The Scene

Issue 9, 12 May 2006

Back to The Spastic Centre

Features

Know Your Rights & Plan for the Future - Information Session
Katrina Clark, Solicitor and parent of an 8-year-old child with developmental delay, is eager to inform other parents of children with disabilities about things they should know.

This free presentation includes information on Guardianship and financial managers, Centrelink benefits, tax rates, wills and testamentary trusts, home modifications and more.

Locations: The Spastic Centre
Ryde Wednesday 7 June 10am to 12 noon 3a Smalls Road
Prairiewood Tuesday 20 June 10am to 12 noon 224-244 Restwell Road
Allambie Heights Monday 5 June 7pm to 9pm 189 Allambie Road (Head Office Boardroom).

Childcare is available only on request – minimum five days notice please. Bookings are essential. RSVP to Penny Clarke, Community Development Unit, Phone 02 9975 8227 or email pclarke@tscnsw.org.au. (Please advise Penny if you would like your name on the mailing list for future flyers). Refreshments will be provided.

For further information visit the Information Sessions page of this website.

Stories

‘Don’t Call Me Spastic’ – Robert Bland’s Story
A new website www.dontcallmespastic.com features the fascinating biography of Robert Bland, a 57 year old Bathurst man with CP. As the account of Robert’s life unfolds, so does the story of the evolution in the lives of people with disabilities over the last half century. His determination to overcome the obstacles in his path, and prove the sceptics wrong, is the overarching theme of this thoughtfully written account. He also recounts his quest for an independent life, his thirst for knowledge and his desire for an intimate relationship.

The stories of his struggles to undertake higher education with the difficulties of researching and writing assignments are incredible. How much easier life would have been for Robert if he had been born this century, with PCs and the Internet? We celebrate his triumph at gaining his driver’s licence, under conditions much more stringent than anyone else would have had to endure. The story of his headline-making trip to England, mired in the political climate of the day, is extraordinary.

It is sobering for us to see the battles that people with disabilities have had over years. Robert rejects being labelled, in his determination to be independent and live his life in the community.

The life of Robert Bland, by David Barrow, is well worth reading and can be downloaded from the website.

[Note: In the book, Robert speaks of an inspirational doctor Earl Carson (sic). It was actually Dr Earl Carlson, who had cerebral palsy and was a founding member of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Dr Carlson visited The Spastic Centre in its infancy in October 1948 and unequivocally affirmed the direction of the organisation. He said, “I have visited twenty seven different countries, but never before have I seen anything equal to your Centre”.

Robert also speaks of Centre Industries (CI), a telecommunications manufacturing facility based at The Spastic Centre in the 1960s and 1970s. He calls it a ‘sheltered workshop’, but CI was actually the first employment service for people with disabilities that had a combined workforce of people with disabilities and ‘able-bodied’ people. It operated within a commercial framework, tendered for open contracts and was the model for other facilities in Japan and the USA.]

Time and Money

Claiming Carer’s Leave
Working carers have a number of minimum employment award entitlements. One of the least understood and under utilised entitlement is Carer’s Leave. Carer’s leave enables you to take time off to care for and support an immediate family or household member who is ill or injured. Immediate family members are defined as your spouse or former spouse (including de facto), child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or brother or sister. Under the new WorkChoices legislation that came into effect on 27 March 2006, minimum entitlements to personal/carer’s leave are legislated as part of the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard. The Standard includes 10 days of paid personal/carer’s leave per year for all employees except those who are employed on a casual basis. There are pro-rata arrangements to cover part-time employees and those who have not yet worked for 12 months. Up to 10 days in any given year can be used as carer’s leave.

More details on the Working Carers website.

Increased Travel Allowance for Rural and Isolated Patients
Many people living in rural and regional areas are often obliged to travel long distances for specialist or hospital treatment, which is not available locally. A recent announcement by NSW Health means that, from June 2006, an additional 11,000 patients a year will be able to obtain assistance from the IPTAAS scheme to help cover these costs. This is because the distance criterion has been halved from 200kms to 100kms.

For further information visit the IPTAAS page on the NSW Health website.

The Cost Of Caring
A new report has been release by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM), 'The cost of caring in Australia 2002 to 2005 - Who cares?' The report looks at the numbers of people involved in caring for family members across the country, and the cost to them.

The report finds that about 2.6 million people - one in every seven Australians - provides informal care services to people with disabilities and the frail aged. Of these, just under half a million are primary carers, who bear the main care responsibilities for profoundly or severely disabled persons. These people are, on average, about $5,600 worse off than their peers who do not share similar carer responsibilities.

The financial cost is not the only burden that carers face - over half (59%) of all carers suffered a decline in physical health, while two-thirds of carers felt their mental and emotional health had been affected by providing care.

Download a copy of 'The Cost of caring' from the AMP website.

Read the transcript of 'Economic report finds the burden of care a pressing issue', from the ABC's AM program (Wednesday 3 May 2006).

Read 'Family carers pay high price' from The Australian newspaper (Thursday 4 May 2006).

[Source: Disability Infoxchange]

Women

Women With Disabilities Australia Online Guide
Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) has just released a new online referral directory to help find information about services and organisations across Australia. The directory contains an extensive amount of information and links to a broad range of services. WWDA is a national voice for the needs and rights of women with disabilities and a national force to improve the lives and life chances of women with disabilities.

View the WDAA Directory.

Education

Creating Accessible Teaching and Support (CATS)
CATS is an online resource for teaching and supporting university students with disabilities. It provides information and resources to assist universities to create equitable access and to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Standards for Education. The project was funded by the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching. View the CATS website.

[Disability Education and Employment News: No. 7, Vol 2]

Teaching and Assessing Students With Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education has launched an initiative called ‘Ideas That Work’. It focuses on improving teaching, learning, and assessing with a range of resources to support rigorous assessment, instruction, and accountability for students with disabilities. Australian educators may find some valuable material on this site. View 'Ideas that Work'.

[Disability Education and Employment News: No. 7, Vol 2]

Young People

Inspire
The Inspire Foundation is a national non-profit organisation formed in 1996 in response to Australia’s then escalating rates of youth suicide. Inspire’s mission is to create opportunities for young people to help themselves and help others. This mission derives from a deeply held belief that young people want to make a positive difference in their own lives and the life of their community – and that with appropriate care and support every young person can get through tough times. Inspire serves young Australians aged 16-25.

Inspire delivers three national programs:

Reach Out! provides information and support to help young people get through tough times.

Beanbag partners with youth centres around Australia to provide educational, employment and social opportunities for young people living in our most under-served communities.

ActNow will be launched soon and will provides resource and skills to help young people take action on the social issues that affect them and their community.

It’s Time for Discobility at YoYos Again!
Discobility is a dance party for 12-18 year olds with special needs, their family and friends held at YoYos Youth Centre, Forestway Shopping Centre, Frenchs Forest on 19 May 2006 from 7pm to 10pm. The venue is a two storey brick building to left of shopping centre entrance off Forest Way. Entry via front door, then upstairs and has a wheelchair accessible doorway via path leading to side of centre. Car parking is available in the shopping centre.

The cost is $5 per ticket and includes a can of drink and packet of chips. Lucky door prizes.

For further information and indemnity forms phone 9942 2680 or visit www.warringah.nsw.gov.au. Carer must remain onsite if attending the young people are not self-reliant. The form on the website must be handed in at the door.

[Warringah Disability Information Service]

Conferences .. Workshops .. Forums (Parents & Carers)

Information Course for Carers – Northern Beaches
10 May 2006

This course provides useful information for people caring for someone who is frail aged, has a disability or is chronically ill and will explore the emotional and physical demands of caring, services that are available, practical advice, benefits of stress management and relaxation, sharing of experience and other ways to look after oneself.

The course will be held on Tuesdays for five weeks, starting 10 May, from 10am to 12.30pm at 32A Howard Ave, Dee Why (near Northern Beaches Neighbourhood Service). The cost is $15 for the series. For information and bookings contact Denise Taylor, Carers Network Northern Beaches coordinator on 02 9982 3044.

[Warringah Disability Information Service]

Conferences .. Workshops .. Forums (Service Providersl)

The Next Five Years: Key Issues Facing Children & Young People with a Disability & Their Families
5 June 2006

The ACROD NSW Subcommittee on Children, Young People and their Families invites service providers and family members to a one-day forum on the key issues children and young people with a disability and their families are facing now and will face over the next five years.

Guest Speakers include Graeme Innes, Human Rights Commissioner & Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Gillian Calvert, NSW Commissioner for Children & Young People, Judy Brewer Fischer, Parent and Advocate and Belinda Epstein-Frisch, Parent & Systems Advocate.

The conference will be held at the Sydney Masonic Centre, Ionic Room, 279 Castlereagh Street, Sydney on 5 June 2006 from 10am to 3.30pm. Cost (GST inclusive) is $80 Service providers and $40 Family members
(Includes forum registration, lunch and tea breaks.).

For further information call Gabrielle Jones, Planning Coordinator on 02 9503 1603, email gabe@acrodnsw.net or visit the ACROD NSW website.

Call For Abstracts - Improving the Clinical Management of Patients with a Disability
30 November – 1 December 2006

Change Champions invites participation in its toolkit seminar, ‘Improving the Clinical Management of Patients with a Disability’, by submitting an abstract to present at the seminar. The conference will be held in Sydney from 30 November to 1 December 2006.

Aims
- To showcase systems, strategies and approaches to providing safer healthcare efficiently and effectively for patients with a disability, including within the acute sector.
- To share information (including the lessons learnt), ideas, resources and tools about models of service delivery/care, collaborations, policies and procedures that have demonstrated improved health outcomes for patients with a disability, including those that are patient, family, carer focused.
- To showcase innovations projects that have addressed health needs and resulted in demonstrated improvements in the clinical management of patients with a disability.

Call for Papers
Submissions for abstracts that demonstrate innovative solutions and lessons learnt in improving the clinical management of patients with a physical and/or intellectual disability are invited. Abstracts must have a practical focus on process, implementation and outcomes of innovations projects including what worked well as well as what did not work well. Theoretical papers will not be considered.

For further information contact Change Champions on 02 4960 8576, email change.champions@bigpond.com or visit the Change Champions website.

Endeavour Industries Community Services Professional Development Training (Hunter)
Endeavour Industries is currently offering funded training and professional development solutions for the community services, disability, youth and mature aged sectors. Eligible participants can attend the training free of charge. The courses are:
- Risk management in community
- Financial literacy
- Introduction to disability work
- Introduction to the office environment for the aged care sector
- Workplace communication for the youth sector
- Introduction to the work environment.

All courses will be held in the Hunter region. View the flyer for more information or contact Don Sampaklis on 02 4990 2600 or email don@eil.org.au.

Supporting People With A Disability With Challenging Behaviour
31 May 2006 & 14 June 2006

A forum for families, direct carers and service providers supporting people with a disability and challenging behaviour. The first forum is at Newcastle on 31 May 2006 from 10am to 1pm at the Souths Newcastle Leagues Club 46 Llewellyn Street Merewether (light lunch provided). RSVP by 26 May 2006.

The second forum will be held at Singleton on 14 June 2006 from 6pm to 9pm at the Singleton Civic Centre cnr Queen St and Civic Ave Singleton (opposite the coal board) (light supper provided). RSVP by 9 June 2006.

Topics covered are Acquired Brain Injury, behaviour as communication and self esteem. For further information and to register contact Leanne Gillespi at Life Activities on 02 4914 5999.

Making your Service Accessible to People from a NESB
3 August 2006

This hands on workshop attempts to resolve workers’ most common difficulties by outlining the barriers people from a NESB experience in attempting to access services, why some people do not use services at all, why services seem unable to attract workers who speak another language, or why those piles of translated pamphlets stashed away in the cupboard stay there.

The workshop will be held on 3 August from 9.30am to 4.40pm at Northcott, 1 Fennell Street, North Parramatta. The cost is $110 for staff of non government organisations and $220 for Government.

For further information and to register contact the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW on 02 9891 6400, fax 02 9635 5355 or write to PO Box 9381, Harris Park 2150.

Meeting the Challenge: Sixth Annual Disability Support Workers Conference
6-17 November 2006

The Australasian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability (ASSID) conference celebrates and supports the important role that Disability Support Workers play in the lives of people with disabilities. The aim of the conference is to provide participants with practical skills that can be taken back to the workplace so that they can better assist clients.

The conference will be held at the University of Melbourne in Parkville on 16 and 17 November 2006. For further information visit the ASSID Conference website.

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What would you like to see in "The Scene"? Email Robyn Cummins Information Manager at The Spastic Centre if you would like to contribute any ideas, advise of any future events or know of any websites that might be of interest to others.

Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in items of The Scene are the individual opinions of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Spastic Centre or the editors. Products and companies featured in The Scene are not necessarily endorsed by The Spastic Centre. The Scene is intended to be informative only and should not be relied on as medical or other technical advice on any matter. The Spastic Centre and editor take no responsibility for the information published in this newsletter or any person's actions in reliance on that information.