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Become a Member

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Blind Citizens Australia membership is available to both people who are blind or vision impaired and supporters who are sighted.

Blind Citizens Australia membership is now free. Please complete the form below to join BCA.

Why Should I Become a Member of BCA?

We are a member led organisation, which means that it is our members who decide what is important for us to work on, and it is the Board of Directors who decides on the strategic direction of the organisation. Our National Policy Council guides our policy and submissions work, and our local and special interest branches create the opportunities to connect and learn from each other, as well as working together to advocate on local issues.

Advantages of Becoming a Member:

  1. Lifetime membership – no renewal required
  2. Be part of the largest network of blind and vision impaired people in Australia
  3. Opportunity to learn from others and share your experiences to help other people with vision loss
  4. Contribute to our work by voting for your representative on the Board and the National Policy Committee
  5. Eligibility for leadership positions on the Board, the National Policy Committee, as a committee member for your local branch or a special interest branch
  6. Access to a variety of resources including email discussion lists, New Horizons (our radio show and podcast), Blind Citizens News (our quarterly magazine), early bird alerts to events such as National and State conventions
  7. Develop your self-advocacy skills and participate in local state-wide and national events
  8. Receive individual advocacy support to resolve discrimination or access complaints related to blindness and vision impairment
  9. Add your voice to campaigns and finding solutions to issues of concern via systemic advocacy
  10. Opportunity to contribute to the development of public policy, position statements and government inquiries and reviews that relate to people who are blind or vision impaired through regular consultation.

Types of Membership

There are three categories of membership available:

BCA has three categories of members:

(a) Full members – people who are blind or vision impaired over the age of 18 years who live in Australia.

(b) Associate members – people who identify with the aims of BCA, but who are ineligible to be full members.

(c) Junior members – people who meet the requirements of clause (a) but who are under 18 years of age.

Only Full Members may stand for a position on the Board or vote within Branches or at BCA elections.

Upon joining BCA, members are automatically given the opportunity to participate in their local branch as well.

Members of BCA can also join the National Women’s Branch. The National Women’s Branch is made up of a group of Australian women who are blind or vision impaired, whose mission is to improve the lives of blind and vision impaired women in Australia. The branch seeks to empower members by:

  • Providing positive peer support
  • Holding seminars of interest
  • Encouraging involvement of women in all levels of BCA
  • Being a resource for women on vision impairment
  • Facilitating communication between our members and supporting member issues such as isolation.

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Membership Application Form

To begin your application to join BCA please complete the online application form below, or download the BCA Membership Application in Word format, or contact us on 1800 033 660 and we will send you a Member Application Pack in your preferred format.

Please note that questions marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory fields that require an answer.

Blind Citizens Australia Membership Application Form

This form is used for Blind Citizens Australia for full, junior or associate membership.

  • dd/mm/yyyy

  • Thank you for completing this Application. Once you hit the Submit button your information will be sent through to BCA. If you are not presented with a Confirmation message, after hitting the Submit button, please check that all required fields have been completed.

    Donations to BCA over $2 are tax deductable. Please see below on how to support BCA’s work.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Donation Options

Donations to BCA can be made by Credit Card and Apple Pay using the “Donate” button below, which is facilitated by GiveNow. If you need any assistance or have questions, you can contact us on 1800 033 660.

To support BCA on an ongoing basis, you can sign up as a “BCA Backer” to give a regular donation. When clicking through to the ‘Donate Now’ button below, you will see the option to donate as a one-off or recurring donation of weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.

We thank you for your support.

Make sure that you SUBMIT your membership form before proceeding to the donation page.

DONATE NOW

Purchase “Scales Away” Cookbook

A few years ago, the Women’s Branch created Scales Away, a unique and accessible audio cookbook. All recipe measurements are given in standard cups and spoons, eliminating the need for a kitchen scale. The cookbook includes a wide variety of recipes, such as healthy and delicious meal ideas, cakes and desserts, international dishes, interesting meals for one and fun menus that kids can cook – along with much more.

Scales Away is available in two formats: as an MP3 on CD for $30, or in Microsoft Word format sent via email for $20.

For further information, to place an order, or to arrange payment, please contact Maree Fenech at mareefenech1@gmail.com or leave a message for Maree at the BCA office.