The winners of the National Disability Awards were announced last night at a ceremony at Parliament House, as part of the 2015 International Day of People with Disability celebrations. The recipients were selected due to the impact they have made in improving the inclusion of and the rights of people with disability.
Vision Australia client and advocate, 15-year-old Connor McLeod, jointly won the Emerging Leader in Disability Awareness Award for campaigning for the introduction of tactile features on Australian banknotes. Connor’s quest was sparked when he was given money for Christmas but could not tell how much he had received.
We have worked with the blindness and low vision community for many years to advocate for tactile features on Australian banknotes. In late 2014, around 100 Vision Australia clients were involved in consultations and research undertaken by the Reserve Bank of Australia, strengthening the case for their introduction.
As part of our ongoing efforts, we joined Connor McLeod’s discrimination complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission. Connor had already started a change.org petition with more than 56,000 supporters calling for action on accessibility features on currency.
In February 2015, the Reserve Bank of Australia announced that tactile features will be incorporated in the upcoming re-design of Australian banknotes in the not-too-distant future.
“The new tactile features, along with the bright colours, bold numbers, and different sizing, will help people who are blind or have low vision to tell the difference between denominations,” said Vision Australia chief executive officer, Ron Hooton.
“Vision Australia is extremely proud of Connor’s achievement. He has shown exemplary leadership to drive change on a matter that is important, not just to him, but the community who are blind or have low vision.”