May 14, 2025 • 28 mins
Sam speaks to Victorian Disability Worker Commissioner Dan Stubbs about a campaign the VDWC is currently running to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are upheld, and inform them of what they or those around them can do if they have a concern.
You'll also hear from writer, producer and actor Tsu Shan Chambers, who caught up with Sam to talk about her new movie, My Eyes, releasing on 28 May. You can find out more about the movie and book a ticket by heading to their web page.
Finally this week, editor of For Your Information Liz Dalakouras is back with all the latest news from the world of FYI.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:13):
From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
your host Sam Colley.
S2 (00:23):
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
and low vision.
S3 (00:30):
We really need to see service providers or other disability
workers calling out risky conduct. And the ultimate purpose, again,
is to make sure that people with disabilities are safe
when receiving disability services.
S2 (00:45):
Welcome to the program. This week we have a chat
with Victorian Disability Worker Commissioner Dan Stubbs about a new campaign.
The VDC is running to ensure the safety of people
with disabilities when receiving support services and working with support workers.
(01:06):
That conversation's coming up very shortly, so make sure to
stick around. Then after you hear from Dan, I'll catch
up with producer, writer and actor of the new movie
My Eyes coming out on the 28th of May. Suzanne Chambers.
Then after that, we wrap up with some FYI news
(01:27):
from the editor of FYI, Liz Dalakouras. I hope you
enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. I started my
conversation with Dan by asking him about the Victorian Disability
Worker Commission and his role as commissioner.
S3 (01:48):
Sure, Sam. So the Victorian Disability Worker Commission is the
only regulator like it in Australia. We regulate all disability
workers in Victoria and really that any support worker or
practitioner working with people with disabilities to support them in
relation to barriers created by their disability. It's a pretty
(02:09):
broad definition, and the overall objective is to promote and
provide for a safer, stronger disability sector in Victoria. And
we do that by a range of functions, including promoting
a code of conduct, accepting complaints from anybody and receiving
(02:30):
mandatory notifications from key people.
S2 (02:33):
And Dan, I understand you're conducting a new campaign to
encourage disability providers and workers to notify the VW of
conduct by disability workers that may put the people they
support at risk. So could you explain a little bit
more about this?
S3 (02:54):
Sure. So this is all about us making sure that
disability workers so people anyone working in the disability sector
and disability service providers. though employers of disability workers who
provide disability services know that they have an obligation to
notify us of certain types of conduct, and that's conduct
(03:14):
that puts people with disability at risk of harm. And
so the key aspect of that for people to remember
is if they have a reasonable belief of anyone with
a disability being put at risk of harm by their
disability worker, then we need to be told about that
by either the service provider or another disability worker who
(03:35):
becomes aware of that.
S2 (03:36):
And following on from that. Dan, why do you believe
it's important that disability workers and their employers notify the VDC?
S3 (03:47):
There's a few reasons. And the primary reason is because
often people with disabilities are in a vulnerable situation when
they are relying on disability workers to provide assistance to
them in the wide range of ways that we get
support from disability workers and practitioners. The other reason that
I think is really important is that often people with
(04:09):
disabilities themselves. So when we're using disability services, it's a
big ask to require that the person with disability make
the complaint to us. You know, I think it's the
hardest thing we can ever ask anyone with a disability
or their family to do. And that make a complaint
about their support worker. We really need to see service
(04:31):
providers or other disability workers calling out risky conduct. And
the ultimate purpose, again, is to make sure that people
with disabilities are safe when receiving disability services.
S2 (04:44):
Does this apply to services to older people?
S3 (04:47):
Dan Yeah, good question. Sam. It does because the Disability
Worker Commission covers people working in disability, regardless of the
age of the people disability. And there's many older people
in places like aged care settings, or even in their
own home where they're receiving my aged care type services.
(05:09):
They're usually receiving those kind of services because they have
a disability. It might be an age related disability, but
they are still receiving disabilities. So it doesn't matter what
age someone is. It's about the fact that they're receiving
a service in relation to their disability.
S2 (05:25):
Could you give examples of some types of conduct that
absolutely must be notified to the Commission, the sort of
things they're looking to be aware of and stamp out?
S3 (05:37):
There are four general categories that we require people to
notify us of risky conduct. There's the situation where a
worker is intoxicated by drugs or alcohol when working as
a disability worker. The second one is when a disability
worker has engaged in sexual misconduct while working. There's the
(05:58):
situation where a disability worker has an impairment that puts
a person with disability at risk of harm when they're practicing. Now,
I just want to clarify. That doesn't mean that someone
with a disability can't be a worker. It's very much
about if that impairment puts someone at risk of harm.
And the final one and the one where we deal
(06:20):
with a lot. It's where a disability worker has departed
from acceptable professional standards in the delivery of their disability service.
And that's a fairly broad definition. But really, I really
want people to concentrate on a disability worker putting someone
with disability at risk of harm. That's the key criteria
(06:41):
that overlays all of those areas of conduct.
S2 (06:45):
When should a disability service provider or a worker make
a notification?
S3 (06:51):
The key driver for that is when another worker or
the service provider has a reasonable belief that a disability
worker has put a person with disability at risk of harm.
S2 (07:02):
Dan, I noticed you mentioned reasonable belief in there. Could
you expand on that a bit?
S3 (07:07):
Reasonable belief is if someone has some sort of direct
knowledge of the risky conduct that a worker is engaged in.
So it's not going to be when someone maybe has
a suspicion, but they don't also need to have seen
the conduct. They can reasonably believe it because they had
it reported directly to them by someone who witnessed it.
(07:28):
So it's more than just a suspicion, but it doesn't
mean you have to have direct evidence of that conduct.
S2 (07:35):
Do disability service providers and workers still have to notify
the VDS if they have reported it to the NDIS
Quality and Safeguards Commission?
S3 (07:46):
Yeah. One of the things about Victoria is that we
have this scheme that regulates all disability workers across all
types of funding and yes, some disability workers are funded
by the NDIS, some are funded in the aged care
setting and some are funded in other places like education
and health, we do require all types of conduct that
(08:07):
put people with disabilities at risk of harm to be
notified to us, particularly by service providers. It's really important
that they let us know. Sometimes service providers will finish
someone up or let them go if they are unhappy
with their conduct. We want to be able to make
sure that worker doesn't just go and act in the
same way, with the same risky conduct at another service provider.
(08:29):
And when we do receive these notifications, we are obliged
to let the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission know about something.
So anyone notifying us can feel confident that once they've
told us if it is a matter, if it is
an area of service that is funded by the NDIS,
then they can be confident that the NDIS Commission will
be notified by Arth two.
S2 (08:50):
What is your message to our listeners regarding mandatory notifications?
S3 (08:55):
I think the key thing is I know listeners will
be users of disability services in different way, and I
think people need to feel confident that if they use
the services of any disability support worker, they are being
held to a standard in Victoria where they have to
be notified about if they are putting someone at risk
of harm. And I think it's also important that if
(09:18):
you experience the sort of conduct by a disability support
worker that you feel has put you at risk of harm,
you can let the service provider know and they will
have to tell us. And I think that's really important.
You don't need to necessarily do much more than that.
S2 (09:32):
What's your message to disability service providers regarding their workers
and mandatory notifications?
S3 (09:41):
It's really important that service providers recognise that it's a
lawful obligation, that they notify us of unsafe conduct by
any disability support worker, and they should also make sure
that the workers who they employ are qualified and capable
and operate to a certain standard and know their obligations
(10:02):
to report certain types of conduct. Know how to report
that conduct to us. And probably most importantly, feel supported
by their employer to notify them and us of concerns
they have.
S2 (10:15):
Only. Dan, how can anyone find more information about mandatory
notifications or the VD c more broadly?
S3 (10:24):
First of all, I just want to let everyone know
that in a few weeks time, we're holding a webinar
for anyone interested. That's later in May. We're holding that webinar,
and people can log into that or see a recorded
version on our website, and that will set out all
the information anyone needs to know about making a notification.
People can go to our website, which is simply. We're
(10:49):
pretty easy to find on the internet by just googling us,
the Disability Worker Commission in Victoria, and if there's any
workers out there or service providers and they believe there
has been the sort of conduct they need to notify
us of, but you're not sure. Let us know and
we'll talk you through that. Our intake staff are people
who are very experienced in the disability sector, and we
(11:11):
can talk people through what that is. And if people
with disabilities want to let us know about poor quality
services or the type of services that they think is
putting them at risk of harm, they can also call
us directly and we can deal with that directly with
them as well. So please don't hesitate to give us
a call and talk us through any matter that you're
concerned about with your disability worker.
S2 (11:33):
I've been speaking today with Victoria Disability Worker Commissioner Dan
Stubbs about the latest campaign. The commission is currently running
to inform people about mandatory notifications and give greater awareness
for the rights of people with disabilities. On Sam Culley
(12:00):
and Joel listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio,
associated stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network.
I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Dan Stubbs.
If you missed any part of that conversation with Dan
or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is
(12:21):
available on the Vision Australia Radio website. Simply head to
RVA radio. That's RVA radio all one word dot. Or
you can also find the program on the podcast app
of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. And
now please enjoy my chat with writer, producer and actor
(12:44):
Suzanne Chambers. I started off by asking Suzanne about her
new movie, My Eyes.
S4 (12:52):
Yes, well, it is a feature film inspired by true events, actually,
of my life. When I volunteered at the Paralympic Games
and fell in love with a judo athlete, actually, by
the way. Um, but it's a beautiful film, actually, about love, resilience.
The lengths we go for family also raises awareness about
preventative eye health as well, which is true to my
(13:12):
heart being an optometrist by trade, and it stars an
amazing cast as well. We've got Adam Garcia, who some
of you may remember from Coyote Ugly Bootmen back in
the day. Eduardo Sanchez, who is a Mexican judo Paralympic champion.
He won gold twice and CU Chin from the Joy
Luck Club. If you're big fans of that movie. So
it's something that we've worked incredibly hard to create. And yeah,
(13:36):
glad it's out. Coming out.
S2 (13:38):
Yeah. Now, um, tell us a little bit about your
involvement with my eyes. Suzanne. Um, I understand you're the
producer of the movie.
S4 (13:49):
Actually, I'm on both sides of the camera. Actor, writer
and producer. Oh, okay. So, yes, but in terms of
the story, yeah, it is obviously something very close to
my heart. It's almost like a love letter. Back to
the IC industry, really, from my perspective, something that I
wrote back in Covid, you know, five years ago, based
on obviously, my experiences with volunteering when working with the
(14:11):
judo athletes who are vision impaired. And it was such
a profound experience. Obviously, I wanted to really tell the story,
and it was one of the things that I also
produced it, which basically means the buck stops with me
when making everything happen. And it was a hard decision
also to decide whether or not to play my character
in the film. Originally, I wasn't going to do that.
(14:32):
I went, oh no, let's get someone famous, you know,
like a Aquafina or Gemma Chan or someone. But one
of my mentors said to me that, you know, he said, Suze, it's,
you know, this is your story and you've got to
think really hard about it. If you ended up seeing
someone else play you in this, are you going to
regret it? You know, because it's one of a lifetime
kind of shots. And so something that I thought about
and went, okay, no, okay. All right. I will regret it.
(14:54):
And so I decided obviously to play also my character
in the film. So yes, a few hats. Still, though,
in the making of it.
S2 (15:01):
Certainly. And Suzanne, as you've mentioned there, this has been
quite a few years in the making. Um, and of course,
Covid does sort of throw a spanner in the works
in terms of preparation and availability of people and resources
and all that sort of thing. Did that slow things
down for you, or did it all sort of really
(15:22):
take off after anyway? So it wasn't in the pipeline
just yet?
S4 (15:26):
Yeah. Well, I guess a blessing in disguise with the
Covid was that it gave me time to develop the
script to write. I mean, I was working quite heavily
as an optometrist at that time as well, because even
though the entertainment industry might have ceased, that's when all
our healthcare services, you know, hemorrhaged really in terms of
the need. But in terms of the impacts, it was
hard to decide whether or not to shoot overseas or
(15:49):
within Australia, because once we decided that we were going
to have Eduardo play the role of, well, pretty much
play himself, being the character and having tunnel vision. You know,
it was hard going. Can we shoot in Mexico? Actually,
the resounding answer was no. But. So fortunately, by the
time we got to production and Borders open, that's when
we went, okay, let's see what we can do and
actually shoot over there as well.
S2 (16:10):
Was this the first movie that you'd put together yourself?
Had you been involved with production or acting or any
of that sort of thing prior to my eyes? Or
was this the first kind of foray into that for you?
S4 (16:27):
I've actually been in the industry now for 11 years professionally.
I know, I know, My Eyes is actually my third
major feature film. My first one, unsound, was actually back
in Covid days, actually, and that was actually about a
deaf trans man, actually. And another love story in a
sense with that. But it was my biggest one so
far in a sense of in terms of the budget,
(16:49):
it was like a $4 million feature film. My eyes and,
you know, yes, I've been obviously, you know, acting and
writing and producing all through the last decade and in
my day job I also work as a production accountant.
I believe my brain, I know, and then I work
on other major productions as well in relation to that.
But yes, it's a big undertaking making these projects. They
take many, many years to get up.
S2 (17:11):
Um, you know, juggling all of that with the day
job and being the accountant and being involved with optometry
and being involved with writing, producing, acting, everything. So that's just, um, incredible.
But let's have a bit of a chat about the
finer details of my eyes and when people can go
and check it out. So it releases on the 28th
(17:36):
of May. Where can people go and watch if they'd
like to head along?
S4 (17:41):
Yeah, yeah, it's incredibly exciting. We are releasing across select
cinemas around Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and
because every portion of every ticket that we sell, for
my eyes, it's actually being distributed evenly amongst a group
of not for profit organizations dedicated to eye care and
blind sports. And so because of that, tickets can only
(18:04):
be found on the Fan Force website, which is fan force.
And basically that's where you'll see all the location times.
We've got a few obviously in Melbourne, Sydney and across
every single state and territory in Australia. And as I mentioned,
New Zealand and with some of these screenings, we're obviously
(18:25):
having a Q&A as well. So you'll get to actually
meet myself. You'll get to also meet Eduardo Sanchez, who
is the real life judo Paralympic champion coming through as well,
and also some of the other cast and crew in
various different screenings. So it's going to be a lot
of fun. We had our world premiere at the 39th
Mar de Plata International Film Festival in Argentina last year. Actually,
(18:48):
it's one of the most prestigious and only class A
film festivals in Latin America, and it was incredible. The
film also got picked to represent Australia at the 69th
Asia Pacific Film Festival, Macao, which I was also very
lucky to be invited to go across, and we only
just had a full house recently, last week actually at
the Gold Coast Film Festival as part of that. And yes,
(19:09):
and you know, we really enjoyed the Q&A. We had
great response. And yeah, it was a great start to this.
And we're really hoping that we can raise awareness about
preventative health, about inclusion, and to really put our industry
and vision on the map. You know, I think it's
something that's quite unique and it's never really seen much
on the big screen.
S2 (19:28):
As you've said, you've released a couple of movies before,
but this is the one that's really focusing in on vision,
on eye health, on what people who are blind or
have low vision are capable of. And so was that
something you'd always really wanted to get stuck into and
tell that story and show the world what people from
(19:49):
the blind and low vision community can do?
S4 (19:51):
Yeah, absolutely. It is one of my passions of mine.
I come from a public health background with optometry. Spent
a lot of time in third world countries, and I
really wanted through this story to show that people with
vision impairments, with any form of disability, it's not a
negative thing, in a sense of that typical trope. You know,
the stereotype that we tend to see or fall into
(20:12):
in the story. It is uplifting. It's seeing people with
vision impairment just be normal people, you know, like they
can fall in love. They can have, you know, children,
they have emotions. They're grappling drama, right? And they can
be super hot, you know, like just like, you know, Eduardo,
he's amazing, amazing person. And you know, with just like
everyday people, you know, and that's where the authenticity comes from. And,
(20:34):
and I think it's something that it's important to just reinforce,
but in a very entertaining way. It's something that I
do focus on in my work. I call it Impact Entertainment.
You know, we want to make a positive impact but
also entertain.
S2 (20:46):
Mhm. For sure. Now let's get the details about a
movie launch event, which is coming up on the 2nd
of June for Sydneysiders out there to head along to.
It's at the Burwood Cinema. So tell us a bit
about that one.
S4 (21:02):
Yeah, yeah. So very excited that we're going to have
someone from Vision Australia hosting that event. Actually we're going
to be having myself, one of our consultant directors, Eduardo,
there for the Q&A, which means that audiences can ask
us anything. It is free rein.
S2 (21:20):
Wow.
S4 (21:21):
Okay. And yeah, and you obviously get to see the
movie and be amongst the crowd. And yeah, we just
want to amplify these voices and it's going to be exciting.
It's going to be the same with every single Q&A
that's going to be across the country, really. And we're really,
really looking forward to it.
S2 (21:35):
Looking forward to hearing what sort of questions come your way.
I'll have to keep tabs on that one. That could
be quite interesting. But yeah. Suzanne, thank you so much.
It's been a pleasure to catch up with you today
and chat about my eyes. So that's my eyes coming
out on the 28th of May across Australia, New Zealand
(21:58):
and the USA. And if you're in Sydney, you can
head along to a session that Vision Australia is involved
with on the 2nd of June. Suzanne, thank you so much.
It's been so good and I'm really excited to hear
how the movie goes.
S4 (22:14):
Yeah. Thank you so much, Sam. Thanks, everyone.
S2 (22:20):
And now here's Liz Dalakouras, editor of For Your Information,
otherwise known as FYI. We kicked off our chat this
week by chatting about a few articles.
S5 (22:32):
Yeah, absolutely. So one that's proven quite popular this week
just speaks about the cost of NDIS misinformation. So Steph Travers,
who's the board director at the people with Disabilities Australia,
who also receives the NDIS herself. She recently spoke out
about the public discourse that's left her and many others
in the community feeling like a political football. It's just
(22:54):
a really interesting opinion piece article that really highlights the
importance of getting the information right when it comes to
the NDIS.
S2 (23:01):
And there's a couple of other articles that people can
look forward to as well is.
S5 (23:05):
Absolutely there is. So we at Vision Australia have created
a new one that focuses on advocating for yourself, as
in someone who is in the aged care system. So
no matter your age, your location or your circumstances, remember
that you always have the right to advocate for yourself
and take control of your life. That article can be
found in the news section of our website.
S2 (23:26):
Third, and finally, there's a third article of Vision Australia's
been involved with.
S5 (23:30):
Absolutely. It's a really interesting topic, Sam. It's about protecting
your information online. So going online we know can be
quite a scary thing, particularly when you're asked to put
in your bank details, your address, your phone number. Nobody's
keen to do it, but we know there are safe
and non-safe ways to do it. And this is the
sort of article that just helps you feel more confident
(23:52):
and comfortable being online and live.
S2 (23:55):
There's different ways for people who are blind or have
low vision to enjoy their favorite sport, with some tactile feedback.
That's now becoming available, so that's quite exciting for people
out there.
S5 (24:08):
It really is. It's not only exciting, it's really cool.
Imagine following a live sporting match with your hands. It's
an incredible innovation. This device has real time vibrations that
are mapped out to the action, and it just changes
the way you can watch tennis, basketball, baseball, AFL, whatever
sport it is you enjoy, you get to now feel
the game.
S2 (24:28):
That's right. But on a slightly related topic, there's also
some life hacks for people to enjoy and check out
and see what works for them. In particular, I think, Liz,
you wanted to have a chat about rubber bands.
S5 (24:42):
Absolutely. So as a part of FYI, moving forward, we're
going to have a little section that's going to highlight
our life hacks, and there'll be a new one in
there every week to kick off this series. We used
one of the new videos in our series. Who knew
that rubber bands could be your new best friend? So
this video will highlight that. Simply put a rubber band
(25:03):
on your sauce bottle and not on your mustard bottle
so you know which one is which. It's an amazing video.
Visit our website, jump on the Lifehack section and you
will lose yourself scrolling down and seeing all these cool
little tips and tricks.
S2 (25:15):
And Liz, I understand the calendar artwork competitions back open
again for people to take part. Tell us a bit
about that one.
S5 (25:25):
Yeah, it sure is. It's such a great competition, Sam.
You simply submit your artwork and then you have a
chance to be featured in our large print calendar or diary. Plus,
you can win a $200 gift card. Wow. So it's
time to ready, set, create, because then you get to
have your artwork displayed in people's homes.
S2 (25:44):
Fantastic. Now it's always a great competition and it's always
lovely to check out the winning entries. There's a lot
of amazing talent out there, so look forward to checking
out this year's edition. And speaking of editions, the way
that you can sign up to the FYI mailing list
(26:05):
hasn't changed. Go on to the Vision Australia website and
head to FYI and you can get your email on
the FYI mailing list. Isn't that right, Liz?
S5 (26:17):
That's exactly right. Super easy. Delivered to your inbox every
second Thursday.
S2 (26:22):
Perfect. There you go. I've been speaking today with Liz Dalakouras,
editor of Foyer Information, otherwise known as FYI, having a
chat with me today about the latest edition of Vision
Australia's fortnightly newsletter. Liz, thank you so much as always
for your time today. Great to catch up with you
(26:43):
and have a chat about FYI.
S5 (26:45):
Absolutely. Thank you for having me Sam. It's always so
much fun.
S2 (26:54):
And that's all the time we have for today. You've
been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
So please get in touch anytime on our email at
Talking at Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One word
(27:19):
at Vision Australia. But until next week it's Sam Culley
saying bye for now.
S1 (27:29):
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 74
six or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.
From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
your host Sam Colley.
S2 (00:23):
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
and low vision.
S3 (00:30):
We really need to see service providers or other disability
workers calling out risky conduct. And the ultimate purpose, again,
is to make sure that people with disabilities are safe
when receiving disability services.
S2 (00:45):
Welcome to the program. This week we have a chat
with Victorian Disability Worker Commissioner Dan Stubbs about a new campaign.
The VDC is running to ensure the safety of people
with disabilities when receiving support services and working with support workers.
(01:06):
That conversation's coming up very shortly, so make sure to
stick around. Then after you hear from Dan, I'll catch
up with producer, writer and actor of the new movie
My Eyes coming out on the 28th of May. Suzanne Chambers.
Then after that, we wrap up with some FYI news
(01:27):
from the editor of FYI, Liz Dalakouras. I hope you
enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. I started my
conversation with Dan by asking him about the Victorian Disability
Worker Commission and his role as commissioner.
S3 (01:48):
Sure, Sam. So the Victorian Disability Worker Commission is the
only regulator like it in Australia. We regulate all disability
workers in Victoria and really that any support worker or
practitioner working with people with disabilities to support them in
relation to barriers created by their disability. It's a pretty
(02:09):
broad definition, and the overall objective is to promote and
provide for a safer, stronger disability sector in Victoria. And
we do that by a range of functions, including promoting
a code of conduct, accepting complaints from anybody and receiving
(02:30):
mandatory notifications from key people.
S2 (02:33):
And Dan, I understand you're conducting a new campaign to
encourage disability providers and workers to notify the VW of
conduct by disability workers that may put the people they
support at risk. So could you explain a little bit
more about this?
S3 (02:54):
Sure. So this is all about us making sure that
disability workers so people anyone working in the disability sector
and disability service providers. though employers of disability workers who
provide disability services know that they have an obligation to
notify us of certain types of conduct, and that's conduct
(03:14):
that puts people with disability at risk of harm. And
so the key aspect of that for people to remember
is if they have a reasonable belief of anyone with
a disability being put at risk of harm by their
disability worker, then we need to be told about that
by either the service provider or another disability worker who
(03:35):
becomes aware of that.
S2 (03:36):
And following on from that. Dan, why do you believe
it's important that disability workers and their employers notify the VDC?
S3 (03:47):
There's a few reasons. And the primary reason is because
often people with disabilities are in a vulnerable situation when
they are relying on disability workers to provide assistance to
them in the wide range of ways that we get
support from disability workers and practitioners. The other reason that
I think is really important is that often people with
(04:09):
disabilities themselves. So when we're using disability services, it's a
big ask to require that the person with disability make
the complaint to us. You know, I think it's the
hardest thing we can ever ask anyone with a disability
or their family to do. And that make a complaint
about their support worker. We really need to see service
(04:31):
providers or other disability workers calling out risky conduct. And
the ultimate purpose, again, is to make sure that people
with disabilities are safe when receiving disability services.
S2 (04:44):
Does this apply to services to older people?
S3 (04:47):
Dan Yeah, good question. Sam. It does because the Disability
Worker Commission covers people working in disability, regardless of the
age of the people disability. And there's many older people
in places like aged care settings, or even in their
own home where they're receiving my aged care type services.
(05:09):
They're usually receiving those kind of services because they have
a disability. It might be an age related disability, but
they are still receiving disabilities. So it doesn't matter what
age someone is. It's about the fact that they're receiving
a service in relation to their disability.
S2 (05:25):
Could you give examples of some types of conduct that
absolutely must be notified to the Commission, the sort of
things they're looking to be aware of and stamp out?
S3 (05:37):
There are four general categories that we require people to
notify us of risky conduct. There's the situation where a
worker is intoxicated by drugs or alcohol when working as
a disability worker. The second one is when a disability
worker has engaged in sexual misconduct while working. There's the
(05:58):
situation where a disability worker has an impairment that puts
a person with disability at risk of harm when they're practicing. Now,
I just want to clarify. That doesn't mean that someone
with a disability can't be a worker. It's very much
about if that impairment puts someone at risk of harm.
And the final one and the one where we deal
(06:20):
with a lot. It's where a disability worker has departed
from acceptable professional standards in the delivery of their disability service.
And that's a fairly broad definition. But really, I really
want people to concentrate on a disability worker putting someone
with disability at risk of harm. That's the key criteria
(06:41):
that overlays all of those areas of conduct.
S2 (06:45):
When should a disability service provider or a worker make
a notification?
S3 (06:51):
The key driver for that is when another worker or
the service provider has a reasonable belief that a disability
worker has put a person with disability at risk of harm.
S2 (07:02):
Dan, I noticed you mentioned reasonable belief in there. Could
you expand on that a bit?
S3 (07:07):
Reasonable belief is if someone has some sort of direct
knowledge of the risky conduct that a worker is engaged in.
So it's not going to be when someone maybe has
a suspicion, but they don't also need to have seen
the conduct. They can reasonably believe it because they had
it reported directly to them by someone who witnessed it.
(07:28):
So it's more than just a suspicion, but it doesn't
mean you have to have direct evidence of that conduct.
S2 (07:35):
Do disability service providers and workers still have to notify
the VDS if they have reported it to the NDIS
Quality and Safeguards Commission?
S3 (07:46):
Yeah. One of the things about Victoria is that we
have this scheme that regulates all disability workers across all
types of funding and yes, some disability workers are funded
by the NDIS, some are funded in the aged care
setting and some are funded in other places like education
and health, we do require all types of conduct that
(08:07):
put people with disabilities at risk of harm to be
notified to us, particularly by service providers. It's really important
that they let us know. Sometimes service providers will finish
someone up or let them go if they are unhappy
with their conduct. We want to be able to make
sure that worker doesn't just go and act in the
same way, with the same risky conduct at another service provider.
(08:29):
And when we do receive these notifications, we are obliged
to let the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission know about something.
So anyone notifying us can feel confident that once they've
told us if it is a matter, if it is
an area of service that is funded by the NDIS,
then they can be confident that the NDIS Commission will
be notified by Arth two.
S2 (08:50):
What is your message to our listeners regarding mandatory notifications?
S3 (08:55):
I think the key thing is I know listeners will
be users of disability services in different way, and I
think people need to feel confident that if they use
the services of any disability support worker, they are being
held to a standard in Victoria where they have to
be notified about if they are putting someone at risk
of harm. And I think it's also important that if
(09:18):
you experience the sort of conduct by a disability support
worker that you feel has put you at risk of harm,
you can let the service provider know and they will
have to tell us. And I think that's really important.
You don't need to necessarily do much more than that.
S2 (09:32):
What's your message to disability service providers regarding their workers
and mandatory notifications?
S3 (09:41):
It's really important that service providers recognise that it's a
lawful obligation, that they notify us of unsafe conduct by
any disability support worker, and they should also make sure
that the workers who they employ are qualified and capable
and operate to a certain standard and know their obligations
(10:02):
to report certain types of conduct. Know how to report
that conduct to us. And probably most importantly, feel supported
by their employer to notify them and us of concerns
they have.
S2 (10:15):
Only. Dan, how can anyone find more information about mandatory
notifications or the VD c more broadly?
S3 (10:24):
First of all, I just want to let everyone know
that in a few weeks time, we're holding a webinar
for anyone interested. That's later in May. We're holding that webinar,
and people can log into that or see a recorded
version on our website, and that will set out all
the information anyone needs to know about making a notification.
People can go to our website, which is simply. We're
(10:49):
pretty easy to find on the internet by just googling us,
the Disability Worker Commission in Victoria, and if there's any
workers out there or service providers and they believe there
has been the sort of conduct they need to notify
us of, but you're not sure. Let us know and
we'll talk you through that. Our intake staff are people
who are very experienced in the disability sector, and we
(11:11):
can talk people through what that is. And if people
with disabilities want to let us know about poor quality
services or the type of services that they think is
putting them at risk of harm, they can also call
us directly and we can deal with that directly with
them as well. So please don't hesitate to give us
a call and talk us through any matter that you're
concerned about with your disability worker.
S2 (11:33):
I've been speaking today with Victoria Disability Worker Commissioner Dan
Stubbs about the latest campaign. The commission is currently running
to inform people about mandatory notifications and give greater awareness
for the rights of people with disabilities. On Sam Culley
(12:00):
and Joel listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio,
associated stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network.
I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Dan Stubbs.
If you missed any part of that conversation with Dan
or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is
(12:21):
available on the Vision Australia Radio website. Simply head to
RVA radio. That's RVA radio all one word dot. Or
you can also find the program on the podcast app
of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. And
now please enjoy my chat with writer, producer and actor
(12:44):
Suzanne Chambers. I started off by asking Suzanne about her
new movie, My Eyes.
S4 (12:52):
Yes, well, it is a feature film inspired by true events, actually,
of my life. When I volunteered at the Paralympic Games
and fell in love with a judo athlete, actually, by
the way. Um, but it's a beautiful film, actually, about love, resilience.
The lengths we go for family also raises awareness about
preventative eye health as well, which is true to my
(13:12):
heart being an optometrist by trade, and it stars an
amazing cast as well. We've got Adam Garcia, who some
of you may remember from Coyote Ugly Bootmen back in
the day. Eduardo Sanchez, who is a Mexican judo Paralympic champion.
He won gold twice and CU Chin from the Joy
Luck Club. If you're big fans of that movie. So
it's something that we've worked incredibly hard to create. And yeah,
(13:36):
glad it's out. Coming out.
S2 (13:38):
Yeah. Now, um, tell us a little bit about your
involvement with my eyes. Suzanne. Um, I understand you're the
producer of the movie.
S4 (13:49):
Actually, I'm on both sides of the camera. Actor, writer
and producer. Oh, okay. So, yes, but in terms of
the story, yeah, it is obviously something very close to
my heart. It's almost like a love letter. Back to
the IC industry, really, from my perspective, something that I
wrote back in Covid, you know, five years ago, based
on obviously, my experiences with volunteering when working with the
(14:11):
judo athletes who are vision impaired. And it was such
a profound experience. Obviously, I wanted to really tell the story,
and it was one of the things that I also
produced it, which basically means the buck stops with me
when making everything happen. And it was a hard decision
also to decide whether or not to play my character
in the film. Originally, I wasn't going to do that.
(14:32):
I went, oh no, let's get someone famous, you know,
like a Aquafina or Gemma Chan or someone. But one
of my mentors said to me that, you know, he said, Suze, it's,
you know, this is your story and you've got to
think really hard about it. If you ended up seeing
someone else play you in this, are you going to
regret it? You know, because it's one of a lifetime
kind of shots. And so something that I thought about
and went, okay, no, okay. All right. I will regret it.
(14:54):
And so I decided obviously to play also my character
in the film. So yes, a few hats. Still, though,
in the making of it.
S2 (15:01):
Certainly. And Suzanne, as you've mentioned there, this has been
quite a few years in the making. Um, and of course,
Covid does sort of throw a spanner in the works
in terms of preparation and availability of people and resources
and all that sort of thing. Did that slow things
down for you, or did it all sort of really
(15:22):
take off after anyway? So it wasn't in the pipeline
just yet?
S4 (15:26):
Yeah. Well, I guess a blessing in disguise with the
Covid was that it gave me time to develop the
script to write. I mean, I was working quite heavily
as an optometrist at that time as well, because even
though the entertainment industry might have ceased, that's when all
our healthcare services, you know, hemorrhaged really in terms of
the need. But in terms of the impacts, it was
hard to decide whether or not to shoot overseas or
(15:49):
within Australia, because once we decided that we were going
to have Eduardo play the role of, well, pretty much
play himself, being the character and having tunnel vision. You know,
it was hard going. Can we shoot in Mexico? Actually,
the resounding answer was no. But. So fortunately, by the
time we got to production and Borders open, that's when
we went, okay, let's see what we can do and
actually shoot over there as well.
S2 (16:10):
Was this the first movie that you'd put together yourself?
Had you been involved with production or acting or any
of that sort of thing prior to my eyes? Or
was this the first kind of foray into that for you?
S4 (16:27):
I've actually been in the industry now for 11 years professionally.
I know, I know, My Eyes is actually my third
major feature film. My first one, unsound, was actually back
in Covid days, actually, and that was actually about a
deaf trans man, actually. And another love story in a
sense with that. But it was my biggest one so
far in a sense of in terms of the budget,
(16:49):
it was like a $4 million feature film. My eyes and,
you know, yes, I've been obviously, you know, acting and
writing and producing all through the last decade and in
my day job I also work as a production accountant.
I believe my brain, I know, and then I work
on other major productions as well in relation to that.
But yes, it's a big undertaking making these projects. They
take many, many years to get up.
S2 (17:11):
Um, you know, juggling all of that with the day
job and being the accountant and being involved with optometry
and being involved with writing, producing, acting, everything. So that's just, um, incredible.
But let's have a bit of a chat about the
finer details of my eyes and when people can go
and check it out. So it releases on the 28th
(17:36):
of May. Where can people go and watch if they'd
like to head along?
S4 (17:41):
Yeah, yeah, it's incredibly exciting. We are releasing across select
cinemas around Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and
because every portion of every ticket that we sell, for
my eyes, it's actually being distributed evenly amongst a group
of not for profit organizations dedicated to eye care and
blind sports. And so because of that, tickets can only
(18:04):
be found on the Fan Force website, which is fan force.
And basically that's where you'll see all the location times.
We've got a few obviously in Melbourne, Sydney and across
every single state and territory in Australia. And as I mentioned,
New Zealand and with some of these screenings, we're obviously
(18:25):
having a Q&A as well. So you'll get to actually
meet myself. You'll get to also meet Eduardo Sanchez, who
is the real life judo Paralympic champion coming through as well,
and also some of the other cast and crew in
various different screenings. So it's going to be a lot
of fun. We had our world premiere at the 39th
Mar de Plata International Film Festival in Argentina last year. Actually,
(18:48):
it's one of the most prestigious and only class A
film festivals in Latin America, and it was incredible. The
film also got picked to represent Australia at the 69th
Asia Pacific Film Festival, Macao, which I was also very
lucky to be invited to go across, and we only
just had a full house recently, last week actually at
the Gold Coast Film Festival as part of that. And yes,
(19:09):
and you know, we really enjoyed the Q&A. We had
great response. And yeah, it was a great start to this.
And we're really hoping that we can raise awareness about
preventative health, about inclusion, and to really put our industry
and vision on the map. You know, I think it's
something that's quite unique and it's never really seen much
on the big screen.
S2 (19:28):
As you've said, you've released a couple of movies before,
but this is the one that's really focusing in on vision,
on eye health, on what people who are blind or
have low vision are capable of. And so was that
something you'd always really wanted to get stuck into and
tell that story and show the world what people from
(19:49):
the blind and low vision community can do?
S4 (19:51):
Yeah, absolutely. It is one of my passions of mine.
I come from a public health background with optometry. Spent
a lot of time in third world countries, and I
really wanted through this story to show that people with
vision impairments, with any form of disability, it's not a
negative thing, in a sense of that typical trope. You know,
the stereotype that we tend to see or fall into
(20:12):
in the story. It is uplifting. It's seeing people with
vision impairment just be normal people, you know, like they
can fall in love. They can have, you know, children,
they have emotions. They're grappling drama, right? And they can
be super hot, you know, like just like, you know, Eduardo,
he's amazing, amazing person. And you know, with just like
everyday people, you know, and that's where the authenticity comes from. And,
(20:34):
and I think it's something that it's important to just reinforce,
but in a very entertaining way. It's something that I
do focus on in my work. I call it Impact Entertainment.
You know, we want to make a positive impact but
also entertain.
S2 (20:46):
Mhm. For sure. Now let's get the details about a
movie launch event, which is coming up on the 2nd
of June for Sydneysiders out there to head along to.
It's at the Burwood Cinema. So tell us a bit
about that one.
S4 (21:02):
Yeah, yeah. So very excited that we're going to have
someone from Vision Australia hosting that event. Actually we're going
to be having myself, one of our consultant directors, Eduardo,
there for the Q&A, which means that audiences can ask
us anything. It is free rein.
S2 (21:20):
Wow.
S4 (21:21):
Okay. And yeah, and you obviously get to see the
movie and be amongst the crowd. And yeah, we just
want to amplify these voices and it's going to be exciting.
It's going to be the same with every single Q&A
that's going to be across the country, really. And we're really,
really looking forward to it.
S2 (21:35):
Looking forward to hearing what sort of questions come your way.
I'll have to keep tabs on that one. That could
be quite interesting. But yeah. Suzanne, thank you so much.
It's been a pleasure to catch up with you today
and chat about my eyes. So that's my eyes coming
out on the 28th of May across Australia, New Zealand
(21:58):
and the USA. And if you're in Sydney, you can
head along to a session that Vision Australia is involved
with on the 2nd of June. Suzanne, thank you so much.
It's been so good and I'm really excited to hear
how the movie goes.
S4 (22:14):
Yeah. Thank you so much, Sam. Thanks, everyone.
S2 (22:20):
And now here's Liz Dalakouras, editor of For Your Information,
otherwise known as FYI. We kicked off our chat this
week by chatting about a few articles.
S5 (22:32):
Yeah, absolutely. So one that's proven quite popular this week
just speaks about the cost of NDIS misinformation. So Steph Travers,
who's the board director at the people with Disabilities Australia,
who also receives the NDIS herself. She recently spoke out
about the public discourse that's left her and many others
in the community feeling like a political football. It's just
(22:54):
a really interesting opinion piece article that really highlights the
importance of getting the information right when it comes to
the NDIS.
S2 (23:01):
And there's a couple of other articles that people can
look forward to as well is.
S5 (23:05):
Absolutely there is. So we at Vision Australia have created
a new one that focuses on advocating for yourself, as
in someone who is in the aged care system. So
no matter your age, your location or your circumstances, remember
that you always have the right to advocate for yourself
and take control of your life. That article can be
found in the news section of our website.
S2 (23:26):
Third, and finally, there's a third article of Vision Australia's
been involved with.
S5 (23:30):
Absolutely. It's a really interesting topic, Sam. It's about protecting
your information online. So going online we know can be
quite a scary thing, particularly when you're asked to put
in your bank details, your address, your phone number. Nobody's
keen to do it, but we know there are safe
and non-safe ways to do it. And this is the
sort of article that just helps you feel more confident
(23:52):
and comfortable being online and live.
S2 (23:55):
There's different ways for people who are blind or have
low vision to enjoy their favorite sport, with some tactile feedback.
That's now becoming available, so that's quite exciting for people
out there.
S5 (24:08):
It really is. It's not only exciting, it's really cool.
Imagine following a live sporting match with your hands. It's
an incredible innovation. This device has real time vibrations that
are mapped out to the action, and it just changes
the way you can watch tennis, basketball, baseball, AFL, whatever
sport it is you enjoy, you get to now feel
the game.
S2 (24:28):
That's right. But on a slightly related topic, there's also
some life hacks for people to enjoy and check out
and see what works for them. In particular, I think, Liz,
you wanted to have a chat about rubber bands.
S5 (24:42):
Absolutely. So as a part of FYI, moving forward, we're
going to have a little section that's going to highlight
our life hacks, and there'll be a new one in
there every week to kick off this series. We used
one of the new videos in our series. Who knew
that rubber bands could be your new best friend? So
this video will highlight that. Simply put a rubber band
(25:03):
on your sauce bottle and not on your mustard bottle
so you know which one is which. It's an amazing video.
Visit our website, jump on the Lifehack section and you
will lose yourself scrolling down and seeing all these cool
little tips and tricks.
S2 (25:15):
And Liz, I understand the calendar artwork competitions back open
again for people to take part. Tell us a bit
about that one.
S5 (25:25):
Yeah, it sure is. It's such a great competition, Sam.
You simply submit your artwork and then you have a
chance to be featured in our large print calendar or diary. Plus,
you can win a $200 gift card. Wow. So it's
time to ready, set, create, because then you get to
have your artwork displayed in people's homes.
S2 (25:44):
Fantastic. Now it's always a great competition and it's always
lovely to check out the winning entries. There's a lot
of amazing talent out there, so look forward to checking
out this year's edition. And speaking of editions, the way
that you can sign up to the FYI mailing list
(26:05):
hasn't changed. Go on to the Vision Australia website and
head to FYI and you can get your email on
the FYI mailing list. Isn't that right, Liz?
S5 (26:17):
That's exactly right. Super easy. Delivered to your inbox every
second Thursday.
S2 (26:22):
Perfect. There you go. I've been speaking today with Liz Dalakouras,
editor of Foyer Information, otherwise known as FYI, having a
chat with me today about the latest edition of Vision
Australia's fortnightly newsletter. Liz, thank you so much as always
for your time today. Great to catch up with you
(26:43):
and have a chat about FYI.
S5 (26:45):
Absolutely. Thank you for having me Sam. It's always so
much fun.
S2 (26:54):
And that's all the time we have for today. You've
been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
So please get in touch anytime on our email at
Talking at Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One word
(27:19):
at Vision Australia. But until next week it's Sam Culley
saying bye for now.
S1 (27:29):
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 74
six or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com