John Simpson

Listen to the audio

First, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Jonathan Craig as Editor of Blind Citizens News. After an extended conversation with Jonathan about his plans for this publication, I look forward to some stimulating reading in this and future editions.

Those of you who have kept in touch with BCA’s work in recent times will be aware that our strategic priorities centre on building a sustainable organisation equipped to deal with future challenges, ensuring we have credibility with our members and stakeholders, building strong partnerships whilst maintaining our independence and developing the capacity of our current and future leaders.

The board and staff continue to work tirelessly to ensure we make progress on all four of these priorities. I want to touch particularly on our sustainability in this update, since this has been a particular focus for the board in recent months.

You need only look back to the recommendations from the 2015 BCA Leaders’ Summit to be reminded of how far the organisation has come in the past year. Many of those recommendations have been achieved, and others are in the pipeline. The board recognises and celebrates these achievements, and acknowledges the consistent hard work of members and staff as being instrumental to our success.

Having said that, the board is also acutely conscious that if the organisation is to continue to thrive, we need a period of consolidation over the next 12 months in order to capitalise on the extraordinary growth and development of the past year.

To this end, we will spend the next 12 months building on our success and strengthening our existing systems and processes to ensure they can keep pace with our rapid expansion. While this does not mean we will grind to a halt, it does mean we must make strategic decisions about what the organisation prioritises at this time, and what needs to take a back seat.

Through our National Convention last year, you provided the board with a number of recommendations to consider. While it would take an entire issue of BC News to provide updates on each recommendation, I want to give you a general sense of our progress.

The National Policy Council has taken up recommendations regarding the representation of people who are blind or vision-impaired in fundraising campaigns, as part of a broader piece of work around the development of guidelines in relation to service provider expectations. The NPC will also further the recommendations in relation to dog guides as time and capacity allow.

The board has been considering the recommendation relating to the reinstatement of the BCA Identity Card. While the board has determined that this is unsustainable, we have been working to develop a list of acceptable forms of ID in each state.

The final recommendation I want to discuss in detail relates to the timing and length of our National Convention. The board has determined that this will be held in March 2019 in Hobart. The length of the Convention will be a matter for further discussion as the program is considered, however the board recognises the cost involved in getting to Convention and appreciates the importance of maximising the opportunity, whether through formal programs or additional social activities.

Other recommendations continue to be actioned through our National Women’s Branch, and through our recently established Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee. While there is much more to be done, I hope this update provides you with a sense of how much we have already achieved. We will continue to update you, and encourage you to begin considering what recommendations you might put to our next National Convention.

As you will read in Emma’s article, communications remain an important priority. Successful communication is, of course, a two-way street. I encourage all readers to make full use of our newly installed telephone system and our recently introduced text messaging service, as well as our E-mail, Facebook and Twitter, to provide us with your suggestions and perspectives.

Next article

Back to BC News main page

Previous article

Jonathan Craig

Listen to the audio

Welcome, readers, to the July issue of Blind Citizens News, my first as editor. And thank you to all the staff and members who have welcomed me, warmly and kindly, on board.

I’d like to specifically thank former editor Lynne Davis, who has provided invaluable and generous mentorship throughout the preparation of my first issue. My conversations with her, and of course with CEO Emma Bennison and President John Simpson, have been pivotal opportunities to shape my ideas.

Finally, thank you to everyone who responded to my call for contributions. Some of you have already submitted amazing work for this edition, and I’ve begun conversations with others which I’m certain will lead to more great pieces soon.

Typically for an editor, the only thing I’m anticipating more than my next cup of coffee (strong and black please), is the next issue. I’m very pleased to announce that it will arrive sooner than you may expect, in October 2018.

I want you to be part of it. Once again, I’m eagerly seeking submissions, from informative pieces to personal reflections to letters to the editor. The final due date for this issue will be Friday, August 10. For more information, please read the submission guidelines at the end of this issue.

When I wrote to you to introduce myself, I explained that from my perspective, a large part of my role is helping you to tell your stories. If BCA is to be the united voice of Australians who are blind or vision impaired, then we must first talk amongst ourselves. BC News is the perfect place to begin those conversations.

Nothing gets people talking better than news. But news is far more than the reporting of events. It is also the examination of what is new. Looking at the arc of history, what isn’t new? The last decade has seen rapid technological innovations which have fundamentally changed the way information is accessed, spread and understood. It’s easy to forget that in July 2008, the iPhone was a novelty, and tablets didn’t exist. In 1975 when the first issue of Buff was released, the personal computer was a fanciful dream. Popular futurist Ray Kurzweil suggests that because each new technology makes it easier for us to invent the next one, the rate of technological change will increase over time. My intuition says this must be true. And if it is, then it’s vital that we don’t become complacent. These changes may not always improve our lives.

Take, for example, the increasing popularity of touch screen EFTPOS terminals, which are inaccessible to blind or vision impaired customers. Cases like this remind us of the importance of bodies like BCA, which speak on our behalf, and provide us tools and avenues to speak for ourselves, as outlined later in the issue.

We also live in a time of incredible social and political progress. This, too, demands our constant attention. Complex policies like immigration, for example, often fail to account for minorities, let alone individuals. If it is to achieve its own goals, the National Disability Insurance Scheme must be held accountable for its failures.

So what do stories have to do with any of this? In my experience, most people generally accept that people who are blind or vision impaired deserve dignity and equality, but find it difficult to act on such a nebulous idea.

But tell someone about the CEO of a national organisation who missed her flight because she couldn’t get help, and they will understand how she must have felt. Explain why sports fans can’t watch their team play, and a national media giant might rethink their approach to accessibility.

Martin Stewart, whose discussions with Telstra lead to that remarkable victory, writes more this issue about the value of the individual in advocacy. But I wanted to say here how important story-telling is, not just for bringing about change, but also for inspiring that unity which BCA promises.

Stories remind us that we’re not alone. In Louise Pearson’s reflections on blindness and mental health, you might discover that someone else, like you, has felt overwhelmed by the barriers between her and the help she needed, and take encouragement from her creative problem-solving.

Or thanks to Emma Bennison’s courage, we can see that even our leaders struggle with anxiety, self-doubt, and their high expectations of themselves, even as we’re guided and reassured by their vision and dedication.

Through the stories we tell one other, we find that exclusion comes in as many shapes and forms as we do, but it hurts everyone the same way. I believe that in all our diversity, we can be united in refusing to accept that hurt, for ourselves or for anyone else, in working toward a society in which no one is left behind.

To me, this is what BC News stands for. This is why I want to hear from you, even, and especially, if you’ve not spoken out before. There’s always something new happening, and the news will keep coming. Of course, we’ll keep bringing you the information you need to navigate the rapidly changing world.

But what we’ll also bring you is stories about that change, good and bad, and how it impacts people in complex and unexpected ways. So let me end by asking you, again, to think about what’s new in your life. What do you notice about the changes around you, and how they affect you and others? Can your experience help others, or do you need help yourself? Might someone else feel as alone as you do? Together, could you achieve something which you couldn’t have on your own?

Stories help us reflect on the past, interrogate the present, and imagine the future. Stories raise questions, which spark conversations, which can lead to answers. Stories change minds, and change lives. You can never predict what a story will inspire.

So ask yourself, what story could you tell?

Next article

Back to BC News main page