A newsletter for
people interested in issues relevant to people from NESB
with disability and their families and carers. Produced
by the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of
NSW (MDAA).
If you have any queries,
questions, comments or any other contributions please
contact us by email (mdaa@mdaa.org.au)
or phone (02) 9891 6400.
Invitation
to MDAA AGM
When: Wednesday, 26 November
2008
Where: Granville Youth & Community Recreation
Centre, 3A Memorial Drive, Granville
Time: 10.30am start with Morning Tea follow by the
AGM, Speeches, Music, Entertainment and FOOD
RSVP 21 November, call Judith on 9897
6400
NEW at
MDAA
 New
Assistant Director
This month we welcomed Lyn Lormer who is our new
Assistant Director. Lyn brings with her extensive
knowledge and experience in service management and
community development. Prior to joining MDAA she worked
as a community sector consultant. Her previous roles
include Community Program Officer at Department of
Community Services, Manager of Leichhardt Women's
Community Health Centre and Executive Officer of North
Sydney Community Service Ltd.
James Condren wins 2008 Law and
Justice Volunteer Award
 James
Condren was announced as the winner of the 2008 Law and
Justice Volunteer Award for his outstanding contribution
to the rights of people with intellectual disability in
the criminal justice system. James became a member of
MDAA Committee early this year. He is also active on a
number of Boards and committees including the NSW Council
for Intellectual Disability, the Intellectual Disability
Rights Service Criminal Justice Support Network Reference
Group, and the Disability Council of NSW. James works
tirelessly as a strong advocate for people with
intellectual disability caught up in the criminal justice
system. People with intellectual disability are
disproportionately represented in the criminal justice
system - whilst people with intellectual disability
constitute approximately 2-3% of the general population,
they account for 12-14% of the prison population, and an
even higher proportion of defendants appearing before the
Local Court.
A big congratulations to James for winning this Award,
you deserve it!
State
News
Parliamentary
Inquiry into the Program of Appliances for Disabled
People
MDAA provided a submission to the Parliamentary
Inquiry outlining the concerns and needs of people from
non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) with disability.
Equity of access is a major concern as we found many of
our consumers are not aware of the Program's existence
due a lack of information available to diverse
communities. Other concerns include inadequate level of
funding and inconsistent decision making. For more
information please see MDAA website.
Commonweath
News
UN Convention and
migration rights for people with
disability
The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has made the
following recommendation in relation to the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities:
"The Committee recommends that a review be carried out
of the relevant provisions of the Migration Act and the
administrative implementation of migration policy, and
that any necessary action be taken to ensure that there
is no direct or indirect discrimination against persons
with disabilities in contravention of the
Convention."
This is great news to MDAA and we will work closely
with National
Ethnic Disability Alliance, the Commonwealth peak
body for people from NESB with disability, in pursuing
the Australian Government to make good on the
recommendation.
mdaa cultural
abilities - upcoming training
mdaa
cultural abilities is the
training arm of MDAA.
mdaa cultural
abilities is pleased to
introduce a 10% discount for MDAA's organisational
members registering for any calendar training. This is
an acknowledgement of the support member organisations
provide to MDAA.
Getting the Most
From Interpreters and Translators
21 November 2008, 9.15am-1.00pm
Venue - Western Sydney Community Forum
Level 4, 146 Marsden St Parramatta
Outline
This half-day workshop will provide you with all
the "handy-hints" and ideas you need to get the most
out of the money spent, and a quality control system
which will never again leave you wondering whether the
Interpreter really said what you wanted or whether the
Translation is of a quality consistent with your
service.
Target group Anyone interested in promoting
their services to ethnic communities
Assessment None
Pre-requisite None
Costs
NGO: $55
Government: $110
MDAA Organisational Members: 10% off above costs.
News from across the
World: International
Journalists Set To
Promote Disability Issues in Sierra Leone
By Bampia J. Bundu
Sep 22, 2008, 12:23
Sierra Leonean journalists from both the print and
electronic media have formed the Sierra Leone chapter of
the Network of Journalists for the Promotion of the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.
The 10 membership network was established on the 12th
of September 2008.
Network Coordinator, Mr. Francis Sowa told the
Awareness Times that the umbrella network was formed in
Dakar, Senegal on the 24th April 2008 at the end of a
three-day training on 'Disability Reporting from a Human
Rights Perspective' held from the 22nd to the 24th April
2008.
"The training was aimed at promoting the rights of
persons with disabilities and how they could be included
in everyday media coverage," the coordinator intimated,
adding that, the training also provided knowledge about
the new convention on the rights of persons with
disabilities and the terminology guide.
According to Mr. Sowa, the network refers to a group
of journalists who will individually and collectively use
their media houses to highlight issues bordering on the
promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities.
"The network will strive to achieve this by organizing
training for journalists on the international conventions
promoting the rights of persons with disabilities as well
as the terminology guide for proper reporting on
disability issues," Mr. Sowa affirmed.
Mr. Sowa said the network hopes to work with all media
houses, government, non governmental organisations and
all stakeholders to ensure that the rights of persons
with disabilities in Sierra Leone are respected and
safeguarded.
© Copyright by Awareness Times Newspaper in
Freetown, Sierra Leone.
_______________________________________
Diana Qian
Executive Director
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW
Ph: (02) 9891 6400 Fax: (02) 9635 5355
PO Box 9381, Harris Park NSW 2150
www.mdaa.org.au
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