Jun 13, 2018

Letter to the Editor

 

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Editor’s Note

In my call for contributions, I noted my particular interest in a few subjects, one of which was travel. This letter, from a vision impaired man, contains some great tips and observations drawn from his personal experience.

***

Dear Editor,

Travel is one of the biggest challenges I personally face as someone who has been living independently for almost three years. Due to the fact I don’t drive and have poor vision, various aspects of travel are indeed harder for me.

  • Getting to the city: Due to the fact I don’t live right near a train station, I must first walk to a bus stop, take the bus to the station and then take the train to the city. This takes around 90 minutes each way which indeed eats up a lot of time in my day when I work from the office. The biggest challenge here is the frequency of bus services. Fortunately, I have the ability to work from home most of the time which helps tremendously.
  • Shopping: I’m very lucky that my family assists me with getting to shops or bringing me items that I need whether it be household amenities or food. However, I’m also lucky that I have a Woolworths store nearby that I can walk to in 15 minutes.
  • Getting to other destinations: This is where it gets tricky. Clearly, some destinations are impossible to get to via public transport, but many are possible as long as you have plenty of time on your hands and have a navigation system handy when you arrive.
  • Travelling interstate: I occasionally travel to Sydney for work and generally have found it relatively easy to find my way around the airport to my gate. However, the screens containing the gate numbers from different flights are a challenge to read. I often either take a photo of the screen with my phone and then zoom into the photo, or (assuming the itinerary is in my Gmail inbox) I use the Google Now app, which lists the gate of my flight on my phone.

Some more general observations:

  • Traffic lights which don’t make a sound are one of the biggest problems for anyone with a vision impairment when crossing the street, particularly on a bright day, or when the road is wide and it’s hard to see the little man on the other side.
  • Microsoft’s Bing Maps provides significantly better information about available public transport for a destination than Google Maps, so it’s definitely worth trying out if you’re planning to go somewhere new.
  • In general, Google Maps is helpful when finding my way to a new destination. Occasionally when walking and surrounded by buildings, Google Maps seems to lose its accuracy which can make life a little challenging.
  • Buses and Trams are (for me) the most difficult form of transport to use. Their destination signs can sometimes be unclear, they don’t announce stops and one must either be very familiar with the route taken in advance or use a navigation app to determine the best place to stop. I choose to walk instead of taking such transport if possible, although this is rarely practical.
  • Uber is a significantly better service than Taxis in general, but it is also beneficial to those of us with a vision impairment. Uber allows me to contact my driver and explain exactly where I am. It also allows me to see the exact location of my car, and gives me some detail of what type of car will be arriving. I really hope that we see half price Uber rides in the future (similar to the Taxi program available) as their service offers true benefits to those of us who are vision impaired.

Cheers,

Fotis

***

Thank you, Fotis, for your great and well-written advice, which I’m certain many readers will find extremely useful. Your letter highlights the ways in which technology has revolutionized travel for the vision impaired. But you also offer necessary reminders of areas which still need improvement.

In particular, I was struck by the way in which Uber’s customer experience includes features which could have been easily implemented by Taxi services, and which have measurable practical impacts on the safety and comfort of customers who are blind or vision impaired. It’s frustrating that in many cases, only competition will force these companies to introduce such features.

We would love to hear about your travel tips and experiences, whether it’s getting to work every day, or travelling interstate or internationally. Tell us which apps work best for you, how you tackle finding a difficult destination, and where you’ve run into trouble.

Write us a contribution (see submission guidelines), or get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter.

 

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Jun 13, 2018

My First Year as CEO: What I’ve Learned

Emma Bennison

 

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Just over 12 months ago, I commenced as your CEO. There have been many highlights and just as many challenges, but thanks to the hard work of members, directors and staff, we can be very proud of what we have achieved together and we can look to the future with confidence. In this article though, I want to reflect on what I have learned as a leader, both professionally and personally.

When I was considering whether to apply for this role, I was in the somewhat unusual position of having seen a procession of BCA CEOs come and go. I thought I had a reasonable understanding of why that had occurred. The role was far too extensive and all-consuming for any one person to cope with, particularly if the incumbent also happened to have family responsibilities to manage. When I took on the role, I knew that things would need to change if I was to last the distance.

So I restructured the staff into two teams, Policy and Advocacy (managed by Lauren Henley), and Administration (managed by Tony Grant). I also acknowledged the fact that I could not do this role without the support of an Executive Assistant, and Anna Briggs continues to fulfil that position.

This leads me to my first learning, which is that as a leader, it is neither necessary nor advisable to try to be all things to all people and that you need to surround yourself with the right mix of skills and expertise if you want to achieve long-term goals. BCA is extremely fortunate that among our staff and directors we have a well-rounded coverage of governance, policy, advocacy and administration expertise to ensure we can deliver on our mission.

My first 12 months as CEO should probably be characterised as “the war on telecommunications access”, since that is essentially what it has been. It has taken much longer than anyone could have anticipated to find a phone system which would meet BCA’s sophisticated telephony needs in terms of provision of recorded information and remote working, whilst also being accessible and cost-effective.

Recently, we have achieved this, and while there will be teething problems, I am proud that we have found a system which meets the needs of our members and of the organisation. As a result of this protracted process, I have learned not to give up in the face of seemingly endless setbacks; that it is essential to work with others and bring them with you when attempting to implement significant change; and that even though there will always be teething problems, you should never settle for second best when it comes to accessibility.

Now I want to touch on the personal aspect of my first year. I have had incredible support from my husband Vaughn, from my children, and from the board and staff, in particular from John as president and his wife Christine. I have grown and developed as a person and as a leader, and I am stronger now than I was 12 months ago.

But I want to be honest and tell you that the many achievements have come at a very high cost to me and to the people close to me. The pressure on me has been extraordinary and relentless, more so because I had already made my ambitions for the organisation clear whilst I was president, and I felt a great deal of urgency to operationalise them quickly. The travel has taken an enormous physical and emotional toll on me and on my family. This has not been helped by my recent experiences of abandonment by Virgin Australia.

Our staff team has more than doubled since I commenced, which has also presented a challenge for someone like me, who places high value on making sure people are well supported. As a result, the board and I have recognised the need to slow the pace down somewhat to consolidate BCA’s position over the next 12 months.

At the National Convention and on other occasions, I have stated publicly that I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder because I think it is important to acknowledge that mental health issues affect many of us. My anxiety has resulted in my responses to stress being heightened over a number of years, a situation which has worsened of late. As a consequence, my need for emotional support has occasionally become out of control, and has undoubtedly adversely impacted some people close to me.

For that, I want to sincerely and publicly apologise. I do so, not to seek attention or garner sympathy, but because I hope that others reading this who experience similar struggles will take some comfort from it and because I want to be honest and transparent. From this experience, I have learned that I need to better manage my anxiety issues and have recently made some significant breakthroughs which I hope will help me to reduce my stress levels.

Having said all this, I wouldn’t have missed the past 12 months for anything. When things have become overwhelming, I only needed to have a conversation with one of you, our members or with one of my incredibly hard working staff about an advocacy win or some other positive achievement to remind me why our work matters.

My commitment over the next year is to continue to ensure our organisation is focused primarily on improving the lives of our members and all Australians who are blind or vision impaired. I also commit to taking the time out I need to improve my mental health so that I can continue to lead our organisation with the energy and passion it deserves.

My sincere thanks to all those (too many of you to name individually), who have supported me in many and varied ways over the past year. Though you may not be aware of it, your words and actions have made all the difference. I am excited to see what the next year has in store.

 

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Jun 13, 2018

Report from the National Policy Council

Fiona Woods

 

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I took over from Lynne Davis as chair of the National Policy Council (NPC) late last year. Our major project since that time has been developing a policy on the expectations we have of the agencies which provide blindness specific services. In short, we are defining BCA’s mission statement, which calls for “high quality and accessible services which meet our needs”.

We know that nowadays, many of us receive services from generic providers, but in areas such as orientation and mobility, adaptive technology and occupational therapy, most of us still rely on services designed with the needs of blind people in mind.

This policy will enshrine the dignity and individuality of each blind person. We will be working with blindness agencies to ensure that the policy is meaningful and can be implemented. It will include areas such as governance, client representation, service delivery and communications.

It will also address a recommendation adopted at last year’s Convention, relating to the positive portrayal of blind people in fundraising and other publicity materials produced by blindness agencies. We will be consulting BCA members extensively about this policy, and I encourage you all to have your say in what you expect from your blindness service agency. If you have any issues you want included, please contact me or your state or territory NPC representative.

Developing effective policies that can eventually be implemented can be a slow process, and I know we are all hoping to have some results to show in the near future.

Later in the year, we will turn our minds to a policy on dog guides, and re-open the area of pedestrian safety with a review of BCA’s position on mobility parking permits.

If you have any questions or comments or would like to discuss our work, members of the NPC are:

  • Fiona Woods, Lynne Davis and Helen Freris, board members
  • Steve Richardson, Queensland
  • Jennifer Parry, New South Wales
  • Martin Stewart, Victoria
  • David Squirrel, South Australia
  • Greg Madson, Western Australia
  • Doug McGinn, Tasmania
  • Julie Sutherland, representing the National Women’s Branch.

We will hopefully soon appoint an ACT representative to take over from Justin Simpson. We are a big committee to meet by phone, but one of the benefits has been the opportunity to discuss policy issues in our respective states. Elections and transport are never off our agenda, which promises to be full for many meetings to come.

 

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Jun 13, 2018

My NDIS Experience

Vicki Alipasinopoulos

 

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Editor’s Note

Disability advocates are raising concerns about the delivery of the NDIS, with a recent report from Flinders University suggesting that a third of participants felt no better off under the scheme, and 20 per cent feel worse off. Critics say that the scheme is very confusing, that decision-making can be inexpert and inconsistent, and that those who aren’t good at self-advocacy are at a disadvantage.

Vicki’s struggle to access the NDIS illustrates this last point in particular. Without her proactive approach, she may have been lost in the system for even longer. Her story is useful both as a warning of the problems new clients may face, and as practical advice on how to address them if they arise.

***

Being a participant of the NDIS, I thought I would write about my experiences with accessing the scheme, from registration to accessing services. I am totally blind, and have other disability related issues. I commenced the registration process on 1st May 2017, hoping that I wouldn’t have to wait too long to meet with a Planner by the time it rolled out in my area on November 1st.

I was sent the paperwork to be filled out by my local GP or relevant Specialist, and was required to return the paperwork to the NDIA within two weeks, which I did. I did not receive any confirmation to advise whether it had been received or whether I was eligible or not.

When I did not hear back by early August, I phoned the NDIA, and was informed that my paperwork was yet to be processed. I was encouraged to call back in September. I called again in mid-September, and was informed that the NDIA couldn’t give me a time frame for when I would hear about my eligibility. It was suggested I call back in a couple of weeks.

By this stage, I felt particularly frustrated, as I was hearing from others that they were being contacted by the NDIA to register. If they had registered themselves, they received a written response pretty quickly, often within a month.

As the NDIS was getting closer to commencing in my area, I became concerned that I wouldn’t receive assistance in a timely manner, given I commenced the registration process back in May. I therefore contacted BCA’s advocacy team for assistance. BCA emailed the NDIS feedback line, relaying my concerns and issues.

The automated message which BCA received said that the NDIS would attempt to resolve my issue within 21 days. When the 21 days was nearly up, neither BCA nor I had heard back from the NDIA. I therefore got in touch with my local Federal Member of Parliament in mid-October to advocate on my behalf. At this stage, I didn’t even have an NDIS number.

My local Federal MP made contact with the NDIA. Shortly after this, I heard back from both the MP and the NDIA, informing me there had been a glitch with the NDIS computer system, hence the delay in sending a letter regarding my eligibility.

I was then told that I would be contacted by a Planner in the near future. However, the 1st of November had been and gone, and I still hadn’t heard from a Planner. Following further contact from my local MP, I was contacted to inform me that I would be contacted in the first quarter of 2018, but they couldn’t give me a precise date.

I explained that I relied on family to access the community, which made this uncertainty really difficult, to no avail. I asked if I could speak to someone higher up, and was informed I couldn’t, as Management were assisting with making phone calls to participants. I was told that my feedback would go on my record. It seems to me, though, that the feedback wasn’t going anywhere, and unlike other agencies, the NDIA didn’t seem to have a proper complaints process.

Not satisfied with this outcome, I met with the Hon Kevin Andrews, Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, an MP in a neighbouring electorate, in late November. After liaising with the Hon Kevin Andrews and his staff, I found out just before Christmas that the NDIA had agreed to contact me in January to arrange a planning meeting, which they did.

I met with a Planner in late January, and my Plan was approved within a week. I didn’t get everything I asked for. I certainly felt I wasn’t approved enough funding in the area of adaptive technology. I felt the Planner didn’t have a great understanding of how much some of the specialist equipment actually costs. For example, the Planner seemed to see scanners as a piece of equipment that anyone would go and buy from Kmart or Harvey Norman.

Despite potentially having to have part of my Plan reviewed, I am now accessing the community. Having said that, accessing services through the NDIS once the Plan has been approved has not been without its challenges. Due to NDIS, some service providers have had longer than usual waiting lists. With other services, delays can still stretch out, as the providers need to enter a lot of information about your Plan before they can commence. Regardless of an individual’s circumstances, these delays can be very difficult, particularly if the services are required urgently.

***

Editor’s Note

The difficulties Vicki experienced are worrying, not just because of the harm and frustration she personally suffered. She was well-equipped to speak up on her own behalf, and knew what to do when she realised she wasn’t being heard. But we can’t assume that everyone is in her position.

If people who lack advocacy skills are at risk of being left behind, and if Planners lack understanding of the adaptive technology they’re assessing, these are failures we cannot accept. The NDIS could be a dream come true for people with a disability in Australia. This is why it’s vital that we highlight cases like Vicki’s, because it won’t come true if we give up when we’re half way there.

 

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Jun 13, 2018

Navigating the NDIS and My Aged Care: Some FAQs

Sally Aurisch and Lauren Henley

 

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We recently delivered a number of workshops across NSW to help people understand how to get the support they need under the NDIS or My Aged Care. We will also be making teleconferences available to members in each state and territory over the next few months. In the meantime, though, here we answer some of the most common questions we received during our workshops.

My Aged Care FAQs

NDIS FAQs

 

My Aged Care

Before we get into the FAQ part, it’s important to understand that there are two different levels of care available under the aged care system. These come in the format of:

  • An entry level program called the Commonwealth Home Support Programme. This level of support lets you access a range of subsidised services within your local community.
  • A home care package. If you are allocated a home care package, you are given a sum of money each year which you can spend on services that meet your needs.

FAQs

Are assessments for technology and equipment covered by My Aged Care, or do I have to pay for them myself?

Can you use up to five years’ worth of equipment allowance to get JAWS?

Will you still be charged a co contribution if you are not accessing the service, like when you are on holidays?

What constitutes financial hardship?

 

Are assessments for technology and equipment covered by My Aged Care, or do I have to pay for them myself?

Home Care Package: If this need is identified in your care plan and there are adequate funds in your package, the cost of the assessment can be covered.

Entry Level Package (Commonwealth Home Support Programme): Support from an occupational therapist is available as part of the programme. They may be able to recommend specific items. Limited funds are available to support the purchase of items.

 

Can you use up to five years’ worth of equipment allowance to get JAWS?

No. It is expected that you would contribute anything that the aids and equipment fund does not cover.

 

Will you still be charged a co contribution if you are not accessing the service, like when you are on holidays?

The basic daily fee is still paid while you are on social leave or hospital leave from your package, but your home care provider cannot ask you to pay this fee while you are on leave from your package because you are in transition care or residential respite care. (Taken from the My Aged Care website)

 

What constitutes financial hardship?

If contributing to your care and support arrangements would cause you financial hardship, you can also apply for the Hardship Supplement. If you are assessed as being unable to pay part or all of the required co-payments once submitting your application, the government can provide your service provider with an additional supplement to ensure that you still get the support you need.

To apply for the hardship supplement, you will need to submit a hardship supplement application form to the department of human services. For further information about the application process, you can contact the Department of Human Services on 1800 227 475.

 

NDIS

The National Disability Insurance Scheme was established to help people under the age of 65 access the support they need to live an independent life.

FAQs

What are the exact criteria for an individual to be classified as blind or deaf blind?

What can a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) assist me with once I receive my plan?

What sort of things can I use the funds allocated to “dog guide Maintenance” for?

 

What are the exact criteria for an individual to be classified as blind or deaf blind?

Permanent blindness in both eyes, diagnosed and assessed by an ophthalmologist as follows:

  • Corrected visual acuity (extent to which an object can be brought into focus) on the Snellen Scale must be less than or equal to 6/60 in both eyes; or
  • Constriction to within 10 degrees or less of arc of central fixation in the better eye, irrespective of corrected visual acuity (i.e. visual fields are reduced to a measured arc of 10 degrees or less); or
  • A combination of visual defects resulting in the same degree of visual impairment as that occurring in the above points.
    (An optometrist report is not sufficient for NDIS purposes.)

Deaf-blindness is confirmed by an ophthalmologist and audiologist, and assessed as resulting in permanent and severe to total impairment of visual function and hearing.

 

What can a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) assist me with once I receive my plan?

An LAC can:

  • Explain the different budgets in your plan and how you can use them
  • Assist you to locate and connect with suitable service providers in your local area
  • Show you how to use the Provider Portal and make claims if you are Self Managing or would like to be able to review your budgets
  • Support you to find mainstream and community based programs and organisations that may meet your needs
  • Answer any ongoing questions that you may have about the NDIS and your plan.

 

What sort of things can I use the funds allocated to “dog guide Maintenance” for?

You can use this money to cover any costs associated with your dog guide. These include:

  • Food
  • Flea, tick and worm control products
  • Grooming and washing
  • Veterinary costs
  • Any other items that your dog may require.

 

BCA will be continuing to seek opportunities to provide workshops in other states. We will also be making a series of fact sheets available to members that relate to specific aspects of the NDIS and My Aged Care. These factsheets will be available in the coming weeks, so watch this space.

If people are treated unfairly or discriminated against in their dealings with the NDIS, for example, being denied access to information in their preferred format, they may be able to access support to resolve the issue through our individual advocacy service.

In Victoria, we have received funding to employ a Support Linkages Officer. Our Support Linkages Officer, Kristin Nuske, can work one-on-one with Victorian residents who are blind or vision impaired who are just starting out on their NDIS or My Aged Care journey.

Kristin can assist with pre-planning, support people during planning meetings and assessments, and help people to resolve issues of concern with the National Disability Insurance Agency or the My Aged Care Contact Centre. We are aware that this service is desperately required in all states and territories, and are working hard to secure funding to enable us to address this need.

 

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