The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) and Vision Australia announced that more than $193,000 was raised for Vision Australia's Seeing Eye Dogs following the Vision's successful campaign as the 2011 Melbourne Cup Carnival Pin & Win charity partner.
How do you know what Vision Australia thinks about issues facing people who are blind or have low vision in the broader community? Issues like gaining access to published information, having equal access to education and employment, being able to vote independently in Australian elections, or the dangers of pedestrians having to share pathways with cyclists. As the largest provider of blindness and low vision services in Australia, we are often asked by government, business and the community for our view, and we need to have a rigorous, deliberate and consistent message as a prominent and growing leader in the community.
Thanks to support from Vision Australia's Advocacy team and Vision Australia client Geoff Skinner, the Queensland Parliament has introduced amendments to the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009 that will ensure equal access to residential and holiday accommodation.
The taxpayer-funded set-top boxes that Australians who are blind or have low vision are receiving are useless because of the difficulties in operating the menu systems and viewing the electronic program guide.
The Australian Government is being criticised after it was revealed it will provide $200,000 out of a $2 million grant in taxpayer's money to support activities that undermine the work of Ms Maryanne Diamond, an Australian who is President of the World Blind Union (WBU).
Children with a vision and/ or hearing impairment in regional and remote areas will have greater access to services thanks to a new video conferencing program launched today.
Blind social worker Simran Kaur received the news of her life recently, when the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, overturned a decision by the Department and granted her permanent residency. Under our current immigration system, if you are legally blind and you want to call Australia home, the door is closed. Our immigration system is caught in 19th century thinking about disability, viewing people who are blind as burden's to society and in most cases, there is no mechanism to argue to the contrary short of an elusive Ministerial intervention.
Last Friday, Kevin Rudd visited our Coorparoo site to talk with staff over lunch and to have a tour of our facilities. He learned about the range of Vision Australia services and the key issues faced by people who are blind or have low vision in their daily lives.
Queenslanders with a disability, their families and carers will have new voices in government with the appointment of 75 Advisory Council Members around the state. Liz Jeffrey, Vision Australia's Advocacy Officer for Queensland is one of those successfully appointed to the role for a term of three years, commencing in September 2011. The other 74 members come from communities across Queensland - from Cairns to the Gold Coast and west to Mount Isa. Members include people with a disability, carers and advocates, as well as representatives of community organisations, businesses, local government, disability service providers and the wider community
Minister for Ageing Andrew Constance has today announced a massive expansion of NSW Seniors Card benefits following the signing of a reciprocal arrangement with the New Zealand Government.