life`s still fast for matt speakman

Transcription

OCTOBER 2013 | Volume 22 Issue 4
Life’s still fast for
Matt Speakman
Accan & Telstra’s M-Enabling Conference
A music lover takes on the A-list
Food, dating, sport & more
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
inspiring achievement
Make a difference
with Disability
and Community
Inclusion at Flinders
Flinders University’s Disability and Community Inclusion
courses teach you how to facilitate, advocate and support
people living with disabilities and their families. We offer
a Bachelor of Disability and Developmental Education
and a Graduate Certificate and Master of Disability
Studies all of which are available for on-campus or online
study plus an on-campus PhD in Disability Studies.
Our graduates play an important role assisting people
living with disabilities to participate in society. They are in
high demand as Developmental Educators and disability
professionals across Australia and internationally. Apply for
a course in Disability and Community Inclusion at Flinders
and make an important difference in people’s lives.
For more information contact:
Disability and Community Inclusion
flinders.edu.au/medicine/sites/disability-studies
08 8201 3745
[email protected]
Developmental Educators Australia Inc:
deai.com.au
flinders.edu.au
CRICOS No. 00114A
Principal Sponsor
inside
Editorial
Editor Carla Caruso
[email protected]
Cover story
Graphic designer Jordan Davidson
Contact us
18
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Contributions welcome
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Race car driver Matt Speakman, who has paraplegia, is undertaking a
rigorous training regime as he prepares for next year’s Porsche GT3 Cup
Challenge and kayaking in the 2016 Paralympics.
Advertising manager
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[email protected]
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(08) 8201 3223 for details. www.linkonline.com.au
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Cover photo: Mark Horsburgh, EDGE Photographics
34
41
44
14 36
4
5
7
Ed’s letter
8
Interview with Karen Peltz Strauss, an
international speaker at ACCAN and Telstra’s
M-Enabling Australasia conference
10
12
14
News
Your letters
Scope supported people with disability to
participate in National Tree Day
Social scene
Andrew Follows shares some shots from his
recent exhibition, Density
22
24
A lamb (or roo) casserole recipe from Café 64
26
31
National Disability Awards finalists
10 questions with Community Bridging Services
chief Freddie Brincat
Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent’s column
October 2013 — Vol 22/4
32
34
Sport
36
Budding music journo Marlena Katene on her
38
41
44
46
47
49
50
51
52
Relationships under the spotlight
A day in the life of NOVA Employment client
Scott Hutton
celebrity interviews
Bruce Mumford goes adventuring
Different beats with Anthea Skinner
Book reviews
Circus classes and a cool comic
Breakthroughs
The musings of Peter Coulter
LinkConnect Gold directory
Subscribe to Link
linkmagazine
3
from the editor
I became a mum for
the first time in July
and it’s given me a new
appreciation of a few
things.
1. Firstly, I got the teeniest
glimpse into what it might
be like to be a carer of
another. The first gruelling
months with newborn twins
were a total life change for a
career-minded, café-loving,
independent (read: slightly
selfish) type like myself.
Even if I was desperate for
sleep or not feeling in tip-top
condition, their needs had to
come before my own.
2. I also got the smallest hint of what it might be
like to live with an ongoing health condition (except
mine had an end-date). They say pregnancy isn’t
an illness, but it sure comes with its own host
of ailments. A friend of mine, halfway into her
pregnancy, said she felt blessed to have had a
healthy time of it… apart from the kidney stones
and pericarditis (where the heart sac becomes
inflamed). Fun – not! My own woes were largely
liver-related, thanks to the bubs putting pressure
on this vital organ. I got cholestasis (or “jaundice
of pregnancy”) in the late stages, meaning I had to
be induced, then PUPPP, a hives-like rash postpregnancy. Joy! Sometimes it’s hard to keep a
smile on your dial when dealing with health probs,
but people with chronic illness do it every day, learn
how to work around things, and just get on with it.
3. How inaccessible it would be to get around
in a wheelchair with obstacles and tight spaces
abounding. Navigating a twin pram has given me
a new understanding!
4. I also now have a proper feel for exactly what
mums do – including my own! – and why, from time
to time, they crave a bit of ‘me time’. Let’s hope
you get some while reading this issue!
Carla Caruso, LINK editor
4
linkonline.com.au
LINK loves…
A scowl that could stop traffic
Okay, this book doesn’t have anything
to do with disability per se, but when it
crossed our desk, it made us chuckle.
Grumpy Cat is a small cat with a
big frown that became an Internet
sensation. She has nearly a million
fans on Facebook, over 90,000
Twitter followers, was profiled in
the Wall Street Journal and has
appeared on TV shows including Good Morning
America. The cat, based in Arizona, now has her own
book too, full of classic quips and new pics of her doing,
well, grumpy things.
Fairy-tales come to life
Fairy-tale characters Cinderella, left,
Shakespeare’s Queen Mab and Hans
Christian Andersen’s Karen (The Red
Shoes) were brought to life as sculptures
Shoes
by artists from Multicap’s Monte Lupo
disability enterprise. Monte
Lupo provides a career path
for people with disability who
want to be employed in an
area encouraging creativity
and artistic expression. Three
sculptures – a collaborative
effort of 29 artists – featured in a group exhibition
presented by The Creative Activists, dubbed Once Upon
a Time: Reinterpreting the Fairy-tale.
Gotta love ‘em
Sons & Mothers by No Strings
Attached Theatre of Disability
was an unexpected hit at the
2012 Adelaide Fringe, with a
sold-out season, rave reviews
and three Fringe Awards.
The production – a humorous and poignant
look into the lives of six men and their relationships with
their mothers – is now being taken to the main stage,
appearing at the Adelaide Festival Centre from October
17-26. A doco about the creative process has also been
made by POP Pictures, premiering this month at the
Adelaide Film Festival.
Share your views and read about all things disabilityrelated at facebook.com/linkdisabilitymagazine.
letters to link
Winning letter: Love to travel
Seeing the world
differently
I subscribe to LINK and have
done so for years now. I really look
forward to receiving the magazine
and read it from the beginning to
the end (even the adverts!) in bed
at night. I’d like to congratulate you
for the good work you do and the
interesting articles.
I am a new subscriber to LINK and
am impressed by the positive and
inspirational perspective the magazine
presents. I have included two web
links to articles for your perusal relating
to my own recent achievements. I am
hoping they may be satisfactory for
inclusion in LINK.
I have a walking disability and
need to use a wheelchair, but
I can transfer quite well. I still
drive – I have hand controls and
a machine that lifts my manual
wheelchair (folded) to the top of the
car. I really value still having some
independence.
I am interested in travel, but find it
difficult as most travel agents do
not cater for people with disabilities.
I was particularly interested in the
article about cruising in the last
LINK. As I’m not familiar with
Facebook, could you give me
further contact details of the person
whose article appeared? [Ed’s note:
Email Robert De Pasquale at
[email protected].]
Vicki Sobczak, Plympton, SA
Specialised movie days
in Queensland
Hi, I am a mum with a daughter who
has autism. I was starting to feel
like wherever we took our daughter
she was being looked down on by
people because of her “strange”
behaviours.
By spending time with other
families, who have kids like her, I’ve
felt it’s easier to focus on her having
fun – and what other people think
isn’t as noticeable. Hence, I now
organise sensory movie days at
Browns Plains, Queensland, and
Win!!
other activities for families with
children who have special needs.
For more information, people can
feel free to contact sensory.movies@
hotmail.com.
Jacinta Huch
Crestmead, Qld
Congratulations
Vicki Bradley
You have won a copy of
Dragon by subscribing.
Thanks to our friends at Nuance, we have a
copy of Dragon speech recognition software to
give away to a lucky new subscriber. The next
winner will be drawn at the end of November
and announced in the December issue of Link.
www.linkonline.com.au/subscribe
www.linkonline.com.
Windows, Microsoft Office 2013, Australian residents only, online
and magazine subscriptions, australia.nuance.com/dragon/
[Along with an article by Southern
Cross University, the Northern Star
wrote on Sue: “Proving that disability
is no barrier to studying at university,
Goonellabah woman Sue Lane, who
is blind, will graduate from Southern
Cross University (in May). The 54-yearold grandmother’s sight was reduced
to just five per cent vision in 2001 after
contracting an autoimmune disease…
She had been working as a sales rep
on the road, but the life-changer forced
her to reassess her life at 41. Her son,
wanting to get her out and living again,
encouraged her to go to university
and get a degree, and in 2008, she
began the Preparing for Success
program at SCU… After passing with
flying colours, Mrs Lane was accepted
into a Bachelor of Laws, and today,
four-and-a-half years of study later, she
graduates with second class honours.”
Our congrats to Sue!
Sue Lane, Goonellabah, NSW
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
environment | scope
This year, Scope, a Victorian disability service
provider, supported people with a disability to
participate in National Tree Day.
National Tree Day is Australia’s largest tree-planting
and nature care event. Planet Ark launched National
Tree Day in 1996, and it provides Australians with the
opportunity to do something positive for the environment
and reconnect with nature.
Scope created five National Tree Day events across
Victoria and worked with councils and community
groups to facilitate tree-planting activities. These events
were enjoyed by the people Scope support, staff,
families, friends and other community members.
Scope enabled the people it supports
to participate in a range of tree-planting
activities that met their ability levels. Scope
trialled the use of specialised planting
equipment for the people it supports at one
of its planting sites with great success.
GIVING PEOPLE
WITH A
DISABILITY THE
SCOPE TO GET
OUTSIDE AND
GROW
Helen Worrell
and Emily
Madden at
the Bendigo
National Tree
Day event.
“WE PLANTED
LOTS OF TREES.”
Nicole McGregor and Emily Madden,
who are supported by Scope in Bendigo,
participated in a National Tree Day event.
Nicole McGregor enjoyed choosing different
plants and putting them into the special planting tube.
Emily Madden really enjoyed the different textures and
smells of the various trees she planted.
Matthew Redmond
and Ashlee
Mcfadzean at the
Mordialloc National
Tree Day event.
Matthew Redmond is supported by Scope in Melbourne
and also attended one of Scope’s National Tree Day
events. “We went to plant trees at the creek. I had a lot
of fun and we planted lots of trees. I would love to do it
next year with my friends,” Matthew said.
The National Tree Day events also provided an
opportunity for Scope’s sites to make connections with
local councils and environmental groups. This has the
potential to lead to the people Scope support being
involved in environmental activities in the community on
an ongoing basis.
Scope is continuing to find new ways for people with
a disability to be actively involved in the environmental
sustainability of their local communities. scopevic.org.au
linkmagazine
7
n
o
i
t
a
innov
g
n
i
v
i
r
d
y
t
Accessibili
Karen Peltz Strauss,
the deputy bureau chief
of the Consumer and
Governmental Affairs
Bureau at the Federal
Communications
Commission in the US,
was an international
speaker at ACCAN and
Telstra’s M-Enabling
Australasia 2013
conference in August. The
conference surrounded
mobile technology
and accessibility. LINK
chatted to her.
How is accessibility driving
innovation in legislation?
The need for accessibility has
resulted in disability consumer
groups working with lawmakers
to ensure that new technologies
are accessible so that people with
disabilities are not left behind. As
new obligations for accessibility are
adopted, engineers are confronted
with the task of developing
innovative accessibility solutions.
8
linkonline.com.au
These solutions result in providing
access not just for people with
disabilities, but for all of society.
Closed captioning, originally
developed to enable people with
hearing loss to access television, is
one such example, as this is now
used by many members of the
hearing public in restaurants, gyms,
and other noisy places in the US.
"Closed captioning
is now used by many
members of the
hearing public."
What attracted you to working in
the area of disability?
This is something that I sort of ‘fell
into’… My first job out of law school
was at a public interest law clinic
at a local university – Georgetown
University – that focused a lot on
the rights of people with disabilities,
and I got to know a lot of the people
in the deaf and hard of hearing
community. After finishing that job,
I went on to work at a law clinic at
Gallaudet University, the world’s
only four-year liberal arts university
for people who are deaf and hard
of hearing. While there, I learned
sign language and about the various
issues confronting this community.
That was nearly 30 years ago, and
since then, my practice – be it in
the private or public sector – has
focused largely on ensuring access
by people with disabilities, and for
many years had a focus on access
by people who are deaf and hard of
hearing.
Your proudest career moment?
There are two: (1) Achieving
success in 1996 by getting
Congress to adopt comprehensive
closed captioning requirements
for television programming and
(2) Initiating the drafting of the
CVAA in 2007 and watching it get
enacted and now implemented
at the Federal Communications
Commission.
Link CAPS 2013 0717 OL.pdf 1 17/07/2013 6:08:34 PM
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linkmagazine
9
news
SA GROUP ENTERPRISES
CREATES 60 NEW JOBS
IN E-CYCLING FOR A
BETTER ENVIRONMENT
Not-for-profit organisation SA Group Enterprises proudly
announced the expansion of its electronics recycling
(e-cycling) business, Aspitech, in Underdale, SA, in
August. Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers
Amanda Rishworth officially opened the new facility.
Over the past five years, SA Group Enterprises –
which also publishes LINK – has invested a significant
amount of resources into establishing Aspitech and
maintaining its manufacturing division in SA. Additional
assistance was also gratefully received this year from the
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services
and Indigenous Affairs, ensuring the new venture is a
real success.
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers Amanda
Rishworth helps SA Group Enterprises chief executive officer
Robert Hart cut the ribbon at the new facility’s launch.
The move to the new facility presented an opportunity
to amalgamate Aspitech with SA Group’s manufacturing
business, Wire Ware. This has enabled the continued
employment of 43 people with disability and provided
the opportunity to expand with another 60 jobs.
SA Group’s chief executive Robert Hart said: “I am proud
to be involved in increasing recycling awareness and
ensuring that processed materials are re-manufactured
into tomorrow’s electronics. We believe we lead the way
in inclusive employment and environmental sustainability
and are committed to providing local job opportunities
whilst continuing to improve the environment and quality
of life within South Australia.”
nager
mercial development ma
Aspitech/W ire Ware comliamentary Secretary for Disabilities
Andrew Wallace and Parhworth celebrate the launch.
and Carers Amanda Ris
SA Group Enterprises board members at the event included Rita
McPhail, left, Craig Phillips, secretary June Alexander, chief executive
Robert Hart, Caroline Kerkhof, chair Tom Sulda, and Raphael Murphy.
10 linkonline.com.au
The right support can change lives
For over 40 years, Drake Medox has been supporting and helping individuals live safely and more
independently in their home with the provision of qualified support staff.
We pride ourselves on our ability to provide a professional yet personal care service. Working
closely with families and support organisations, we design and develop customised care plans for
individuals who require all levels of support in their daily life. Our comprehensive service includes:
•
•
Competency based recruitment against
national disability standards
•
Every care plan is customised
Induction and training program covering:
•
Localised service delivery
•
24 hours a day, 7 days a week service
•
A comprehensive range of
support services
• Report writing
•
Over 2,000 qualified support workers
• Manual handling
•
A person centred approach to
service delivery
• Person centred planning
• Positive behaviour support
• Medication administration
For in-home care and support services, contact Drake Medox on 1300 360 070
or email [email protected]
M-Enabling Australasia
2013 Conference and
Showcase
Telstra partnered with the Australian
Communications Consumer
Action Network (ACCAN) to bring
the M-Enabling Australasia 2013
conference and showcase to Oz for
the first time in August. The event at
Australian Technology Park, Sydney,
included a stimulating program of
speakers and panels discussing
trends in accessible mobile
technology, as well as highlighting
the latest innovations addressing
the specific needs of people with
disability and older people. Check
out ‘breakthroughs’ on page 45 for
more on the conference.
Above: Telstra's sustainability
manager Georgia Lindgren and
national accessibility manager
Sue McAleer.
Above: Minister
Assisting for the Digital
Economy, Senator Kate
Lundy
Right: ACCAN
disability policy advisor
Wayne Hawkins and
guide dog Harrison
with Sarah Pulis,
head of accessibility
services at Stamford
Interactive.
Left: Telstra disability
services manager Bert
Ciavarra chats with
Nan Bosler, president
of the Australian
Seniors Computer
Club Association.
Above: ACCAN chief executive
Teresa Corbin with international
guest speaker Karen Peltz
Strauss, deputy chief of the
Consumer Information Bureau
of the Federal Communications
Commission in the US.
Australia’s Disability
Employment Conference
Australia’s Disability Employment
Conference, presented by
Disability Employment Australia,
was held in Adelaide in August. It’s
Australasia’s premier conference
for managers, aspiring managers,
practitioners and academics
working in or with the Disability
Employment Services sector.
Top right:
Employment
Participation Minister
Kate Ellis, Senator
for Western Australia
Rachel Siewert and
Australian Federation
of Disability
Organisations
national policy
manager Stephen
Gianni
Right: Media
personality George
Negus hosts a
panel discussion
Top left: The Other
Film Festival director
Rick Randall and
associate director
Sophie Sherriff.
Above: Disability Employment
Australia chief executive Lynette May
speaking at the welcome reception.
Asia Pacific Autism
Conference
Autism SA hosted the Asia Pacific
Autism Conference (APAC) in
conjunction with the Australian
Advisory Board on Autism
Spectrum Disorders in Adelaide in
August. True Colours was adopted
as the conference theme, the
range of hues representing the
diversity of the autism spectrum.
Above: TheTutti
Choir open the
conference.
Left: Autism SA
chief executive
Jon Martin with
Wizard of Oz
characters at
the International
Gala Dinner
for Autism at
the Adelaide
Convention
Centre.
Above: Acrobats
entertain delegates at
the welcome reception.
Left: Autism SA staff at
the organisation's stand.
linkmagazine
13
photography | andrew follows
Seeing is
believing
My guide dog has
given me a life I
never thought I
would have.
An inherited, degenerative eye
disease hasn’t stopped Andrew
Follows from having the perfect
eye for a great shot. He held
a photo exhibition, Density,
at Melbourne’s Anita Traverso
Gallery in September.
My passion
is night
photography.
“Retinitis pigmentosa has given me
no sight in my left eye and tunnel
vision in my right. I have never had
good eyesight, so this is normal for
me. On a good day, I can see roughly
three metres to the sighted 70m.
My day-to-day life is challenging, but
that doesn’t stop me from enjoying
photography. In saying this, there
will be a day when my sight will go
[entirely], which will pose a whole
new set of challenges.
My vision impairment was discovered
in my first year of school. Before then,
it was just thought I was awkward. In
my later years, it got harder. I couldn’t
compensate for my vision as it was
changing, with lots of blurriness and
the tunnel vision getting tighter. Still,
I never saw myself with a problem or
someone with a disability. I always
tried to maintain a normal life.
Though, driving a car was definitely
out of the question!
Photography brings up many
challenges, but one of the best ways
I’ve found for learning has been
the internet. YouTube has been an
amazing educational tool. If you
don’t get something the first time,
you can keep going back and you’re
not judged on how slow or fast you
are. My passion is night photography.
I love playing with the light as it
bounces around buildings and water.
With moving lights such as cars and
trains, the effect is magical.
One of my favourite photos in
my collection is of [Australian
professional racing cyclist] Cadel
Evans’ homecoming ride in
Melbourne’s CBD two years ago. It
captures the moment – and to see
him smile is such a rare thing! My
other favourite is of my guide dog,
Eamon, which I took at the top of
Mount Wombat in central Victoria
with the sun setting.
Eamon is an awesome dog. He
has given me a life I never thought
I would have. With the freedom
he’s given me, I’m able to head out
at any time of day or night to do
my photography in safety and with
confidence. Last year, Eamon came
with me to Edinburgh, Scotland,
where I had an exhibition as part of
the Edinburgh Art Festival.
Currently, I am running workshops
with ArtPlay and the City of
Melbourne, where I show kids how
to take photographs – but as a
person with vision impairment. Other
workshops are also in play nationally
with Vision Australia for low-vision
children. As well, Nikon Australia and
its ambassadors have been wonderful
supporters of my photography. ”
blinkiephotography.com.au
linkmagazine
15
Mutual
Respect
&Trust
We help your business find
the right person for the job.
Employers: if you are looking for
good, reliable staff …
Contact our friendly staff at Community Bridging Services (CBS) Inc.
We offer a free service and have a range of incentives available to
help you meet your staffing needs.
CBS working in partnership with business throughout South Australia
Suite 1001, 147 Pirie Street, Adelaide SA
www.communitybridgingservices.org.au
Phone (08) 8224 2900
Jobnet Employment Program
Eastern Adelaide
Adelaide
Desma
8224 2900
Maylands
Desma
8366 6527
Gilles Plains
Danijela
8207 1262
Elizabeth
Chad
8207 9702
Salisbury
Dot
8259 9300
Noarlunga
Christina
8187 2200
O’Halloran Hill
Mike
8177 3499
Warradale
Amanda
8179 4100
Port Adelaide
Mihaela
8447 4870
Kilkenny
Abby
8440 5600
Northern Adelaide
Southern Adelaide
Western Adelaide
Regional South Australia
Murraylands
Tim
8532 6133
Riverland
Peggy
8582 3991
Port Augusta
Helen
8641 1882
Port Pirie
Evelyn
8633 3100
Port Lincoln
Amanda
8682 5937
Whyalla
Helen
8641 1882
Our Jobnet Employment Program
provides business with:
• A free staff recruitment service
• A range of attractive wage subsidies
to help off-set some of your costs
• Training of our clients to match
the job you have available
• Insured work trials
• On-the-job support to help settle
in that new employee and
• Ongoing support to our clients to help make
them valued long term members of your team.
It is widely recognised that employees
with a disability have an:
• average or superior workplace safety records,
• average or superior attendance records; and
• solid and lasting loyalty.
Jobnet
Employment
Program
Community Bridging Services (CBS) Inc.
cover story | matt speakman
Photo
rsburgh,
s: Mark Ho
Edge Photo
graphics.
Life in the
Gold Coast adrenaline junkie Matt
Speakman is the world’s first driver with
paraplegia to race in a major motorsport
series. The 46-year-old has been
competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup with
McElrea Racing, is aligned with Spinal
Cure Australia in raising awareness, and
recently signed with leading automotive
marketing specialists DBC2.
” My legs were the
biggest part of
my life.
”
You were paralysed from the waist
down after a drunk driver struck your
motorcycle in 1993. The morning of
the accident you had just signed on to
compete in the Australian 600 SuperSport
Championship – plans that were
extinguished. Did it feel a terrible irony?
I guess it wasn’t really the irony that struck most of all,
because it was such a horrific accident. There was also
the fact that I’d lost the life of a really dear friend, Maria,
who was on the back of the motorbike. So there was
a hell of a lot going on. [Plus] during the initial period of
intensive care – the first six weeks – I was kind of more
” I was managing
one of Sydney’s
best nightclubs and
modelling part-time.
”
focused on the amount of people it was affecting around
me. My parents had flown up from Tasmania [where he’s
originally from] and I had a lot of support from the people
I worked with, too.
But about six weeks into it, the full realisation of
what had happened started to sink in. At the time, I
wasn’t only racing motorbikes, I was managing one
of Sydney’s best nightclubs, modelling part-time, and
doing triathlons and surfing to keep fit for motorcycling.
I was very much outdoorsy and I guess my legs were
the biggest part of my life. The realisation of what had
happened started to sink in and weigh very, very heavily
on me. The usual sort of depression – and everything
else that people would expect – started to well up.
At that particular time [in hospital], I looked up and
noticed, about four beds up, a young guy who’d been
travelling around from England. He actually dove into
the water and broke his neck quite high up and had a
C-spine fracture. They were teaching him how to use a
blow tube to operate an electric wheelchair. While I was
sitting there watching that happening, I had a good think
about my situation and realised things could have been
a hell of a lot worse. From that moment on, I just wanted
to start trying things and get back as much of my life as
I could.
You spent 18 years trying to secure a
circuit racing license. It wasn’t until
2011, after much campaigning, tests and
medical assessments, the Confederation
of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS)
granted you a license. Why didn’t you
give up?
The first reaction I got from the governing body of
motorsport in Australia was basically a flat-out no.
‘There’s no way. You’ll be a danger to yourself and
everybody else out there’… [Similarly] all I was told when
I was going through hospital rehabilitation was what I
couldn’t do anymore.
Above: Race car driver Matt Speakman, who has paraplegia, is currently
undertaking a rigorous training regime as he prepares for next year’s
GT3 Cup Challenge and kayaking in the 2016 Paralympics. Below: Matt
will make world history by being the first ever person to race for a major
Australian motorsport category with a disability next year.
linkmagazine
19
cover story | matt speakman
At the time, my girlfriend had some family friends who
had a house in Vanuatu. So two weeks out of hospital,
we basically packed up the van and got away from
all the negativity and rehabilitation. And I decided to
just try things: try getting a wheelchair down on the
beach and try getting out into the water. I managed to
convince the local scuba diving company [to help with
the latter], because I was an avid scuba diver as well
before the accident.
When I got back to Australia and was getting re-certified
for scuba diving, I met another guy – a similar level
paraplegic to myself – who was an avid scuba diver and
a sailor, as well. Through him, I got invited to join Sailors
with disABILITIES – an ambitious group of people with
varying disabilities who wanted to get a full disability
crew into the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. We were
the first full disability crew to sail in the race on its 50th
anniversary in 1994. That was my inspiration. I thought,
‘Wow, if we can do so well in a non-disabled sport with
sailing, I can’t see any reason why I can’t get back to my
chosen sport of motor racing.’
Is there any more danger having you on a
racetrack than an able-bodied person?
Absolutely not. Obviously for someone who’s never
driven with hand controls before to get in and try to drive
such a car at full-tilt, it’s going to be a huge ask. But the
fact that I actually drive with hand controls every day
of my life means I’m completely used to looking for the
brake and accelerator with my hands. Also, because
I do come from a motorbike background, a lot of the
controls were hand-operated anyway, so the transition
for me has been relatively easy.
Why do you think McElrea Racing took
you on?
Unfortunately, I got a lot of doors slammed in my face
[initially]. It was trying to convince the series organisers that,
‘Yes, I could drive in the series and that I could convert
one of their cars and be competitive’… [Later] I discovered
Porsche had a Porsche Sport Driving School and they
actually had a couple of race cars you could lease for the
day and go out and be instructed on how to race.
Speakman has recently partnered with Wicked Wheelchairs, whose logo will be featured on his Porsche when he races in the GT3 Cup
Championship next year. “Owner Dion Reweti, much like myself, is an active and adventurous person who sustained a spinal cord injury from a
motorcycle incident.”
I took my current improved-production car down to
the head of the school. He had a look at the hand
controls, was really impressed with my ingenuity and
determination, and put me in touch with McElrea Racing.
Porsche were the first series organisers to actually see
the potential and were very impressed with the fact that I
had the determination to go on with my dream of racing
full-time. Andy McElrea, who owns McElrea Racing, was
enthusiastic from the outset.
With your motor-racing, what are you
ultimately trying to prove?
A big part of what I want to try to do is try to
get exposure for Spinal Cure Australia [being an
ambassador] and see if we can help raise awareness
and funds. It’s getting very close to a point with stem cell
research that we’ll be seeing a cure for spinal cord injury
in my lifetime. If I can, in some small way, play a part in
helping progress that along and prevent people from
going through what I have with paraplegia, then that
would just make things all that much better.
Also, to get people in society to try to look past the
wheelchair and actually see the person sitting there. There’s
a huge stigma involved in spinal cord injury. I know when I
was racing motorbikes myself, we’d often sit around and
say, ‘Oh, I’d rather be dead than in a wheelchair.’ My going
out and racing can prove that having a physical disability
isn’t as huge a disadvantage as people perceive it to be.
Also, from the motivational point of view, I just want to
show people that if I can go from being a cripple laying in a
hospital bed with absolutely no prospects to fulfilling lifelong
dreams with motorsports and breaking down the barriers,
then others can realise, too, that no matter what their
situation is, if you put your mind to it, anything is possible.
Anything else in the pipeline for you?
As part of getting my fitness up for motorsport earlier in
the year, I joined the Varsity Lakes Paracanoe program.
In 2016, K1 kayak sprints will be introduced to the
Paralympics for the first time. So I also have an eye on
trying to compete. It involves nine training sessions a
week! facebook.com/SpeakmanRacing
DAILY LIVING EXPO
Australia’s foremost Exhibition for
Rehabilitation and Aged Care Equipment
14-15 May 2014
SAVE
THE
DATE
Melbourne Showgrounds
Epsom Road, Ascot Vale, Victoria 3032
FREE TO ATTEND
• Dynamic clinical program with international speakers
• Plenty of mobility choices and other products on show
• More than 100 exhibitors with products and services
designed to get more out of life
REGISTER NOW
For more information phone 1300 789 845
or visit www.dailylivingexpo.com.au
linkmagazine
21
link | food
RECIPE
Lamb (or kangaroo) casserole with white
pumpkin and chickpeas. Serves four
STAFF EARN REAL DOUGH
AT CAFÉ 64
A long way from the trendy inner-city streets lies a town
of 2000 people with the best coffee for 100 miles.
Way back in 2005, Café 64 was the brainchild of NOVA
Employment CEO Martin Wren. NOVA’s Disability
Employment Service in Walgett, NSW, had placed all
the clients they could into the available work. So NOVA
decided to create more jobs.
Café 64 now employs 21 people with a disability, over
70 per cent of whom are also indigenous Australians.
Staff earn three times the national average for people
in supported employment ($205 compared to $97)
yet work just two-thirds the number of hours for the
national average (15 compared to 23). Recently the
café expanded into the premises next door, providing
more room for their indigenous art gallery and a new
space to bake bread and pizza.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of plain flour
500g of extra lean leg steaks
Extra light olive oil cooking spray
2 brown onions, halved and sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup salt-reduced beef stock
400g can salt-reduced whole peeled tomatoes
500g butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed,
cut into 1.5cm cubes
3 large rosemary sprigs or 2 teaspoons of dried
rosemary
400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups of frozen peas
2 cups of rice
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C. Place flour in a snap-lock
bag, add meat and shake to coat.
Spray a heavy-based casserole dish lightly with oil.
Heat over medium to high heat. Add half the meat.
Cook, stirring for three to four minutes or until
browned. Remove to a plate. Repeat with oil and
remaining meat.
Spray pan lightly with oil. Add onion, cook, stirring
for three to four minutes until onion is tender.
Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add stock,
tomatoes, pumpkin and rosemary. Return meat
with juices to pan. Bring to boil. Cover and place
in the oven. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until
meat is tender.
Remove from oven. Stir in chickpeas and peas.
Cover and return to oven. Cook for a further five
to 10 minutes or until heated through. Remove
rosemary sprigs and discard.
Cook rice, following the absorption method on the
packet. Spoon casserole over rice. Serve hot.
Employee Nigel
making the lamb
casserole at
Café 64.
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Evolving from a restructure of the Spastic Centres of South Australia in 1995,
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linkmagazine
23
10
Questions
with the Chief
Freddie Brincat is the executive director of SA
not-for-profit organisation Community Bridging
Services (CBS) Inc, which assists people with a
disability, disadvantage or injury. We put him in the
hot-seat for our new article series.
1
Describe CBS in a nutshell. CBS is a strengths-based
service, supporting people with a disability to determine
and achieve their goals in recreation, the arts, further
education and open employment. CBS hasn’t been
afraid to develop partnerships with others, which help
achieve goals, rather than trying to do it all ourselves.
2
Your career background/studies? I am from a large
family. My parents emigrated from Malta in 1950. They
had tough lives and took risks to give their kids a better
life and improved opportunities.
r
with Dignity fo
e Brincat, left,Steve Dunning
di
ed
Fr
or
ct
re
ecutive di
chairman
g of
Above: CBS exKelly Vincent, CBS board n Kate Ellis at the openin
Disability MLC r Employment Participatioin March.
and Minister foemises at Warradale, SA,
CBS’s new pr
Artist Daniel
Tsatsaronis with
his painting,
Footy Moments,
at CBS’s SALA
Festival exhibition
opening, HurlyBurly.
Jobnet client
Zoe Michalanney
being interviewed
by Minister Kate
Ellis.
All of us kids went to North Adelaide Primary School.
Through the local Lefevre Terrace playground, used for
free, after-school care, I met couple who had a son with
an intellectual disability. He and I played together as
children and this helped me understand from a young
age that people who are different have strengths and
enjoy lots of things like everyone else.
Later, I studied teaching at the University of SA, specialising
in physical education and history. In my later university
years, I completed a volunteer placement at Woodville
Special School, as it was known back then, attending a
three-day, live-in holiday camp.
After teaching in city schools for a while and in Whyalla, I
was drawn again to working with people with a disability.
I moved to a shorter-term job at Strathmont Centre – a
residential centre for people with a disability – in the 1980s.
I met some talented people who introduced me to Steve
Dunning, a key foundation member of CBS’s board of
directors. This was the time I learned more about positive
interactions and a strength-based model.
In the 1990s, I completed some postgraduate study
at Flinders University in social administration with a
focus on politics and economics. This gave me more
confidence to follow some other bigger ideas and a
partnership with TAFE SA developed and Community
Bridging Services (CBS) Inc followed in 1996.
When I was working to establish CBS, I was advised
to meet and talk to community groups and people in
rural regions and hear what they had to say around
employment for people with a disability. This is what I did
and I learned a lot from this process, which shaped CBS.
3
Recent successes at CBS? With increased
competition, CBS has been able to survive for now
and continues to be chosen by people with a disability.
Having good, dedicated staff helps, like Brian Rankin,
Carol Pfeffer and Caroline Manetta, who have given long
service to people with a disability.
Our innovative Community Concierge SA social
enterprise stands out as a recent success. CBS won the
concierge contract at the new Aurora on Pirie building
on Hindmarsh Square in the city. Three of our jobseekers
work there, providing front-of-house service and advice
to the 700 people working in the building. This includes
staff from Microsoft and Halliburton. I like the fact that
people with a disability have been accepted by others as
the ‘face of the building’.
Recently, Liz Loizeau and our team in Port Pirie and
Peterborough developed an innovative program
for youth in partnership with the State and Federal
Governments. It’s called YEP and connects strengths
and interests at school, while improving opportunities
post-school. CBS has also managed, or had a part in
organising, 18 art exhibitions since 1988 – the most
recent being our fourth SALA (South Australian Living
Artists) Festival exhibition in partnership with Eastwood
Community Centre. Art has created many opportunities
and much happiness for all involved.
4
With so many disability employment services
around, how does CBS stand out from the pack?
In the current climate, it is a challenge to balance your
culture, values and beliefs with the demands of running
a community business and keeping funding providers
also satisfied. It’s an ongoing balancing act, requiring
discussion and thought.
Ensuring that our staff are well-trained and reliable is
important. If we do not help our clients achieve, then the
system encourages consumers to choose somewhere
else for a service – and this is how it should be. The best
marketing is based on the value of personal experiences.
5
Your thoughts on DisabilityCare Australia? In
theory, DCA is a more than a good opportunity – it
is ground-breaking and an initiative we should get
behind. The key will be in the implementation to ensure
it works as planned. DCA is likely to bring in more
competition at the state level, including in recreation and
supported employment. We need to be careful that, as
a community, we don’t take competition too far. If so,
it may lead to other disadvantages that outweigh the
introduction of a more open playing field. In some areas,
I think competition needs to be reined in.
6
What do you see as the challenges for the disability
sector at present? The overcommercialisation of
disability services is a major challenge. Many people with
years of experience were educated with a background
in normalisation and related values specialist education
and training. This involved the recognition of a balance
between the business and community side of what we
do. This balance is crucial.
If we don’t keep adjusting then positive change in
principle will not be well-implemented in practice and
great opportunities may be missed. Finding and holding
onto sufficient numbers of educated, trained staff,
committed to people with a disability is growing harder in
this environment.
7
Biggest barrier for people with disability in gaining
work? When people have past experience interacting
with people who have a disability, they are more
open and ‘on side’. It is easier to create jobs in their
workplaces. Negative attitudes and ignorance are the
biggest barriers.
If we all searched for strengths in each other and
had a better understanding of difference, people
with a disability would be experiencing increased job
opportunities. By working more in good jobs that they
like, people would gain more skills, have more friends
and income and pay more GST to keep all parties
happier. There are many more jobs in corporate Australia
that people with a disability could be doing.
8
9
10
Organisational goals for the future? Keep going.
Try to do what we do better. Be focused on what’s
important. Listen and keep discussing and thinking of
innovative good ideas that create new directions – and
some people will be attracted to what we are doing.
Why do you enjoy working in the disability sector?
I like the diversity as no day is the same. There is a lot to
keep learning. There are moments when you realise that
the work you do does really count and that some people
remember.
Any sayings you live by? All the best perfumes come
in small bottles! communitybridgingservices.org.au
linkmagazine
25
2013 National Disability
Awards Finalists
Lifetime Achievement
Award in Disability
Ms Sue Salthouse (Chisholm,
ACT)
Ms Salthouse
has worked
in the area of
social justice
and human
rights since
1996, playing
an active role in systemic advocacy
for women with disabilities. She
is the Convenor of Women With
Disabilities ACT and runs her
own consultancy company which
specialises in disability sector issues.
Ms Ann Procter (Duffy, ACT)
Ann Procter
has over
40 years of
personal and
professional
experience
in advocacy,
training and service delivery for
people with disability. As the mother
of three children, one of whom has
multiple and profound intellectual and
physical disabilities, she is dedicated
to pursuing the rights of people with
disability to encompass physical,
social and economic inclusion.
Mr John Moxon (Northmead,
NSW)
Mr Huy Nguyen (Box Hill North,
VIC)
John Moxon
has had
a long
and active
history of
involvement
in advocacy
and support services for people
with disability for over 30 years.
He has been involved in a range of
organisations at the local, state and
national levels including leadership
positions.
Huy Nguyen
has pioneered
many
developments
to improve
the lives
of people
with disability. He developed the
first official wheelchair basketball
program in the Solomon Islands, is
the founder of a social enterprise
called Enable Development and
led a highly motivated group of
development organisations toward
an inclusive water, sanitation and
hygiene practice in Timor Leste.
Emerging Leaders Award
in Disability
Miss Drisana Levitzke-Gray
(Balga, WA)
At age 20,
Drisana
Levitzke-Gray
is a selfmotivated
young Deaf
woman who
promotes and supports the Deaf
community in a voluntary capacity,
inspiring others along the way.
Drisana is an active participant in
local Deaf community activities
and she is the youngest committee
member of the Western Australian
Association of the Deaf (WAAD).
Mr Sam Bramham (Fitzroy, Vic)
Sam
Bramham is a
Paralympian
using his life
experiences
to educate
young people
with disability about the challenges
and opportunities they will face,
whether that be in education,
sport or facing adversity. He takes
a light-hearted approach to his
disability, famously telling international
journalists that his leg was bitten off
by a ‘monster kangaroo.’
Excellence in Accessible
Communities
Excellence in Improving
Social Participation Award
Merrigong Theatre Company
(Wollongong, NSW)
Adelaide Festival (Adelaide, SA)
Merrigong
Theatre
Company is
committed
to achieving
equal
access to
great theatre for all patrons, with
a number of access services and
facilities.
Western Desert Dialysis (Alice
Springs, NT)
Western
Desert
Dialysis is an
Aboriginal
Community
Controlled
health service.
With no
government funding, the service has
managed to procure and run a purple
truck which travels widely to remote
communities in the NT, WA and SA
providing dialysis to those in need.
Beatty Park Swim School
Angelfish Program, City of
Vincent (North Perth, WA)
The Angelfish Program is centred
on the
philosophy
of inclusivity
and offers
individuals
with
disability the
opportunity to develop a lifelong
skill. A high level of support
(including physical, communication,
emotional and community) is
provided throughout the transition
process into mainstream classes
and beyond if required.
The Adelaide
Festival
considers
access an
integral
part of its
activities and
is committed to going above and
beyond legal compliance to follow
best practice, show leadership,
act as an advocate, maintain its
Australian benchmark status, and
ultimately, ensure its activities are as
broadly inclusive as possible.
Vitalstatistix and Gaelle Mellis
(Port Adelaide, SA)
Presented by
Vitalstatistix,
Take Up Thy
Bed & Walk
(TUTBAW)
was the
first fully
accessible theatre performance in
Australia. It uniquely incorporated
a range of access elements such
as sign language, audio description
and captioning aesthetically
(aesthetic access) into the core
of the work making it seamlessly
accessible to deaf, blind, sighted
and hearing audiences all at the
same time.
Penrith City Council (Penrith, NSW)
In
collaboration
with others,
Penrith City
Council has
produced No
Boundaries,
an exciting project that
demonstrates the benefits of
participation in art for people with
disability, the capacity of technology
to provide new opportunities for
participation and the influence their
creative contributions can have on
social inclusion.
Excellence in Advocacy &
Rights Promotion Award
Ms Kairsty Wilson (Melbourne, Vic)
Kairsty
Wilson’s
vigorous and
unrelenting
advocacy
has resulted
in significant
changes in the lives of individuals
with disability and substantial
systemic reforms. In dealing with
highly complex, difficult and lengthy
matters, Ms Wilson maintains genuine
relationships with her clients, managing
the disparate and sometime difficult
aspects of these cases with humour
and good grace.
Professor Christine Bigby
(Melbourne, Vic)
Professor
Christine
Bigby is
a leading
advocate for
the social
inclusion
of people living with intellectual
disabilities. In a career spanning
more than three decades, Professor
Bigby has published five books and
over 100 refereed journal articles,
books chapters and policy reports
on topics related to achieving social
inclusion for people living with
intellectual disability.
linkmagazine
27
2013 National Disability
Awards Finalists
Mr Robert Pask (Bentleigh East,
Vic)
Key Employment (Coffs Harbour,
NSW)
Robert
Pask is an
advocate for
people living
with disability
and chronic
illness.
He established a peer advocacy
program for people living with MS
that has developed over 5 years.
This program uses a unique model
of mentoring and networking that
advocates use to progress their key
issues.
Key
Employment
has
developed an
apprenticeship
employment
program
for people with disability in 3
Employment Service Areas in
Regional NSW. In doing this, they
have placed over 150 students with
significant and permanent disability
into apprenticeships under their
KIKASS (Kids in Key’s Apprenticeship
Support Scheme) program.
Excellence in
Improving Employment
Opportunities
ABLE – Westpac Group
Employee Action Group for
Access Ability (National)
Westpac
Group’s
proactive
network of
employees
volunteer as
advocates for
people with
disability. The ABLE (Assisting Better
Lives for Everyone) Employee Action
Group is working to make positive
change for Westpac’s 12 million
customers, 36,000 employees and
the community more broadly.
ANZ (National)
ANZ pride
themselves
on an ongoing
commitment
– as a
leading bank
and large
employer – to attract, value, include
and help customers and employees
with disabilities to progress. Released
this year, their revised Accessibility &
Inclusion Plan details how they intend
to shift focus from having a Disability
Action Plan to formally integrating the
ideas of accessibility and inclusion
right across their business.
Personal & Community
Support
Ms Damon Taylor (Terranora,
NSW)
Damon is a
nurse, mother
and carer for
her 7-year
old son
with severe
cerebral
palsy. She has designed an iPad
and iPhone application called ‘Care
for me’ allowing all care needs to
be personalised and demonstrated
through the use of video, photo or
text format, for use by all people
with disability.
Spinal Injuries Association
(Woolloongabba, QLD)
The Spinal
Injuries
Association is
Queensland’s
industry leader
for people
with spinal
cord injuries, with approximately 2,000
members and clients across the state.
Their mission is to empower members
by supporting and promoting their
independence.
Hear for You (National)
Hear For
You, a notfor-profit
organisation
established
in 2007,
operates
in several locations providing a
mentoring program for deaf and
hearing-impaired children and young
people.
Education Outcomes Award
St Patricks Catholic Primary
School (Lochinvar, NSW)
St Patrick’s
Primary
School,
Lochinvar,
fosters a
whole school
inclusive
model of education, involving the staff,
parents, students and the community.
Children of all abilities have access
to a flexible learning program that is
closely monitored and assessed to
determine positive outcomes for the
students.
Growing Towards Wellness
(Bunbury, WA)
Growing
Towards
Wellness
(GTW) is a
not-for-profit
organisation
that delivers
a specialised
and specifically designed program
to support community members
living with a disability (primarily
mental illness) by connecting them
to mainstream community life. It is
committed to engaging an extremely
marginalised and disenfranchised
group of people to re-engage with
community, achieve nationally
recognised qualifications, gain
employment and continue their
journey of recovery.
Down Syndrome Victoria
(Fitzroy)
The Down
Syndrome
Inclusion
Support
Service aims
to ensure
students
with Down syndrome reach their
full potential by providing practical
hands on support, resources and
skills to teachers and support
staff responsible for meeting their
learning needs.
Health Outcomes
Miss Naomi Snell (Bayswater
Nth, Vic)
Naomi Snell is
the Founder
and CEO of
Paws For
Purrfect
Patient (Pet)
Therapy
providing emergency
accommodation, shelter and
veterinary assistance to pets
of mental health consumers
experiencing crisis.
Ms Susan Race (St Albans, Vic)
Susan Race
has led the
development
of an
innovative
hospital
discharge
planning process that aims to
ensure individuals with disability and
complex health needs successfully
return to the community and avoid
long stays in hospital.
MNDAware (Gladesville, NSW)
The Motor
Neurone
Disease
Association of
NSW (MND
NSW) has
developed
an online, interactive training
program for disability and
community workers internationally
to gain a better understanding of
individuals’ needs and services
available. This program combined
with MNDAware’s face-to-face
training has enhanced choices and
services for people with MND by
creating awareness and improving
understanding and support within
the community.
linkmagazine
29
Problem with your
telephone, mobile phone
or internet service?
The Telecommunications Industry
Ombudsman is a free and independent
dispute resolution service for
people with complaints about
telecommunications or internet services.
If you have tried to resolve a complaint
with your phone or internet service
provider, but are not making any
progress then contact the TIO.
Website
Freecall
Freefax
TTY
Interpreter service
The TIO may
be able to help.
www.tio.com.au
1800 062 058
1800 630 614
1800 675 692
131 450
A D E LA I D E F E S T I VA L CE N T RE & W I N D MI LL T H E AT RE P RESEN T
A N O S T RI N GS AT TACH E D T H E AT RE O F D I S A B I LI T Y P RO D UC T ION 20/12/06 9:28:29 A
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opinion | kelly vincent
LAND OF THE FREE
" I was thoroughly impressed by the
important changes being made. "
A recent trip to the US has
had Dignity for Disability
MLC Kelly Vincent thinking
about ways our cities could
be more accessible.
The current Lord Mayor here in
Adelaide is a pretty interesting and
amiable guy named Stephen Yarwood.
He’s relatively youthful for a capital city
mayor who likes to be known as a hip
guy who is down with the young ones.
Whilst he has a background in urban
planning and is keen to work towards
an Adelaide we can all gain access to,
I think he knows this city still has a long
way to go before we can boast about
our accessibility to people that have
to use a walker or wheelchair or have
other extra accessibility requirements.
I know the council has an access
and inclusion strategy, but in recent
weeks I’ve happened upon a couple
of exciting programs within local
government – not here in Australia –
but across the Pacific Ocean.
This August, during the winter recess
of Parliament, I went to America as part
of the US Government’s International
Leadership Visitors Program (ILVP), and
naturally, I chose to focus my study tour
on disability rights. I learned and saw
some great things which I hope to write
about over the next few issues of LINK,
and one of them is the Mayor’s Office
for Disability.
I visited these offices in New York and
San Francisco and was thoroughly
impressed by the important changes
being made for and by people with
disability. The New York office, for
example, works alongside agencies
and relevant city commissioners to
provide small housing modifications,
improved restaurant accessibility
and job shadowing to give people
a chance to get out into their
community, access recreation and
find the work that best suits them.
This office, I am told, also has access
to the mayor’s media department to
get on-air and bring important issues
to the forefront.
The San Francisco office takes a
hands-on approach to overseeing the
city’s compliance to the Americans
with Disabilities Act. It has even
established a hotline direct to the
Department of Public Works which
people can call to request a new
or updated kerb ramp to improve
walkway and pedestrian crossing
access. It is also working on holistic
emergency preparedness and
evacuation plans for people with a
wide range of disabilities following
recent earthquake activity. Maybe
if we had such foresight here in
Australia, we would not see frequent
bungles in times of urgency like the
camera operators who repeatedly
zoomed in on [former Queensland
premier] Anna Bligh during her
speeches on the Queensland floods,
cutting the Auslan interpreters out
of view.
I know very well that policy and
legislation play a vital role in
advancing rights, but when it comes
to things like safe, easy physical
access, it is on-the-ground work that
actually enables us as people with
disability to readily get out into society
and be completely visible to those
who make those policies. This is what
drives the most real change.
As considerable as the potential of
the NDIS is, it will not make our cities’
walkways, restaurants or housing,
for example, more accessible to all,
but something like a Mayor’s Office
for Disability could. I look forward
to working with Mayor Yarwood to
make this a reality for Adelaide, and
hopefully get the ball rolling down a
few new kerb ramps and into your
towns, too.
linkmagazine
31
sport
BRING ON BOCCIA IN RIO
Craig Sparre, pictured right, is a man on a mission. After
winning a bronze medal in the national boccia titles last
May, he is now working hard to secure a place in our
Paralympics team competing in Brazil in 2016.
And he has a strong support team with none other than
South Australian Liberal Leader Steven Marshall as one
of his biggest fans. “Craig and I have known each other
for quite a while now,” Steven says. “We met through
SCOSA’s mentor program and quickly discovered we had
quite a few things in common. [SCOSA being the Spastic
Centres of SA.] For a start, we are both one-eyed Port
Power supporters, so we chat about the [AFL] footy a lot.”
The pair has kept in touch since Steven became leader in
February and Craig recently called into Parliament House
to catch up and share a coffee. “Steven and I get on
well,” Craig says. “We ask each other how we’re going.
He’s got a good sense of humour.”
Craig is now busy training with long hours spent in
the gym to build his upper body strength, as well as
preparing for the new state boccia competition. There, he
will represent two clubs and hope to catch the eye of the
national selectors. “I just have to get better and better.
My goal is the Paralympics and I have to keep myself
strong,” Craig says.
For Steven, Craig is an inspiration. “Craig never gives
up. He has never let his disability get in the way of what
he wants to achieve and he is a great South Australian. I
have no doubt we will be watching him compete in Brazil
in two years’ time.”
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accessfitness.com.au
EX-PARALYMPIAN
TAKES ON BALINESE
WATERS
Former Australian Paralympian Kingsley Bugarin,
who has a vision impairment, is now an open water
swimmer. He told LINK about a recent comp he
took part in.
“In July 2012, I went to Bali to swim in my first 10km
Bali ocean swim. The swim is run by the Bali Sports
Foundation and entry fees go directly to supporting
swimming lessons for children and youth with disabilities.
Last year, I was fourth overall in a time of two hours,
48 minutes and 40 seconds. This year, I returned to try
to improve my result because I wasn’t happy with it.
I arrived in Bali on Friday and went for a short swim –
about 2.5km – on Saturday morning. The sea off Kuta
was a mill pond and
it was nice to swim in
warm water.
AUSTRALIAN VISIT FOR
UNIQUE TALL SHIP
Lord Nelson, a unique tall ship crewed by sailors with
and without disabilities, arrived in Australia on an
inaugural visit from the UK in July.
The Jubilee Sailing Trust’s ship is currently undertaking a
two-year circumnavigation in the Norton Rose Fulbright
Sail the World Challenge – a voyage promoting inclusion
and equality in each of its 30 ports of call. More than
1000 people will have the chance to sail on the vessel
during the journey.
The ship was built to accommodate a wide range of
physical disabilities and features include wheelchair lifts
between decks, a speaking compass, braille signage,
and hearing loops. The crew work together in a ‘buddy’
system, supporting each other as they sail across the
world’s oceans.
As it usually happens
with open-water
swimming, it wasn’t
so smooth the next
day for the race.
During my pre-race
warm-up of about
2km, conditions
were quite nice. However, between
that and the race start, a bit of ‘chop’ developed and
conditions steadily worsened through the race.
The course: We swam 200m out from the beach and
turned right around a small fishing boat. It was then
a 2.4km swim to the far end of the course, where we
turned 180 around another fishing boat before heading
back to the first boat to complete a lap. We then swam
a second lap before swimming back to shore to cross
the line.
At the 7.5km food stop, a woman asked me to swim
with her to the end, so I did. She would have pulled out
without me, but she did slow me down a little. However,
not enough that it altered the result. In the end, in
conditions that made last year’s challenging conditions
look smooth, I was nine minutes faster and improved
to equal third overall – with the woman I escorted
– and second male. Next year my goal is to win.”
balioceanswim.com
Adelaide crew
member Craig
Gordon, who
is blind, did the
Singapore to
Fremantle leg and
then back to SA.
linkmagazine
33
A DAY
AAY IN THE LIFE OF
scott hutton
I REALLY ENJOY
HAVING
NG A JOB!
24 hours | nova employment
The biggest daily challenge for
NOVA Employment client Scott
Hutton, who has a spinal cord
injury, is transport. He gets up
early to catch the bus to his
three-days-per-week job in
administration at an accounting
firm in Sydney’s outer west.
Soon he’ll start a traineeship
in accounting as he’s always
been good at numbers.
5.30am My alarm goes off.
I try to get out of bed as quickly
as possible. At night I leave my
wheelchair next to my bed and can
transfer into that independently.
Get my clothes ready, brush my
hair and teeth, take my tablets. Get
everything ready for work, including
my toileting aides.
6am Usually a carer turns up
from Home Care to help with my
morning routine (toilet, shower,
getting dressed) but if they don’t
come, Mum helps out.
7am Catch the bus. I skip
breakfast, because I’ve got chronic
reflux. I’ll drink an Up & Go on the
way. The biggest worry for me is
whether the bus is going to be
accessible. So far it has been. In
the past, buses scheduled to be
accessible have turned out not to be.
8.30am Start work. I work in
administration at a tax accountant's
in Penrith, NSW, but I’m about to
start a Certificate IV in Accounting.
I’ll complete it part-time over three
years. I really enjoy having a job!
It’s a different environment and I
learn new things. Payday is nice.
When I first arrived, I almost died
of shock because the building’s
only five years old so meets
modern, accessible standards. The
only modification I’ve made is an
Scott Hutton with colleagues from Pinnacle Taxation Services in NSW’s Penrith.
automatic mechanism on the toilet
door. The most frustrating part of
my day is that I can’t reach up high,
so if I need anything photocopied or
off a shelf, I have to ask. Everyone in
my office is happy to do this.
Lunch Sometimes I take my
own lunch; sometimes I buy it.
There are a few different shops
about a two-minute walk away. I
have my favourites – the pie shop’s
quite good. We get an hour for
lunch and they make sure we take
it. I usually go for a wander around
the street to clear my head.
away. They’re always there if I need
them. They located this job for me
after getting my résumé in order,
doing interview practice and building
my confidence.
4.30pm It’s time to catch the
bus home. Occasionally there’s
some grumpy person sitting in the
accessible bay, where I need to
park, and they’re not happy when
the bus driver tells them to get up.
What’s worse is that in a wheelchair
you have to face backwards, so
have look at them the whole trip!
means I process a lot of paperwork
– receiving, recording, filing and
directing mail to and from clients,
the ATO and ASIC. The company
suggested I do this to become
comfortable with terminology before
starting my TAFE course.
6pm I transfer from my motorised
wheelchair to my manual chair,
which I use inside. I have dinner
then might watch TV or play on
my computer. Every second night,
I have a carer come to help with
personal care. I’ve got a spinal cord
injury. I can use my arms in a limited
capacity.
My NOVA Employment consultant
visits regularly. As I get more
comfortable with the role, they step
Would you like to feature in our
‘day in the life of’ series? Contact
[email protected].
PM Working in administration
linkmagazine
35
music | marlena katene
e
m
a
F me
Ga
Aussie journo Marlena Katene hangs out with US rapper Snoop Lion.
Budding music journalist
Marlena Katene, who has
athetosis cerebral palsy,
has interviewed tonnes of
celebs, from Russell Brand
to Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Salt-N-Pepa, on her
YouTube site, youtube.com/
user/theaacjournalist. We
chatted to the 22-year-old
Queenslander about her goal
to be “the non-verbal version
of Molly Meldrum”.
What’s your secret to securing
celebrity interviews? My biggest
secrets to securing interviews are:
1.
Develop networks. Over the
past few years, I have put so
much time, energy and money into
conferences, travel and my business.
This may sound simple but people
know me – lots of people. My
networks have come by sharing my
story, dreams and successes. It’s
amazing how many people jump onboard and pass on opportunities to
meet and interview people. With the
right networks and a purpose to meet
them, I believe anyone is accessible.
2.
I use my abilities, not disabilities.
Many people think I may use
my disability to get the attention of
the people I have met. I never use
my disability card, but I do use my
journalism card. If I know an artist
or someone interesting is [heading
somewhere] near me, I will use
my extensive networks to send a
very good pitch letter, which I have
refined time and time again.
“I never use my
disability ‘card’.”
I am a journalist and am nearing
the end of my degree [at Griffith
University]. This is and will be my
career. While I do admire some
people I have interviewed, I am
there to work, not as a fan. There
have been times I have applied and
been granted media passes. There
are also many times my pitch letter
has been rejected, like any other
journalist. My pitch letter does not
mention the fact that I am nonverbal until the third paragraph. I
have intentionally done this to
ensure my work speaks for itself.
I offer a unique, humorous and
positive interview to all my subjects.
While it may be bit naive to think
curiosity of my uniqueness has
not played a part in some people
agreeing, I know my journalism is the
reason why I get replies. Although,
being non-verbal is a pretty cool
point of difference and one which
makes my interviews unforgettable!
3.
Do not treat celebrities like they
are amazing human beings. It
sounds a little clichéd but all the
famous people I have interviewed
are just ordinary people. I went
backstage to meet a very famous
artist when I was in Las Vegas with
the intention of an interview. This
person’s manager was amazing, but
obviously this person did not see
the value in what I had to offer. She
saw my disability and not [me as] a
journalist… I’m glad the interview
did not happen. There would have
been no value in it for either party. I
was offered an interview and access
when she came to Australia, but
respectfully declined – despite the
fact there would have been a huge
audience for it.
Meeting the Dalai Lama.
4.
Leveraging. Many things I have
done in life have been based
on starting simple and building
on it. When you look through my
portfolio, you will see I have secured
some hard-to-get people. However,
some were very easy to do, with
one phone call and a purpose
alone securing an interview. For
instance, I had the opportunity to
meet skateboarder Tony Hawk. I
prepared for an interview, not sure I
would get it. I secured it, and a year
and a bit later, used this as leverage
to get an interview with magician
David Copperfield. I will be doing
this again in the next few weeks by
sending a YouTube link of my Kelly
Rowland interview to Beyoncé’s
management.
5.
A no doesn’t always mean no.
Sometimes it just means you’re
asking the wrong person. I had an
experience once where I emailed
and used every network I had to get
an interview with Snoop Dogg [now
Snoop Lion]. I was told no, but we
will get you to meet him and say
hi. So I asked him directly, and as
result, I was guest of his at a festival
and saw a side of him not many get
to see. I have his details now on file
for future reference. There is always
Interviewing British R&B singer Craig David.
a number of ways to get interviews
with people of interest. Just don’t
be afraid to ask a few people. It only
takes one person to see value in
what you have to offer.
How do you communicate
with the interviewees being
non-verbal? I use low-tech and
high-tech communication. And, as
all good journalists pre-prepare
questions, so do I. I pre-program
them into my iPad or talking device.
For future interviews, I will now
also use my ABC board for adlib
questions... I ensure before the
interview, the subject is aware of
my unique communication methods.
There have been many people, such
as Craig David, who have actually
had a go at facilitating me, and are
surprised how quick it is to pick up
my communication.
“It only takes one
person to see
value in what you
have to offer.”
Your best and worst interviews?
I would say 2012 world surf
champion Joel Parkinson was the
best. This was the first article I was
paid to write that had nothing to
do with disability. Joel has been a
big supporter of mine and I have
interviewed him a few times. As
I am wishing to head into music
journalism, Kelly Rowland was
[also] pretty good, [as was] being
serenaded by Aussie band Human
Nature and hanging out backstage
with them in Las Vegas. [Plus] R&B
singer Craig David is now a friend
and contact. So many – LOL! As
far as the worst interview, I can
honestly say all the people I have
met have been great. Some may
have been a bit awkward initially,
but after a few questions, they were
fine with the uniqueness of the
interview.
Any celebs you’d desperately
love to interview in future? I will
interview the Dalai Lama and Oprah
Winfrey! The Dalai Lama I have
met. I’ve had three rejection letters
for an interview from his office. I
will not give up, though, and after
meeting him, I know he will do
this – I am just not sure when. I am
fascinated by Oprah’s journalism
career as well. If I meet her, I will
ask her directly for an interview and
will have a camera in my bag and
questions ready to go.
linkmagazine
37
link | relationships
NSW’s Violet Valentine has
published a how-to guide for ‘other
chicks in chairs’, dubbed Sitting
Pretty, covering everything from
making the bed to making love!
“At age 10, I watched my mum pass away in our living
room from a heart attack. Fast forward to April 1999,
I was living in England on a working holiday and had
fallen in love with a beautiful man. We were planning our
future together. Two months later, I woke up in a hospital
bed and was bluntly informed my boyfriend had died
in an accident that had just occurred. And that I would
probably never walk again due to the severity of damage
to my spinal cord.
Fast forward again, through six months of rehabilitation,
and I’m being driven from the spinal unit to the airport,
flying home to spend time with my father who’s been
diagnosed with terminal cancer. When I get home,
though, I also find out my only brother is dying from a
brain tumour. He passes away before my dad does.
Within seven months of being out of hospital, this is the
second time I have stood – or rather, sat in my chair – at
the same cemetery.
I am not some Pollyanna who lives in the world of sunshine
and sunflowers. I have faced and felt the pain of loss. I
acknowledge the frustrations of my day-to-day reality. Yet
rather than focusing my time and attention on what I don’t
have, I choose to be grateful for what I do.
“I am not some Pollyanna.”
My book, SITTING PRETTY for Chicks in Chairs,
came from a desire to give back. I also wanted to help
breakdown preconceptions about people with a disability
through empowering others to create a life they truly
love. So I began penning everything I’ve done postinjury, ranging from making the bed to making love – with
nothing off-limits! Next year, I will marry the love of my life.
Here are a few tips of mine on the dating scene…
• Females, stop comparing yourself to other women.
You are a diamond and you need to recognise and
acknowledge your own gorgeousness.
• When I changed my expectations of others and my
attitude and monitored – and altered – my self-talk, it
resulted in more positive experiences and outcomes.
• Make certain you know the substance of the man
you are falling in love with. If you are not best friends
before you marry, when you say your vows, nothing is
going to change.
• Take a cold, hard look at your wardrobe and ensure
it really expresses your gorgeousness. Please
don’t limit your wardrobe because you think, ‘I’m
in a wheelchair, I can’t wear that’, or whatever
your situation is. There is nothing we need to do to
deserve love. We are worthy of love because we
‘are’.” facebook.com/Violet.Valentine2
k
l
a
t
s
Let'
x
e
s
t
u
abo
Kelley Storum has created an online
outlet where people with disability
can talk openly about sex, love and
intimacy.
“My name is Kelley Storum. As a mother, lover, friend,
daughter, massage therapist, Tantra practitioner and
intuitive healing facilitator, touch, love, sex, intimacy
and relationships are imperative to my life and enhance
my world.
After massaging a very special and brave man with
a spinal cord injury a few years ago and seeing the
benefits of what touch and connection could cause,
it became clear to me that this is the case for the
majority of us. It also became obvious it was even more
important to him and many like him, particularly because
it was not so easily available or accessible.
Talking about Sex in Wheelchairs was birthed from a
series of conversations with this man and many others
to transform the stigma of sex and disability. There is
an enormous gap between acknowledging what his
needs were and being able to talk openly to someone to
create them. Finally, there is somewhere to talk openly
and learn about creating touch, love and relationships
in the lives of people in wheelchairs and with physical
disabilities!
Talking about Sex in Wheelchairs is primarily a
membership-based website. We aim to address the
shame, embarrassment and awkwardness that exist
in society for and around people with disability when it
comes to touch, love, relationships, and sex.
People with disability in today’s society are often
regarded as non-sexual adults since sex is very much
associated with youth and physical attractiveness. This
is what makes speaking about it so difficult, and then
there is the fact of ‘who’ to speak to.
Talking about Sex in Wheelchairs is committed to
providing solutions and assistance for both these
obstacles. Firstly, the safe space to speak and secondly,
the ‘someone’ to speak to. We will provide services
and programs for our members to empower and
Kelley Storum wi
Warwick – her insth her friend,
piration behind
the new site.
enable them to create a life they love. These include a
secure forum to meet people and form relationships,
and somewhere for discussions to be introduced and
questions to be asked and answered, or at the very
least, addressed.
“People with disability are
often regarded as non-sexual
adults.”
We propose that every month there will be live contact
with an expert or professional in the field. This will take
place either live or via webinar. There will be monthly
coaching sessions on topics to empower members in
having conversations, learning how to ask for what they
want and receive what they need. There will also be live
seminars around the country and eventually abroad.
We are not a dating agency or somewhere to book a
sex worker, but we will have access and advice on these
topics and partners who can provide or recommend
such services. It is all about removing the stigma around
sex and disability. The emphasis is on the ‘talking
about’, so we can create freedom, power and full selfexpression in an area of life that has been pushed into
the dark corners of society.” tasiw.com
linkmagazine
39
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travels | bruce mumford
Going too far can
sometimes lead to a lonely
place Bruce Mumford finds.
There’s a difference
between boldness
and stupidity, Bruce
Mumford writes.
At Easter, I was to work at the famous
Burrawang Fair, calling out for the
local bushfire brigade’s raffle. Each
year, our small Southern Highlands
village has its fair, where the main
street is lined with market stalls
and full of visitors in more Akubras,
Driza-Bones and riding boots than
you would normally see outside of
Sydney’s eastern suburbs. For once,
the weather looked great. There
were more stalls than ever. I had my
spruiking pitch all worked out. And
then, for no apparent reason, my
electric wheelchair stopped working.
A frenzy of frantic phone calls
followed to get one on loan before
the weekend. Finally I was able
to obtain a chair from the local
disability Interchange.
Saturday started pretty dismally,
however, as my new wheelchair
had not charged overnight, my old
chair would not go and my old,
old wheelchair would work around
the house, but wouldn’t be able to
get me up to Burrawang with any
certainty.
“
More Akubras, DrizaBones and riding boots
than Sydney’s eastern
suburbs.
”
My carer got the hoist out to the
door though and my youngest
son, Rohan, brought my scooter
from the garage and I managed to
transfer onto it. As usual, I tried to
make sure I was prepared for all
eventualities, taking hat, sunglasses,
sunscreen, metal claw, mobile
phone, wallet, spare ‘equipment’,
camera, coil of mountaineering rope,
etcetera. I then travelled up to town.
Even though the street was very
crowded, I could bulldoze my way
through on the scooter without
injuring too many people. I did have
one worrying incident when I hit
the forward instead of the reverse
button and almost destroyed a
handmade jewellery stand. But
the day was beaut, the people
were nice (even the injured ones),
although the pub had run out of
beer – and I only thought that
happened in Slim Dusty songs.
I like to think my raffle-ticket calling
was a great success. One lady
passing said she thought I must
have had a megaphone. I told her
no, but I used to be a teacher. I
don’t get many chances to call out
lots of absolute twaddle at passing
strangers, but this is a skill which
seems to come naturally to me.
All in all, it was a great day, with
the only dark point being my trip
home when I decided to take an
linkmagazine
41
excursion down a dead-end street
to try out the new bridge across
the dam and walking track. I had
previously tried to do this scenic
trip, recently completed by the local
council and Bushcare group, on my
electric wheelchair, but found it a
little too hair-raising and steep on
the other side. But now that I was
on my scooter, I felt more confident
and willing to take on the challenge.
In retrospect, this willingness is an
aspect of personality I must curb as
it no longer has any relationship to
my physical situation.
I got across the bridge okay and
then up the hill on the other side of
an unformed dirt ‘track’, which was
very steep indeed. Upon which,
I stopped halfway up thinking:
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have done
this.” But then I realised I had
no alternative but to keep going.
So I put my fingers down to the
handlebars and charged flat-out up
the hill, just making it.
Unfortunately in the rush, my bumbag, with my phone and wallet, had
fallen from the scooter basket onto
the track behind me. I looked back
forlornly and pondered the situation.
“
I did have one worrying
incident when I hit ‘forward’
instead of ‘reverse’.
”
I could call home and ask them to
come and get it for me, but that
would be both a hassle for them
and demeaning to myself. So I
decided to proceed cautiously,
zigzagging back down the hill and
turning gingerly side-on to the track.
That way I could get my claw and
pick up the bag. This is where I
came unstuck.
Fair-goers check out the Burrawang stalls.
Unfortunately, I had asked Roh to
put my nifty Inspector Gadget-style
claw in the tube at the back of my
scooter. I tried to reach over my
shoulder, but it was on the left (bad)
side and I had to lean with my back
against the right armrest. Naturally,
at this point, I went into a full spasm
with my legs as well as my back
going rigid. I slid gradually out of
my seat onto the footplate and then
down onto the track.
I couldn’t roll over to pull myself
back up onto the scooter as it was
now uphill from me. But now being
near my bum-bag and phone, I
thought I could make a call home
and ask for help.
I was not altogether surprised to
find it was just about 30cm still out
of reach. So I had to make a roll
for it, which was almost disastrous.
The lake at the bottom of the hill
beckoned…
Eventually, I did hit a rock. I everso-slowly clawed myself back to
the bum-bag, got the phone and,
after much fumbling and dropping,
managed to make the call. I then
lay prone, waiting for help to
arrive. My boys would be able to
walk from our house in about five
minutes. Hopefully before then, the
ant now crawling up my leg would
decide to turn back and leave me
alone. I could only lift my head and
shoulders about 5cm. After a few
minutes contemplating the trees and
the power-lines above, I heard: “Do
you think he’s dead?”
I thought it may have been the
boys joking, but it was some elderly
landowners nearby, who had spied
me through their garden. Luckily
the boys also arrived at that time
and were able to demonstrate that,
despite appearances, I was still
alive. They got me back onto the
scooter – with considerable effort,
as it was crosswise on a fairly
hefty slope. I had an interesting
conversation with the property
owners. They had seen me recite
poetry at the Burrawang Trivia Night,
but I’d never got to have a talk with
them in the 27 years living here.
And I thought I knew everyone in
town (mental note: must get out
more).
Then, eldest son Ashley and I had
a very pleasant trip home together,
chatting about how you can meet
the nicest people in the strangest
circumstances. In the end, all was
good except for a few bruises and
grazes and headaches and a fair bit
of dust on my shoes and Aboriginalpatterned caftan. (Being ochretinted, this looked quite natural.)
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linkmagazine
43
different beats
&
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Anthea Skinner recently spoke
at an international conference
in China on disability music
culture, which raised some
questions of her own.
Does your disability affect your taste
in music? If you’re a musician, does
it affect the way you play? Do you
listen to music by musicians with
disabilities? Do you consider yourself
part of a wider ‘disability community’?
These were questions I was
pondering during a recent trip to
China. In July I travelled to the
International Council for Traditional
Music’s (ICTM) World Conference at
the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
I was there to talk about disability
music – more specifically, about
disability music culture.
Usually when people talk about
musical cultures, they are referring
to music from specific ethnic groups.
Different ethnic groups, for example,
use different instruments, scale
structures and rhythmic patterns.
They also often sing in different
languages and about topics
important to their communities.
“
Disability music
culture goes deeper.”
So where does that leave disability
music? Most of us do not have
parents with disabilities and most
of us don’t learn about disability
pride in our schools or churches.
Aside from the Deaf community,
we don’t have a language of our
own. Despite this, we do have a
strong community of people who
self-identify as having a disability
and who come together to socialise,
voice their political opinions, play
sports, and, of course, participate
in the arts. This includes a growing
group of musicians who play music
representing this culture. Rudely
Interrupted is one of Australia’s
best-known disability culture bands
and their songs display a wonderful
autistic sensibility. Likewise, in
the Congo, Staff Benda Bilili sing
about issues important to their local
disability community, like malaria and
polio prevention and education for
children with disability.
Disability music culture goes
deeper than an allegiance to a
specific community. For people
with intellectual disabilities, mental
illnesses, neurological conditions
and sensory impairments, the very
organs we use to perceive music
- our eyes, ears and brain - are
different from our able-bodied peers.
Musicians with disabilities also often
modify their playing technique to
accommodate the differences in
their bodies. For example, I’m a
drummer, but moving my legs is
both painful and unpredictable, so
I have modified my drum kit to play
using only my hands. My playing
might sound different to other
people, but my disability gives my
music a distinctive sound.
LOCAL BAND WINS DISABILITY
FILM COMPETITION
A music video clip by
Melbourne band Bearbrass
Asylum Orchestra – including
LINK columnist Anthea
Skinner – has taken out the
Judges’ Choice Award for
Best Documentary at NOVA
Employment’s Focus on
Ability short film competition.
Unfortunately, many people with
disability still have limited access
to mainstream music education.
Instead, most of us learn from our
friends or rely on a small number of
music educators and organisations
experienced in working with people
with disability. These organisations
include The Music Network for
Mental Health in Australia and Krip
Hop Nation in the US and South
Africa. Limited access to education
outside of the disability community
has increased the speed in which
ideas about modifying instruments
and technique have spread. Some
musicians, including members of
the Canadian band, Trainwreck, also
use instruments that were originally
designed for use in music therapy.
“
Disability gives my
music a distinctive
sound.”
I play in a band called the
Bearbrass Asylum Orchestra. All
of our members have a disability
and some of our songs talk about
our experiences of living with
disability. We consider ourselves to
be part of a vibrant community of
performers with disability. We often
find ourselves meeting the same
people at different gigs – be they
performers, producers or audience
The trio, whose members
Band members Tim Hackett, left, Anthea Skinner and
Jess Kapuscinski-Evans. Photo: Miroslav Kapuscinski.
all have a disability, entered
a film clip of their song
Welcome, in the contest, which
aims to raise awareness of the abilities of people with disability.
The film’s director, Carl Thompson, who also has a disability, flew to
Sydney to accept the award. “I was mixing the band’s demo CD when
I heard about the competition,” he says, “and I thought that their
song, Welcome, would be perfect.”
Welcome was co-written by the band’s lead singer, Jess KapuscinskiEvans, and Michael Adeney. “There are so many little hurdles that [the
disability community] face every day – many of which could be improved
if people were more aware of accessibility issues,” Jess explains.
The film is the first video clip for the band, which has only been playing
together for two years. “We first formed to perform at a cabaret night
about sex and disability called Quippings,” says percussionist Anthea
Skinner. Guitarist Tim Hackett adds: “At first we were only planning
to do a one-off performance, but we enjoyed working together so
much we decided to stay together.” Check out the winning vid at
focusonability.com.au/FOA/films/Welcome_267.html
members. This happens not only
at disability-specific events, but at
mainstream performances too. This
is, in part, due to the limited number
of accessible performance venues in
any given city. While many theatres
and bars now have good access for
patrons, it is still relatively difficult to
find accessible stages to perform on.
So next time you are at a disability
community event, look at the
performers onstage and ask
yourself some questions… Do
they reflect the way I see myself
as a person with disability? How
do the performances differ from
those I’ve seen in the mainstream?
Are they accessible to everyone?
Are they being led by a person
with disability? What can I add
to the conversation? Once you
start looking, you’ll soon see that
disability culture is everywhere, and
it’s beautiful.
linkmagazine
45
link | leisure
You Can Know Us by Asha Tulloch-Hoskins (Our
Lady of La Vang)
You Can Know Us, written and illustrated by Asha
Tulloch-Hoskins, was recently launched at Our Lady
of La Vang in SA’s Flinders Park (formerly St Ann’s
Special School). It provides an insight into what it’s
like to have autism and be in a mainstream school.
Asha came to Our Lady of La Vang after having been
in two mainstream
schools. Asha told her
new teacher, Sally, her
previous teachers did
not understand her.
Sally asked Asha: “How
could the teachers learn
more about children
with autism and what
it’s like for them?” Asha
responded: “They could
read books to learn.”
Sally asked if she could
write a book to help them
and, without hesitation, Asha
said “yes”. You Can Know Us
was born. Published with the
assistance of Catholic Education
SA, it’s available for $20 from the
school or via email at info@lavang.
catholic.edu.au.
Can I Tell You About OCD? by
Amita Jassi (Footprint Books)
Meet Katie – a teenager with
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
(OCD). Katie invites readers to learn
about OCD from her perspective,
helping them to understand what it is, how her
obsessions and compulsions affect her daily life, and
how people around her can help. With illustrations
throughout, it shows family, friends and teachers how
they can support someone with the condition and is an
excellent way to start a conversation about OCD in the
classroom or at home.
SpinalMap by Rob Hope
Rob Hope is a writer and TV director. After filming a doco
for an accessible adventure touring company,
he realised communication
between people who had
had a spinal cord injury and
society at large was a fraught
area. SpinalMap has been
written for people who wish
to understand and empathise
with those who are living
with the effects of SCI. It’s
available in eBook format,
including from Amazon,
Smashwords and Apple.
The Girl with All the
Gifts by M. R. Carey
(Orbit)
This is a heartbreaking,
mind-bending thriller
about a young girl
who wants to save
the world. Melanie is
a very special girl. Dr
Caldwell calls her “our
little genius”. Every
morning, Melanie
waits in her cell to be
collected for class.
When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his
gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into
her wheelchair. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they
don’t laugh. Melanie loves school. She tells her favourite
teacher all the things she’ll do when she grows up.
Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau
look sad.
link | leisure
The circus is
coming to Adelaide!
Are you aged between two and
26, looking for a new challenge, in
search of a welcoming community, a
clown at heart, and wanting to learn
some cool tricks? Then the Lolly Jar
Circus is the place for you.
“For people of all different
shapes, sizes, colours and
tastes.”
It will be the first and only circus
school in Adelaide to actively
welcome, encourage and cater for
people, aged two to 26, who have a
physical or intellectual disability. The
Lolly Jar Circus will also welcome
participants who are able-bodied
and open-minded.
It will be a safe place for participants
to learn fun and exciting new
circus skills. The ‘Jar’ will contain
people of all different shapes, sizes,
colours and tastes, with the central
concept being the enrichment of
each other’s’ lives through physical
and artistic interaction. Classes
will not be formed on the basis of
medical diagnoses or labels, but
on complementary skills, strengths
and weaknesses, friendships, and
individual and group well-being.
The circus aims to promote the
development of a community based
on fun, friendship, trust, opportunity,
laughter and creativity – without
competition or judgement. Physical
exercise will be complemented by
social and artistic elements, offering
something for everyone. A shy person
may enjoy the solo challenge of
juggling while an extrovert may prefer
fast-paced acrobatics or clowning. In
the same way, a person with vision
impairment may enjoy the fun of
contact juggling while a wheelchair
user may like trying being the base of
a three-person high pyramid.
Classes start in late 2013, so if this
sounds like something for you or
someone you know, feel free to get
in touch. The circus is also always
on the lookout for more
spectacular trainers,
enthusiastic volunteers
and generous sponsors.
The Lolly Jar Circus has
big dreams of training
people of all ages
and abilities in circus
arts in its own fully
equipped studio in
years to come.
To find out more
or express
your interest,
contact Judy
Bowden on
ph 0438 420
522 and keep an eye
on its website coming soon at
lollyjarcircus.com.au.
Comic corner
DITZABLEDPRINCESS.COM
Writer and main character: Jewel Kats. Illustrator: Katarina Andriopoulos.
linkmagazine
47
MJD FOUNDATION AND
THE TRANSFORMATIVE
POWER OF DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY
The MJD Foundation is using tablet technology to improve the social
and emotional wellbeing of their clients. The 'Our Story' project,
an innovative art, education, cultural and economic empowerment
project, provided three young MJD clients with the opportunity to film
and edit their own stories using the tablet. The success of this project
in providing empowerment and validation within their communities is
also highlighted by the employment opportunities offered by Northern
Territory Libraries for two of the young men. The project has enabled
the young men who have MJD to capture their stories while they
can still speak. They filmed their country, their traditional stories and
their passions such as making spears, swimming and AFL. The MJD
Foundation videos ‘Making a Spear’, ‘Trip to Umbakumba’ and ‘Let's
Go...’ can be accessed at: youtube.com/watch?v=RuGwQ2FByuY
Machado Joseph Disease (MJD)
is a hereditary neurodegenerative
condition, life limiting and with no
known cure. People living with
MJD lose the ability of speech and
movement and experience social
disconnection and depression in the
face of the illness. MJD is found all
over the world however Indigenous
Australians living in the Northern
Territory experience prevalence 100
times greater than the international
average. While it is not possible to
predict who will develop MJD, there
are currently around 550 people
in the NT thought to be at risk of
developing the disease alive today.
When the MJD Foundation looked
to the transformative power of digital
technology to help improve the lives
of Indigenous Australians and their
families living with MJD, the Telstra
Groote Eylandt man Steve Wurramara recording his story as part
of the ‘Our Story’ project. Photo courtesy of MJD Foundation
Foundation saw the opportunity to
help unlock their digital potential.
Through a three-year, $300,000
Telstra Foundation Social Innovation
Grant, the MJD Foundation are
scaling a successful pilot trial that
demonstrated the potential for
mobile technology to provide people
living with MJD a lasting and positive
means for communication and selfempowerment.
MJD Foundation is a charitable
organisation that works to improve quality
of life for Indigenous Australians and
their families living with MJD in Arnhem
Land and beyond by improving care and
therapy services, implementing practical
solutions to help those living with MJD
with their symptoms, community-wide
education as well as contributing to
local and international research and
advocacy to raise awareness and increase
understanding of this little-known disease.
www.mjd.org.au
The project leverages tablet devices
and applications to tailor and deliver
innovative literacy, education,
communication and empowerment
programs in communities in Arnhem
Land and Darwin. Outcomes of
this project align to the Telstra
Foundation’s strategy to ensure
all Australians experience the
benefits of connecting to new
communication technologies.
Telstra Foundation believes lives can be
changed when great ideas connect with
technology and works with community
partners to unlock their digital potential
so that all Australians - regardless of age,
income, location, disability - enjoy the
social and economic benefits of being
connected. www.telstrafoundation.org
breakthroughs
Getting hands-on at
M-Enabling Australasia 2013
Delegates were able to get their hands on an array of
accessible products at a technology showcase at ACCAN
and Telstra’s M-Enabling Australasia 2013 conference.
The showcase, held in Sydney in August, highlighted
how accessibility features, which are often left out of
most websites and apps, could be easily implemented
into products and change the lives of people with
disability and older consumers. Products included:
• The SOS Mobile Watch, allowing carers and families
to keep track of the elderly. The watch can make
both incoming and outgoing calls and carers can also
locate the wearer on a map.
• SIMO’s indoor mapping app, allowing people who
are blind to navigate their way independently through
chaotic settings like shopping centres, museums and
airports.
• Silverline, bringing the mobile revolution to seniors with
its refurbished second-hand smartphones that contain
senior-specific apps.
• iPlay, where you can get your hands on a range of
Apple technologies and learn new accessibility tricks
from experts Greg Alchin and David Woodbridge.
• Jeenee Mobile, Australia’s first telco for people with
disability – its mobiles and tablets feature apps that
give users safety, security and accessibility at an
affordable price, and
• Tapestry, making it easy for seniors to connect with
family and friends by removing the often daunting task
of signing up and managing multiple online accounts.
One Tapestry account is all that’s required to keep up
with everyone’s photos, emails and other information.
Telstra predicts the future of
accessible technology
Changes in technology, particularly in the mobile
space, are providing Australians with disabilities
with additional benefits, according to Telstra’s chief
technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow.
Bradlow believes five major areas of innovation
currently being explored will benefit the disability
community most. These are:
Speech recognition. [Keyboards] are great for
people with 10 dexterous fingers, but can be a major
barrier for others. This barrier is rapidly falling as
devices become increasingly able to convert spoken
words directly into text.
Gesture recognition. Similarly, machines can
recognise, interpret and act on gestures from
different areas of our bodies, making it easier for
people who have difficulty in using a mouse or
remote control to manipulate their computer or TV.
New sensor technologies. Particularly biosensors
can allow people to access health monitoring services
remotely without the need to travel to a clinic.
Wearable computing will see the development of
clothing and accessories incorporating computer
and advanced electronic technologies, and
Multi-screen communication, which will beam
the small text from a mobile handset onto a large
screen, making it easier to read and interact with.
Telstra is proud to support Link Breakthroughs
opinion | peter coulter
The musings of
r
e
t
l
u
o
C
r
e
t
Pe
The LINK columnist talks
language misuse and
“peacocking”.
How to say it
We often say things we regret or don’t mean. We say:
“Sorry, that didn’t come out right.”
But there are also people who go through life
deliberately obfuscating and misspeaking. The latest
example of this I heard recently on a news report dealing
with the San Francisco plane crash. There were two
fatalities – sixteen-year-old Chinese girls. One of the girls
was injured and lying on the ground awaiting help when
she was run over by a fire truck. The chief fire warden
was interviewed and said the following: “Pursuant to
enquiry, it appears that one of the deceased may have
been contacted by a piece of our apparatus.”
It reminds me of another odd way of expressing one’s
self. During live telecast of that now infamous Apollo
launch, which exploded and was totally destroyed in a
huge fireball, an astronaut in the control site was heard
to say: “Houston, we have an event!”
Bird-like behaviour
I must admit I did not know that my behaviour was like
that of a bird, but apparently when a pretty girl happens
along I stand tall, push my shoulders back, brush my
hair and point my feet at her – amongst other things. As
stated on a morning TV show (so it must be true), there
is a new word for this and it is known as “peacocking”.
I am so glad that someone has bothered to study this
and inform me, because I have never had much luck with
girls. Now, instead of poking my tail at her and showing
off my bum feathers, I will just smile and say “hi”.
LinkConnect Gold is a directory that lists the names and services offered by companies servicing the
disability sector. For as little as $100 you can now arrange to advertise in the foremost national disability
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LinkConnect Gold page at www.linkmagazine.com/connect. For further information please contact Link
Magazine at [email protected] or ph (08) 8210 3223.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Nexus Human Services/Ostara Australia
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Brain Injury Network of SA Inc. (BINSA)
[email protected]
QUEENSLAND
www.novaemployment.com.au
Adelaide
BINSA is the peak body in SA representing anyone
affected by an acquired brain injury (ABI). BINSA
provides a range of advocacy support and tailored
ABI services and collaborates with other service
providers and ABI specialists to influence key
policies about issues impacting on ABI support.
08 8217 7600 / 1300 733 049
[email protected]
www.binsa.org
Help Employment and Training
Community Bridging Services (CBS) Inc
FSG Australia
Interwork Ltd
Canberra and Queanbeyan
To assist people with a Mental Illness and/or Disability
to gain and maintain meaningful employment.
02 6247 3611
[email protected]
www.nexushumanservices.com.au
Brisbane North and Outer North
Disability employment services, job services Australia.
Provider, Registered Training Organisation.
07 3260 6411
[email protected]
www.helpemployment.com.au
Maryborough to Gold Coast
Disability, Accommodation, Lifestyle and
Self Directed services. Registered Training
Organisation.
07 55640655
[email protected]
www.fsg.org.au
[email protected]
NEW SOUTH WALES
Nova Employment
Sydney
Nova Employment assists people who have a
disability find real jobs for real money.
02 9833 2500
[email protected]
ParaQuad of NSW
New South Wales, various locations
Aims to support people with a spinal cord injury
to achieve their choices in life, including vital care,
accommodation, support and clinical services.
02 8741 5600
[email protected]
www.paraquad.org.au
South Australia
Creating Independence by providing opportunities for
open employment, further education and recreation.
08 8224 2900
[email protected]
www.communitybridgingservices.org.au
Adelaide
Interwork Ltd give people the support, training
and skills to get into employment and enjoy life.
1800 851 262
[email protected]
www.interwork.com.au
Orana Incorporated
Adelaide
Orana provides people with disabilities with the
opportunity to live and work within their local
community, fulfil their dreams and become valued
and productive community members.
08 8375 2000
[email protected]
www.oranaonline.com.au
SACARE
South Australia
SACARE is committed to providing superior levels
of services for individuals with complex needs
aiming to enhance their lifestyles and wellbeing.
1300 145 636
[email protected]
www.sacare.com.au
Sorento Care Ltd
South Australia & New South Wales
A non-for-profit organisation providing care
models, accommodation and rehabilitation to
people with disabilities.
08 8155 5071
[email protected]
www.sorentocare.com.au
VICTORIA
SCOPE
Victoria
Scope offers a wide range of services across eight
regions in Victoria, from services for people with
a disability to services for carers, employers and
other groups.
03 9843 3000
[email protected]
www.scopevic.org.au
Telecommunications Industry
Ombudsman
National
A free and independent dispute resolution service
for people with complaints about their telephone or
internet service.
1800 062 058 (TTY 1800 675 692)
www.tio.com.au
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Activ
Metro Perth and some regional centres
Adult and child respite, supported employment,
group homes, individualised care, transport
services, recreation activities.
08 9387 0555
[email protected]
www.activ.asn.au
The Autism Association of WA
Western Australia
Services provided to meet the needs of people with
Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families, to meet
the particular needs of people with Autism.
08 9489 8900
[email protected]
www.autism.org.au
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Magazine's next issue out
December! Please contact Ian
Smedman on advertising@
linkonline.com.au or 08 8201 3223.
linkmagazine
51
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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 an older Australian 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:
Call 1800 068 424 (Voice), 1800 808 981 (TTY)
email: [email protected]
or find it online at:
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life`s still fast for matt speakman

Transcription

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