May 1, 2025 • 15 mins
Sam speaks with CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, Deb Deshayes, about BCA's upcoming national convention taking place in June, where they'll also be celebrating 50 years of the organisation.
You'll also hear about what BCA has planned for its members in the coming weeks and months, including other programs and events.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:04):
As Blind Citizens Australia approaches their 50th anniversary. One of
their major events, which will coincide with the anniversary this year,
is the National Convention, which is taking place from the
13th to the 15th of June at the Novotel in Melbourne.
(00:26):
To have a chat with me all about the convention
and what BCA has been up to lately, it's my
great pleasure to welcome back CEO of Blind Citizens Australia,
Deb Deshaies. Deb, welcome back to Talking Vision. It's great
to have you back.
S2 (00:44):
Thanks, Sam. It's really good to be here.
S1 (00:47):
Now, today, Deb, we are talking about the upcoming Blind
Citizens Australia convention celebrating 50 years. Oh my goodness, what
an anniversary.
S2 (00:58):
I know it is a very significant anniversary and the
date is drawing closer and closer. It's taking place at
Novotel in Melbourne, Glen Waverley on Friday the 13th of
June to Sunday the 15th of June. Don't worry about
the number 13 because we see it as good luck.
Our event theme is individually and together, where our presenters
(01:22):
are really going to focus and explore on diverse topics empowerment,
inclusion and innovation. Very much aligning with Bca's core purpose.
S1 (01:34):
What sort of things can people expect at the convention
in terms of events, keynote speakers, all that sort of thing?
S2 (01:45):
I'm glad you asked that. So I can dive a
little bit deeper into the detail, because even when I
look at our program, I think it's very exciting and
we have our welcome function to sort of kick start
the two and a little bit days on the Friday evening,
and that's going to provide a really great social opportunity
to reconnect with some members who haven't seen each other
(02:09):
for a while. Branches can then connect people who've attended
our executive leadership program, but also for new members. It's
a great opportunity to get to know other members. And
while you're enjoying some delicious canapés and drinks, and as
an added bonus, we'll also enjoy some wonderful tunes from
(02:31):
our music group.
S1 (02:33):
Fantastic!
S2 (02:34):
As I say, that's on Friday for a couple of
hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. We
have a special guest opening convention, but we're not quite
in the position to be able to share that news.
S1 (02:48):
So it can be a surprise.
S2 (02:50):
That's right. Keep an eye on our member updates when
we've had approval to actually share that with everybody. But
what I can share with you is that we will
be hearing from Martine Abel Williamson. She's the president of
World Blind Union about the role that organisations of people
with disability, such as BCA, have played in improving the
(03:11):
lives of people who are blind or vision impaired. And
of course, we'll also be hearing from Vaughn Benson, Bca's president.
S1 (03:21):
And Deb, as we've mentioned, it's 50 years of BCA,
which is an absolutely fantastic achievement and something super worthy
of celebration. So, um, let's, um, go into a bit
of detail about what BCA is doing to celebrate at
the convention coming up.
S2 (03:43):
Um, we do have a number of things, Sam, um,
celebrating our 50 years of BCA, three of our five,
three of the five people who organized the first convention
in June 1975, and it was actually based in Melbourne.
So you can see there's a bit of a theme
going on there.
S1 (04:00):
Um.
S2 (04:01):
At which our organisation was born. Reflect on, you know,
reflections on why it was needed, how it came about
and who was involved. So we're really fortunate, as I say,
to have three out of five of those people David Blythe,
John Machin and Bill jolly with us. So they will
(04:22):
be taking us through some of that history. And we're
also just going to focus on the beginning of BCA.
You know, how it was recognised. The access to information
is key to the lives of our members who are
blind or have vision impairment, you know, and communication is vital.
And interestingly enough, we still continue to advocate for, you know,
(04:43):
effective communication, accessible communications across all modes. So that'll be
a really interesting session. We've also later in that day,
we've got our out of the future employment program discussing
building inclusive workplaces for people who are blind, have a
vision impairment. And then we're going to have a panel discussion,
which I think will be really engaging and of course, advocacy,
(05:07):
the heartbeat of what we do. We'll have a self-advocacy
session as well, run by one of our team that
I think a lot of our members anyway. The person
who's doing that will know very well, Martin. And then
we move into a areas like you can't ask that.
And that's also a panel discussion. And I'm not going
to dive too much into that. I might just leave
(05:28):
that for a little bit of curiosity. Again, people can
certainly access the programme in more detail. And Sam, let's
not forget the convention dinner, a very exciting part where
we get to celebrate over dinner the awards, the David
Blythe Award and the BCA Certificates of Appreciation and Aspirations
(05:52):
Award are presented. So that's really exciting, and we may
have a few other little surprises along the way at
the dinner. Of course, we've got Sunday as well, many
things going on there as well, but if I just
touch on a few areas, we've got support workers and
us the changing face of independence. I think that kind
(06:15):
of speaks a little bit for itself there. So that'll
be a really interesting session. And then we've got our
ever popular life hacks. What are your secrets? Really great
for members to be able to share what works well
for them. What's something that they've tried adapted and picking
up some tips? I know myself when we had BCA
(06:38):
connect in 2022, I certainly took away some life hacks
from some of our members. So looking forward to that one.
And a popular one. Artificial intelligence, a future of independence.
What does that all really look like? So that's going
(06:59):
to be a really interesting conversation as well. That's led
by Fawn Venison again, our president. And he also has
some speakers joining him as well. So they're kind of
just a couple of other sessions. there are some more.
So again, please access the program to get more information.
(07:20):
And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach
out to our team.
S1 (07:25):
Okay. Now who is eligible to attend? Deb, do people
need to be a BCA member to attend the convention,
and if so, how does one sign up to become
a member so they can register for the convention?
S2 (07:43):
Two really good questions. No, you don't need to be
a member to attend. We certainly are open to the community.
If someone is new to vision loss and just wanting
to understand that a little bit more or their family members,
obviously traditionally it's, you know, largely been for our members,
but we really want to be able to provide the
(08:04):
opportunity for everyone in the community to understand the work
that we do and the supports that we provide to
people who are blind or have a vision impairment. In
regards to becoming a member, it's very easy. You can
just pick up the phone. Or if you'd prefer to
send us an email and just let us know some
basic information. We don't actually ask you to qualify that
(08:24):
you have a vision impairment. It is all just based
on trust. And then you will receive our information member
update via email and then all our announcements that are
sent out as well. And then there's some great opportunities
to engage and some of our committee work, or to
(08:45):
attend some of our peer connect groups that I can
talk a little bit more about later on, Sam. But yes,
it's just keeping all our members informed about the opportunities
that we provide. So yes, if you're curious, please pick
up the phone and give us a call.
S1 (09:02):
Okay. And we'll get those contact details later on very shortly,
in fact, Deb, but if people would like to register
to head along to the convention in June, What's the
best way for them to sign up?
S2 (09:21):
It's a couple of options. As I say, you can
give us a call, or you can certainly go onto
our website and access the information that way. Or if
you just want to send a query to again, we'll
give you the details at the end and we can
send the information across to you. For those listeners who
are members, if you haven't signed up to receive our
(09:42):
member update, it goes out on Wednesdays, then please just
let us know and we can easily add your email
to that distribution list and all the information is contained
in our member updates.
S1 (09:54):
Certainly. Now, Deb, a very important question. People may be thinking, oh,
when do registrations close by? Do I have a deadline
that I have to get my RSVP in by? What's
that date for people out there.
S2 (10:10):
Mhm. A week before. So we've kept it open until
the 6th of June. In saying that we do encourage
people to register as soon as possible because that will
assist us with the catering, with the Novotel. And then
we've got a better idea. And earlier we can have
that information the better. So then we know how many
(10:31):
people are actually attending. You know the catering accommodation is
also available on site. So we've chosen the Novotel for
those key reasons of having everything in one place. We've
got the space to have all of the convention, our
catering and accommodation, and it's in a great area where
(10:54):
if you want to stay another day longer or even
arrive a bit earlier and have a look at the
local restaurants, there's a movie theater there as well, you know,
local amenities, supermarkets and chemists and what have you. So
everything is there. If you've forgotten to pack something, or
you decide to perhaps go out for, you know, a
(11:16):
dinner and stay a little bit longer.
S1 (11:20):
Makes a lot of sense to get the registrations in
early and look forward to seeing how the convention pans out.
Now let's get those contact details for people. Deb. So
we've got websites, emails, phone numbers. If people either, you know,
(11:40):
would of course love to sign up to the convention
or find out a little bit more, or they'd like
to sign up as a BCA member. What are those
contact details for people out there?
S2 (11:53):
Absolutely. So our phone number is 1800 033 660. If you prefer
to send us an email, you can email us at BCC.
(12:13):
And also our website WW.
S1 (12:20):
Fantastic. But of course, Deb, that's not all that's coming
up in the world of BCA. There's quite a lot
that's going on at the moment, including those peer groups
that you were chatting about before. Let's go into a
bit of detail about them.
S2 (12:40):
Absolutely. And again, it's a great opportunity to connect with members.
We've had our peer groups. Oh gosh. For for some
time now actually. Um, and it's an opportunity, as I say,
for like minded members to connect on topics of interest.
So I'm excited to share that we have a new
group on art appreciation, and also a reminder to some
(13:03):
of our listeners and members about some of the more
longer term groups. We've got the Acquired Sight Loss Group
travel guides trying to go overseas that might be on
perhaps on the on the menu to enjoy some warmer
weather as we get a little bit cooler here in Melbourne.
And we've got the music group. As I mentioned, we're
(13:24):
going to hear some tunes from them at convention and
of course, the ever popular trivia on Saturday evenings, our
most attended peer group. So these groups meet regularly, and
we certainly welcome people from all backgrounds and experience. And
a full list of all of those groups can be
(13:44):
found on our website. Or again, please don't hesitate just
to give us a call or send us an email.
If you would like to access a list of all
our peer groups.
S1 (13:52):
Perfect.
S2 (13:53):
We also have, um, Sam, we do have informs called
BCA informs, and they're once a month on a Tuesday
evening on a really specific topic. So for example, we
might have a session on audio description and have a
guest speaker join us. Might have a focus on employment
(14:15):
aligning to our eye to the future employment project. So
again keep an eye out on information in regards to BCA.
BCI inform. We certainly encourage members to participate in those
sessions so that we can hear from you around. What
are the issues, what are the challenges so that can
strengthen our representation for people who are blind or have
(14:38):
a vision impairment?
S1 (14:39):
Well, it's just been fantastic to have you back and
have a chat. Deb, I've been speaking today with Deb Deshayes,
CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, here to chat to me
about not only the upcoming BCA convention, but also a
(15:00):
general update on what Bca's been up to and what
the organisation is looking forward to offering its members in
the not too distant future. Deb, thank you so much
for your time today. It was great to catch up
again and have a chat on Talking Vision.
S2 (15:19):
Pleasure, Sam and lovely to catch up with you again.
And as I say, if the listeners have any questions,
please don't hesitate to reach out to our team.
As Blind Citizens Australia approaches their 50th anniversary. One of
their major events, which will coincide with the anniversary this year,
is the National Convention, which is taking place from the
13th to the 15th of June at the Novotel in Melbourne.
(00:26):
To have a chat with me all about the convention
and what BCA has been up to lately, it's my
great pleasure to welcome back CEO of Blind Citizens Australia,
Deb Deshaies. Deb, welcome back to Talking Vision. It's great
to have you back.
S2 (00:44):
Thanks, Sam. It's really good to be here.
S1 (00:47):
Now, today, Deb, we are talking about the upcoming Blind
Citizens Australia convention celebrating 50 years. Oh my goodness, what
an anniversary.
S2 (00:58):
I know it is a very significant anniversary and the
date is drawing closer and closer. It's taking place at
Novotel in Melbourne, Glen Waverley on Friday the 13th of
June to Sunday the 15th of June. Don't worry about
the number 13 because we see it as good luck.
Our event theme is individually and together, where our presenters
(01:22):
are really going to focus and explore on diverse topics empowerment,
inclusion and innovation. Very much aligning with Bca's core purpose.
S1 (01:34):
What sort of things can people expect at the convention
in terms of events, keynote speakers, all that sort of thing?
S2 (01:45):
I'm glad you asked that. So I can dive a
little bit deeper into the detail, because even when I
look at our program, I think it's very exciting and
we have our welcome function to sort of kick start
the two and a little bit days on the Friday evening,
and that's going to provide a really great social opportunity
to reconnect with some members who haven't seen each other
(02:09):
for a while. Branches can then connect people who've attended
our executive leadership program, but also for new members. It's
a great opportunity to get to know other members. And
while you're enjoying some delicious canapés and drinks, and as
an added bonus, we'll also enjoy some wonderful tunes from
(02:31):
our music group.
S1 (02:33):
Fantastic!
S2 (02:34):
As I say, that's on Friday for a couple of
hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. We
have a special guest opening convention, but we're not quite
in the position to be able to share that news.
S1 (02:48):
So it can be a surprise.
S2 (02:50):
That's right. Keep an eye on our member updates when
we've had approval to actually share that with everybody. But
what I can share with you is that we will
be hearing from Martine Abel Williamson. She's the president of
World Blind Union about the role that organisations of people
with disability, such as BCA, have played in improving the
(03:11):
lives of people who are blind or vision impaired. And
of course, we'll also be hearing from Vaughn Benson, Bca's president.
S1 (03:21):
And Deb, as we've mentioned, it's 50 years of BCA,
which is an absolutely fantastic achievement and something super worthy
of celebration. So, um, let's, um, go into a bit
of detail about what BCA is doing to celebrate at
the convention coming up.
S2 (03:43):
Um, we do have a number of things, Sam, um,
celebrating our 50 years of BCA, three of our five,
three of the five people who organized the first convention
in June 1975, and it was actually based in Melbourne.
So you can see there's a bit of a theme
going on there.
S1 (04:00):
Um.
S2 (04:01):
At which our organisation was born. Reflect on, you know,
reflections on why it was needed, how it came about
and who was involved. So we're really fortunate, as I say,
to have three out of five of those people David Blythe,
John Machin and Bill jolly with us. So they will
(04:22):
be taking us through some of that history. And we're
also just going to focus on the beginning of BCA.
You know, how it was recognised. The access to information
is key to the lives of our members who are
blind or have vision impairment, you know, and communication is vital.
And interestingly enough, we still continue to advocate for, you know,
(04:43):
effective communication, accessible communications across all modes. So that'll be
a really interesting session. We've also later in that day,
we've got our out of the future employment program discussing
building inclusive workplaces for people who are blind, have a
vision impairment. And then we're going to have a panel discussion,
which I think will be really engaging and of course, advocacy,
(05:07):
the heartbeat of what we do. We'll have a self-advocacy
session as well, run by one of our team that
I think a lot of our members anyway. The person
who's doing that will know very well, Martin. And then
we move into a areas like you can't ask that.
And that's also a panel discussion. And I'm not going
to dive too much into that. I might just leave
(05:28):
that for a little bit of curiosity. Again, people can
certainly access the programme in more detail. And Sam, let's
not forget the convention dinner, a very exciting part where
we get to celebrate over dinner the awards, the David
Blythe Award and the BCA Certificates of Appreciation and Aspirations
(05:52):
Award are presented. So that's really exciting, and we may
have a few other little surprises along the way at
the dinner. Of course, we've got Sunday as well, many
things going on there as well, but if I just
touch on a few areas, we've got support workers and
us the changing face of independence. I think that kind
(06:15):
of speaks a little bit for itself there. So that'll
be a really interesting session. And then we've got our
ever popular life hacks. What are your secrets? Really great
for members to be able to share what works well
for them. What's something that they've tried adapted and picking
up some tips? I know myself when we had BCA
(06:38):
connect in 2022, I certainly took away some life hacks
from some of our members. So looking forward to that one.
And a popular one. Artificial intelligence, a future of independence.
What does that all really look like? So that's going
(06:59):
to be a really interesting conversation as well. That's led
by Fawn Venison again, our president. And he also has
some speakers joining him as well. So they're kind of
just a couple of other sessions. there are some more.
So again, please access the program to get more information.
(07:20):
And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach
out to our team.
S1 (07:25):
Okay. Now who is eligible to attend? Deb, do people
need to be a BCA member to attend the convention,
and if so, how does one sign up to become
a member so they can register for the convention?
S2 (07:43):
Two really good questions. No, you don't need to be
a member to attend. We certainly are open to the community.
If someone is new to vision loss and just wanting
to understand that a little bit more or their family members,
obviously traditionally it's, you know, largely been for our members,
but we really want to be able to provide the
(08:04):
opportunity for everyone in the community to understand the work
that we do and the supports that we provide to
people who are blind or have a vision impairment. In
regards to becoming a member, it's very easy. You can
just pick up the phone. Or if you'd prefer to
send us an email and just let us know some
basic information. We don't actually ask you to qualify that
(08:24):
you have a vision impairment. It is all just based
on trust. And then you will receive our information member
update via email and then all our announcements that are
sent out as well. And then there's some great opportunities
to engage and some of our committee work, or to
(08:45):
attend some of our peer connect groups that I can
talk a little bit more about later on, Sam. But yes,
it's just keeping all our members informed about the opportunities
that we provide. So yes, if you're curious, please pick
up the phone and give us a call.
S1 (09:02):
Okay. And we'll get those contact details later on very shortly,
in fact, Deb, but if people would like to register
to head along to the convention in June, What's the
best way for them to sign up?
S2 (09:21):
It's a couple of options. As I say, you can
give us a call, or you can certainly go onto
our website and access the information that way. Or if
you just want to send a query to again, we'll
give you the details at the end and we can
send the information across to you. For those listeners who
are members, if you haven't signed up to receive our
(09:42):
member update, it goes out on Wednesdays, then please just
let us know and we can easily add your email
to that distribution list and all the information is contained
in our member updates.
S1 (09:54):
Certainly. Now, Deb, a very important question. People may be thinking, oh,
when do registrations close by? Do I have a deadline
that I have to get my RSVP in by? What's
that date for people out there.
S2 (10:10):
Mhm. A week before. So we've kept it open until
the 6th of June. In saying that we do encourage
people to register as soon as possible because that will
assist us with the catering, with the Novotel. And then
we've got a better idea. And earlier we can have
that information the better. So then we know how many
(10:31):
people are actually attending. You know the catering accommodation is
also available on site. So we've chosen the Novotel for
those key reasons of having everything in one place. We've
got the space to have all of the convention, our
catering and accommodation, and it's in a great area where
(10:54):
if you want to stay another day longer or even
arrive a bit earlier and have a look at the
local restaurants, there's a movie theater there as well, you know,
local amenities, supermarkets and chemists and what have you. So
everything is there. If you've forgotten to pack something, or
you decide to perhaps go out for, you know, a
(11:16):
dinner and stay a little bit longer.
S1 (11:20):
Makes a lot of sense to get the registrations in
early and look forward to seeing how the convention pans out.
Now let's get those contact details for people. Deb. So
we've got websites, emails, phone numbers. If people either, you know,
(11:40):
would of course love to sign up to the convention
or find out a little bit more, or they'd like
to sign up as a BCA member. What are those
contact details for people out there?
S2 (11:53):
Absolutely. So our phone number is 1800 033 660. If you prefer
to send us an email, you can email us at BCC.
(12:13):
And also our website WW.
S1 (12:20):
Fantastic. But of course, Deb, that's not all that's coming
up in the world of BCA. There's quite a lot
that's going on at the moment, including those peer groups
that you were chatting about before. Let's go into a
bit of detail about them.
S2 (12:40):
Absolutely. And again, it's a great opportunity to connect with members.
We've had our peer groups. Oh gosh. For for some
time now actually. Um, and it's an opportunity, as I say,
for like minded members to connect on topics of interest.
So I'm excited to share that we have a new
group on art appreciation, and also a reminder to some
(13:03):
of our listeners and members about some of the more
longer term groups. We've got the Acquired Sight Loss Group
travel guides trying to go overseas that might be on
perhaps on the on the menu to enjoy some warmer
weather as we get a little bit cooler here in Melbourne.
And we've got the music group. As I mentioned, we're
(13:24):
going to hear some tunes from them at convention and
of course, the ever popular trivia on Saturday evenings, our
most attended peer group. So these groups meet regularly, and
we certainly welcome people from all backgrounds and experience. And
a full list of all of those groups can be
(13:44):
found on our website. Or again, please don't hesitate just
to give us a call or send us an email.
If you would like to access a list of all
our peer groups.
S1 (13:52):
Perfect.
S2 (13:53):
We also have, um, Sam, we do have informs called
BCA informs, and they're once a month on a Tuesday
evening on a really specific topic. So for example, we
might have a session on audio description and have a
guest speaker join us. Might have a focus on employment
(14:15):
aligning to our eye to the future employment project. So
again keep an eye out on information in regards to BCA.
BCI inform. We certainly encourage members to participate in those
sessions so that we can hear from you around. What
are the issues, what are the challenges so that can
strengthen our representation for people who are blind or have
(14:38):
a vision impairment?
S1 (14:39):
Well, it's just been fantastic to have you back and
have a chat. Deb, I've been speaking today with Deb Deshayes,
CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, here to chat to me
about not only the upcoming BCA convention, but also a
(15:00):
general update on what Bca's been up to and what
the organisation is looking forward to offering its members in
the not too distant future. Deb, thank you so much
for your time today. It was great to catch up
again and have a chat on Talking Vision.
S2 (15:19):
Pleasure, Sam and lovely to catch up with you again.
And as I say, if the listeners have any questions,
please don't hesitate to reach out to our team.
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