Welcome to the November edition of Blind Citizens News for 2020. You can also download the Word version or listen to the audio within each article.
List of Articles
- Editorial – “People love what they love, and they pursue their passions, regardless of obstacles. We’ll never stop arguing about how we should describe ourselves, and I’m eager for the debate to continue…”
- The Secret – “It started in my childhood. My parents brushed it off as clumsiness. I bumped into walls, doors, furniture. Outside it was worse. I bumped into signs, fell into holes, and tripped over constantly…”
- Five Tips for Diplomatic Self Advocacy – “We all experience those situations where it seems we bang our heads against the proverbial brick wall, and still we are confronted with a complete lack of recognition or acknowledgement of previous conversations we had, in which we thought our advocacy had been successful…”
- Pondering the Pandemic – “Two major issues were facing me. The first was rising anxiety due to being disconnected from my support network. The second was the physical changes put into place…”
- We’ve All Been There: Exploring Ableism – “I started to ask myself why I was so often treated differently. Why had it been considered appropriate to play “blind man’s bluff” at parties I had attended as a child? Why should it be so remarkable that there were three blind mice? And why were there so many jokes about blind men?…”
- Remembering the Class for the Partially Sighted – “In 1941, the Victorian Education Department set up the first special class for students who were partially sighted at the Princes Hill Infant School in Carlton North…”
- Keeping Connected – “While some regular activities outside of home have not been taking place for members this year, our National Women’s Branch has focused on keeping connected with our branch members.”
- Submit your writing to Blind Citizens News
- Directory of contact details
- New Horizons radio broadcast schedule
Editor’s Note
Blind Citizens Australia refers to our members as people who are blind or vision impaired. However, we respect the right of individual authors to use whatever language is most comfortable for them.
Publication Information
COPYRIGHT: Reproduction of articles appearing in Blind Citizens News is permitted provided Blind Citizens News and the author(s) are acknowledged.
Large Print ISSN 1441-449X Braille ISSN 1441-565
Blind Citizens News is distributed in Large Print, Braille, and Audio. Electronic copies in text format are available on CD or by email. If you would like to receive Blind Citizens News in another format, please contact us.
Other Publications
New Horizons Radio Programme and Podcast
Blind Citizens Australia Annual Report
Funding and Donations for BCA
BCA would like to acknowledge the generous work of the Jeffrey Blyth Foundation. The Foundation was formed in 1995 with BCA being the primary beneficiary.
We would also like to acknowledge our funding partners: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Victoria, the Department of Social Services, Vision Australia, the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, Guide Dogs Victoria, and our generous members.
If you would like to make a donation to Blind Citizens Australia, you can call the Office on 1800 033 660, and use your credit card. You can also donate online. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Feedback for BCA
Do you have any compliments, suggestions or concerns you wanted to let BCA know about? You can do this anonymously by following this link and completing a feedback form, or you can call BCA toll free on 1800 033 660. Your feedback will be used to improve our services to better meet the needs of our membership.
How to make a complaint about BCA
Any member, client, volunteer, or their advocate, can lodge a complaint about the services provided by BCA. Complaints can be made in the following ways:
Phone: 1800 033 660 Email: bca@bca.org.au Post: Blind Citizens Australia, Level 3, Ross House 247 – 251 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Vic 3000
If there are complaints of a serious nature, the Chief Executive Officer will ask that the complaint be put in writing.
Complaints will be recorded in accordance with the requirements for complaints management outlined by The Office of Disability Services Commissioner. Member and client privacy will be respected and protected in relation to the recording, management and resolution of the complaint. For a full copy of BCA’s complaints policy, please visit www.bca.org.au/feedback or call the office.