09 Apr 2025

On FOCAL POINT:

• Alex Morris, from the Australian Electoral Commission, with news on the options available for people who are blind or vision impaired to vote at the May 3rd Federal Election - including important dates and phone numbers.
• Barry Clark, Chair of See Differently (The Royal Society for the Blind) paid tribute to the late Peter Hetherington OAM, Advocate; champion blind cricketer; employee; board member and client for close to 60 years. 
• Dr Jo Kaeding and Agata Mrva-Montoya, from Uni SA and Sydney University respectively, shared their research showing public libraries are failing readers with a print disability. 
• Deb Deshayes, CEO for Blind Citizens Australia, invited all to the 50th anniversary Convention at the Novatel from Friday the 13th June in Melbourne and updated us on a number of exciting projects BCA are undertaking. 

Resources:

Australian Electoral Commission: Call 13 23 26 or go to: https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/ways_to_vote/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BECz3XpaVJZO2mEvuCI6j3lu3O1wF8s1WQgemBgA5CMoRAv8hxfTrBoCdOYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds 

Research Findings (Libraries and Accessibility): https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2025/australian-public-libraries-failing-readers-with-print-disabilities/ 

Blind Citizens Australia: Call 1800 033 660 or go to http://www.bca.org.au 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

S1 (00:15):
Good evening and welcome to Focal Point here on Vicious Radio.
Radio 1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide, online at Via radio
Dot via Radio Digital in Adelaide and Darwin through the
Community Radio Plus Up also through the Reading Radio Network.
Peter Greco on behalf of Phillip Vampire, saying thanks so
much for joining us. Our big cheerio to Wendy McDougall

(00:37):
listening in. This program will come to you from Wonderland.
Come to you very shortly. There's an action happening on
May the 3rd. We'll chat about it with Alex Morris
from the Australian Electoral Commission. What's available for people who
are blind or low vision to vote? Will they catch
up with Barry Clark? You may have heard the news
last week regarding the very sad passing of Peter Hetherington,

(01:00):
a very, very well known and highly respected figure amongst
the blindness community in particular, but the community in general.
Barry is the president of the see differently the RSV.
So Barry will pay a lovely tribute, I'm sure to Peter.
Then catch up with Agata montoya and also Doctor Joe Keating.

(01:21):
Talk about maybe public libraries and how they can better
cater for people with a disability. Such an important topic.
We'll chat to those ladies very soon and Deb Deshaies
will join us. The CEO for Blind Cities Australia. Always
lots happening. And 2025 is a very special a very
significant year for BCA. Deb will tell us about that.

(01:43):
If you're listening through 1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide at
8:00 for your listening pleasure. Lucy and Sam are here
with Studio One. Just before we hear what's on Studio One.
Sad to report some more sad news regarding the passing
of Susan Gaunt, who went to cancer school in the
60s and 70s. Sadly, Susan left us in the last

(02:06):
few days, so our deepest sympathies and condolences to Susan's
family and those who knew her. Rest in peace, Susan. Gord.
And also some more disturbing news. You may recall, over
the last six months or so, we've been talking about
music therapy and it being included in the NDIS or
being taken away from the NDIS. There's been a review

(02:30):
to get some evidence based research into the benefits of
music therapy. It looks like that review has given a
thumbs down. We're trying to get someone to talk about
it at the moment. Not having much luck, but that
seems the reports coming out or the information that we
have is that sadly, music therapy will not be continued

(02:51):
as part as your NDIS program. Let's find out what's
on studio one tonight.

S2 (02:59):
How do you decide what to wear. Does your vision
or lack thereof affect your choice of clothing?

S3 (03:06):
We ask a few friends if fashion is an issue.

S2 (03:09):
Join us at 8:00 for studio one.

S1 (03:13):
Well, the election has been called May the 3rd is
the date. Let's find out what in particular people are
blind or low vision might be able to do as
far as voting independently goes this year from the Australian
Electoral Commission. Speak to Alex Morris. Alex, great to catch up.
Thanks for your time.

S4 (03:26):
Thanks for having me Peter.

S1 (03:27):
Obviously a busy time. So we appreciate you speaking to us. Um,
what about in terms of, uh, people blind or low vision,
what's kind of in store for us in terms of
voting for this year if we choose to do so independently?

S4 (03:38):
Yeah, it's a it's a really great question. And I'm
glad we're able to talk about this. Uh, now that
the election's on everyone's minds. Uh, so first and foremost, uh,
once again, we will be rolling out, uh, telephone voting
for people who are blind or have low vision. It
is the same service that we've run at the last
referendum and the previous election in 2022 as well. So

(04:00):
you might very well be familiar with it. What will
happen is that the service will open up for registrations
on Tuesday the 22nd of April. You'll be able to
give us a call to register for the service. And
then we have a two stage system through which that
you cast a vote. So you give us one call
to get yourself checked off the electoral roll, and then
we give you an anonymous code, which you then provide

(04:22):
to us in a second, entirely separate call. And the
reason for that is that Australia invented the secret ballot.
And it's really, really important that no matter who you are,
no matter which circumstances you're voting in, you have the
option to have a secret ballot. So that's the way
that we ensure that happens.

S1 (04:39):
Okay, so the first time, I guess you identify who
you are and what's the suit you're in, for example.

S4 (04:44):
That's right. Yeah. So exactly like you would check yourself
off the roll in a physical polling place, you check
yourself on the roll over the phone. Now, that whole
the whole, uh, service, uh, is available to be scrutinised
as well. It's a little known fact, but, uh, just
like scrutineers can oversee, uh, all parts of the electoral process,
they can actually attend these call centres that run the

(05:05):
telephone voting service for us. They can plug in headsets
just like a a supervisor in a call centre, uh,
and they can listen in and oversee that process. That's
part of the transparency that we have in place of
on all parts of the election.

S1 (05:19):
Okay. So I'll ring in. I'd say my name is
Peter Greco. This is my, uh, electorate. Uh, then I
get given a code. Is that.

S4 (05:26):
Right? That's right. You get given a code and a
phone number to to call us again. And that, uh,
calls up a different unit within that centre. Uh, who
will then take your vote? They'll also walk you through
the ballot paper if you haven't had a chance to
look at it yet.

S1 (05:38):
So when I ring the second time, I just give
them my code. I don't have to say, obviously, I'm
not going to say my name because that kind of
takes away the secrecy angle, then wouldn't it?

S4 (05:47):
Exactly. Right. So it's a huge safeguard for, uh, the
secrecy of your vote, which is really, really important. It
is something Australia really gave to the world and we
should be proud of it.

S1 (05:57):
Alex, in the past, I think when you you send
me a code and then I think after you come
up with the code for myself as well, where does
that happen in that process?

S4 (06:06):
That will all get walked through with you by our
operators on the phone. So, uh, definitely be, uh, be
paying attention, be listening along and, uh, follow all of
the instructions that we give, just like we would in
a polling place. We'll give you instructions when you get
to a polling place. And we do ask that people
follow those instructions as well.

S1 (06:23):
As you said, people can register from the 22nd. I
guess it's a little bit unusual this year just by
virtue of the fact that there's, uh, Easter and also
Anzac Day and the Anzac. Those holidays kind of, uh,
fall into that two week period before Election Day.

S4 (06:36):
It is a bit of a strange one. Yeah. We
haven't had an election with public holidays, uh, on this scale, uh,
at least since I've been with the AEC. So it's
a strange one. But, uh, if you're looking to visit
an early voting, uh, center, uh, we won't be open
on Easter Monday the 21st. And we also won't be
open on Friday the 25th, which is Anzac Day. So
if you are looking to visit an early voting center

(06:59):
and cast a vote in person, which is absolutely something
that we support, then just make sure you're not visiting
us on those days.

S1 (07:06):
Now, as we touched on people that have used the
system before, I guess no. But Alex, I'd assume that
three years ago there would have been a number of
people who, since that time might have turned 18 or, um, who, uh,
might choose to vote this way. Now, perhaps their sight
has deteriorated. Or, uh, the person that they used to
have support them to vote might have, uh, moved on.

(07:27):
So there's always new people listening in as far as
the opportunity to be able to vote to this way goes.

S4 (07:33):
Yeah, absolutely. And we welcome anyone, uh, who's able to
use the service and who wants to use the service.
It is a way that we can make voting accessible. Uh,
and I'm really, really happy to be able to offer it.
We have more information about the service that we offer
and about a range of other accessibility, uh, options that
we have as well, available on the Aec's website. Just

(07:53):
visit AEC gov and you'll be able to find all
of the information you need.

S1 (07:58):
Alright Alex, I know that for registration to vote at
this year's election is now closed. But just therefore I
guess conventional voters if you like. So there's pre polls
that are that open as you say also on April
the 22nd. So if people maybe going to be away
on May the 3rd or might have say, say carer's
duties or will be unable to attend their local polling booth,

(08:21):
they can vote beforehand.

S4 (08:22):
Absolutely right. Pre-poll voting opens from Tuesday the 22nd of April.
The other thing that voters might want to consider, if
you can't make it to a polling place on the
day and if pre-poll voting isn't the right option for you,
is applying for a postal vote. Now, you can apply
for a postal vote on the Aec's website right now,
and if you do want to post a vote, we

(08:43):
are encouraging everyone who needs one to apply sooner rather
than later. The reason being that particularly for people who
are in regional parts of the country, if you leave
it until the last minute. We might struggle to get
those postal votes out in that very last couple of
days before the election. Um, just because of the way
the time frames are set in the legislation. So if

(09:03):
you can do it as soon as you know, that
is the best option by far.

S1 (09:07):
But it's such a great point. I mean, we love
Australia Post. They do a great job delivering our mail
when they do. But, uh, you know, they're not super people. Um,
they probably are, but they can't make things happen any
quicker than than it sort of logistically possible. So and
particularly with that holiday period, it probably is a good
idea to think about, uh, registering for postal voting maybe
a little bit earlier than might otherwise be the case.

S4 (09:30):
Absolutely right. Uh, definitely plan your vote. The advice we
give to all voters, um, anywhere you are in the country,
plan your vote. Think about where you're going to be
on May the 3rd, and then think about options that
are going to work for you. If visiting a polling
place on the day won't work for you. I will
also say we have a great respect for Australia Post
as well. We work really, really closely with them. They
are prioritising postal votes Uh, as they send them out.

(09:52):
But even with that, there is a really tight deadline
at the end of the election period, and I'd hate
to see anyone miss out, so apply sooner rather than later.

S1 (10:00):
Well, that's a really important point, isn't it? Because if
you vote and then for whatever reason, things get held up,
you know, you kind of vote won't count, which is
exactly the purpose of what this is all about.

S4 (10:12):
Yeah. Don't leave it to chance, is the message.

S1 (10:14):
Yeah. Alex, what about in terms of at polling booths themselves?
What sort of help can someone ask for if maybe
their site isn't as good as it can be, or
if they need a little bit of extra support? What's
this kind of situation in terms of seeking some sort
of assistance or help in that area?

S4 (10:30):
We have a few options for people. Uh, we'll have
information on our website in the next couple of days. Uh,
about the, uh, the locations of pretty much all of
our polling places. I think there's 1 or 2 that
we're still finalizing. Uh, but included in that information is
not just the address of the polling place, but a
lot of accessibility information. And that can include basic things like,

(10:50):
you know, is it fully wheelchair accessible? Is it partially
wheelchair accessible? Which means that there might be a single
or a couple of steps that might you might need
some help to navigate, which can be important for people
with canes. Of course, we'll also have things like, uh,
text to speech pens available in certain polling places. We
will have certain polling places that have an audio loop
set up. And we'll also have QR codes in some

(11:11):
polling places where we will have a a virtual Auslan
interpreter that you will be able to access as well
through a, through an app. So a lot of different options,
all of that information is going to be available on
the AEC website, uh, through the polling place finder tool.
So as always the best advice is visit our website,
look for the information that you're after and you will

(11:32):
find it.

S1 (11:32):
I guess it's fair to say that, uh, you know,
I think 2007 was the first time this, uh, telephone
voting came in for people blind or low vision. But
just in general terms, a lot has changed. And I
mean so much more technology is available, so much more
assistance is available in that sort of technology area. So
kind of the AEC has to move with the times

(11:52):
as well in terms of, you know, being up to
date with, you know, the developments that are taking place.

S4 (11:57):
We do indeed. So technology has come a long way.
I mean, this virtual Auslan service is a real goer.
So I'll be excited to see what people make of it. And,
you know, the text to speech pens, the the audio
hearing loops, they're all part of a focus from the
AEC on accessibility. Our incoming commissioner, Jeff Pope, he doesn't
have visual impairments himself, but he he he does suffer

(12:19):
from a disability. And he has been a disability champion
for quite some time. And this is a real area
of focus from him. So just for basic stats, one
of the things that he's asked for and that we've
been able to implement since the 2022 election, is we've
increased the number of fully accessible polling places. So fully
wheelchair accessible, no steps, no nothing, by at least 20%.

(12:41):
And we expect that to go up at future elections
as well. It is a really, really important thing, not
just for people who have, you know, a blind or
visually impaired, but for anyone who has sort of differences
in the way that they approach the world. And that's
we want to be accessible for all voters, not just
ones that tick a certain box.

S1 (12:59):
Good point. Just getting back to the telephone voting. Alex,
I've mentioned this before in the lead up to elections.
I use that particular system. And the thing that is really,
really impressive is when you ring, the people that take
the call are obviously very, very well trained to know
exactly what you want. You know, within reason. But more importantly,
they know exactly the sort of things that they can

(13:20):
help out with. And I think that's really, really important.
So I'm going to assume that a lot of work
has gone into training the telephone staff to make sure
that they're right across all the issues when it comes
to taking that call and then giving out that information.

S4 (13:33):
Absolutely right. It was a especially a big task for
us at the 2022 election. You might recall, we.

S1 (13:40):
Yeah.

S4 (13:40):
We expanded the service for people who were tested positive
to Covid. So we massively ramped up our capacity there.
And one of the stories that still makes me chuckle
about about that service is we got a report very,
very early, early on on social media from someone that
was saying, this service is amazing. I was actually able
to cast an informal vote. I asked them to draw

(14:00):
a picture on my ballot paper and that was it.
I don't know if I'd necessarily encourage voters to do that.

S1 (14:06):
Wasn't me, Alex. That wasn't me.

S4 (14:07):
It's a I mean, that is an option that is
available for all voters, no matter where you are. And,
you know, the legislation asks for you to fill out
a ballot paper. It doesn't specify how. So if you
feel like, you know, that is part of your democratic
right to make that choice, if you'd like to do that,
our advice is number the boxes. But if you want
to do something different, that's on you.

S1 (14:28):
All right. Just in terms of numbering the boxes. And
I think we kind of touched on this earlier. It
is good particularly of course with the lower house is that,
you know, maybe 4 or 5, 6 or 7, depending
on what state you're in candidates. It's kind of good
if you do a little bit of research and say
you're prepared, it's going to make the whole thing much
more streamlined, both for you and the operator. If you
kind of got a pretty good idea in your mind

(14:49):
as to how you want to vote.

S4 (14:51):
Absolutely right. It definitely helps to, uh, to plan, uh,
your vote. Don't just plan the circumstances of your vote,
but think about the candidates in your area. Think about
which Senate candidates are running in your state and territory
as well, because we have two ballot papers to fill
out the House and the Senate. And if you get
the opportunity while you're out and about or while you're
on social media. Candidates are out in the community right now.

(15:13):
They are talking to people. They are wanting to talk
to people. Uh, so if you have issues that are
important to you, now is the time to be raising
them with your candidates, because these are the people that
you are going to be electing to the Australian Parliament
and the people who are going to be making laws
on your behalf for the next three years. It's a
really important decision that you're making, and I'd encourage you
to have a chat with your candidates about what's important

(15:35):
to you.

S1 (15:35):
Yeah, we're all pretty quick to criticize politicians, etc. but,
you know, take away that right to vote and I
think we'd have something to really be big grizzling about.
And it's a good thing that that's really important is
that after each election, you as an organization kind of
do a pretty, uh, full scale review, don't you? So
as you kind of touched on again earlier, a lot of, uh,

(15:56):
things that can be improved on do get improved on
for the next time around so that that's important as well.

S4 (16:00):
We do indeed. There's going to be a big lessons
learned process after this election. And, you know, we'll be
rolling in some of the lessons that we learned from
the referendum as well, which is only concluded relatively recently
in AEC years. The other thing that we'll do, and
I'm a big parliamentary dork, so I love this stuff. Uh,
is we participate in a parliamentary review as well, uh,

(16:21):
run by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. Uh, John.

S1 (16:24):
Love that.

S4 (16:24):
Name. It's wonderful, isn't it? It's made up of members
of the House and senators. Uh, it's it's a real
opportunity for Australians to have their say about how the
election went and, you know, suggest, uh, potential, uh, changes
to electoral laws. That's, uh, that's the the best opportunity
for that sort of thing to be discussed. If you've got,
you know, a bugbear about a certain way that we

(16:47):
do things at elections and it's, you know, something that
we're legally required to do. Jscem can be the forum
to talk about that with, uh, you tend to see,
you know, the big names make appearances as well. You're
Anthony Greens, your Ben Rowley's all of the big parties
make submissions to that process as well. And the AEC
participates very, very thoroughly. And that will be up and
down the hill for most of next year, I reckon,

(17:08):
getting involved with that particular process.

S1 (17:10):
Alex, uh, what's the phone number of people doing a
register for telephone voting?

S4 (17:14):
If you are wanting to register for telephone voting, you
can give us a call on 1800 913 993. That's 1800 913 993. And
you'll need to give us a call to register after
the 22nd of April.

S1 (17:29):
Terrific, Alex. Good luck. And of course, just give us
your website again because a lot of good information there.
And again, a lot of work has gone into making
that accessible too, hasn't it?

S4 (17:37):
Of course Peter, we really work hard on that one.
And uh, my colleague Jess in particular, uh, really has
been working hard on on getting all of the information
up to date, including today. So very, very proud of her,
very proud of the entire web team. You can visit
us at AEC. You'll find all the information that you're
looking for. You can also reach out to us on
social media. We are on TikTok. We are on threads.

(17:59):
We are on Instagram. We are on Facebook. We're even
on LinkedIn. We are wherever you want to be. So
we'd love to hear from you.

S1 (18:06):
Alex. Happy writing. Thanks for your time.

S4 (18:08):
Thanks, Peter. Really appreciate it.

S1 (18:09):
Alex Morris there from the AEC and we'll certainly give
you those details leading up to the election, but 1800 913 993
and AEC gov. Well, last week we mentioned the very
sad news of the passing of Peter Hetherington OAM. Let's
chat about a bit about Peter and his life with

(18:30):
uh the president of um see differently RFP Barry Clark
very great to talk to you under sad circumstances.

S5 (18:37):
Yes Peter it was quite a surprise to hear that
he'd passed away after such a long and diverse experience
helping vision impaired people.

S1 (18:49):
Peter certainly had a long and proud history with both
the RSV or Rib. I think it might have been
seen differently as it is now, but generally with people
who are blind or have low vision.

S5 (18:59):
He did. And really, his history starts with us in
about 1950 52. I think it was that he first
started losing his vision, and by late in that year
he had completely lost all his vision. And then I

(19:19):
guess it was about 1969, where he started doing some
work for the RSV in door to door collecting and
raising funds to help blind and vision impaired people. And
then that progressed to about 70 odd where he wanted

(19:39):
me to actually as he joined as an employee, as
a welfare officer. And he during that period as a
welfare officer visited, I don't know, a couple 100 country towns.
He just traveled the state talking to different people who
lost their vision. He had a lot of energy and
enthusiasm because he experienced that firsthand. What was like to

(20:02):
lose vision. So, um, he in his capacity as workwear officer,
he really spoke to hundreds of people in his quest
to make life a bit easier for them.

S1 (20:15):
And of course, we're talking about days when, uh, the
internet wasn't there. I mean, even the things like newsletters
or access to information wasn't very easy to come by.
So word of mouth was a great way to spread
a message.

S5 (20:27):
Re telephone was the most technically advanced piece of equipment
that one could use in communication. Uh, yeah. No, he
he did a lot of work. And then because we
were employing a number of people in the industrial services,
he did seem to have a keen interest in the
welfare of those people over the years. And, um, he, uh,

(20:50):
really spent a lot of time helping them just access
services and access benefits so that, uh, you know, they
weren't necessarily able to have the know how to do
some of that themselves. So he was able to do
that for them. And I even hear a whisper, he
used to help some of them do their tax return.

S1 (21:12):
Well, I think statute of limitation. You can mention that now.

S5 (21:16):
Yeah. So it wouldn't have been any license, that's for sure.
And he actually has the history of commencing the first
low vision support group in Mount Gambier 45 years ago.

S1 (21:27):
Wow.

S5 (21:28):
And that group is still active today.

S1 (21:30):
That's impressive, isn't it?

S5 (21:31):
And, well, he had such a passion for it. It
wasn't a job. It was an entire purpose of life
for Peter. And, uh, we're very grateful for that. Of course,
he retired from active duty, I think, in about 1990.
And at that time, he was also elected as a

(21:52):
staff representative on the board as our rules mandate. And
so he continued that board position even after he retired.
He was then elected from the normal, uh, at the
normal end of general meetings. And he didn't retire for
about 2007 from the board. So the long period. Yeah.

(22:14):
I mean, 20 odd years on the board. And even
after that term expired, he still did a lot of
voluntary work, and especially with transport issues, helping to advocate for, um,
I guess, education for train and bus drivers and how
to treat and look after a blind person. And, um,

(22:35):
he spent quite a bit of time with Trans-australia Rail
and also Serco, the bus people in training their drivers
and how to react and deal with people and help.
So he provided a lot of that stuff, voluntary I suppose,
over the years, which is great.

S1 (22:52):
That was a real passion of Peter's, wasn't it? Public transport,
both to travel on it himself, but also to kind
of give people the opportunity to do so via things
like the the bus pass.

S5 (23:02):
Exactly right. It was well known in the corridors of
the Transport minister, I tell you. And another passion of
Peter's aside from work was recreation. I mean, he was
heavily involved in blind cricket and, um, he was president
of the state, uh, blind cricket group for about seven
years and then served as treasurer and, and secretary to

(23:26):
that group. And I think he played in about seven
interstate tournaments as well during that period.

S1 (23:31):
And actually I played I played at the time, but
Peter was playing and he was a very fine player,
not just the South Australia, but um, I mean, the
way cricket was in those days, there wasn't a chance
to play for Australia, but the opportunities the players get
now is great. But if he could have played for Australia,
he certainly was good enough if that opportunity would have
been available in his time.

S5 (23:51):
Yeah, well you got firsthand experience with that. And, uh,
you know, when Peter did something, he put his all
into it. And, uh, so, um, we're really grateful for
his help over the years, and it seems to quite, uh,
you know, sort of strange that he's now no longer
with us after having been part of the organisation for

(24:11):
so many years.

S1 (24:12):
He did have that kind of character that you kind
of think, well, Peter's going to go forever, didn't he?
That was the kind of, uh, energy he exerted. He
that was the sort of, uh.

S6 (24:21):
Well, yeah, I can.

S5 (24:22):
Remember him clearly cos I, I joined the board in 1992.
And so Peter was on the board for, for a
few years while I was there, and now he was
an active participant and really felt passionately about everything. And
he did in terms of whether it was their welfare
or transport or, um, one other issue they might face.

(24:45):
He was it was a mate to people who needed
some support in some way.

S1 (24:49):
And as I said, given the opportunity for the lack
of information that was so important, that contact, he had
a great memory for people's names and kind of their circumstances.
If he met Mr. or Mrs. So-and-so in the Naracoorte
five years ago when he went back, he'd still remember
what he helped them with and, uh, the sort of

(25:10):
issues that they were working through. So he was very
much a people person.

S5 (25:15):
Like he was. And that was, as we said, it
was his passion. And, uh, so the world could do
with more people with that same passion. Um, a lot
of people, you know, sort of want to take, take,
take and can expect things. But Peter he gave he
gave gave he he served both as a paid initially

(25:35):
as a paid employee, but then as a volunteer for
many years after the paid employment finished. So we're grateful
for that, and we will certainly miss his smiling face
around the place.

S1 (25:47):
So that work that he did with, uh, passport organizations,
both bus and tram and and train, uh, I mean,
that was kind of well ahead of his time. I mean,
organizations are doing that. I guess we've got a number
of advocacy bodies these days that do that sort of work.
In many respects, back in the 70s, that was well
ahead of his time.

S5 (26:06):
Well, it was I mean, it was in an era
where there really wasn't, uh, the recognition of the needs
of people with disability. And, uh, he really filled that
role right early on. And so, um, because he was
a pioneer in his era in, in providing, um, I guess,

(26:26):
Education to those people. There were drivers to help them
with their transport issues and problems.

S1 (26:34):
And I guess a bit of a testament to what
he thought of the RFB and see differently was I
know that long after he retired, he'd very frequently pop
into the offices or pop into the factory and say
hello to people, just as you said, kind of an
extension of his welfare role. He was still, you know,
catching up with people, just checking out that that things

(26:54):
were going okay, keeping a bit of an eye on
their welfare.

S5 (26:57):
Yeah. Well, I mean, there were people there that he
knew probably for 20, 30, almost 40 years. When you
think of from the beginning, because some of that people
in industrial services have been there for many, many years.
And so he he knew them well and they knew
him well. And he was a familiar face around the place,
that's for sure.

S1 (27:15):
And certainly with his cricket, he was a great promoter
of the game. I mean, I recall as a a
very young person, Peter and a few other people from
the RFB like Les Wood and Tony Starkey, I Starkey.
I think Malcolm Pennywell coming down to the school at
Townsend and kind of saying, look, this game of blind
cricket's around you. People can play as well, both boys
and girls. You people can play the game as well and,

(27:36):
you know, pardon the pun, but it was a real
eye opener for us because we might have listened to
the cricket on the radio or knowing a bit about it,
but to actually be able to play at a competitive
level was such a wonderful opportunity.

S5 (27:47):
Yeah, I think he spent quite a bit of time
down there at House in the early years, trying to
foster the interest in blind cricket and, uh, you mean
other things, too. He was on the board of Blind
Welfare for a number of years and, um, involved with
them also, Blind Citizens Australia. He was involved in every
facet of different organisations that were part of the the

(28:10):
vision impaired and blind network.

S1 (28:12):
Is there a member, uh, well, back uh, or probably
or getting on to 7 or 8 years ago? Uh,
blind the blind Cricket club in South Australia celebrated their
50 years. And Peter was there in in very fine
form and reliving some of the early days. And, you know,
he was also very good at kind of saying to people, look,
you know, this is a great opportunity. Make the most
of it because, you know, you're a long time retired,

(28:33):
but when you're playing, make sure you're you get the
most out of the game, which is a very positive
message to be spreading.

S5 (28:38):
That's right. And, um, just, um, I guess it's a
sad reality of life that we all get older and
as we get older, we start to perhaps lose some
of our mental alacrity and and get bored. Or Pete
was no exception to that, as we'll all go down
that pathway in due course. But he gave his best

(28:59):
while he could.

S1 (29:00):
Terrific. Barry, thank you so much. It's a great tribute.
He certainly deserves all the accolades that people can give
him who will be sorely missed. But as he said,
the world is certainly a better place for having patron.
The certainly the world could do, uh, you know, could
do much better if there were a few more Peter
Hendersons around.

S5 (29:17):
Yes. Well, the community spirit and community involvement and, uh,
would be very. I guess we'll remember long. Many of
us older ones will remember for a long while.

S1 (29:27):
Barry, thank you for that. Really appreciate.

S5 (29:29):
It. Thank you for the opportunity to pay tribute to him,
and we'll talk to you down the track.

S1 (29:34):
If Barry Clark there, the president of uh, see definitely
the RFP I think might have been the rib when
Peter first joined, but paying a lovely tribute to Peter
Hetherington OAM. Rest in peace.

S7 (29:47):
You're listening to Focal Point on beating Australia Radio 1190
7 a.m. via radio digital and online at Radio.com.

S1 (29:56):
Well really fascinating report maybe concerning report out regarding some
public libraries and the way they're not, uh, treating people
who have a disability. Very well. Let's chat about it
with a couple of the researchers. Agata montoya. I gotta
love to catch up with you again. Thank you. You're
from Sydney Uni and from Unisa. We've got Doctor Joe Keating. Joe,

(30:17):
lovely to meet you for the first time.

S8 (30:19):
Thank you Peter. You too.

S1 (30:20):
Now maybe, Joe, do Joe, do you want to give
us a bit of an idea of how and why
this research has come about, and kind of why this
conclusion has been reached?

S8 (30:27):
So Agatha and myself started to really explore this topic,
I guess, on the back of the Accessibility Act in
the EU. And you're probably aware of that, Peter. But
that's the so the European Accessibility Act, which came into

(30:47):
effect in 2019, but it's actually going to become law
in June 2025, where they're actually going to act upon that.
And that act was really requiring a range of services
and products to be accessible. And one of those is ebooks.

(31:10):
So Agatha actually contacted me and said, you know, this
is interesting. What do you think is happening in Australia
around this? And we sort of thought, you know, this
is a is a very interesting space to consider. If
they can do that in Europe, where there's that requirement
that e-books are published in an accessible format. So if

(31:34):
you want to sell them following June 2025, it all
has to be accessible. You know what's happening here in Australia.
So I guess that's where our interest sparked. Would that
be right, Agatha?

S9 (31:47):
Yeah, yeah. So it's it's sort of, um, based on, uh,
the research I've done with the publishing industry in Australia. And, um,
as a result of that, we published with, uh, three
industry colleagues, uh, guidelines for publishers or how to produce
accessible ebooks. So the next step would be to, okay,
if the publishers produce accessible ebooks, are they actually available?

(32:09):
Can they be found via public libraries, for example? So
this was the sort of the direct stimulus, because it's
not just good enough to make ebooks accessible if they
cannot be found by our libraries.

S1 (32:21):
And I guess this is where the kind of concerning
part of this report comes in, that perhaps public libraries,
for whatever reason and a number of reasons, maybe haven't
got their head around this, or perhaps the consumers haven't
got their head around this as much as we perhaps
could have.

S9 (32:36):
That's right. So it's clear that it's actually really interesting
because almost all libraries have large print editions, almost all
libraries have audio books, and almost all libraries have ebooks. However,
the librarians are not sure whether those ebooks and audiobooks
are accessible. But most importantly, more importantly, even they vary.

(32:58):
They have very low confidence in the accessibility of their
catalogues and websites, so even if they are accessible, readers
with disability have no ways of actually accessing those those resources.

S1 (33:10):
So I found that was an interesting word about the
lack of confidence. That's kind of, um, you know, a
very powerful word that, uh, the fact that there isn't
that confidence. It's quite a powerful thing.

S8 (33:20):
Yeah. And a lot of it is to do with,
I guess, that training and understanding what makes an e-book accessible,
what makes a library catalog accessible, or a library website accessible.
And I was mentioning to somebody else recently, if you
don't have that confidence in the accessibility of the resources

(33:46):
that your public library provides, you're far less likely to
recommend those to somebody with a print disability. And so
it it becomes almost not necessarily a chicken and the
egg syndrome. But if you're not confident, you're not recommending
and then if you are a person with a print disability,

(34:07):
if you do speak to your library and you're not
being recommended anything, then you automatically think, well, there is
nothing for me. So it it sort of becomes cyclical,
if that makes sense.

S1 (34:19):
Absolutely. And it goes to part of the issue if
you like is is the training of library staff.

S9 (34:24):
It is. Absolutely. And um, so yeah, and this is
really interesting because it's like within the publishing industry, a
lot of it comes down to training. And I have
to point out that, um, although librarians are not confident in, in, um,
ensuring whether they website or catalog accessible, there's also an
issue of who actually has the ownership of the library

(34:47):
website or the catalog, and it's often external bodies. So
in the case of library websites, it's usually the council.
In the case of the catalog, it's usually a commercial entity.
That said librarians should be asking those questions. And and
you know, when they are signing contracts or putting pressure
on their ICT in the councils to make sure that

(35:07):
those websites are accessible. But again, it comes down to
the training that librarians need to know what to ask
for in the first place.

S1 (35:13):
So it seems like everyone kind of wants the right
thing to happen, but it's kind of pulling this all together.
That's what's the question.

S8 (35:21):
Yeah. And especially, um, I think, you know, as a
past public librarian, you definitely want to help everybody in
your community. Um, and so, you know, and again, that's
what our research found, you know, 90 something or more
percent of, like, public librarians want to be able to

(35:41):
provide accessible material, want to be able to support the community,
but without that knowledge and, and training and competence, then
it doesn't go forward. But I guess what was also
very interesting, um, to Agata and I as well, is the, um,
for me came out of that. Is that really that

(36:03):
importance and the need for engaging with people in the
community with a print disability as well? So it's it's
making those connections. Um, and and having that sort of
on the ground discussion. So that's part of understanding people's
needs as well.

S1 (36:22):
Yeah. And we kind of go around in a circle almost,
don't we. Because if people either haven't got confidence or
don't feel like the access that information about what is
available isn't in an accessible format, then we're kind of stuck,
aren't we? You know, where do we go to from here?

S9 (36:38):
That's right. And and most of the marketing is not accessible.
And yeah, it's just it's a vicious circle. So what
we found is that a lot of the, the marketing
publicity around library is targeted at the existing customers. So, um,
not really reaching out to other to, to other specific communities, which, um,
they could have done. So there's definitely a potential for

(37:00):
improvement in this area to make sure that these communities
with visibility are aware of what's available. Um, and then,
you know, once the demand is higher, then the libraries
are more likely to to invest more, invest in training,
invest in other resources, invest in hardware, and so on.
And interestingly, a lot of libraries have a lot of staff.

(37:20):
So apart from the large print and audiobooks and e-books,
some libraries also, um, facilitate Braille editions. A lot of
them have dyslexic editions. So they definitely, um, some of
them have, you know, um, other hardware and they've got
accessible computers, they've got special e-readers and so on. So
there are lots of resources, but the communication is not

(37:43):
happening overall.

S1 (37:44):
Now, Joe, you and Agatha are presenting at a conference
there coming up very soon. A conference that many of
our listeners will be very familiar with.

S8 (37:51):
Yes, yes. That's right. So Carter and I are, um,
discussing the next stage of this research at the Melbourne
Roundtable in May, end of May. It is so for
the next stage of this research we've interviewed. I think
it's maybe 26 or so public librarians to get a

(38:15):
deeper understanding of this. And once again, there's some really
fascinating things that are coming out of it. And one
of it, um, which I, you know, would be really interesting,
I guess, to do a little bit more exploration around
is the impact that digital, um, literacy has as a

(38:36):
barrier to accessing these materials as well. So in terms
of having access to an e-reader and then being able
to download the platforms and the apps that provide these
materials as well.

S1 (38:53):
That's quite interesting, isn't it? I gather because technology has
come such a long way. And I mean, I can
remember days when we didn't have the internet, believe it
or not, there were those days and, you know, but
like in terms of access to that information, it's much
more literally at our fingertips. But that's right. Yeah. To
make it accessible, it is kind of another thing.

S9 (39:11):
That's right. So there's there's definitely an opportunity for libraries
to provide technology training. But of course they need to
be familiar with this technology first because we are in
an amazing environment where most of the daily software and
hardware are actually accessible. It's just a case of of, um,
teaching those of us who are not that familiar with

(39:33):
technology how to use them. So there's definitely another opportunity
for libraries to be more involved, um, with, um, supporting
people with disability. And just to mention one example from interviews.
So we are this we are currently analyzing interviews and um,
one of the uh, libraries has um, had a very
interesting engagement with dementia Group where people came to the

(39:56):
library and provide extensive feedback. So, you know, there's like
a and this is, I guess, what, um, it would
be great if more libraries do actually reach out to
local communities, uh, our local groups and invite them to
come along and do a walk through the library. Identify
what might be missing and just show them what's available. Already,

(40:17):
one of the things that they identify is the sign,
which was printed on a very, I think was laminated.
So this wasn't really that legible, um, for all the people. So,
you know, as a result of it, they were able
to to change the signage, for example.

S1 (40:30):
Very, very, uh, sort of uh, again, another very powerful example.
And I mean, to both of you, we're talking about,
you know, people as individuals, of course, but but the
important thing, some of these stats, for example, I mean,
maybe 18% of the population might identify having a print
disability and 82% of people love reading. So, you know,

(40:51):
those figures kind of, uh, speak very loud, don't they?

S8 (40:54):
They definitely do. And I think particularly, you know, if
we consider print disability as it is that umbrella term
where we're looking at people who have not just necessarily
vision impairment. That may be dyslexia or autism, ADHD. And
then obviously other physical um, difficulties such as stroke or

(41:15):
arthritis really haven't been able to manipulate that book. So,
you know, it is I guess, the thing that concerns
me as well, when we're considering this world of so
much misinformation, and if you're not able to actually go
and find out that, that you know the information yourself,

(41:38):
then where, where are we when we're when we're not
supporting people to really, you know, to find out the,
the reality of something, the true facts of something.

S1 (41:49):
That's very, very important in 2025. But we might not
go down that political laneway just now, but I, I
take totally on board with saying and again that, you know,
along those sort of lines, it's it's not just for
sort of hardcore information but also for pleasure.

S9 (42:04):
Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. And reading books for pleasure is incredibly important.
For wellbeing, for developing empathy, cultural awareness and so on
and so forth. And it's been associated with higher educational achievements, higher, um,
work life balance and so on. So it's really important
for so many aspects of our lives.

S1 (42:24):
Well, again, with that I want to get too political.
I mean, I know over the years a number of
people who have English as a second language, for example,
like to listen to, uh, Australia radio and have the
paper read. And they're kind of picking up by hearing
the human voice and, and the paper being read. They're
picking up a lot of good information to help with
their English. So it's little examples like that, that again with, uh,

(42:45):
you know, this information being made available in an accessible
format and people being aware of it can be a
very positive thing.

S9 (42:51):
Absolutely. So much broader than than just people with disability. Um,
so yeah, second language learners and people who, you know,
have temporarily not able to read books and people who,
you know, who are busy and what we know from
from the industry research, is that those e-books and audiobooks
are just better made, so they work better for everyone.

S1 (43:12):
Great note to end on. I love to catch up
with you again. Thank you for your time and thank
you for your time. We'll speak more about the roundtable,
and obviously the fact that you'll be there is another highlight,
so I'm sure that'll get more people to come along.
Thank you so much for doing this interview, and thank
you so much for doing the research. It's great to
kind of raise awareness and hopefully from here, um, you know,

(43:33):
as far as the the public libraries are concerned, that
can be better equipped if you like to, to help
people with their disability, you know, get more out of
their literacy.

S9 (43:42):
Thank you so much, Peter.

S8 (43:43):
Thank you Peter.

S1 (43:44):
That's Doctor Jay Keating and also Agatha montoya talking about
a study showing that there is a bit of a
gap as far as, uh, people with disability getting access
to public libraries. We'll put some information up on our
show notes. We've got some links there that might be
able to help you. And also good news that Joe
and Agata will be appearing at the Round Table in May.

(44:12):
Always great catching up with the trio for Blinds Australia
and especially this year. Deb Deshaies is their CEO and
is on the line. They're great to catch up again.
Thanks for your time.

S10 (44:22):
You too Peter. It's been a while since conversations. So
great to catch up with you.

S1 (44:26):
It's been a little while, but a very appropriate time,
isn't it? It's a big year, an important year.

S10 (44:30):
It's a very big year, and it's a time of reflection.
As the date for Bca's 50th anniversary national convention draws
closer and closer, we take a deep breath as we
reflect back on the 50 years and many leaders and
members and people who have supported us in our purpose.

(44:53):
And it's taking place this year in Melbourne, which is
where it started in 1975 Five at the Novotel Melbourne
and Glen Waverley. Some of the listeners may recall that location.
We've actually held it previously there, so very accessible location,
which is fabulous. And starting on Friday the 13th of June,

(45:14):
don't worry about the number 13. I don't subscribe on
the day.

S1 (45:18):
That.

S10 (45:19):
It's going to be.

S1 (45:19):
Like 50th anniversary. You got to pick a date like that.
No one will forget it.

S10 (45:23):
Exactly. And it will be very good luck for us.
So it starts on the Friday, goes through to the Sunday.
The theme is individually and together we present and explore,
you know, diverse range of topics focusing on empowerment, inclusion
and innovation. So I thought I might just kind of

(45:44):
touch on a couple of those sessions, if that's okay. Peter. Sure.
So we'll be hearing from Martine Abel Williamson. So Martine
is the president of the World Blind Union, and she'll
be talking about the role that organizations of people with disabilities,
such as Blind Citizens Australia, have played in improving the

(46:06):
lives of people who are blind or vision impaired. There
will also be three of the five members who organize
the very first convention back in June of 1975, in Melbourne.
So I think you can see a theme happening here
at which our organization was born. You know, they'll reflect
on why it was needed and how it came about

(46:28):
and who was involved. So David Blythe, John Machin and
Bill jolly will be taking us through that time.

S1 (46:37):
Well, those three guys all still very much with it,
which is great, actually. Uh, not not coincidentally, David Blythe
was the first guest we ever had, ever had on
this program focal point. So, uh, that's kind of a
pretty cool that, uh, that's the situation. And I was
going to make that point that one of the good things,
in a sense, that the people that were involved in

(46:57):
the early days were so young at the time that
they're still very much around and relevant today. So kind
of a very good time to reflect on the 50 years.

S10 (47:06):
Mhm. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I shan't be disclosing their age now.
But um, they are as you say, they're absolutely all
very um, you know, memory wise and um, the stories
that all of them can share with us has been
fantastic over, particularly over the last 12 months as we've
been pulling everything together for a convention. And that has

(47:27):
been led by our three committees who I would like
to acknowledge our celebrations committee, our planning committee, which are
completely members, and then the logistics committee, which is a staff. Um,
obviously some of us are members as well, but, um,
that's where the staff have been assisting just to kind
of line up, you know, events, um, at the venue

(47:49):
and all those bits and pieces. So that's been great.
Some other sessions that I did want to cover is
the Art of the future employment program. And we've got
a session on self-advocacy. So both of them will be
run by a couple of our team members. And then
we've got you and support workers and us. It's a
changing sort of face of independence. And then another hot

(48:11):
topic is the artificial intelligence. I think that'll be quite
popular as well. And of course, um, always returning is
life hacks. And we cannot forget our convention dinner.

S1 (48:26):
That's always a great social occasion, isn't it?

S10 (48:28):
It is. It's a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends,
both old and hopefully, you know, forming some new friendships.
And that's where the David Blythe award, um, will be presented.
And also bco Certificates of Appreciation and the Aspirations Awards.
So it's definitely one not to be missed.

S1 (48:47):
Time honoured awards. Those are there very, very highly thought
of in a sense very coveted, which is a great thing.
So that's fantastic, That's interesting. You mentioned the connection with
the WVU, the World Blind Union, because of course, a
couple of BCA CEOs or connections with BCA very much
been involved with the WB. So there's a lovely synergy

(49:07):
there there.

S10 (49:08):
And Don and Dave and many, many more. I'm sure
that I'm still learning a lot about. So it's been
fantastic to be entwined in learning so much more about
our history. I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to
do that.

S1 (49:22):
It almost seems like ancient history when Covid happened. And
of course that interrupted the the conventional ways of having conventions.
But so with this year's, will it be online as
well as in person?

S10 (49:33):
Yes. We've got a we're doing it hybrid model. Um,
so yes, very much so, because I know a lot
of our members have become very familiar and comfortable with
zoom over the times we couldn't leave our houses. But
of course, also the in-person is very valuable. And it's
been six years since our last opportunity to all come together.

(49:54):
So our registrations are actually looking very healthy. And I
have to say, most of them are in person, so
you can definitely see them. People welcoming the opportunity to
actually sit around a physical table together, enjoy an actual
dinner together as well, and just embrace the opportunity of
having that in-person contact. And some of our members wouldn't

(50:18):
have seen each other even before then, because we didn't
know what was coming our way. So very, very much
looking forward to that, that whole peer connection opportunity.

S1 (50:29):
We'll chat more about it, I'm sure, as we get closer.
Do you want to tell us more about the Art
of the future program? Because I guess that's kind of
BCA in its DNA, isn't it? Looking forward.

S10 (50:38):
Yes. Employment projects. So, um, at this stage, um, we've
got our eye to the future until June of this year. And, uh,
Rachel joined our team about a month ago to support
the project coordination. So as I say, there'll be a
session at convention that'll be talking to that. But again,
you know, we're very much working hard on resources that

(51:00):
are available, information on our website to access that, working
with other organizations around employability of someone with lived experience
and all the benefits of of such and providing that
in individual conversations with organisations. Um, we've also got all
our webinars that we've previously produced and will do a
few more, but continuing that advocacy and representation around employing

(51:25):
people with lived experience.

S1 (51:27):
Kind of interesting, isn't it? 50 years ago, sort of
more people being, uh, employed as far as those who
are blind or low vision was topical and roll the
clock forward 50 years and it's still kind of topical.

S10 (51:38):
Yes, I agree.

S1 (51:40):
Some of the other achievements over the time. I mean,
audio description that's sort of a, a an ongoing, uh, living, uh,
project as well.

S10 (51:47):
It is, it is. And I was going to say
without me sort of taking up all the air time. Um.
Please contact, you know, Jack, our senior policy officer, to
talk more. I think it would be good to have
a full session on that, to be honest with you, Peter,
if you're open to that. Sure. Um, because it is
a really important topic, and he knows much more into
the detail than I, but it continues to be a

(52:09):
real priority for BCA.

S1 (52:11):
Yeah. And it's kind of, um, you know, it's had
its little wins with the ABC and SBS, but they
said we'd chat more about it with Jack, but it's
still something that is very much, very, very relevant. I
know the federal budget and the budget reply speech were
held recently, and of course the election was announced shortly
after that. Do you want to just kind of touch
on that?

S10 (52:31):
Yeah, yeah. Well hard to hard to sort of go
too much further. But yes, as we all know, the
budget was handed down on 25th of March. Um, you know,
where the government has made a commitment to I think
it was about 423 million to support people with disability.
It's not yet clear how this will translate to funding

(52:52):
for BCA, but we will continue to sort of watch
with interest and obviously communicate that to our members. So
interesting to to see.

S1 (53:03):
And with the situation with the budget. And it talked
about communicating with politicians. That's one of the things that
BCA have done really well over the years, has had
that connection with, you know, people in Canberra that is
so important as well because, you know, it's kind of
one thing to put out press releases or do interviews
like this, but it's another thing to actually be sitting
across the table from a minister that can kind of,

(53:26):
you know, see through or understand what the situation is,
what the points that you're trying to raise are.

S10 (53:31):
Yeah. Look, we've certainly and again, this is certainly a
complement to all our leaders over the period of time.
You know we've got a seat at 65 representative tables from.

S1 (53:42):
Is.

S11 (53:42):
That right.

S10 (53:43):
Yeah 65. So some of those tables say you know
the India National Disability Insurance Agency, Department of Social Services,
you know, in regards to Australian disability strategy, also on
the New South Wales Disability Advocacy Network forum, unless we
are the Victorian Accessible Transport Advocacy Committee. And actually, just

(54:08):
this morning, Peter, I attended the online Department of Social
Services Information session on the National principles for the Regulation
of Assistance Animals. So their consultation is open until the
1st of June. And obviously we're going to continue to,
you know, represent on this important matter. But, um, yes,

(54:30):
it was interesting just to sort of see where things
are up to there, because there certainly has been a
lot of discussion about assistance animals and the challenges for
our members.

S1 (54:40):
And as we are reflecting there, of course, things like
the Royal Commission, things like the formulation, if you like,
of the NDIS Bco being very much instrumental with that,
with the submissions, and that's a very important role. I
guess some people might think it's a bit of a
dry topic, but it's such an important topic because decisions
get made from submissions like these.

S10 (55:01):
Mhm. They do. And if any of the listeners aren't
actually subscribed to receiving our newsletter, we do that on
a weekly basis. It goes out on Wednesdays. But connected to,
to that, you know, we also have a link in
there that can take you to our website, where we've
got a hub about all the information that we receive

(55:22):
from the Ndia. And if I'm attending a particular forum
or there's, you know, sector updates, all of that is
housed in that hub on our website. So I really
do encourage listeners to, you know, keep up to date
with that information because we are regularly putting information on there,
sort of, you know, like building a library, shall we say,

(55:43):
of information, up to date information. Again, that's a topic
that we probably could talk about all all day. Um,
and we are fortunate because we have got a seat
at that table. And part of, you know, the forum
discussions and conversations about varying layers of, of the Ndia.
But I always look at it as, you know, the

(56:05):
fortunate part is that, you know, we are a national
representative organization. We are there. So if there is ever
feedback from any of the listeners, you know, please reach
out to us and let us know what your challenges
are and how we can actually, you know, advocate for
those needs. That's why we're here.

S1 (56:20):
There obviously is not inexpensive doing what you do. What
about in terms of fundraising, what's happening in that area?

S12 (56:26):
Well, we did launch.

S10 (56:27):
In October last year, our 50 backers by our 50th celebration.
So backers, I don't know if that, um, is a
term that many of our listeners have actually heard before,
but it's to be a backer. It could be that
you might say $5 a week, or $10 a month,
or $100 a month, and that's backing BCA. So we

(56:50):
haven't quite got to our 50 backers. Um, so if
that's something of interest to yourself, then please reach out,
give us a call, and we can certainly step you through, um,
you know, quite a simple process to to donate to BCA.
We've had a bit of an increase in the lead up.
So I would actually like to acknowledge some of our
regular backers who are giving a bit more at this time.

(57:11):
And that means so much to us and is really
valuable to support us to do all the work that
we are doing. As most people probably know, like other
not for profit organisations, we are very reliant on funding
and when we have the ability to have some funds
to say what we need to sort of target more
in this area, in that area. Yeah, that's that's fantastic. So, uh.

S1 (57:35):
I know there's a lot more happening. They said we'll
chat to some of the other staff members as the
conference gets closer regarding advocacy and policy. So, uh, always
good for people to contact you direct as in the
office direct and sort of either give feedback or ask questions, etc..

S10 (57:49):
Yes. No, no, please. Please do. And I just, um, yeah,
I think there'll be a real value, Peter. And just
having a bit more time with some of our team
one on one so they can dive more deeply into
some of those specifics, but also happy to come back
a bit more regularly so that then it's thinking, what
have we actually been doing over the last kind of quarter?
But perhaps it could be perhaps talking a bit more

(58:11):
on a monthly basis or something along those lines. Peter.
So happy to do that.

S11 (58:14):
Yep.

S1 (58:15):
And certainly the newsletter is very, very good. I subscribed
to that myself and get a lot of great information
from it. Yeah, if people do want to get in touch,
maybe for the first time they're hearing you and thinking, Peter,
what is it? How can I find out more? Where
can you point us to.

S10 (58:28):
Oh, please, just, um, give us a call. Or as
I say, we've got our our website as well. Peter,
I'm happy for you to plug the number. I'm happy
to plug our number one 800 0033660. Or please just
send us an email. BCA at BCA or also on

(58:49):
our website. But yeah. Look, please just, um, I always
think it's nice if you can give us a call, please, um.
Reach out.

S1 (58:56):
Yeah, we'll put that detail or those details up with
our show notes. Deb, great to catch up with. You.
Said we'll keep a bit more regularly in touch, particularly
with Friday the 13th during Friday the 13th coming up
when the conference gets underway. And for those who can't
get to Melbourne, it's great news. It's going to be
a hybrid. We'll catch up again soon. And thanks for
your time.

S10 (59:12):
Lovely to connect with you again.

S1 (59:14):
Peter Chase, their CEO for Blind South Australia, celebrating their
50th year. How would you describe show of the week? Hey,
730 this Sunday evening, SBS World Movie Channel The Curious
Case of Benjamin Button rated M. This is based on

(59:35):
the F Scott Fitzgerald book and it also were features
Brad Pitt and the award winning the academy winning Cate Blanchett.
It shows the experiences, the lives and loves of a
man experiencing his life backwards. Sounds like a conventional day
to me. Anyway, that's the curious case of Benjamin Button.

(59:58):
This coming Sunday evening, it's rated M, it's with audio description,
and it's on SBS World Movie Channel. Enjoy. Did come
out in about 2008, so maybe if you saw it
then without audio description, try it now with it. Compare
and contrast some birthdays coming up. Graham Colton having a birthday.

(01:00:19):
That champion blind cricketer of days of yore. Now a
very good golfer. Also Barry Brown, another great blind. Cricket
having a birthday. Happy birthday to you, Barry. Beck O'Donnell
having a birthday. That very fine champion martial arts exponent.
Happy birthday to you, Beck. Hope life is going well
for you. and a happy birthday also to Cheryl Berry,

(01:00:40):
a very, very talented singer and musician. Happy birthday to you, Cheryl.
Hope you have a fabulous day! Hope you have a
fabulous day too! If you're having a birthday, thank you
Sam Rickard for your help. Thank you Pam Greene for yours.
Reminding you that Focal Point is available on your favorite
podcast platform. If you like the show, even if you don't,

(01:01:02):
please tell a friend. Always room for many more listeners.
On behalf of Philip Vanderbilt and a big hello to
Wendy McDougall listening in. This is Peter Greco saying all
being well. Focal point back at the same time next week.
Be kind to yourselves, be thoughtful and look out for others.
On Vision Australia Radio and the Reading Radio Network. This

(01:01:25):
is focal point.