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May 28, 2018

Blind Citizens Australia

Inform. Connect. Empower.

Blind Citizens Australia is the national organisation of people who are blind or vision impaired in Australia.

We are a member-led organisation; our board of directors and more than half of our staff are blind or vision impaired.

For more than 40 years, we have worked tirelessly to change what it means to be blind or vision impaired in Australia.

Our website contains more about what we do or how you can be involved, or feel free to contact us.

Call: 1800 033 660
Text: 0436 446 780
Email: bca@bca.org.au

Mar 18, 2018

New Horizons Podcast

New Horizons is Blind Citizens Australia’s weekly radio show. To listen, use the audio player below.

You can subscribe to the Blind Citizens Australia podcast feed by pointing your Pod-Catcher to: http://blindcitizens.podbean.com/

Oct 18, 2019

Blind Citizens News – October Edition

The latest edition of Blind Citizens News is now available to read online – find out what’s been happening within BCA, what events are coming up, and hear about some member experiences that may resonate with you.

Read more

Sep 27, 2019

2019 Annual General Meeting

Event Details

Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) will hold its 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 30th November at 11:00AM (AEST). You can participate in the AGM if you are in Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane.

The Sydney venue is at the offices of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, 2-4 Thomas Street, Chatswood. Taxis can stop directly outside the building. If travelling by train, you can use the Metro or North shore Line trains. The venue is a one-minute walk from Chatswood station. When you come out of the station gates, turn right, then follow the ramp then ascend the stairs. At the top of the stairs cross at the crossing, then the building is about 50 metres up on your left hand side. BCA staff will be at the gates of the station from 10:00 to 10:45AM to direct you. The Sydney event will be followed by lunch and a Scavenger Hunt for those who wish to make a day of it.

The Melbourne venue is the offices of Vision 2020 Australia, Level 3, 33 Lincoln Square South, Carlton. Lincoln Square South runs off Swanston Street Carlton. Take any Melbourne University Tram along Swanston Street and alight at stop 3 (Lincoln Square) walk back toward the city and Lincoln Square South is the first street on your right. Vision 2020 is in the Save the Children building, on your left as you walk away from Swanston Street.

The Brisbane venue is the offices of Vision Australia, 373 Old Cleveland Road Coorparoo and the meeting commences at 10:00AM local time. Bus Services 203 and 204 stop immediately outside the Vision Australia entrance.   

Please make sure you register if you wish to attend one of the events.

Anyone who is unable to attend these events in person will be able to listen to the proceedings via a live stream available on this page.

The Agenda for the AGM includes presentation and discussion of the Annual Review and the Directors’ Report and Financial Statements; as well as the announcement of the election of Directors, National Policy Council (NPC) Representatives and Members of the NSW/ACT State Division Committee. There are no items of Special Business for consideration at this year’s AGM. 

All Full Members are entitled to one vote each in relation to any resolution put to the AGM. If Full Members are unable to attend this meeting in person, they may appoint the Chairperson, or another Full Member as a Proxy. Information about proxy voting is available by contacting BCA, and a proxy form can be downloaded here.   

It is important to note that no election will take place at the AGM. Telephone and SMS voting will again be available for this year’s elections. Read on for more details.

Scavenger Hunt

It has been a long-held tradition for Blind Citizens NSW to host a social event after the AGM. Although our organisations have consolidated, we would like to carry on this tradition and invite you to participate in this years’ event.

We are partnering with Bold Horizons, an organisation that runs orienteering events in NSW to offer a team-based scavenger hunt in Chatswood, Sydney.

The event will run for two hours, during which teams will have the opportunity to trek all over the suburb, finding things, completing creative, physical and logic based challenges to earn points for their teams in the hope of winning the grand prize and, some serious bragging rights!

There will be several challenges and teams can choose which ones they will complete to ensure it meets the skills, interest and needs of the group. The more challenges your team attempts the more points you’ll earn.

There will also be several staff from BCA and Bold Horizon’s on site to provide additional direction and support.

The final challenge of the day will be to locate the finish line, a location where you are welcome to stick around and enjoy a catch up and, for the winning team, collect your prizes.

Registration is essential – you can do this when you register for the AGM HERE.

Nominations and Elections

Recently, members received a call for nominations for the positions of two Directors, seven positions on the NSW/ACT State Division Committee, (one from the ACT and six from NSW) and National Policy Council, (NPC) representatives for SA, VIC, QLD and TAS.

At the close of nominations on 21 October, BCA received the following nominations:

Four nominees for the two Director positions:

  • Lauren Henley
  • Suzanne Hudson
  • Doug McGinn
  • Steve Richardson

Seven nominations to fill six positions representing NSW on the NSW/ACT State Division Committee:

  • Stephen Belbin
  • Joana D’orey Novo
  • Kristy Fitzgerald
  • Suzanne Hudson
  • Graeme Innes
  • Susan Thompson
  • Marie Shang

One nomination for the position of ACT representative on the NSW/ACT State Division Committee:

  • Robert Altamore

Nominations for NPC Positions are:

  • SA: no nominees
  • QLD: no nominees
  • TAS: 1 nomination received from David Morrell
  • VIC: no nominees

Consequently:

  • David Morrell is elected unopposed as Tasmania’s representative on the NPC. Following the AGM, expressions of interest will be sought from members residing in SA, QLD and VIC to fill the remaining vacancies.
  • Robert Altamore is elected unopposed as ACT representative to the NSW/ACT State Division Committee. 

It is therefore necessary to conduct ballots among BCA Full Members for the two Director positions and for the six NSW representatives to the NSW/ACT State Division Committee.

Voting

The Board has resolved to use telephone voting for this year’s elections. All eligible full members of BCA will have the opportunity to vote via telephone and those who are Deafblind or have a speech impairment will be able to access the voting process via SMS.

Below you will find detailed information about the voting process. Please also review the following documents before you vote:

Below are instructions for casting your vote, please follow these carefully.

Ways to Cast Your Vote

Voting will open on Monday, 11 November and will close on Monday, 25 November. An Independent Returning Officer has been appointed to ensure the confidentiality of the voting process. Members contact details and their voting choices will be recorded on separate (unconnected) databases.

Generally, votes will be accepted by telephone, however, members who are Deafblind or who experience speech difficulties and need assistance to cast their vote via phone may do so confidentially using the National Relay Service on 13 36 77, text messaging will also be available for contact with the Returning Officer.   

Members are encouraged to vote early to avoid a last minute rush.

Casting a Telephone Vote

Telephone voting will be available at the following times from 11 to 25 November:

  • From Monday to Friday between 11:00AM and 3:00PM and again between 5:00PM and 8:00PM Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
  • On Saturdays from 11:00AM to 3:00PM Eastern Daylight Saving Time

Voting will close at 8:00PM Eastern Daylight Saving Time on Monday 25 November. For your votes to be counted, you must have contacted the Returning Officer, or at least left a phone or text message with your name and contact details, by this time. 

PLEASE NOTE: The Returning Officer will only return calls from members who have provided full contact details before 8:00PM (EDST) on Monday 25 November 2019.           

To cast your vote via telephone, please use the following checklist:

  1. Review the nominee supporting statements for all applicable elections and decide who you wish to vote for.  Remember that BCA does not use preferential voting, so there is no need to rank your preferences.
  2. Call the dedicated BCA election hotline on 03 8417 1007 and be prepared to cast your vote in applicable elections.
  3. If the Returning Officer is on another call or unavailable, you will be asked to leave a message with your name and telephone number and will receive a call back as soon as possible.
  4. When you speak with the independent Returning Officer, you will need to provide your name, telephone number and state of residence. You will also be asked to provide one additional detail from your membership record for security purposes, (such as address or date of birth), so you can be marked off the electoral role.
  5. You can then cast your votes which will be recorded by the Returning Officer. You will not be permitted to vote for more than two candidates for Director positions. If you reside in NSW, you will be prompted to vote for up to six members to serve as NSW/ACT State Division Committee representatives from NSW.  Beyond ensuring that you have cast a valid vote in all elections where you are eligible to participate, the Returning Officer is not permitted to discuss any aspect of the election with you.
  6. The Returning Officer will read your votes back to you to enable you to verify that they have been recorded according to your instructions.
  7. Once you are satisfied that your votes have been correctly recorded, they will be submitted.  Votes cannot be changed once submitted.

Participating via Text Message

If using the text message option, please do the following:

  1. Text your full name and state of residence to 0436 446 780 during the period 11 to 25 November.  Include either a current email address or preferred contact number and indicate if you prefer to be called directly or via the National Relay Service.  Depending on your contact preference, you will receive a call or email to enable you to cast your votes.
  2. If voting via a call back, please refer to the telephone voting checklist above for further information on how your vote will be recorded.
  3. If voting via email, you will receive an electronic voting form and detailed instructions on how to cast your vote and ensure it has been recorded accurately.

At the close of the polls, the Returning Officer will count the votes and the tallies will be checked by the scrutineer. The results will be announced by the Company Secretary at the BCA AGM on 30 November, 2019.

Please contact BCA on 1800 033 660 or at bca@bca.org.au if you require any further information to assist you in how to cast your vote.

REGISTER TO ATTEND THE AGM NOW

Jun 25, 2019

Media Release: NDIS Correspondence is Now Accessible to People who are Blind or Vision Impaired

Thanks to strong advocacy by Blind Citizens Australia, its members and partner organisations, participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme will now receive correspondence in their preferred format.

The NDIA will progressively introduce changes over the next few months which will allow participants to choose their preferred communication format and update their preferences via an NDIA representative, the National contact centre, or on the Participant Portal. Large font, audio, e-text and braille formats will be available.  

The NDIA expect to move to automated requests for correspondence in alternative formats by the end of August 2019.  Requested documents will be sent directly to an external accessible format provider who will prepare the accessible version and despatch directly to the NDIS Participant to reduce delays.

Up to now requests for alternative formats have been managed by NDIA planners via a manual process and participants often report delays and difficulty in getting correspondence in their chosen format.  Print copy plans and letters are currently generated automatically and staff must intervene manually where needed to support a participant’s preference. This has resulted in an inconsistent approach long delay before a participant receives the alternative format.

“This is a tremendously important step forward for people who are blind or vision impaired. Blindness is often referred to as an information-based disability. Access to information is often the only thing that prevents a person who is blind or vision impaired from carrying out tasks and activities that they otherwise could,” said Rikki Chaplin, Acting CEO Blind Citizens Australia.

“To be able to easily read your NDIS plan is vital if you’re going to be able to take full advantage of the supports in your plan. I congratulate the NDIA on ensuring that people who are blind or vision impaired will have reliable and consistent access to their plans in the format which is right for them.”

The NDIA has committed to continuous improvement and will seek feedback by engaging with peak bodies such as BCA and with the Participant Reference Group.

Read the full media release here (Word version)

Please let us know if you’d like this information in another format for accessibility.