek,
toeasilyidentifypatronswithaspecialneedinrelation
topurchasingticketsandgainingaccessforacarerto
aneventatthevenue,”aCentrespokespersonsaid.
“Thismeansaquicker,easiertransactionforthepatron
andensurestheyhaveaccesstoseatingthatsuitstheir
requirements(subjecttoavailability).”
WAwasoneoftheforerunnersoftheCompanionCard
inAustralia,andin2011,thestaterananAffiliateof
theYearAward.ThiswaspresentedbyWADisability
ServicesMinisterHelenMortontoAboutBikeHire.About
Top:WADisability
ServicesMinister
HelenMorton,right,
togetherwithNDSWA
operationsmanager
HelenGranville,present
AboutBikeHiregeneral
managerGeoffCollins
withthe2011Affiliateof
theYearAward.
Left:Anexampleofthe
CompanionCard.
BikeHirehasbeenaffiliatedwiththeprogramsince
2006andisapopularserviceamongstcardholders.
HelenGranville,operationsmanagerforNational
DisabilityServicesWA,said:“Overtheyears,we
havereceivedagreatdealofpositivefeedbackfrom
CompanionCardholdersaboutAboutBikeHire
providinganenjoyableandtrouble-freeexperience.”
WallisCinemasinSA,affiliatedsince2008,arealso
strongsupportersoftheprogram.Marketingmanager
PaulBesankosaid:“WallisCinemasareproudtobe
supportiveoftheCompanionCardprogram,whichhas
enabledmanymorepatronstoattendthemovies.We
havenoticedasharpincrease[insales]inthelast12
monthsandwillcontinuetosupportthis[program].”
Formore,visitcompanioncard.gov.au.
10 linkonline.com.au
June2012—Vol21/2
study | youth
Disability and ability: how young people with impairments make the
transition to adulthood
ResearchersattheUniversityofSydney
andDeakinUniversitywishtointerview
youngpeoplewithimpairments,aged
19-26,tofindouthowtheyexperience
thetransitiontoadulthood.
What it’s about?
Comparedtotheirable-bodiedpeers,
youngpeoplewithimpairmentshave
anincreasedriskofnegativesocial,
physicalandmentalhealthoutcomes.
Yet,ofallpeoplewithimpairments,the
leastisknownaboutadolescentsand
youngadults.Inparticular,littleisknown
abouthowtheymakethetransitionto
adulthood.
Thisstudyseekstoproducenew
knowledgewhichcanbeusedtohelp
morepeoplewithimpairmentsmeetthe
challengesoftransitioningtoadulthood
inordertobecomefully-functioning,
well-adjusted,sociallyandeconomically
includedmembersofsociety.
What’s involved?
Takingpartinthisthree-yearproject
involvesaninitiallifehistoryinterviewin
thefirstyearandtwoshorter,followupinterviewsinthesecondandthird
years.Youwillbeaskedtotalkabout
yourfamily,whoyouhangoutwith,
schoollife,whatyoudoinyourspare
time,yourdisability,futureplansand
whoyouwanttobeinlife.
Who do I contact?
LouisaSmithonph(02)93519308or
viaemailattransition.study@sydney.
edu.au.
We have a simple philosophy at Orana…
We exist to provide support for people living with a disability.
We encourage, we train and most importantly we provide real life choices.
With services in metropolitan and regional South
Australia, we ensure support is tailored towards
personalised service.
With a diverse range of employment
and accommodation options, Orana is
committed to excellence through creating
independence for people living with a
disability.
To find out more about Orana and how
we support South Australian’s with a
disability, visit our website
www.oranaonline.com.au or phone
us on (08) 8375 2000
June2012—Vol21/2
linkmagazine 11
accessible travel | danielkemp
T
heageofmodernairtravelhas
meanttravellingtofar-flung
destinationsisincreasinglyeasier.As
technologyhasimproved,costshave
loweredandairtravelhasbecome
saferandfaster.Foralargenumberof
peoplewithdisability,however,it’sstill
notsomethingthat’saccessible.
Myolderbrother,Nicholas,was
bornwithcerebralpalsyanduses
awheelchair.In2003,afteryearsof
sittinginhischair,hisspinebecame
twisted.Heunderwentmajorsurgery
toinsertarodalongsidehisspine,
straighteninghisback.Asideeffectisheisnowonlyabletositin
specialisedseating.
ThelasttimemyfamilyandIflewaway
onholidaywastotheUSin2001.
Thiswasbeforetheoperation,andthe
airlineprovidedaspecialmouldedseat
formybrothertositinduringtheflight.
Now,withhisbackrequiringmore
care,aflightlikethiswouldsimplynot
bepossible.
ImetmyAustraliangirlfriendwhile
onauniversityexchangeinMontréal,
Canada.IamcurrentlyinAustralia
ona12-monthworkingholidayvisa,
primarilytoseeher,butalsototravel
aroundandseemoreoftheworld
beforeembarkingonmycareer.
Beinginaseriousrelationship,the
thoughtofemigratingherehas
crossedmymind.
However,Iwouldfinditextremely
difficulttodoso.Mybrotherandmy
familyareveryimportanttome,and
ifIweretomove,hewouldnever
beabletoundertakethe24-hour
flightineconomyclassconditions.
Havingafullbedinfirstclasscould
beapossibility,buthestillrequires
aspecialisedmattresstosleep
comfortably,andthesittingupright
duringtake-offandlandingcould
June2012—Vol21/2
NicholasKempathomeintheUK
withparentsHazelandDavid.
Wings clipped
UK-basedNicholashascerebralpalsyandfindsitalmost
impossibletotravelbyplane.Itmakesitdifficultforhis
brother,writerDaniel Kemp,tosharehisloveofAustralia
withhim,wherehe’scurrentlyliving.
proveproblematic.Thebiggestbarrier
toflyingfirstclass,though,is,of
course,theprice.Thereisnowayhe
ormyfamilycouldaffordit.
Probablytheonlywayforhimto
comeandvisitmewouldbebysea.
Cruiseshipsarealsoexpensive,
though,andwouldtakeupwardsof
sixweekstomaketheirwayfrom
theUKtoAustralia.Anotherfactor,
ofcourse,istherealitythatit’soften
necessarytocatchaflighttoyour
cruiseship’sdeparturepointbefore
youevenbegin.Thisobviouslymakes
itprohibitivetoanysortofquickor
cheapvisit.Intheend,theonlyreal
solutionistostayintheUK,soIdon’t
becomecompletelyseparatedfrom
mybrotherandfamily.
Itwasalwaysgoingtobeharder
formybrother.Barringanunlikely
lotterywin,heprobablywon’tgetto
seeAustralia,acountryI’vefallenin
lovewith.
Inthisageofcheapandeasyairtravel,
it’sworthtakingastepbackand
thinkingofthosewhoarestillunable
totakeadvantageofit–especially
whenwe’recursingthelatestdelayto
ourflightorhowuncomfytheseatsin
economyclassare.
linkmagazine 13
cover story | theroadtotheparalympics
Some of the most awe-inspiring sporting feats and
acts of sheer bravery will be on display, but will
the world tune in? Carla Caruso reports.
The Paralympics:
WILL YOU BE WATCHING?
TheParalympicGameshas
previouslybeendubbedthe“Second
ClassGames”.Indateandbeyond,
italwaysseemstotailbehindthe
Olympics.Buthavethingsimproved?
KevinLiminsang,areporterforThe
Vancouver Observer,thinksnot.
Duringthe2010WinterParalympics
inCanada,hewrote:“Paralympic
athletesexemplifyathleticism,
discipline,talentandskill,yetthey
donotreceivethesameamountof
publicinterest,attentionandglory
as‘regular’Olympicathletes.”
Liminsangcontinues:“Theseathletes
deservebetter.Theydeservean
equalamountofmediacoverage,
corporatesponsorshipandpublic
attention,but,sadly,themedia
seemstoactonassumedpublic
interest,anddoesnotadequately
broadcasttheParalympicGames.”
Aswellasanyso-called
discrepancies,thisfeaturewilllook
atthecontroversiessurrounding
Paralympicsport.
Media coverage
Thedifferencebetweensupport
forOlympicandParalympicssport
isobviousinTVland.Commercial
TVnetworksNineNetworkand
Foxtelholdtherightstobroadcast
theOlympicsinOzthisyear,while
comparativelythegovernmentfundedABCwillbethenation’s
officialParalympicsbroadcaster.
Still,viewingnumbershavegrown
internationally,judgingbyfiguresfor
theBeijing2008ParalympicGames.
Thatyearsawthelargestcumulated
TVaudienceintheGames’history
tunein.Worldwide,morethan
3.8billionpeoplein38monitored
countrieswatchedthe1800-plus
hoursbroadcast.
Atthetime,InternationalParalympic
CommitteechiefexecutiveXavier
Gonzalezsaid:“Anaudienceof3.8
billionismorethantwicethetotal
fortheAthens2004Paralympics.
Thesenumbersconfirmthatthere
hasbeenagreatgrowthininterest
fortheParalympicGames.”
Australianmediacoverageofthe
ParalympicGames–acrossall
platforms–increasedbymorethan
60percentcomparedwithAthens,
accordingtoIPCandAPCMedia.
ParalympianequestrianGraceBowman
andswimmerJayDohntataParalympic
CorporateChallengeinAdelaideinMay.
Photo:JamesElsby.
June2012—Vol21/2
Funding and
sponsorship
Therehasbeencriticism
internationallyofParalympic
athletesnotreceivingequalfunding
comparedtoOlympicathletes.
AmericanParalympicathletesTony
Iniguez,ScotHollonbeckandJacob
Heilveilfiledalawsuitagainstthe
UnitedStatesOlympicCommittee,
claimingunderfunding.The
committeedidnotdenythefunding
discrepancy,sayingitwasduetoit
notreceivinggovernmentsupport
andhavingtorelyontherevenue
generatedbytheathletes’media
exposure.Thecasewasappealedto
theSupremeCourt,butnotheard.
Onourhometurf,AustralianSports
CommissionmediamanagerStuart
McLennansays:“TheAustralian
Governmentisasignificantinvestorin
Paralympicsport,providingfundingfor
high-performanceoutcomesandthe
broadcastingofpreviousGamesand
theLondon2012ParalympicGamesto
ensureallAustraliansareawareofour
greatParalympicathletes.In2011-12,
theAustralianSportsCommissionwill
provideover$13milliontotheAPC
[AustralianParalympicCommittee],
including$3millioninadditionalhighperformancefunding,theequalhighest
amountofallsports.”
RetiredSunshineCoastParalympian
swimmerMaraykeJonkersconcedes“it’s
amazingthesupportnow”comparedto
whenshefirststarted.“Iknowthere’sbeen
amassivechangejustinthepastyear.
Forthefirsttime,[Paralympic]swimmers
actuallygotalittlebitofmoneygivento
themfortraining,whereasinthiscountry
previously,OlympicandCommonwealth
Gamesswimmershadbeengettingalot
moremoneyforseveralyears…Itmeans
integrationisstartingtoreallyhappen.”
Butthere’sstillawaytogo,according
toJonkers,hence,theneedforher
foundation,SportingDreams,which
assistsathleteswithdisabilitieswithgrants
forcostslikeequipment,trainingand
competitions.“Thegoalformyfoundation
isthatitbecomesobsolete,becausethere
willbegreatfundingopportunitiesandour
kidswillbehigh-profileandcompanieswill
wanttosponsorParalympicathletesas
muchasOlympians.But,atthemoment
we’renotthere.”
Jonkerssaysuntil“someonelike
[Paralympicswimmer]MatthewCowdrey
isasfamousasIanThorpe”thingswon’t
change.Personally,shewasonlyableto
secureoneofficialsponsortohelpwith
costsduringherParalympicstint–furniture
designbusinessErgonomix.“Itwasthe
firstactualsponsorIhadinmywhole
career,andthatwasgettingtomythird
Paralympics,soitshowshowlongittook.”
AdelaideParalympiancyclistFelicityJohnson,
whohasavisionimpairmentandhopesto
competeinBeijing,agreesit’stough.“Ithas
beenverydifficulttogainpersonalsponsors
thusfar,butIamendeavoringtocontinue
toseeksome…Withthenumberoneworld
rankingformyeventduringtheParalympic
year,Ireceivesomeassistancebywayofa
governmentgrant.Iholdascholarshipwith
theSouthAustralianSportsInstitute,giving
meaccesstofacilitiesandexpertise.”Still,she
says:“PotentialParalympicandParalympic
athletesdonotreceiveanywherenearthe
samedegreeoffinancialsupport/sponsorship
comparedwiththeirOlympiccounterparts.”
Classifications
Therearesixdisabilitycategoriesforthe
ParalympicGames:amputee,cerebral
palsy,intellectualdisability,wheelchair,
visuallyimpaired,andlesautres(those
withaphysicaldisabilitywhodonotfall
strictlyunderoneofthefivecategories,
suchashavingdwarfism,multiplesclerosis
orcongenitallimbdeformities.)Withinthe
categories,athletesaredividedaccording
totheirlevelofimpairment.
linkmagazine 15
cover story | theroadtotheparalympics
Theclassificationsystemhasledto
cheatingcontroversieswithathleteswho
haveover-statedtheirdisabilities.After
theSydney2000Paralympics,aSpanish
basketballerallegedsomemembersofthe
goldmedal-winningteamdidnothavethe
intellectualdisabilitiestheyclaimed.AnIPC
investigationconfirmedthisandalsofound
theincidentwasn’tisolatedtobasketballor
Spanishathletes.Allcompsforthosewith
intellectualdisabilitiesweresuspended,
thoughthebanwasliftedafter2008once
workhadbeendonetotightencontrols.
Onclassifications,Jonkerssays:“You’re
goingtohearathleteswhothinkit’sfairand
athleteswhothinkit’sunfair,buthowdo
youpossiblycreateasystemthateverybody
agreeswith?WaybackwhenIwasverylittle
andstartedswimming,thereweresomany
classifications,youwoneverything,because
youweretheonlyonein[yourcategory].But
youreallywanttotrainhard,andifyouwina
medal,knowitmeanssomething.”
Paralympians at the
Olympics
Inrecenttimes,Paralympicathleteshave
soughtequalopportunitiestocontestatthe
OlympicGames–theprecedentbeingset
byKiwiParalympicarcherNeroliFairhall,
whocompetedatthe1984Summer
OlympicsinLA.
In2008,SouthAfricansprinterOscar
Pistoriusalsoattemptedtoqualifyforthe
SummerOlympics.Thedoubleamputee
raceswithtwocarbonfibreblades,which
somebelievedanunfairadvantage.The
InternationalAssociationofAthletics
Federationsruledhimineligibletocompete,
thoughthiswasoverturnedbytheCourtof
ArbitrationforSport.Whilehedidn’tmake
aqualifyingtime,he’snowtryingtobecome
thefirstamputeeathletetoruninthe
OlympicsinLondon.
Ontheissue,Jonkerssays:“There’salot
ofdebateaboutwhetherOscarhasan
advantageordisadvantage,becausehehas
prostheticlegs,butfromthepointofviewof
theParalympicsandtheprofileofathleteswith
adisability,Ithinkhowmuchbettercanweget
thandemonstratingyoucanhaveadisability,
butstillbeouttherewiththefastestrunnersin
theworld?”
Adelaide’sSimonBayneisaT12paraplegic
andamemberoftheAustralianParalympic
PreparationProgramforpowerlifting,aiming
forRio’sGamesin2016.Bayneisalsobehind
Pistorius.“Ireckonthat’sgreat–sockitto‘em!
Peoplelike[him]wouldopenpeople’seyesbig
time.Youcansay[athleteswithdisabilities]
haveadvantages,butthey’vegotahellofalot
ofdisadvantagestoo.”
Community perceptions
ParalympiansGraceBowmanandJayDohnt
werepartofaParalympicCorporateChallenge
withSAaccountancyfirm’sKennedyandCo
FoundationinAdelaideinMay,raisingfundsfor
the2012AustralianParalympicteam.
Bowman,anequestrianwithparaplegia,who
hasLondoninhersights,sayswatchingthe
Paralympicswillhelpbroadenpeople’sminds.“If
somebodythinksyoucan’tdoanything,watch
someonerideahorsewithnoarms…Oneofthe
besthorseridersintheworld[Germany’s
BettinaEistel]hasnoarms.Sheusesher
mouthandtoes…Ifyouthinkyou’vegotit
tough,youreallyhaven’t.”
Fortheathletesthemselves,theGames
canalsoshiftperceptionsonapersonal
level.Dohnt,aswimmer,sufferedfrom
theside-effectsofmeningococcal
diseasewhenhewas13,losingboth
hislegsandhisfingersononehand.
Hesays:“WhenIgotsick,thatwas
prettydevastatingforme.Therewere
allthesesportsIfeltIcouldn’tplay
anymore…[However]halfwaythrough
mystintinhospital,therewasalightbulbmomentwhenIheardabout
theParalympics.ThatwasthepointI
realisedmylifewasstillgoingtohave
adirection.”Hewentontowinbronze
inthe400mfreestyleinBeijing–nota
badeffort.
June2012—Vol21/2
Q&A with Adam Hills
The Aussie comedian, who was
born without a right foot and wears
a prosthesis, is gearing up to join
Britain’s television commentary
team for the Paralympics.
RetiredParalympianswimmer
MaraykeJonkersheadsupthe
SportingDreamsfoundation,assisting
athleteswithdisabilitieswithfunding
grants.ShecompletedinAthens.
Photo:MarionJonkersPhotography.
Adelaide’sSimonBayneisamemberof
theAustralianParalympicPreparation
Programforpowerlifting,aimingforRio.
Photo:JamesElsby.
What Paralympic sport are
you most looking forward to
watching?Wheelchairbasketball.
Ibecameenamouredbyitlast
Paralympics,andwatchedevery
gametheAussiescompetedin.
Theskillslevelsareamazing,
andthespeedofthegame
isastounding.Thefirsttime
someonegetsknockedout
oftheirchairyoushiver,the
seventeenthtimeyoucheer.
If you were to compete
yourself, what sport could you
imagine doing?Iplayedalotof
tennisinmytime,andevenused
tobeacoach,soIcouldimagine
myselfjoiningthewheelchair
tennisteam.Havingsaidthat,
whenIsawtheathletesinaction,
IrealisedthatIhaveneitherthe
appropriatetennisnorwheelchair
skillstocompete.
Being among a line-up of
presenters and reporters at
the London Paralympics - half
of whom will have a disability
- will any topic be taboo?It
seemstomethatthereisa
slidingscaleofdisabilities,and
youcanonlyjokeaboutyour
owndisabilityonair.Off-air,I
haveheardthemostoutrageous
June2012—Vol21/2
andtastelessjokesbypeople
withdisabilitiesaboutpeoplewith
differentdisabilities.Buttheyhave
toremainoffair.
How do you think making a joke
of your disability during your
stand-up routines has helped?
Formanyyears,Ididn’ttalkabout
myfooton-stage,becauseIdidn’t
wanttobedefinedbyit.ThenI
realisedIcouldownit,jokeabout
itandmoveon.Ihavehadalotof
peoplewithdisabilitiessaytheyfind
itempoweringtowatchmetalk
aboutmyfoot,andrecentlyfound
outthatamedicalclinicinDarwin
showmyDVDstopeoplewho
havehadamputations.Apparently,
ithelpsthemtohealmentallyand
physically.
What can the public gain from
tuning into the Paralympics?
Someofthemostinspiring,
upliftingandtrulyheroicsporting
achievementsyouwillever
see.Andnotbecauseoftheir
disabilities,ordespitethem.You
willfindyourselflookingpastthe
disabilitiesandsimplyseeingelite
athletesachievinggreatthings.
Your fondest memory from the
2008 Summer Paralympics?A
Chineseswimmerwithnoarms
andlegswhowonsilver,hadthe
crowdontheirfeet,andinspired
everyonewhosawhimwiththe
widestsmileIhaveeverseenona
humanbeing.
linkmagazine 17
link | accessibletravel
Clockwise from top, left:Cheralynrides
themonorailinNottingham.TheLondon
Eyeaglowatnight.Thepairruggedupin
Greenwich,London.BenMortonmakesa
newfriendatUniversalStudiosinLA.
June2012—Vol21/2
London calling
The UK capital – the
setting for the upcoming
Paralympics – was a stop
on this Adelaide couple’s
recent trip overseas.
Manytravellerswithdisabilities
willdescendonLondonforthe
ParalympicGamesfromAugust.
ButoneAdelaidecouple,who
recentlyvisitedtheUKcapital,warn
toplanwellinadvance.
Arecenttripfortheduo,whoboth
usewheelchairs,proveda“logistical
nightmare”–thoughitwasan
experiencethey’dhappilyrepeat.
CheralynSmith,32,hascerebral
palsyspasticquadriplegiaanduses
awheelchair.BoyfriendBenMorton,
26,hascerebralpalsyspastic
hemiplegia,affectinghimonhisright
side.Hewalksalot,butalsousesa
poweredchairwhennecessary.
Thepair’sthree-weekholidayin
April2010–alsoencompassing
Singapore,theUSandNewZealand
–tooksixmonthsofplanning.
Firstup,Cheralynhadtobooka
supportworker–acostlyexercise.
Whilecarecostswerecoveredby
thegovernment,itmeantCheralyn
June2012—Vol21/2
hadtopayforasecondperson’s
flightsandaccommodation.The
tripwoundupcostingherabout
$16,000intotal.“Iwassavingfora
longtime–fiveyears–butIalways
wantedtogoformy30th,”Cheralyn
enthuses.
Thecouplehadtravelagent
AndrewGriffithsfromLewisand
TurnerTravelAssociates,North
Adelaide,helpplanthetrip.“Igave
himachallenge,”Cheralynsays
withasmile.“Ihadtogivehimmy
wheelchairmeasurements,sohe
couldfindoutaboutthingslike
thewidthofhoteldoorframesand
thefacilities.Therewerealotof
emailsbackandforth.He’drequest
imagesandhe’dshowmeand
ask:‘Willthiswork?’Hishelpwas
invaluable–heactuallycared.”
Oncetheholidaystartdatearrived,
navigatingtheairportsprovedthe
nextadventure.“Ihavetohavea
suitcaseformywheelchairparts,
butthatcouldn’tbecheckedin
beforemywheelchair,”Cheralyn
says.“Then,onceIwastransferred
intoatransitwheelchair,mycarer
couldn’tleaveme,becausethere
wasapossibilityIwouldfallout!”
linkmagazine 19
link | accessibletravel
OnceinLondon,thebesthotel,
accordingtoCheralyn,wasin
Heathrow.“Thehotelhadan
automaticopeningdoor,which
meantIcouldleavetheroomby
myself.Thebathroomalsohada
similardoor.”
Gettingaroundthecityproved
interesting.London’sdouble-decker
buseswereaccessible,butCheralyn
sayseachonlyhaveonewheelchair
spot.“Beingoutallday,Benneeded
tohavehiswheelchairwithhim,
sohealwayshadtofollowmeon
anotherbus10minuteslater.”
OfLondoncabs,“squishyisthe
word”,accordingtoCheralyn.“Ihad
totravelinthemsideways,rather
thanbackwards.”
BothBenandCheralynusedGlide
Series4electricwheelchairswhile
away,whichtheyfoundgoodfor
travelling.“We’reluckywehad
foldablechairs,”Cheralynenthuses,
“becausetheamountofplaceswe
gotBen’schairinwasunbelievable.”
Still,bytheendofit,shesays,
“Iwasinsomuchpain,because
thechairwasn’twideenough.But
becauseIwantedtogooverseas,
thereweresomethingsIwouldput
upwith.”
Oneday,thepairchosetotravel
theTube–London’sunderground
railwaysystem–withoutCheralyn’s
carer;notaneasytask.Theyhad
toplantheirstopstocoincidewith
thelocationofthelifts.Cheralyn
says:“Ifwedidn’thaveourfoldable
wheelchairDecpacrampwithus,we
wouldn’thavebeenabletogeton.”
AftertheParalympics,Cheralyn
predicts:“Londonshouldbebetterfor
it[tourism-wise],becausethey’llknow
whatpeoplewithdisabilitiesneed.”
Travel tips
• Bensays:“Makesuretoorganiseyourtransport,includingtransfers
toandfromtheairport.Forthis,wehadtohireaprivatevan.Also,
findoutaboutthepublictransportandmakesureyoucanuseit.”
• “Bereadyforanythingtogowrong,”Cheralynsays,“thoughknow
there’susuallyawayoffixingit.Ben’swheelchairfootplatewasbent
whenIaccidentallyreversedonit.Wewenttothehotelmaintenance
departmentinSingaporeandhadaninterpretertelltheengineerwhat
neededdoing.Wehaditfixedandbackinhalfanhour!”
• Bensays:“Haveagoodtravelagentandgetthemtoproperlycheck
outyouraccommodation.Plus,makesureyoucancontactthem
whenoverseasifanythinggoeswrong.”
• Cheralynsays:“Therearegoingtobepassers-bywhowillaskif
youneedhelpwhentravelling.Thebestthingtosayis‘yesplease’.
You’llgetwhereyouneedtogoquicker.”
• Nexttime,Cheralynalsoreckonsshe’llinvestinasuitcasewith
fourwheelsthatpivot.“Soitcanattachtomeandthesuitcasewill
literallyjustfollow.Ihadonewithtwowheelsanditbroke.I’dalso
getamorelightweightsuitcase.Minebyitselfweighed7kg.And,put
extrastuffinthesuitcasewithyourwheelchairparts,astheairlines
won’tweightthis,andso,can’tchargeyouforexcessbaggage.”
• Cheralynalsoadvises:“Knowhowyourwheelchairgoestogether
andcomesapart.Theairportstaffwilltakeitapartforyou,butthey
won’tputitbacktogether.”
• OnAirNewZealand,CheralynwasabletouseanEagle2lift
togettoherplaneseat,whichshefoundhandy,butsays“only
certainplaceshaveit”.Usingasling,thestaffemploytheEagle2
tonegotiatetheaircraftaisle,straddletheaircraftseatandlowera
travellerintotheirseat.
• “Ifyou’regoingtogoonatripinawheelchair,”Cheralynadvises,
“you’vegottohaveagoodcarerwho’sgoingtoknowwhattodo
ifyoucomeintoproblems.Halfthetime,youjustenduplaughing
aboutthings.”
• Cheralynalsoadvises:“DoaGooglesearchonlifters.Youcanhire
themforyourhoteltogetyouinandoutofbedorforthetoilet.”
• “WealsousedBen’swheelchairasatrolleysometimes,sowecould
gettoplacesquicker,”Cheralynsays.“WehadatotaloffourbagsasI
travelwithalotofsheepskinsandpillows.Sowejusttookthearmrests
offhischairandputtheluggageon.It’sthinkingoutsidethebox.”
• “Gettravelmoneycardstoo,”Cheralynadvises.“Travelchequesare
nogoodtome,becauseIcan’tsignthesamewayeachtime.”
June2012—Vol21/2
opinion | kellyvincent
Calling for change
SA’s Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent has introduced
a bill to help lessen human rights abuses against people
with disabilities.
OnApril4,IintroducedaBillto
ParliamenttoamendtheDisability
Services Act 1993.Followingthe
releaseofMonsignorCappo’s
Strong Voicesreport,wewere
assuredthatamendmentstothis
outdatedActwereimminent.
However,sixmonthson,bothmy
partyandthedisabilitysectorhave
growntiredoftheplacatoryremarks
andpatronisingpostponements.So,
Idecidedtoactandintroducethe
Disability Services (Miscellaneous)
Amendment Bill 2012.
Mybillproposesthreeseparateyet
interrelatedmatterstohelplessen
thefrequencyandseverityofsuch
humanrightsabusesagainstpeople
withdisabilities.Thefirstaspectis
outlinedinPart3ofthisbillwiththe
appointmentofadisabilityservices
commissioner,whichisalready
writtenintolegislationinWestern
Australia,theACTandVictoria;with
Victoriabeingthestateuponwhich
muchofthisbillisbased.
Thecommissioner’sroleisto
setandoverseecomplianceto
standardsandguidelinesfor
disabilityservicesprovision.
Thecommissionermaydothis
bycarryingouttheprescribed
functionsasdetailedinthebill.By
maintainingworkingrelationships
withconsumersandtheadvocacy
bodies,aswellasothers,the
disabilityservicescommissioner
wouldbeadequatelyconnected
andinformedtoperformtheir
primaryfunctionofmaking
June2012—Vol21/2
recommendationsregarding
disabilityservices.
Thatfunction,Ithink,isreallythe
axisofthiswholebill.Yousee,it
isallverywellandgoodforthe
governmenttotalkendlesslyabout
theneedforanewhumanrightsbasedframeworkforthedisability
sector–Ithinkwecanallagree
onthatneed–butthefactisthat
withoutsomeonewhosespecific
roleitistoaidthegovernmentin
implementinggenuinestandards
whichthedisabilitycommunityhas
arighttoexpectandtheadequate
resourcesandnetworkstoaidand
informthiswork,Isimplydonotsee
howthiscanbesuccessfullydone.
Someotherproposedfunctionsof
thecommissionerofwhichI’dmake
specificmention:toreceive,assess,
investigateandresolvecomplaints
relatingtodisabilityservices;and,
ifappropriate,toconciliatewherea
complainthasbeenmadeinrelation
tothoseservices.
Thisfunctionoftheproposed
commissionerissovitalsimply
becauseIknowfromthesheer
volumeofcorrespondencewhich
myofficereceivesfromconstituents
concernedaboutadisability-related
service,whichtheyoraloved
oneisreceiving,thatpeopleare
currentlyconfusedaboutwhere
togotomakesuchacomplaint
andtheyareunsureoftheirrights
shouldtheychoosetomakeone.
Manyreportthattheyareafraidthat
theirserviceswillbecutiftheydo
complain.Acommissionerhelps
removethisfear,andprovides
accountability.
Thisoutlinesonlythefirstmeasure,
soIurgeyoutocontactmyofficeto
learnmoreabouttherestofthebill.
Iamveryhappytoemailoutorpost
hardcopiesofboththebillandmy
53-minutespeechintroducingit.For
furtherinformationonthisoranyof
myotherwork,pleasecontactmy
officeonvincent.office@parliament.
sa.gov.auorph(08)82379543.
linkmagazine 21
gaming | timlince
Tim Lince investigates
how well the disability
community is being
represented in the
world of gaming.
Videogameshaveevolvedata
rapidspeedoverthedecades,and
havecomealongwayfromthe
daysofpixellatedaliensandawhite
dotbouncingofftwowhitelines.
Asgamesincreasinglygrow
inpopularity–overtakingthe
filmindustryinannualrevenue
worldwideandstillrising–
we’reseeingalotmorediversity
ingames,andespeciallyin
thecharacters.Sowhyhas
disabilitybarelyhadalook-in
withallthisincreaseddiversity?
Why do video games lack role
models with disabilities?
Andwithmoreactive
technology,suchastheWii
andXboxKinect,becomingthenorm
fortheimpendingnewgenerationof
gamingconsoles,there’sariskthat
there’llbenoplacefordisabledgame
charactersinthefuture.Oristhere?
“Astimepasses,big-budget
titleswillfeaturemoreandmore
cinematicdevices,”saysvideo
gameanalystBrianBors,whoruns
game-accessibility.com.“Disabled
characterswillfeatureduringinbetweenstorylinesandFMVs[fullmotionvideos]asmuchastheyare
featuredinmovies,butnotduring
actualgameplay.”
“Controllingorfightingagainst
disabledcharactersbringswithit
someproblemsthatIbelievewill
alwaysbeabarrier.SoIthink
videogameswillhavemoredisabled
charactersinthefuture,butnever
asmanyasmoviesintermsof
relativescreentime.”
Helistedanumberofplayablevideo
gamecharactersthathavesomeform
ofphysicaldisability,includingthe
character,Munch,fromtheOddworld
series,whoiswheelchair-bound,
RevolverOcelotfromtheMetal Gear
Solidseries,whoonlyhasonehand,
andAltairfromtheAssassin’s Creed
series,whoremovesafingerto
concealahiddenblade.
Otherlesser-knowncharacters
withdisabilitiesincludeIllidanfrom
Warcraft 3,whoisblind,Dianafrom
Sakura Wars,HarmonSmithfrom
Killer7andBentleyfromSly 3,who
areallinwheelchairs.
“Somepeoplewouldprefernotto
beremindedabouttheirhandicap
constantlywhileplayingagame,
whilstsomepeoplewouldpreferarole
modeltheycanrelateto,”Borsadds.
Hespeculatestherearethreemain
reasonswhyhebelievesthere’s
alackofdisabilityrepresentation
invideogames.“Firstly,havinga
disabledcontrollablecharacter
mightlimittheamountofactions
aplayercando,”Borssays.“For
example,acharacterinawheelchair
can’tjump,duckbehindcoveror
getinandoutofcarsinatimely
manner(unlessit’sacartoony
game).Forsomegenres,thisisn’t
June2012—Vol21/2
e
rs–
aShoujo,showingfiveofthecharacte
Photos (L–R):AnimagefromKataw
nedgaming
enow
rs.R
lsca
facia
vere
hse
rlwit
includingadoubleamputeeandagi
Second
osetobeinawheelchairinthegame
bloggerandquadriplegicRuthch
tobeaplayablewheelchair
syou
allow
that
ame
ineg
ronl
Life–theonlymajo
bilities.
unityinthegameforpeoplewithdisa
character.Thisisheroutsideacomm
litisand
tiona
duca
owe
ingh
how
lin,s
Novo
OtherscreenshotsarefromCaptain
eusedassuchatool.
thepotentialforothergamestoalsob
aproblem,butthisseverelylimits
thechoiceofmaincharactersfor
severalgenres.”
“Secondly,mostgameengines
createcharactersandtheir
animationsdynamically.Having
adisabledcharactermightmean
extendingthisdynamicsystem
tomakewayforvariantwalking
animations,blindpeoplewalking
withastickordog,etc.TheAI
[artificialintelligence]probably
alsoneedstobeadjustedforthe
disabledcharacter.Again,notall
genreshavethisproblem.
“Finally,thetargetaudienceformost
videogamesremainsyoungadults.
Gamecharactersareusuallysexy
andpowerful.Youcancreateasexy
andpowerfulvideogamecharacter
withadisability,butmostgame
designerswon’tbothertotry.Though
thiswillbecomelessofaproblemas
thetargetaudienceofvideogames
shiftstoamorematureaudience.”
June2012—Vol21/2
WhileBorslivesinhopethatthings
willimproveovertime,headmits
thattheoutcryaboutthelackof
gamingrolemodelswithdisabilities
willonlygrowlouderoncemore
peoplewithdisabilitiesareableto
actuallyplaygames.“Ofcourse,I
wouldlovetoseemoredisabled
heroesandrolemodelsingames,
butlessdisabledpeopleplaygames
comparedtothemwatchingmovies.
Althoughmoviesoftenmisssubtitles
andaudiodescriptionforthedeaf
andblindrespectively,movies
areingeneralmoreaccessibleto
disabledcommunitiesthangames.
Ifgameswerebetteraccessible,
moredisabledplayerswouldsurface
andmaybetheoutcryfordisabled
characterswouldfollow.”
A double spotlight
Afterextensiveresearch,onlytwo
gamesinhistoryseemtohavehada
maincharacterwithadisabilityand
astorydirectlyaboutthat–Captain
NovolinontheSuperNintendoand
Katawa ShoujoonPC.
Captain Novolinwasreleasedin
1992andfeaturedamaincharacter,
whohadtype1diabetes,fighting
“alieninvaders”intheshapeofjunk
food.Thegamewassponsoredby
NovoNordisk,thepopularinsulin
brand,andresearchfounditwas
successfulinteachingpeopleabout
diabetes.
Fromastudyinthebook,Interactive
Technology and the New Paradigm
for Healthcare,researcherRichard
Satavasaidthatwhenheasked23
childrenwithdiabetesaboutwhat
educationalmaterialsthey’dliketo
teachpeopleaboutthedisease,22
saidthey’dprefereducationfroma
videogame.
Thejournalalsonoted“allparents
approvedofthegameand
appreciateditspotentialtohelpthem
discussdiabeteswiththeirchildren”.
Thesecondgame,Katawa Shoujo,
wasreleasedforfreeearlierthisyear
andisavisualnovel-stylegame
basedinaschoolforchildrenwith
disabilities.Itfeaturesfiveprominent
maincharacters,allwithaunique
linkmagazine 23
gaming | timlince
“You can create a
sexy and powerful
video game character
with a disability.”
disability:Hisaosuffersfromcardiac
dysrhythmia,Emihasprostheticlegs,
Hanakohassevereburnscars,Lilly
isblind,Shizuneisdeaf,andRinhad
botharmsamputatedbecauseofa
birthdefect.Thegamecameabout
fromdiscussionsonamessage
boardandagroupofgames
developersworkedtogetherfor
nearlyfiveyearstocompletethetitle.
Developer‘Aura’saidthedisability
angleofthegamewasa“great
hook”togettalentedpeople
interestedinworkingonthegame,
butprovedquiteachallengewhen
developmentkickedoff.“Allofthe
disabledcharactershadtheirown
littlechallengesforthewritersto
overcome.Forinstance,alarge
partofhumanbodylanguageisin
hands,sowritingRin[thedoublearmamputee]requiredinventinga
bodylanguageofherown,andthe
writershadtokeepthatinmind.
Anotherbigdifficultywasresolving
thecommunicationbetween
deafandhearingcharacters,and
representingsignlanguagein
game,”AuraexplainedtoLink.
Keepingarealisticedgetothegame
wasimportant,Auraadded,andthey
actuallyhadamedicalprofessional
on-staff“forfact-checkingand
extensiveresearch”ontopicscovered
inthegame.Theattentiontodetail
paidoffthough.“Thefeedbackhas
beengenerallyverypositive,even
surprisinglyso,”hecommented.
“Manyoftheplayersseemtoconnect
wellwiththecharactersandenjoythe
stories.Manyofourdisabledgamers
specificallymentionedtheirconditions,
andwantedtocommentonthegame
fromtheirpersonalangle.”
Generally,Katawa Shoujohas
receivedpositivefeedbackfrom
bothgamersandcritics,especially
inagenre,whichisoftennottaken
veryseriouslybythemassmarket
(Japanese-stylevisualnovelstend
tofeature18+scenesonoccasion,
whichKatawa Shoujocontains
optionally).
However,boththisandCaptain
Novolin–plustherareoccasionof
playablecharacterswithdisabilities,
likeMunchfromOddworldand
RevolverOcelotfromMetal Gear
Solid–arestillaneedleinanevergrowinghaystack.
Auraagreesrepresentationof
disabilitiesisrare,butsaysit’s
“alwaystricky”togetitrightwithout
receivingnegativefeedback.“There
areveryfewgamesthatconcentrate
ondisabilitiesforthesamereason
therearefewmoviesorTVshows
thatconcentrateondisabilities.The
factthatKatawa Shoujoisspecial
speaksofthestateofthingsmore
thanthegameitself.”
CaptainNovolinis tricky to track
down, but the odd copy can be
found on eBay Australia. Katawa
Shoujocan be downloaded for free at
katawa-shoujo.com or read reviews
and guides at gamefaqs.com.
June2012—Vol21/2
Mob
Call anyone,
anytıme
Internet relay calls are ideal if you are deaf
or can’t hear well and have difficulty using
your voice.
To make a call, all you need is an internet
connection – through a computer or mobile
phone. You can even do it via instant messaging.
So now, you can easily communicate with
anyone, 24 hours a day, even when you’re
on the move.
To find out how to make a call,
go to www.relayservice.com.au
a phone solution for people who are deaf
or have a hearing or speech impairment
June2012—Vol21/2
Mobility Ad-2.indd 1
linkmagazine 25
26/9/07 12:38:29 PM
With choice and control
come opportunity and risk
In establishing the NDIS, careful measures
need to be taken, writes National Disability
Services chief executive Ken Baker.
Beyondtheurgentcallformore
services,thecatchphrasethatbest
sumsupthecurrentaspirationofthe
disabilityreformmovementis“choice
andcontrol”.Mostjurisdictionsin
Australiaaremovinginadirection
consistentwiththisaspiration.
TheNationalDisabilityAgreement
commitsallstatesandterritories
andtheCommonwealthtoan
individualisedapproachtoservice
planning,fundinganddelivery.
Victoriahasgoneafairwaydown
thispath.WesternAustraliaisalso
well-advancedandhasrecently
announceditsintentiontofurther
expandoptionsforconsumers.
FromJuly1thisyear,South
Australiawillofferindividualised
funding(directpayments)topeople
withdisabilitywhohavebeen
assessedaseligibleforsixhours
ormoresupportaweek.Theywill
choosehowtheirallocatedmoney
ismanagedandselecttheservices
thatsuitthembest.InNewSouth
Wales,fromJuly2014,anyone
receivingdisabilityserviceswillhave
theoptionofusinganindividualised
andportablefundingarrangement.
TheproposedNationalDisability
InsuranceScheme(NDIS)will
acceleratethetrendtowards
“choiceandcontrol”.InApril,the
CouncilofAustralianGovernments
releasedtheprinciplesthatwill
guidethedesignanddevelopment
oftheNDIS.Itconfirmedthatunder
theNDIS“peoplewithdisabilitywill
beabletoexercisemorechoice
andcontrolintheirlives,through
aperson-centred,self-directed
approachtoservicedeliverywith
individualisedfunding”.
Thechallengeahead–anditisa
significantchallenge–istotranslate
theprincipleof“choiceandcontrol”
intoworkablepolicyandpractice.
WhiletheNDISheraldsfundamental
change,itsdesignersshouldlearn
fromexperience.Victoriaisagood
placetostart.
Victoriahasbeenmovingdownthe
pathtoindividualisedfundingsince
the1990s.In2008,itcombined
severalprogramstocreate
IndividualSupportPackages(ISPs),
andin2010,madeallfundingfor
dayservicesindividuallyattached.
Accommodationsupporthasyetto
beindividualised.
TheVictorianAuditor-General
recentlyreviewedtheeffectiveness
ofindividualisedfunding,as
administeredbytheDepartmentof
HumanServices(DHS).Thefindings
highlightboththeopportunitiesand
therisksofthisapproachandhave
lessonsforotherstates,aswellas
fortheNDIS.
ItisclearfromtheAuditor-General’s
reportthatoverallISPsareapositive
development:“ISPsgivepeoplewith
disabilitiesgreaterchoiceandcontrol
intheirlives,allowingthemtoachieve
June2012—Vol21/2
stock.xchng/svilen001
opinion | kenbaker
svilen001
dailytasksmoreeasily,improvebasic
lifeskillsandliveindependently.”
However,theAuditor-Generalalso
foundthatapplyingforindividualised
fundinginVictoriaistimeconsuming,complexandrequires
significantadministration.Morethan
80percentofserviceprovidersalso
reportedincreasedorganisational
costsassociatedwithISPs.
Individualisedfundingcreatesaquasimarket.Peoplewithdisabilityare
allocatedfundsandeffectivelyexercise
purchasingpower.Theservicesector
respondsbychangingtheirproducts
tomeetpeople’spreferences.
Whilepraisingthismarket-oriented
approach,theAuditor-Generalalso
alertsustotherisks.Choiceina
marketistwo-wayandsomeservice
providersmaymakebusiness
decisionsnottotakeonclients
whohavecomplexneeds,display
challengingbehavioursorinother
waysrequireintensivesupport.
InestablishingtheNDIS,itwillbe
importanttoensurethatthereare
sufficientserviceprovidersandthat
servicefundingreflectsthefullcost
ofsupport.
Thereisanimportantdebateto
behadabouttherightbalance
betweenchoiceandsafeguards.
InVictoria,consumerscanuse
ISPstopurchaseservicesfrom
organisations,whichare“nonregistered”andhavenoservice
agreementwithDHS.Inthese
cases,theusualprotectionsdon’t
apply.AstheAuditor-Generalnotes,
thepotentialriskisgreatestfor
themostvulnerableconsumers.In
addition,organisationsthatavoidthe
costofcompliancewiththeDisability
ServiceStandardshaveanunfair
financialadvantage.TheAuditorGeneralalsoexpressesaconcern
aboutfraudulentuseofISPs.
TheAuditor-Generalrecommends
increasedinvestmentbygovernment
inactivitiestosupportthedisability
sector’sadaptationtoindividualised
funding.InVictoria,asinother
states,ISPs,ortheirequivalent,are
beingimplementedinanenvironment
ofscarcefunding.Forindividualised
fundingtoworkwell,fundingneeds
toexpandsubstantially.
Theexpansionofchoiceandcontrol
isatrendweshouldwelcome,
butnotuncritically.Toworkwell,it
needstobewell-designed,properly
fundedandadequatelysupported
byadministrativesystems,training,
riskmanagementandsector
development.
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June2012—Vol21/2
linkmagazine 27
disability enterprise | aspitech
New national e-waste
scheme may threaten
employment for people
with disability
New regulations for e-waste
– or electronic waste – under
the National Television and
Computer Recycling Scheme will
be introduced from July 1, 2012.
These will allow consumers of
TVs and computers to dispose
of their old equipment for free at
registered, drop-off facilities.
However, this new scheme,
funded exclusively by the television
and computer industries, may
jeopardise the viability of some
Australian Disability Enterprises
(ADEs), which employ people with
disability, as large commercial
interests jostle to dominate the
growing e-waste sector.
With tighter regulations and
e-waste recycling targets to
increase from 17 to 80 per cent
in 2021, the e-waste business is
set to boom, which has attracted
the attention of commercial
organisations.
One such ADE – Aspitech in South
Australia – has been successfully
providing e-waste services since
2008 and is also leading the way
in environmental sustainability
by re-using and refurbishing
computers and computer
peripherals. Aspitech provides
further benefits to the community,
students and low-income earners
with the supply of viable, lowcost, refurbished computers
pulled out of the waste stream.
Despite four years of operation
and a demonstrated commitment
to high standards in e-waste
management, Aspitech is fighting
a costly, competitive battle to
obtain a contract with one of the
National Television and Computer
Recycling Scheme’s approved
co-regulatory arrangements.
Aspitech supports the national
e-waste scheme as it is a
giant leap forward in pushing
for a zero waste society and
consumers can recycle right
with no added costs.
However, business services
manager Andrew Wallace
says: “We are doing everything
required to comply with the
standards and we are ready
now – such a delay in signing
up with a co-regulatory
June 2012 — Vol 21/2
arrangementwillresultina
significantlossofbusiness.
Ifweareforcedtowait
forareviewinsixmonths,
ourexistingcustomerswill
naturallygotoourcommercial
competitorsastheywillbe
abletoofferafreeservice.
Lossofincomeandcustomer
baseisdetrimentalforany
business,letaloneanotfor-profit.Furthermore,our
chancesofsuccessfully
attainingthesecontractsin
sixmonths’timewouldbe
significantlyaffected.”
Wallacecontinues:“The
amountofe-wasteisgrowing
exponentiallyeveryyear–
morethananyothertypeof
waste–anditismorethan90
percentrecyclable.Sowhy
harmtheenvironmentand
people’shealthinaresourcedependentcivilisation?The
NationalTelevisionand
ComputerRecyclingScheme
hasthepotentialtobea
leadingefficientsystemto
diverte-wasteawayfrom
landfill.However,inahighly
competitivecommercial
industry,ADEsneedstrong
supportfromlocal,stateand
federalgovernmentsaswell
asfairconsiderationfromthe
co-regulatoryarrangements
tostayinoperationand
tocontinuetoprovide
employmentopportunitiesfor
peoplewithdisability.”
Aspitech is part of SA Group
Enterprises – a not-for-profit
organisation, which provides
employment for people with
disability across five enterprises,
including being a publisher
of Link Disability Magazine.
aspitech.com.au
Above:DavidSzpunar,right,getsstuckintoe-wasterecycling.
Left:BusinessservicesmanagerAndrewWallaceandITmanagerChris
CichonatAspitech.Photos:JamesElsby.
What Aspitech offers
Aspitechoffersaresponsiblewaytobuyanew
computerandmanageredundanttechnologyforabetter
environmentalchoice.Productsandservicesinclude:
Convenientandresponsiblee-wastemanagement
services
Securedataerasureandequipmentdecommissioning
services
Thebestpricesonnewcomputers,laptops,wireless
internetandprinters
Low-costcommunitycomputers
Microsoft,MacOSX,LinuxandFOSSsupport,and
Acompleterangeofcomputermaintenance,repair
andupgradeservices.
Discounts on the above services are available for lowincome earners, people with disability, pensioners or
community groups.
linkmagazine 29
fiction | vickikay
Velvet the sad, little rabbit
This fiction piece is writer Vicki Kay’s own unique slant on
the original Velveteen Rabbit children’s story, intertwined
with a message about depression.
Thelittlevelveteenrabbitstaredoutacrossthefield,watchingall
theothertoyrabbitsplayfullyjumpingaboutinthelateafternoon
sunshine.
Shedidn’tknowwhy,butshecouldn’tbringherselftojointhem.
Theyallseemedsohappy,whilesheherselfwasnot.
Shecouldn’tevenexplainwhyshefeltsad.Therewassomuch
inherlifethatshehadtobegratefulfor,yetthisinexplicable
sadnessenvelopedherinherownlittlebubbleofgloom.Never
hadshefeltmorealoneorlostasshedidatthatmoment.
Shesighedandwatchedthesunbegintosinkbehindthehorizon,
leavinganarrayofbrilliantcoloursintheskyabove.Itwasso
beautiful,likeaglimpseofHeavenitself,yetthevelveteenrabbit
didn’tfeelworthyofwatchingitbecauseshefeltsouglyinside.
“Whatiswrong,sweetVelvet?”
Thevelveteenrabbitjumpedwhenherfriend,theSkinHorse,
spoke–lostinherthoughtsshehadn’theardhimapproach.
“Nothing,”sheshookherhead,asilenttearfallingdownhercheek.
“Itisabeautifulsunset,isitnot?”theSkinHorsereplied,
knowingsomethingseriouswasbotheringthelittlebunny
thatsatbeforehim.
“Yes,itis…beautiful.”
“Thenwhyareyousosad,sweet
Velvet?”
“Idon’tknow,”sheexclaimed
asasuddenfloodgateofwords
openedinsideofher.“Itrytobe
happyandcarefreeliketheother
bunnies,butIcan’t.Ican’tenjoy
playinginthesunshine.Ican’tenjoy
watchingthesunset.Ijustcan’tseemto
enjoyanythinganymore.”
“Whydoyouthinkthatis?”theSkinHorsecoaxed
hereversogently.“Whatmakesyoufeelthatway?”
“Because.”TearsnowcascadeddownVelvet’s
face.“I’mnotworthyofallthesegoodthings
thatareintheworld.”
June2012—Vol21/2
“Oh,Velvet,whatevermakesyouthinkthat?”
“BecauseI’mso…ugly.”
“Howwrongyouare.Whywithyourhoney-colouredcoat
assmoothasvelvet,youareoneofthemoststunning
rabbitsIhaveeverseen,”theSkinHorseassuredher.
“Butwhataboutmymissingeye?Thestitchinginmyside
thathascomeundonewherethestuffingpokesthrough?
Thepatch,wheremyvelveteenfurhaswornaway?And
that’sjustontheoutside.Inside,Ifeelevenuglier.”
“Yesyouhavesomethingsthatpeoplewouldseeas
flaws,butthatIseeashavinglived.Yourchild[owner]
adoresyou.Shehasdraggedyoueverywherewithher
formanyyearsnow.Yourfurhaswornwheresheholds
you.Ifshedidn’tloveyou,shewouldn’tplaywithyou.
Andwhileyouwouldlookjustlikenew,youwouldhave
missedoutonsomuchlove.”
“Ihadn’tthoughtofitthatway,”Velvetadmitted.“I
lovethatshelovesme.Ithasalwaysmademefeelso
special.SowhydoIfeelsouglyinside?”
“Letmeguess,youfeellikeyouareallalone,evenwhenyou
arenot?Youtrytothinkhappythoughts,butallyoufeelis
emptyinside?Andthenyoustarttohateyourselfbecause
youfeellikesomethingishorriblywrongwithyou?”
Instantly,thebunniescrowdedcloserandallbeganto
talkatonce.“Whydidn’tyousayso?”“Wethoughtyou
didn’tlikeusandourgames.”“Ifonlywe’dknown.”“I
haveittoo.”“Letushelpyou.”
Velvetfeltoverwhelmedandanothertearsliddownher
cheek.Notonlydidtherabbitsunderstand,butsome
hadbeentherethemselvesandwantedtohelpher.
“Oh,SkinHorse,Idon’tknowquitewhattosay.”Velvet
wept.“HowcanIeverrepayyouforyourkindnessin
helpingme?Ineverevenknewtherewasanamefor
howIfelt.IthoughtIwastheonlyoneandnowIfindout
thatI’mnotaloneafterall.”
“Gowithyournewfriends,Velvet.Theywillhelpyouto
heal,butneverforgetwhereyouhavebeenanddon’tbe
ashamedintalkingaboutit.Themorewetalkaboutit,the
moreotherswillunderstandanditwillstopbeingsougly.”
Theotherrabbitsallsing-songedtherestoftheSkin
Horse’ssentencealongwithhim.“Becauseitcanonly
beuglytothosewhodon’tunderstandit.”
TheSkinHorsenodded,andtakingVelvet’spaw,the
bunniesalljumpedoffintothesunsettogether.
“Howdidyouknow?”Velvetsatupstraighter,pricking
upherfloppyears.“Isitthatobvious?”
“Tome,itisobviousforIhavebeentheremyself.”
“Youthoughtyouwereugly?”Velvetexclaimed.“Butyou
arebeautiful,kind,gentleandloving.”
“Itwasn’tmethatwasuglyandnorisityouwhois
uglyinsideorout.Itisanillnesswehavethatmakesus
feelself-loathinginside,”theSkinHorseexplained.“It’s
calleddepression.”
“Soit’snotmethatisugly?”Velvetaskedexcitedly.“It’s
thisdepressionthinginstead?”
“No,depressionitselfisnotuglyeither,”theSkinHorse
replied.“Itcanhelpyoutogrow,tobecomestronger
thanyoueverthoughtpossible.Itmayseemliketheend
oftheworldnow,but,intime,youwillseethatyouarea
betterbunnyforhavingsurvivedit.”
Withthat,theSkinHorsemotionedtotheotherbunnies,
whoallstoppedtheirgamesandclamouredovertowhere
heandVelvetsat.“Bunnies,Iwouldlikeyoutomeetmy
friend,Velvet,here.Shesuffersfromdepression.”
June2012—Vol21/2
linkmagazine 31
lifestyle | brucemumford
A cautionary
tale
Bruce Mumford finds he doesn’t have
to travel far and wide for an adventure.
AsmyMultipleSclerosishasdevelopedovertheyears,
mytravelhorizonshavenecessarilynarrowed.Luckily,
wegotourbigEuropeantrekinwhileIstillcould(sort
of).Sincethenwe’vetravelledclosertohome:firstNew
Zealand,thenTasmania,thenVictoria,thenjustdown
theroadtotheNSWSouthCoast.
DuetomyMS“progressing”quiteabitquickerrecently,
Ihavedecidedtore-namemyarticles“travelsaboutmy
houseandgarden”-andIhavefoundthemtobejustas
challengingandchaoticasmyformeradventures!
OnarecentSunday,aseriesofunmentionabledisasters
preventedmefromscooteringdowntothepub,despitean
all-too-rarebreakintheweather.ButIdecidedtogetout
ofthehouseanywayandperambulatethepaddocksonmy
electricwheelchair.
Thoughtheskymayhavebeendarkening,Irefusedtobe
intimidatedanylongerbytheelementsandwheeledoff,
perhapsalittletoofarintothewoods.Afewdropsstarted
tofall,soItookshelterunderaveryeffectiveUmbrellaTree
(probablynotitsbotanicalname,butcertainlyitsearlyeffect),
whichkeptmecompletelydry,untilthedropsbegangetting
muchbiggerandmuchmorefrequent.
Ibackedinclosertothetrunk,butgotentangledinthe
branchesandleaves,whichthenbecamechannelsforgreat
streamsofwater,whichsoakedmetothebonebeforeI
hadevengoneoutintotherain.
Ifumbledformyemergencyponcho,whichIalwayscarry
forjustsuchacrisis,butafterfinallyrippingtheidiot
packagingundone,discoveredamanufacturingflawthat
hadleftitasonlyasinglesmallsheetofplastic.(PerhapsI
shouldstoppickingup“bargains”attheDefectShop).
Sowiththeraingettingmoretorrential,Idecidedto
makeadashforhome,withthesheetofplasticovermy
alreadydrippingheadonlymanagingtoobscuremostof
myvision.
June2012—Vol21/2
Ispiedmywayblocked,however,byabranchfallen
acrossthetrack,soItriedtoturnandgobacktheway
Ihadcome.Thisgotmecaughtinthelonggrassoff
thesideandmyattemptsatbackingandfillingonly
succeededindiggingmyselfintoverydeepmuddypits
inthealreadydrenchedground.
AsIwasabout300mfromthehouse,anythoughtsof
ejectingfrommychairandrollingmywayhomewere
outofthequestion.SoIsatsoddenlycontemplatingfor
abit,untileventuallyIrealisedtherewasreallynooption
buttocallmywifeonthemobile–onceIhadworked
outhowtounlockthethingunderwater.
Mydearoneeventuallyarrivedandattempted,not
entirelycheerily,topushandpullmeoutofmyselfmadetrench,buttonoavail–apartfromaninteresting
patternofmudsprayedalloverher.
Ihavetosay,atthispoint,Louisefoundtroublein
dealingwiththecrisisinacalmandsoothingmanner.In
fact,sheputmost(well,all)oftheblameonme,crying
thingslike:“Whythe#@&^didyoucomeoutherewhen
youcouldseeitwasabouttorain?”
Itriednottobetoomiffedbythiscriticism,remembering
thatdiscretioncanbethebetterpartofavoidingserious
injury.Louisetrickledbacktothehousetogetson
Rohan.Hepulledmeoutinseconds.
Ispedpost-hastebackhome,tryingtoavoidasmany
dropsaspossibleandswervingaroundformersmall,dirty
depressionsthathadbynowbecomehuge,muddypools.
Onceinsidethehouse,despiteallmyearlierefforts
drivingatspeedthroughthelong,wetgrassand
vigorousscrubbinglater,mywheelsandundercarriage
hadbecomemosteffectivepurveyorsofmudabout
thefloorandcarpet,andstillare,asthestuffdries
andflakesofffromunderneath.Isatforsomehours
shiveringinfrontofthefanheater,tryingtodryoffmyself
andmychair.
Louisehasgivenmeasternlectureaboutconsidering
theconsequencesofmylunaticactions.Iacceptthat,
butstillhaveasneakingsuspicionthatwithoutthisspirit
ofadventure,manmayneverhaveemergedfromthe
primevalslime.ThefactthatIalmostslidbackintoitis
neitherherenorthere.
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with your phone or internet service
provider, but are not making any
progress then contact the TIO.
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be able to help.
June2012—Vol21/2
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33
20/12/06 9:28:29 AM
sport | surfing
Sumatran
surfari
Indonesian Deddy Dachi hasn’t
let a disability deter him from
pursuing his love of the waves,
writes James Rynd.
TheislandofNias,125kmoffthe
Sumatrancoast,isontheveryfringe
ofIndonesia’sarchipelago.Unknown
tomosttravellers,ithasbecome
famoustoAustraliansurfersdueto
thequalityofitswaves.Niasisa
difficultdestination,challengingto
travelto,aswellastolivein.
DeddyDachiis28yearsold.He
wasbornnearNias’southerntip.
Havingpolioatagethreeaffected
hislegs,sothatwalkingwithout
crutchesorusingawheelchairis
almostimpossible.Hisupperbody
andarmsarestrong,butbearscars
fromthereefandlife.
Deddysays:“Iwasbornthesecond
oldestson.Myparentswere
farmersandworkedallday.When
mymotherwaspregnant,shewas
outinthefields.Whenshefeltme
coming,shecouldn’tgethomein
timeandgavebirthtomerightthere
inthericefield.”
Deddy’schildhoodwasspentin
theinsularconfinesofthevillageof
Botohilitano.Closebyisanowfamoussurfingreef,LagundriBay.
Itsperfectwaveshaveluredsurfers
sincethelate‘70s.Deddy’sfirst
glimpseofthesurferstheresparked
interest.“ThefirsttimeIsawsurfing,
themoreIwatched,themoreIwas
thinking,‘Whytheycansurf?Why
canInot?Whycan’tItry?’Iwas
feelingsojealous,youknow.”
ThefirstobstacleforDeddywas
learninghowtoswim.“Itriedonmy
own...Iwouldwalkouttothewater
andpaddlewhereIcouldstillstand.”
Notsurprisinglythiscaughtthe
attentionofthelocalvillagers–and
whenDeddy’sparentsheard,they
werenaturallyworried.“Whenmy
parentsfoundout,theytriedto
stopmefromgoing,”Deddysays.
“Peoplearoundthevillagewould
saytomyfather,‘Whydon’tyou
lookafteryourson?He’sgoing
aroundeverydaywithno-onetolook
afterhim.’Itmademyfathermadto
betoldthis.Still,everydayIwould
go.Theywouldgotoworkinthe
rice-fieldandIwouldsneakoutto
teachmyselfhowtoswim.”
Deddycontinues,“WhenIwas
swimmingokay,Iwouldtrywith
timbertoridethewhitewave.Then
Iwouldfindbrokensurfboards,
snappedinhalf,andIlearnedtogo
acrosskindoflikeaboogieboard.”
WatchingDeddynowashesurfsover
sharpreefonfastwaves,it’seasyto
feelthesameworryashisparents.
Hehasdevelopedatechniqueof
pullinghimselfontohissideandusing
historsotoarchiswayalongthe
waveswithgreatsuccess.
DespiteNia’sremotelocation,
Deddy’sambitionsbeartruetomany
youngpeople.“Ihavetofindajob,
soIcansavesomemoney.Iwantto
learntobeindependentwithoutmy
parents,andIwanttotravel.”
James Rynd is a freelance journalist, who
splits his time between Sydney, Indonesia
and Sweden. While researching this story,
James was working with LEAP, an Australianbased non-government organisation, helping
remote communities in Indonesia.leapin.org
June2012—Vol21/2
opinion | mattdonnelly
Making a house a home
Ensuring community-based accommodation options for people with disability
People with disability should
have the opportunity to have a
home and be a member of the
community just like everyone
else, writes Ability Options’
chief executive Matt Donnelly.
I’msurewe’veallbeenfrustratedat
somepointwithamessyhousemate,
aleakingtaporaneighbourwho
mowstheirlawnat7amonaSunday.
But,attheendoftheday,mostofus
havemadeaconsciouschoicetolive
wherewedoandwithwhom.
Forasurprisingnumberofother
peopleinourcommunity,it’snot.
Mostpeoplewithdisabilityhave
neverbeenentitledtothisbasic
humanright,eventhoughtheUN
ConventionoftheRightsofPersons
withDisabilitiessaystheyshould.
Inthemid-70s,AbilityOptionswas
thefirstorganisationinNSWto
supportpeoplewithdisabilityoutof
institutionallivingintothecommunity.
Thishappenedaheadofmajorpolicy
reforminthe1980s,whentheNSW
governmentacceptedthefindings
oftheRichmondreportandbegan
theprocessof“deinstitutionalising”
peoplewithdisabilityfromlarge
congregatecarefacilities.
Manyofthesefirstserviceusers
arestillwithAbilityOptionstoday.
Theydecidewhotheyletintheir
home,whattheywanttocookfor
dinner,whocanstayoverandwhat
activitiestheydoawayfromthefour
wallstheylivein.Theywilltellyou
thatlifeismuchbetternow.
However,it’samistaketothinkitis
allrosesoutthere.TheAustralian
Government’s2009Shut Out report1
tellsofmanyharrowingstories:a
womanwithphysicaldisabilitybeing
abusedbytwomalehousemates
withautism;aparentofan18-yearoldladywithhigh-supportneeds
whoworriesaboutthelackof
careoptionsforherdaughter;and
peoplewithdisabilitywithterminallyill
carers,waitingfortheirsituationtobe
deemeda“priority”.
Studiesshowcommunity-based
livingoptionsforpeoplewith
disabilitydeliverbetteroutcomes,
includingbettersocialnetworks,
moreprivacyandindependence,
andimprovedqualityoflife.2
Governments,serviceandhousing
providersneedtobecreativeabout
themodelsthatdelivertheseoptions,
focusingonwhat’sbestforthe
individual—whetheritbesomeone
todropinandprovidesupporttoa
personintheirownhome,havinga
housematewhoserentissubsidised
tobethereifneeded,orprovidingthe
initialcapitalforpeopletopurchase
theirownhome.
TheAustralianGovernmentrecently
announced$60milliontohelpbuild
community-basedaccommodationfor
adultswithsevereorprofounddisability
throughtheSupportedAccommodation
InnovationFund(SAIF).TheCompass
Housing/AbilityOptions’SAIF
partnershipwillsupportupto20people
withdisabilityintheHunterregion.
Wemustrememberaccommodation
optionsneedtosupportafuturewhere
peoplewithdisabilitygettolivealifewith
otherAustralians,notjustmoreofthe
pastwheretheyhavebeencongregated
andsegregatedfromsociety.
1 TheAustralianGovernment(FaHCSIA)(2009)
SHUTOUT:TheExperienceofPeoplewith
DisabilitiesandtheirFamiliesinAustralia,21-25
ChiefexecutiveMattDonnelly,right,withoneofAbilityOptions’firstserviceusers,RonFardell,
whoisstillsupportedtoliveindependentlytoday.
June2012—Vol21/2
2 Emerson,E.,Robertson,J.,Gregory,N.,
Kessissoglou,S.,Hatton,C.,Hallam,A.,Knapp,M.,
Jarbrink,K.,Netten,A.&Linehan,C.(2000).The
qualityandcostsofcommunity-basedresidential
supportsandresidentialcampusesforpeoplewith
severeandcomplexdisabilities. Journal of Intellectual
& Developmental Disability, 25(4),263-279.
linkmagazine 35
different beats | antheaskinner
Reconnecting
Flautist Gillian Rankine has rediscovered
her love of music after developing
disabilities, Anthea Skinner writes.
GillianRankineisaclassicallytrainedfluteplayer
andteacher.ShetaughtattheQueensland
Conservatoriumandplayedsecondfluteand
principalpiccolointheQueenslandPopsOrchestra.
In1999,Gillianpermanentlydamagedherankle,
andin2000,shedevelopedararebowelcondition
thatputanendtoherprofessionalperforming
career.However,herloveformusicremained,and
bythinkingoutsidethebox,shehasbeenableto
taketothestageagain.
“Initially,Ididn’tallowthedisabilitytogetinthewayat
all,”saysGillian,“IntheorchestraconcertsatQPAC
ConcertHall,I’dwalkonstageoncrutcheswithmy
instruments–whichIhadalreadywarmedupinthe
orchestraroomdownstairs–intheircasesonmyback.”
“Theflutesinanorchestraareonariser,”sheexplains,
“Iwasontheend,soIwouldleteveryoneelsegetup
first,thengetupwiththecrutchesandshovethemunderthechairs
andunpackmyinstrumentsonstage.Orchestraetiquetteisthat
oncetheorchestramembersareseated,theleaderoftheorchestra
standsandindicatestotheprincipaloboetogivethetuningnote.
Thenalltheinstrumentstuneinacertainorder.Theflutesandpiccolo
tunefirst,soIhadtobeveryquickunpackinginordernottomissthe
tuningnote!”
PlayingtheflutebecamemoredifficultwhenGilliandevelopeda
chronicillness.“WhenIdevelopedthebowelcondition,Icouldnot
playmodern-dayfluteataprofessionallevelanylonger.Iwasvery
illatthattimeandoweahugedebtofgratitudetomythen12-14
yearolddaughterwhowasmycarer.Myfamilyalsohavebeen100
percentsupportive.Iwasunabletoresumeanymusicalactivities
untilmid-2004.Chronicpain,chronicfatigueandahopelessly
dysfunctionalbowelremnantremainthehugestobstacles.”
Top:GillianRankine,wearingherpatellar
tendon-bearingconcertorthotic,inthepark
withherdog,Tipsy.Below:GillianRankine
playingtenorrecorder.Photos:GusHarvey.
Gillian’sloveformusicneverwavered.“Intheworldofprofessional
musicians,Ihaveobservedtwotypes,”sheexplains,“Thereisthekind
ofmusicianwhoworksinmusicpurelyasajobandwalksoutthenext
seasonandrunsacoffeeshop.Thesecondkindisthemusicianwho
lives,breathes,eatsandsleepsmusic.Ibelongtothesecondcategory.
June2012—Vol21/2
Ifyoutakeawaythepossibilityof
music-makingfromthistype,the
grieftheysufferisasacuteasthe
griefsufferedinbereavementwhen
apersonlosestheirnearestand
dearest.Ithasprobablybeenthe
chiefdrivingfactorforme.Idon’t
thinkthatwithoutmusictoreconnect
mewithsociety,andmyself,thatI
couldpossiblyhaveemergedfromthe
levelofillness/disabilityIexperience.”
Sowhenacarersuggestedshe
volunteeratasing-a-longatthe
PaddingtonDayRespiteCentre,
Gillianjumpedatthechance.She
alsobeganplayingrecorderwiththe
EarlyMusicSocietyofQueensland,
whereafriendsuggestedthat
theBaroqueflutemightbe
easiertoplaythanastandard
instrument.Unfortunately,there
werenoBaroqueflutesforsalein
Queensland,andnoonequalified
toactasherteacher.Unfazed,
Gillianorderedaninstrumentfrom
Germany.Atfirst,shethoughtshe
wasmadtotakeonthechallenge.“I
wasn’tmad,Iwasjustreconnecting
withthepersonIam,”shesays,
“Iamtoounwelltotraveltoget
lessonsonbaroqueflute,but
folksinthesociety–Catherine
GillianRankine,left,onbaroqueflute,MargaretCaleyonbaroqueviolin,andShannon
Scheltemaonvioladagamba.
Stirling,ShannonScheltemaand
MargaretCaley–havehelpedme
enormously.”
Gillian’sadviceforotherpeople
withdisabilitieswantingtoget
involvedwithmusicissimple.“Be
bold,usetheinternet,listen,be
flexible,talktopeople,andabove
allthinkoutsidethebox.”Shegoes
ontosay,“Ifyoureallyareserious,
thenit’sliketheParalympians–a
long-term,high-disciplinepursuit,
whichmaytakeoveryourlife.Even
ifitisjustahobby,thinkcarefully
aboutyourdisabilitywhenselecting
aninstrument.Voiceisthemost
accessibleformostpeopleand
thereareliterallyhundredsand
perhapsthousandsofmusical
Harrison Consultants Pty Ltd
Leaders in access advice since 1988!
instrumentsintheworld.Atin
whistlemaybebetterthanaclarinet
andaChineseerhubetterthana
violin.Listentorecordingsandifthe
soundofaninstrumentmakesyour
antennae‘zing’,thenchancesare
youwillplaythatwell.Theinternet
isahugeresourceandmanypeople
achievethebestresultsbeing
unconventionalandcreative.”
Tocelebrateher50thbirthday,Gillian
heldaconcertinsteadofaparty.It
wasaculminationofmanyyearsof
hardwork.“Itwasthefirsttimein
10years,Ihadperformedserious
fluterepertoire.Ihadsomuchfun!
Forme,musicisessentialsoulfood
andisprofoundlyconnectedwithmy
Christianfaith.Musicismybeing.”
With new standards (AS 1428 suite) now in force
let us help you to get it right.
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June2012—Vol21/2
linkmagazine 37
opinion | johnnymackay
THE COURT
OF LIFE
Photo:sto
ck.xchng/r
ayanneca8
A weekly basketball game,
run by a human services
organisation, has shown
writer Johnny Mackay that
self-awareness really is the
greatest strength of all.
“Whathappensoutthereonthe
courtcannotbeunderestimated.”
Therearemanyaspectstothework
wedo.Butwhetheritiswriting,
ritual,training,supportworkorany
otherinteractionwithindividuals
andcommunities,astrengthsbasedapproachunderliesitall.
Thisincludesnotonlywhatmay
bereferredtoasworkingtime,but
restingandplayingtimetoo–life,in
allitscapacitiesandcolours.
MyAWENwebsite,awen.moonfruit.
com,proudlyboastsamission
statementwhichreads,inpart:
“Our mission is to provide the
training environments and resources
necessary to educate professionals
and students … about the strengths
within us.”
IfyouweretologontotheKansas
University’sSchoolofSocialWelfare
–StrengthsInstitutewebsite,you
wouldfindasimilarmission.This
isnotbecauseIhavestolenthe
ideasofanotherorganisation.Itis
becausemyvaluesandthedirection
ofmyworkwithAWENisparalleled
withthatoftheKansasSchool.
Iwouldn’tthinkitunusualtodiscover
asimilarstatementinanynumber
ofprogressiveandstrength-based
organisationsaroundtheworld.
Theeducationofhumanservices,
afterall,isparamounttoreducing
stigma,improvingourunderstanding
ofthe“real”issues,andbettering
socialinclusion.Idid,however,have
toaddalittleextrainorderforthe
statementtomoretruthfullyreflect
myentirephilosophy.Theadditional
wordingturnsthestatementinto
somethinglikethis:“Our mission is
to provide the training environments
and resources necessary to educate
professionals and students and
service consumers and the general
public about the strengths within us.”
Generallyspeakingthen,tooffer
aphilosophyofstrengthstoall
people–andtherationaleis
simple:theideaofrecognising
strengthswithinourneighboursis
aprocess,whichflowsnaturally
fromthatsamerecognitionwithin
ourselves.Professionalsdoneed
June2012—Vol21/2
tounderstandandpracticein
thesewayswhenworkingwith
otherpeople,butsodowewhen
consideringourownabilities
andinnerbrilliance.Oneofthe
cornerstoneachievementsof
strength-basedpracticeisto
acknowledgeandappreciatethe
meaningofequality.
Empowering“strengths”workcan
minimise,ifnoteliminate,the“powerover”scenario,whilesimultaneously
encouraginganattitudeof“powerwith”equalisation.Thisispossible
becauseoftheunderlyingprinciplein
thephilosophythateveryindividual
possessesstrengths.Appreciating
theseindividualstrengthsinsideeach
otherbutalso,insideourselves,can
leveltheplayingfield.
AnAustralianhumanservices
organisation,aspartofitsvariety
ofservicesoffered,holdsweekly
basketball“meetings”withworkers,
clientsandcoaches.Otherpeople
comealongtowatchandcheer.
ButIamchoosingmywordspoorly,
becausetheabovestatementsdo
notreflectthemoremeaningful
natureoftheevent.
Inreality,therearenoworkers,
noclientsorcoaches,andtosee
otherwisewouldbeadistorted,
stigmatisedview.Onthecourt,over
three20-minuteintenselyphysical
terms,thereareonlypeopleand
weallshareacommonpurpose.
Thereisaquestwithineachteam
toscoreandwin,thoughthereisno
encouragementtoindividualisethe
performanceorinflictharm.Weare
all,passing,moving,shootingfor
goals,hustlingaftertheball.
Ifyouhaveawheelchairoran
intellectualdisability,arefemaleor
male,are205cmtalllikeourcoach
orjust171cmlikeme,ifyouare
overweightoruncoordinated,ifyou
June2012—Vol21/2
areamasterofPlayStationorhave
adegreeinscience,ifyouhave
physicallimitationsorplaymean
electricguitar,wereborninJapan
orwearglasses,areateenager
oranelder,itdoesnotfactorasa
differencewhenyouareonthecourt.
Youarejustaslikelytoshoota
basket,takeaballtothefaceor
copamisdirectedyetunintentional
forearmasisthepersonnextto
you.Thisistheequalisingnatureof
agame,suchasbasketball,played
withinthecontextofastrengthsbasedperspective.
Ontheirown,programsof
opportunity,designedtoservespecific
minoritygroups,canbeproblematic.
Theycanbeinadvertentlyexclusive
andcreateentrapmentforthepeople
involved.Thereisaneedtoensure
thatprogramsareorchestrated
carefully,inclusivelyandwithinthe
contextofempowering,notspiritbreaking,behaviours.
Itiscrucial,therefore,toensurethat
organisations,workers,participants
andthegeneralpublicareallaware
ofthepurposeandphilosophy,which
underliessuccessful,progressive
implementation.Andwhenitisdone
withthisdueconsideration,what
happensoutthereonthecourt
cannotbeunderestimated.
Wearebuildingourselfesteem,growingourconfidence,
appreciatingthepowerofteamwork
andinter-dependence,learningto
trust,facingourfears,appreciating
oursistersandbrothers,andmost
importantlyofall,recognising
ourownpersonalcommitment
andstrength.Thedifferenceis
discernibleonthecourtandoff,
afterthegame,onthedaysweplay,
andonotherswedon’t.
inclusive,empoweringmethod
ofbringingpeopletogetherand
celebratingtheirstrengths.Andover
thecourseoftime,asnow,Ihave
beenprivilegedtomeetandwork
withsomeofthestrongestpeopleI
willeverknow.But,ofcourse,Iam
notreferringtorepsandkilos.Iam
talkingaboutresilience,theabilityto
copeinsituationsthatwouldbring
mostofuscrashingdown–qualities
ofkindnessandselflessbehavior,
determinationandpersistence;
attributeswhichwillcontinue
throughlife.Iamtalkingaboutthe
awesomenessofthehumanspirit
andtheindividualstrengths,which
defineit,insideeachofus.
Myprogramofstrength-basedTAO
(pronouncedDOWandmeaning‘way’)
isnamedsoforareason.Strengthsbasedpracticeisbutanelementof
somethingmuchgreaterthanthe
wordsandactions,whichfollowits
lead.Itisnotadestinationanymore
thanitisadefinedsetofrules.
Insteaditisaphilosophyofthought,
whichdrivesthepractice,anditisthe
deepconsiderationforeveryperson
whichunderliesitssuccess.Itisthe
actofliving.Dailyreflectiononthe
individualstrengthsthatallpeople,
andasimportantlyourselves,bring
tothe“courtoflife”,isundoubtedly
oneofthemosthealingandsocially
beneficialwayswecanlive.
Understandingandappreciating
ourownstrengthscomesalive
throughself-awareness.Frommy
experience,thatreallyisthegreatest
strengthofall.
Johnny Mackay is the author of RebelYell and
Sonja’sSongandtheLegendofaThousand
Tears. He is an accredited trainer, has worked
in human services for almost a decade, and a
civil celebrant.
Inalmostadecadeofservicework,
Iamyettoseeamorepotentially
linkmagazine 39
link | art
The artist’s brush
Once a year, the disability community descends on NSW’s Penrith
for Sizzle: An Inclusive Arts Festival, which brightens gallery walls
and more with its artistic showcase, writes Andrew Blanchard.
Thereislowchatterinthegalleryas
smallgroupsgathertoadmirethe
artworksdisplayedproudlyonthe
walls.There’sasenseofquietawe
withoccasionalburstsofexcitement
assomeonepointsouttheirpiece
tofamily,friendsandcarers.
It’sSizzleDayatthe
PenrithRegional
GalleryandThe
LewersBequest,
whererevellersat
themonth-long
festivalareletting
downtheirhairto
celebrateanother
program,which
promisestobeacorker.Running
fromNovember16toDecember15
lastyear,Sizzledisplayed105works
ofart,includingpaintings,collage,
shortfilmsandphotography.Andif
thatwasn’tenough,therewerealso
13actsbyparticipantsfromday
programsandgrouphomes.
Asidefromthebigparty,thisisa
festivalthatcelebratesthecreativity
ofpeoplewithdisabilitiesinwestern
Sydneyandbeyond.Naomi
McCarthy,oneoftheorganisersof
Sizzle,isfullofexcitementasshe
talksabouttheprogramthatwasalso
chock-fullofworkshops,aimedat
carersandbuddingartists.“Wereally
L-R:Proudandhappy.Amazingchoreography.
June2012—Vol21/2
wantedtotapintothatcreativity!To
encourageparticipationandcreative
production,”Naomienthuses.
Theworkshopsincludedsensory
storytellingforchildrenandtheir
carers,agallerytour,audiodescriptive
tourandcreativeinitiatives–thelatter
ofwhichinvolvedcarersandtheir
clientsparticipatinginahands-on,
art-makingworkshop.Theworkshops
provedsopopulartheywerebooked
outwellbeforethefestivalbegan.
TheSizzlefestival,supportedbythe
JoanSutherlandPerformingArts
Centreandateamofdedicated
volunteers,hasgrownfromyear
toyear,runningsince2007.The
PenrithRegionalGallery,whichhas
alwaysbeenapopularplacewith
thedisabilitycommunity,continues
tobeabigsupporter.“It’safun
exchangeofcreativity,talentand
ideas,”Naomienthuses.
Anotherexcitingpartofthefestival
isthementorshipprogramonoffer
toastand-out,emergingartist,who
exhibitedatthegallery.Theprogram
offeredoneartistthechanceto
gainprofessionalguidancefrom
contemporaryartistCatherine
O’Donnell,alongwitha$100gift
vouchertospendonartsupplies.
ThiswaswonbyTimSmith.
NotonlywasTimawardedthe
mentorship,buthewasalsovoted
thepeople’schoicewinnerfor
hisartworkonshow.“Ihadthe
pleasureofmeetingTimandlooking
athisportfolioofwork–hisworks
weredelightful,”Catherineenthuses.
“Heshowedmealargecollection
ofdrawingsintextaandbiro,which
hehadproducedoveralongperiod
oftime.Thesemeticulousdrawings
wereofsuburbanlandscapes,filled
withhouses,shops,roadsandcars,
allbrightly-coloured.Takenfrom
Tim’simagination,viewingthese
workswerelikegoingonajourney
–themoreyoulookedthemoreyou
discovered!”
Thisyear’sSizzlealsoinspired
acollaborativeeffortacross
generations,withPenrithHigh
Schoolputtingonadynamic
dance/movementperformance
andseniorssubmittingartworks
andparticipatinginachoir.Asmall
stagealsofeaturedperformances
suchasbelly-dancingandapiano
performance.
Co-organiserNaomidescribesthe
energyofSizzleas“fun,maverick
[and]charming.”Infuture,the
festivalcanonlypromisetocontinue
itsproudtraditionofshowcasingthe
artistictalentandcreativeinfluence
ofthedisabilitycommunity.
HydeParkPress
proudly support
link disability magazine
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linkmagazine 41
entertainment
Q&A with Terry Moorer
American Terry Moorer, who has
cerebral palsy, has 20 years’
experience in the entertainment
business, with a background in
PR and marketing. He also does
disability work. Link spoke to him.
Have you ever let your disability
stop you from doing anything?
Never!IhaveastrongfaithinGodand
believethateveryoneputstheirpants
onthesameway–onelegatatime.
SoIcandoanythingIputmindto.
Through your work, you have met
celebs like Janet Jackson, Paula
Abdul, Wesley Snipes, Madonna
and Ice-T. Any you particularly connected with?ThetwothatIremember
themostwouldbe[rapper]Tupacand[singer]Aaliyah.ImetTupacatthe
ApolloTheatrethenighthismovie,Juice,hitthescreens.Irememberhowhe
laughedandwasjustverycarefreeaboutlife.Thenextday,Juicewasacritical
successandhiscareertookoff!Asafreelancewriter,I[also]hadthechance
tointerviewAaliyah.Wehadsetupaphoneinterviewandlaughedandtalked
likehighschoolbuddies.SheinvitedmetohershowthatnightandIactually
didn’tgobecauseIwastired.Afewyearslater,Aaliyahwaskilledinaplane
accident.I’vealwaysregrettednottakingheruponheroffertohangoutwith
herattheshow.AlsowhenIwasabout14,ImetMuhammadAliathistraining
camp.Istillrememberhisjokesandjusthangingoutwithhisfans.
What was it like being in the company of President Obama at the 20th
anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the White House?
Itwasanincredibleexperience…standingjustinchesawayfromPresident
Obama–aonce-in-a-lifetimeopportunitythatIwillalwaysremember.
themaxxcorp.com
Goss
• ActressLaurenPotter,
whohasDownsyndrome,
hasdebutedonhitshow
GleeasBeckyJackson,
theschool’snewest
cheerleader,or“Cheerio”.
Theexperiencemirrorsreal
lifeforPotter–theteentried
outtobeacheerleaderat
herhighschool,though
didn’tmakethesquad.
Whennotacting,Potter
attendsalifeskillsprogram.
• AnewTVseries,Touch,
starringKieferSutherland,
hasairedonTen,involving
asingledad,Martin,who
ishauntedbyaninability
toconnectwithhismute
son,Jake.WhenMartin
discoversJakecanpredict
eventsbeforetheyhappen,
however,everything
changes.
• FormerMissUniverse
AustraliaLauraDundovic,
whopresentsFOX8show
Dating in the Dark,has
revealedshe’shadalong
battlewithchronicfatigue
syndrome.
• Brisbaneartsandcultural
developmentcompany
ContactIncandToronto’s
MammalianDivingReflex
havecollaboratedwith
youthwithdisabilitiesto
createacontemporary
performance,basedon
theirexperienceoflove,
romanceanddating,
dubbedThe Best (I’ve Ever
Had).Theperformancewas
showcasedatBrisbane
PowerhouseinMarch.
June2012—Vol21/2
Books
The Boy Who Fell to Earth by Kathy Lette
(Transworld)
ToldwithKathyLette’srazor-sharpwit,thisisa
funny,quirkyandtenderstoryofamother’slove
forherson–arelationshipthathasnochanceof
runningsmoothly.MeetMerlin.He’sLucy’sbright,
beautifulson,whojusthappenstohaveautism.
(Lette’sownsonhasAsperger’s,thoughthisisa
fictionalworkofhers.)SinceMerlin’sworkaholic
father,Jeremy,lefttheminthelurchafterMerlin’s
diagnosis,Lucyhasmadehersonthecentreof
herworld.Whensherealisesshe’sbecoming
cynicalaboutlifeingeneral,sheresolvesto
dipatoebackintotheworldofdating.Things
don’tgoquitetoplan,yetjustasLucyis
resolvedtoalifeofsingledomoncemore,the
mostimperfectlyperfectmanforherandher
sonlandsonherdoorstep.Butthen,sodoes
Jeremy,beggingforasecondchance.
Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt (Hardie Grant)
Afterthecarcrashthatleavesherbest
frienddead,Jennaispermanentlyscarred.
Shestrugglestorebuildherlife,butevery
stareinthestreet,everytimeshelooksin
themirror,makesherwanttoretreatfurther
fromtheworld–untilshemeetsRyan,also
anoutsider.Whenheandhismotherarrive
intown,shetellshimthistimeitwillbedifferent.Hedoesn’tbelieveher
–untilhemeetsJenna.AsJennaandRyangrowcloser,repercussions
fromthecrashcontinuetoreverberatethroughthecommunity.And
thenabodyisfound.
TV/film
Alby Mangels ventures into
diabetes film
Morethan70episodesofAlbyMangels’
Adventure Bounddocumentariesare
airingonChannelOneHD–manyforthe
firsttimeinOz.
Theadventurer,filmmakerand
conservationisthasonlyagreedtocome
backintothelimelighttoalsoraise
June2012—Vol21/2
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (Penguin)
LouClarkknowslotsofthings.Sheknows
howmanyfootstepstherearebetween
thebusstopandhome.Sheknowsshe
likesworkinginTheButteredBuntea
shopandsheknowsshemightnotlove
herboyfriend,Patrick.WhatLoudoesn’t
knowisshe’sabouttoloseherjoborthat
knowingwhat’scomingiswhatkeepsher
sane.WillTraynorknowshismotorcycle
accidenttookawayhisdesiretolive.He
knowseverythingfeelsverysmalland
ratherjoylessnowandheknowsexactly
howhe’sgoingtoputastoptothat.What
Willdoesn’tknowisthatLouisaboutto
burstintohisworldinariotofcolour.And
neitherofthemknowsthey’regoingto
changetheotherforalltime.
awarenessofthediabetesepidemic
throughafilm,Don’t Feel like a Prick.He
isdevelopingthetwo-hourtele-feature
docowithhismanager,LynnSanter,
picturedwithhim,HollywoodguruPaul
MasonandDiabetesAustraliachiefLewis
Kaplan.Theaimistoencourageeveryone
togettestedregularlyfordiabetes.Santer
hasdiabetesandbothherfatherand
unclediedfromthecondition.
linkmagazine 43
Telstra proudly supports a National
Disability Insurance Scheme
TelstrawelcomestheFederal
Government’scommitmentof
$1billionintheMayFederal
budgettodeliverthefirst
stageofaNationalDisability
InsuranceScheme(NDIS)
inselectregionsacross
Australiafrommid-2013.
TheNDISwillgoalongway
towardsbuildingastronger
andfairerAustraliaforpeople
withadisability,theirfamilies
andcarers.Thefirststage
willmakeanNDISrealfor
10,000peoplewithsignificant
andpermanentdisability,
increasingto20,000people
frommid-2014.
Telstraisproudtosupport
theintroductionofaNational
DisabilityInsuranceScheme
andisamajorsponsorofthe
successfulgrassrootsEvery
AustralianCountscampaign
fortheintroductionofa
NDIS,includingthetwo-day
DisabilityandCarerCongress
in2011andthe30Aprilrallies
aroundthecountry.
Telstrahasalonghistoryof
supportingpeoplewitha
disabilityandunderstands
thetransformativepower
oftelecommunications.
Today,morethan90,000
Telstracustomersusethe
DisabilityEquipmentProgram
(establishedin1981),andlast
yearTelstra’sDisabilityEnquiry
Hotlineansweredmorethan
40,000callsfromAustralians
lookingforhelp.
Christopher Newell Award
Katie Ellis,Murdoch
University,WA.
Darryl Sellwood,
Denise Wood,
UniversityofSouth
AustraliawithParimala
Raghavendra,Flinders
University,SA.
TelstraandtheTelecommunications
JournalofAustralia(TJA)have
announcedthe2012winnersofthe
Telstra-TJAChristopherNewellPrize
forTelecommunicationsandDisability.
Fourpapers(includingoneinternational
paper)havebeenawardedprizesand
acceptedforpublication.The2012
awardwinnersare:
First prize:
Rob Garrett and Toan Nguyen,
NovitaChildren’sServices,SA.
Equal 2nd prizes:
Floris Müller, Marlies Klijn and
Liesbet Van Zoonen,Universityof
Amsterdam,TheNetherlands.
The$15000Prize
poolrecognisesand
commemoratesthe
ground-breakingwork
thelateRevdCanon
DrChristopherNewell
AMundertookwithin
thetelecommunications
industryrepresentingtheneedsof
peoplewithdisability.
Smartphones,tabletsandinternet
technologiessuchasWeb2.0are
creatingnewmeansofengagement,
particularlyforpeoplewith
disability.Thisprizeaimstomake
acontributiontotheliteratureon
disabilityandtelecommunications
tofurthertheopportunitiesand
thoughtleadership.
Thewinningpaperscanbe
accessedintheMay2012editionof
theTJAbyvisitingwww.tja.org.au.
Detailsforentrycanbeobtainedby
visitingwww.acs.org.au/acstsa.
breakthroughs
Visiting professor says flavour and pain are the same thing
AninternationalpainconferenceinAdelaidehasbeentoldthattasteand
painareconstructedinthesamewaybyourbrains
OxfordUniversityexperimentalpsychologyprofessorCharlesSpence
toldtheNOINeurodynamicsandtheNeuromatrixConferencethatwhile
chefsareengagingthebrainasawayofcreatingflavoursensations,pain
couldalsobetreatedandrelievedinasimilarapproachbyclinicians.
SpencecollaboratedwithHestonBlumenthaloncreatingaseafood
dishforthechef’srestaurant,TheFatDuck,andbelievespainsufferers
couldalsobenefitfromamulti-sensoryapproach.“I’mreallyinterested
in…whythesamefoodandwinetastesdifferentwhentastedindifferent
settings,”Spencesaid.“Paintooisexperienceddifferentlyindifferent
settingsandsimilartoflavourandtaste,ourexperienceofpaincanbe
manipulatedbychefsandthere’sevenevidencetosuggestthatflavour
canbeusedtotreatpain.”
Visionisintegraltothediningexperience,accordingtoSpence.“Inthe
sameway,wecanmanipulateourexperienceofpainbyusingillusions
andimagerytoshrink,sayalimb,andbymakingthepainfulareasmaller
tooureyes,we’vefoundthatthepainbecomessmalleralso.”
Mining industry encouraged to combat
mental illness
AreportreleasedataconferenceinNSW’sHunterValley
inAprilfoundmentalillnesscoststheminingindustryup
to$450millionayear,accordingtotheABC.
Thereport,preparedbytheHunterInstituteofMental
HealthandtheUniversityofNewcastle,foundabout
8000to10,000mineworkersexperienceamental
healthillnessovera12-monthperiod.
Mentalillnesswasthemaintopicatthetwo-dayNSW
MineralsCouncil’sOccupationalHealthandSafety
ConferenceatPokolbin,whichincludedanaddressfrom
formerrugbyleagueplayerAndrewJohnsonhismental
healthchallenges.
InstitutedirectorTrevorHazellsaidmentalillnesscostsa
singlemineupto$400,000ayear.“Therearethreemain
areas:oneisabsenteeism,peoplewhoaresufferingfrom
anxietyordepressiondotakemoretimeoffwork.There’s
presenteeism–that’scomingtoworkwhileyou’reunwell
thenthey’llbelessproductiveeventhoughthey’renotoff
work.Thenthethirdareaofimpactisinjury.”
Blind man “sees” through sonar
ACalifornianman,whoisblind,sayshecan“see”using
sound.DanielKish,wholosthissighttoretinalcancer
aged13months,callshisbat-liketechnique“flash
sonar”.
Throughit,heusessoundstodetectobjectsinhis
environmentbysensingechoesfromtheobjects.He
combinesthiswithusingacane.
“It’sanactiveformofecholocationthatallowsablind
individualtoseeusingflashesofsound,insteadof
flashesoflight,”KishtoldtheABC.“Anindividualemits
flashesofsound–andtheymaybeintheformofa
tongueclick–andusesthoseflashestoilluminate
theenvironmentandextractinformationfromthe
returningsoundwaves,thatreturnfromsurfacesinthe
environment.Andthenwecanconstructimagesbased
ontheinformationwehaveextracted.”
Kish,whoheadsnon-profitorganisationWorldAccess
fortheBlind,wasinAustraliainFebruarytohold
workshopswithstudents.
Telstra is proud to support Link Breakthroughs
opinion | petercoulter
From fruit flies to the
NDIS, our regular
columnist is all abuzz.
The musings of
Peter Coulter
Vindication
It’samazingwhatyoucanfind
ifyoulookhardenoughand
employsomeselectiveediting.It
seemsthatIamafruitflyandin
morewaysthanone.Drosophila
Melanogaster,thefruitflyislike
me,orIamlikeoneofhim?
AnewstudybytheUniversity
ofCalifornia,accordingtoNew
Scientist,showsthatrejectedmale
fruitfliesbehaveinessentially
thesamewayashumanmales
dowhentoldtotakeahike–
theydrinkfarmorethanlucky
flieswho’vehadtheiramorous
advancesreciprocated.Indeed,I’ve
beenknowntodothesamething!
Flieswhogetluckyandhavea
quickbuzzabouttheoldfruitbowl
secreteahormonethingyintheir
brainsthatmakesthemsohappy,
theydonotneedtogoandget
plastered–sexualgratificationis
apparentlyenoughforthem.
Thosewhoarerefusedand
knockedback,though,seek
solaceingrog,whichmimicsthis
hormone.Anassociatedhormone
isthoughttohaveasimilareffect
onthedepressedbrainandalso
amelioratePTSD(Posttraumatic
stressdisorder).
Photo:stock.xchng/juliaf
Thisisabsolutelycrueland
unethical.Thepoorlittleflynever
getsabonk,isplasteredtothe
pointofhappinessandthen
bumpedoff,sosomegitinawhite
coatcanchophisbrainout.Leave
usalone.Ijustwanttobean
alcoholicsexmaniac!
NDIS
Iloatheacronyms.Theyonlyserveto
confuseandsavenotimeoreffort,
becauseoftenonehastogoand
lookthemupanyway.Indeed,the
firsttimeIheardthisone,Ithought
immediatelyofsomeobscuredisease
peculiartothedisabilitycommunity
forwhichourbelovedgovernment
wasgoingtohelpus–notthenand
definitelynotnow.
SowhatdoesNDISstandfor?It
standsforsomethingwehaveall
wantedandinmanycasesneeded
foralongtime:NationalDisability
InsuranceScheme.
Butithasbecomeapolitical
footballandweallknowthatthis
makesthingsextremelyawkward,
becausepoliticalpartiesnever
seemtoagreeonwhetherornot
toplayonalevelplayingfield.
Thegameoflatehasconsisted
ofscrapingmudfromthesloping
pitchandtossingoverthefenceat
theopposition.
Unfortunately,asoftenoccurs,this
acronymmaynowstandforNo
Deal,I’mStuffed.
June2012—Vol21/2
what’s on
Events and activities
New Directions in Elder Abuse
Prevention Conference
7–8June
BrisbaneConvention&Exhibition
Centre,QLD
eapu.com.au
National Early Childhood
Intervention Conference
7–9June
Sibu,Sarawak,Malaysia
www.agapesibu.org/about-us/
necic2012/
Contactperson:084-217912
FESTofALL
24June
TheBeachouseGlenelg,SA
festofall.com.au
Disability Inclusive Research
Collaboration Conference
13–19June
TheUniversityofSydney,NSW
unsw.edu.au/events
International Men’s Health Week
13–19June
Men’sHealthInformationand
ResourceCentre
Medical and Rehabilitation
Robotics Workshop 2012
19–20June
ShahAlam,Selangor,Malaysia
www.rehabrobot.net
The Second National Settlement
Conference - Creating Our Future
27–29June
AdelaideFestivalCentre,SA
[email protected]
National Cerebral Palsy
Awareness Week
30June–5August
cerebralpalsyaustralia.com
June2012—Vol21/2
Third International Conference on
Sport and Society
23–25July
Cambridge,UnitedKingdom
sportandsociety.com/conference-2012
6th international Convention on
Rehabilitation Engineering &
Assistive Technology
24–26July
Singapore
www.icreateasia.org
Australia’s Disability Employment
Conference 2012
8–9August
GrandHyattMelbourne,VIC
disabilityemployment.org.au
Victorian Autism Conference
9–10August
amaze.org.au/events-info/vac/
Stronger together - 2012 disability
conference
14–15August
AdelaideCupRoomMorphettville,SA
[email protected]
Family Planning NSW Annual
Conference on Reproductive &
Sexual Health ‘Raising the Bar
17–18August
Sydney,NSW
www.fpnsw.org.au/raisingthebar
Minda Corporate Gold Challenge
21September
GlenelgGolfClub,NSW
ContactMarionZafry0884226286
5th World Summit on
Arts and Culture
3–6October
Buddy Walk Melbourne
14October
Horsham,VIC
[email protected]
downsyndromevictoria.org.au
World Sight Day
11October2012
vision2020australia.org.au/events
Spart: Creative Arts Festival
24–26October
StanwellPark,NSW
www.thejunctionworks.org
21st Congress of the International
Association for Disability and
Oral Health
28–31October
Melbourne,VIC
iadh2012.com
23rd PANDDA 2012 Conference,
23November
Venuetobeconfirmed.
0408878538
ARATA National Conference
22–24August
SydneyMasonicFunctionCentre,NSW
arata.org.au
Pathways 11 Conference
28–30November,2012
AdelaideConventionCentre,SA
pathways11.com.au
NDS Employment Forum 2012
6–7September
PanPacificPerth,WA
nds.org.au
Education and training
Disability Action Week
9–15September
disabilityactionweek.com.au
The MS Readathon
1–30June
msreadathon.org.au
Digital photography
30April–25June
TareeCommunityCollege,NSW
tareecc.nsw.edu.au
linkmagazine 47
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IT’S HOW
WE CONNECT
TELSTRA’S DISABILITY
EQUIPMENT PROGRAM
We want to make communication
as easy as possible for all of our
customers.
That’s why if you’re elderly or have a
disability, we offer a range of solutions to help
at no extra cost to a standard rental phone.
Get in touch to ask for a brochure:
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