Listen to the audio

Dear Editor,

Recently I spent a few weeks travelling in Sweden and Ireland, and I found it interesting to take note of what I encountered along the way as a blind traveller. I’ve been doing this for quite a long time now, in many different parts of the world, and it has been interesting to note the changes over time and the differences between countries.

Air travel, for instance, has changed both a lot and very little. There is increasing reliance on electronic ticketing – not necessarily easy for a person without sight to manage in crowded, noisy environments under time pressure (assuming, of course, the possession of an appropriate device).

Then there’s the airport security – a nightmare for most people, but with its own special challenges if one is blind:  being separated from all one’s possessions, often for lengthy periods and without any means of keeping track of them; being separated from one’s mobility aid and often manhandled by staff without any experience of either guiding or interacting with blind people; and, especially where there is no shared language, being instructed, led, pushed, pulled without much, or any, knowledge of what is happening, and why.

On long-haul flights especially, there is much emphasis on in-flight entertainment systems as a source of diversion and, increasingly, information about the aircraft, flight details, amenities, and so on. A growing number of airlines even include Audio Described movies among their offerings! But here we encounter a problem: the controls for the devices which deliver all this are mostly touch screens – so no independent access to anything for those who cannot see.

On some of my recent flights, I couldn’t even adjust my seat without using the touch screen.

And, while Audio Described movies might be quite an advance, if no one tells you they are there, any advance is entirely hypothetical. I found on most of my flights that the cabin crew did not know how to access the Audio Description – presumably because they weren’t familiar with it. So operational training remains important, no matter how much automation and software is incorporated into the picture.

The big long-haul planes are becoming increasingly complex environments for passengers, so a lot of information is required to know what’s available, where, when, and how to use it. This information is delivered to passengers in a variety of ways, but little of it is routinely given to blind passengers. On a recent flight I was unaware, until just before landing, that right behind where I was sitting there was an area where passengers could help themselves to fresh fruit throughout the flight – and I had been hanging out for some fruit for hours!

If information is provided in any alternate format, it is almost always in braille (used by only a small proportion of us), and is restricted to the most basic information about the aircraft safety features. We need more than that, obviously, if we are to be safe, comfortable, and even fed and entertained!

In both Sweden and Ireland, I was interested to find that Audio Description on television was available – and the (sighted) people I spoke to were really interested to find out about this, as they had no idea such a thing existed. In Sweden the Audio Description was not of any use to me as it is, of course, in Swedish (not a language in which I have any facility!). But in Ireland it was a delight to be able to consult the programme guide about which programmes were Audio Described (quite a few) and then to select what I wanted to watch. It reminded me of the much-enjoyed ABC trials, now only a distant memory in Australia!

Interestingly, while Sweden is in many ways a progressive social democracy which has high levels of services for citizens (and others, too, in many instances), I wasn’t especially impressed by the accessibility of many public institutions. Physical access had been given some attention (for instance, widespread use of ramps and tactile ground surface indicators), in a context where many buildings are very old and pose difficult access problems.

The place where I encountered really limited access for vision impaired people was in some of the major cultural institutions. I found little evidence of braille, and almost nothing which made museum collections, for instance, accessible. With the help of Swedish friends, I went to the websites of these places before visiting them, but there was little to indicate disability awareness. Even the audio guides which were available at the major museums were touch screen devices which were completely inaccessible without sight.

After one frustrating visit, I contacted the museum’s access person to ask about access arrangements – but the best she could offer was that from time to time they had exhibitions which blind people were allowed to touch. Not impressive! By contrast, in Portugal (a poorer country, not especially known for progressive or democratic social policy) I was on numerous occasions offered braille guide books and encouraged to go into areas where I could have “close encounters” with rare and precious exhibits.

These are just a few of my observations from my recent travels. Rikki Chaplin’s article in the March issue of the News reminded me of the vulnerability we often experience, or anticipate, when travelling – but it reminded me of the kindness of strangers, too. When we choose to put ourselves “out there” we encounter both, I suppose, and sometimes forewarned is forearmed. In any case, I’d really be interested in learning more about other people’s travel experiences, wherever they are.

Lynne Davis
Sydney

***

Thank you, Lynne, for your very thoughtful remarks. Some readers may not be aware that you are a former Editor of this publication, so this is in fact a Letter from one Editor to another. It’s a real privilege to have you in the conversation.

I was struck by a repeated theme throughout your comments. You mentioned several occasions where accessibility had been attempted, but not at all well-implemented. It’s frustrating to feel so close, and yet so far, from genuine inclusion. You’re right, of course, to point out the importance of people in achieving genuine accessibility. A little more training for flight attendants would have gone a long way, as, I suspect, would better consultation with the blind and vision impaired community during the planning stages for some of these features.

I also think it’s fascinating to compare attitudes and policies in different countries, and would love some input from other travellers around accessibility in the places they visited. But like you, and like many of our readers, I’m intrigued by all travel experiences, by the unique challenges we have to navigate, and the unique rewards that send us questing out of our comfort zones. If you have a story to tell, write us your own Letter to the Editor, or get in touch with us via phone, Facebook or Twitter.

Next Article

BC News Main Page

Previous Article

By Jonathan Craig

Listen to the audio

If you weren’t at our recent National Convention, one of the main things you will have missed was the feeling of contented exhaustion we all shared throughout Monday as we prepared to leave. “I have no idea what day it is,” John Simpson had said over breakfast. I felt much the same, like I was emerging, blinking, into the real world, after a few days at a party where I could mention Audio Description, and not be met by stares so blank they needed no describing.

By the time I arrived at Hobart airport, I was unusually thankful for my wheels. “Did you have a good Convention?” asked the woman at the check-in desk. I did a double take. Had I taken a wrong turn, and ended up back at the hotel? Thankfully no. It seemed the party was following me home.

“There are three more of you guys on this flight,” my assistant said as she wheeled me toward the gate, where sure enough, several fellow Melbournites were waiting. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, given that I’d had another fellow attendee on my inbound flight a few days earlier. But the novelty of being part of such a critical mass of “my people” hadn’t worn off.

I had expected my first Convention to be full of inspiring ideas and enlightening conversations, and of course I wasn’t disappointed. Technology was a hot topic, following an intriguing keynote address from Aira CEO Suman Kanuganti. Ironically, Human Rights Commissioner Ed Santow’s warnings about new technology were frequently interrupted by technical difficulties, but we aim to unpack some of his ideas in future issues.

Sessions on new mobility tips and taking the stress out of travelling alone reflected the ways technology is continuing to improve our independence. But in our discussion on “the future of work”, we grappled with some of the more worrying trends technology is causing. Former Vocational Consultant Ross Miller follows up that session with some intriguing suggestions in this issue’s feature essay.

But there was another aspect of Convention which isn’t so easily conveyed by our coverage. You might have caught a hint of it in the session on living with multiple disabilities, in which I was a panellist. That session’s moderator, Steve Richardson, recently learned that we both share the same incredibly rare genetic condition, which causes both blindness and brittle bones. I think we were both moved by how interested people were in hearing our perspective. Steve writes about some of his personal experience later in this issue.

The Convention dinner was a great opportunity to personally meet many of the writers and readers I’ve been working with this past year. This was facilitated by a roll call for each table. To catch up with someone, all you need do is remember the number of the table where they sat, or the direction from which you heard their voice. I was struck by the elegance of this solution, and the energy and efficiency with which our volunteers helped us pull it off.

In his acceptance speech, Martin Stewart, who received the David Blyth award, spoke about his tireless campaigning for better and safer public transport, which began when he was around my age. He described how David had mentored and encouraged him, and how proud he was to have lived up to his example.

I’ve gotten to know Martin through reporting on his recent advocacy work. He has been an energetic supporter of the magazine, and a genuine and generous mentor to me personally. For me, this was a powerful moment, where one generation honour the next, who in turn inspired a third.

The presentation of the Diana Braun Aspirations Award to her friend and colleague Robyn Bousie took on a new poignancy following her passing not long after Convention. I never knew or spoke to Diana myself, but those who did tell many stories about her pioneering work carving out spaces for women who are blind or vision impaired.

Given how many women now hold prominent roles within BCA, and the community more generally, it’s easy to forget that not long ago, things were very different.

In the same way, when you’re standing on the platform, you barely notice the announcements about upcoming trains, which were the result of a long advocacy battle for Martin and others.

The problems my generation is facing may be very different, but as we united to applaud the award recipients, I realised that many of the things we now find commonplace once seemed as out-of-reach to them as our goals seem to us. And I felt thankful that they were here with me, to offer the benefit of their experience, and remind me that we can achieve the seemingly impossible.

I believe BCA is working very hard to inform members about our current advocacy work. I’m especially impressed by our commitment to including those who couldn’t attend the Convention via our streams and message lines, as well as the nightly recaps Vaughn Bennison and I produced.

But none of that could convey the sense of solidarity I felt throughout the weekend, in countless encounters with people young and old, with various levels of sight, with a variety of other disabilities, each with their own skills, stories, and ideas. Whatever our perspective, we were all there for the same reason: to work together to build a better future.

I left Convention feeling encouraged by our long history of victories, supported by the wisdom of my peers, and empowered by our sense of genuine unity. This, as much as anything else, is why Convention and all our other gatherings are so important – because that solidarity is what makes our big dreams seem achievable.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to bring people together. I’ve already written about the importance of story-telling, which is what this magazine is for. Similarly, our two new podcast series’ take a deeper look at what community means in the past and in the present. And I’m very proud of all the innovative ways we’re supporting new leaders and mentors, and using technology to connect people all over the country.

But from now on, whenever I think about BCA, I will remember the sound of so many of us gathered in one room, all in noisy, enthusiastic conversation. At my first Convention, the most important thing I learned was that advocacy is what we do, but community is who we are.

Next Article

BC News Main Page

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

Minister for Communications, Mitch Fifield continues Australia’s shameful track record of keeping Australians who are blind or vision-impaired waiting to find out when they will have the right to enjoy the full experience of television which sighted viewers take for granted.

Audio description, (AD), is available in all other OECD countries, yet here in Australia, people who are blind or vision-impaired are denied it because the Federal Government refuses to regulate for its implementation as they did many years ago for captioning for those who are deaf or hearing-impaired.

AD brings television to life for people with little or no sight. It is a second audio track that can be turned on or off (like captions) which describes the important visual elements of a television program. It is essential for providing equality to viewers who are blind or vision impaired.  It is relatively inexpensive to deliver and, in fact, is already integrated into many of the programs that are imported from overseas.  Even Australian productions such as Neighbours and Home and Away are produced with AD for overseas release.

Following two trials of audio description on the ABC, the Government established a working group to explore options for the permanent provision of AD on Australian television last April.

The working group’s report, (finalised in December), was only released yesterday, along with a short statement pointing to the need for additional “policy work” but with no indication of the time-frame or proposed pathway to facilitate the implementation of a service.

Emma Bennison, CEO of Blind Citizens Australia said that people who are blind or vision-impaired have run out of patience.

“Blind Citizens Australia and other organisations across the blindness sector have been advocating for twenty years to get an AD service on Australian television. We have shown extraordinary patience and a willingness to work collaboratively with Government through the various trials and consultation processes, but twenty years is too long, and we will no longer allow Governments to ignore us,” she said.

“We are angry that we are being treated as second class citizens. We are frustrated that we are being asked to continue waiting, while our friends and colleagues around the world enjoy access to AD and have done for many years. We are perplexed by the fact that we are being treated less favourably than our Australian friends and colleagues who are deaf or hearing-impaired who enjoy access to captioning right now. Meanwhile, we are expected to patiently wait and to believe our Government when they tell us it is difficult to figure out how to deliver a service which has been available overseas for many years,” said Ms Bennison.

“By releasing this report without a road map for implementation of an AD service, the Minister continues to disrespect people who are blind or vision-impaired and insults our intelligence as voters.”

Ms Bennison says that audio description profoundly impacts the ability of people who are blind or vision-impaired to participate fully in the cultural and social life of their communities.

“When I watch a movie with Audio Description at the cinema or on DVD I am included. Things like being able to know the details about scenery (the beach, a lush forest, a crowded restaurant), backdrops, features of individual characters (clothing, hair colour, age), their gestures, and other visual information that gives context to a program, and its characters’ words and actions, make a show as rich and vibrant as it is for a person with full sight. It also means I can take part in conversations about the movie with my children, with friends or at work. In short, I am no longer excluded,” she said.

As the national voice of people who are blind or vision-impaired, Blind Citizens Australia calls on the Minister to demonstrate the commitment to people with disability that his Government espouses, by enlightening us as to the nature of the policy work which still needs to be done and when we can expect an AD service on Australian television. We stand ready to work collaboratively with the Federal government, but only when we can be confident that the Minister is doing more than paying lip service to our right to watch television.

Read the full media release.