Our best wishes for a happy festive season and a prosperous New Year!
From everyone at MDAA
MDAA office will close on 25th December and reopen on 4 January.
MDAA AGM and Committee
On 25 November MDAA had its thirteenth Annual General Meeting (AGM). It was well attended by MDAA members, consumers and colleagues. During the AGM Milanka presented her Chairperson’s report for 2008 – 2009. On behalf of the Committee she thanked the staff their hard work throughout the year. She also thanked the consumers and members for their support of MDAA’s work. David presented the Treasurer’s report and talked about how MDAA managed its funds in the last financial year.
At every AGM some Committee members would stand down and their positions would be vacant for nominations. At this AGM some Committee members finished their two year term and retired and they were Alberto Castillo, Anne Napoli, Athana Fan and George Buxbaum. MDAA would like to thank them for their hard work and valuable contribution. Some Committee members were re-elected to the Committee for another two year term. They were Dulia Mandinic, David Abello who was elected as the Treasurer, Milanka Zivanovic who was elected as the Vice-Chairperson and Rachel Lazarov who was elected as the new Chairperson. A big congratulation goes to all of them. This year we also see some new people joining MDAA Committee. Four new members were elected to the Committee and they were Hannan Abdallah, Marlene Carrasco, Jim Grainda and Stephen Todorovski. A very warm welcome to these new Committee members and we look forward to working with them.
MDAA’s AGM would not be complete without the presentation of certificates of appreciation to our valuable volunteers. We wanted to acknowledge their dedication to MDAA and how much we appreciated their support.
The AGM ended with a special tribute to Milanka for her fifteen years of ongoing service to MDAA. She started in 1994 as a founding member of MDAA and then served continuously on MDAA’s Committee, being the Chairperson for the last six years. Milanka worked tirelessly for the vision and goals of MDAA. She can often be seen representing MDAA at meetings, helping at the office with mailout, chairing Committee and sub-Committee meetings and providing solid support to the Executive Directors of MDAA and its staff. A certificate of appreciation was presented to Milanka with a pot of Gardenia to satisfy her passion for gardening.
After the AGM there were food, singing, dancing, bagpipes, drama and lots of laughing and talking all happening in a nicely decorated hall. It was a time for everyone to enjoy themselves and there were photos to prove that we certainly achieved that. Particular congratulations to those who went all out and dressed in their best traditional outfits – you looked fabulous. Behind the scene a lot of hard work has gone into arranging the AGM and it was an event where everyone worked together to make it happen. A very special thank you goes to the staff and volunteers for another job well done!
Commonwealth News
Robert Strike wins Minister’s Lifelong Achievement Award at National Disability Awards - great recognition for a true fighter
Robert Strike, the outgoing Chairperson of the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability (CID) has won the Minister’s Lifelong Achievement Award at the National Disability Awards at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra. Robert won the Award jointly with Sue Gordon.
Robert has been fighting for the rights of people with intellectual disability for his whole life, and this has now been recognised by his winning the prestigious Minister’s Lifelong Achievement Award. The Award recognises the achievement of a person, with or without disability, who has demonstrated a sustained and extraordinary personal commitment to improving or reshaping the lives of people with disability.
Robert has overcome great adversity to become one of the most influential advocates for people with intellectual disability in Australia. He is well known throughout the NSW disability sector and very widely respected.
The overall impact of Robert’s work over the past 25 years has been very considerable. He has made a major contribution towards people with intellectual disability being confident to make their own life choices and live normal and positive lives in the community. His major impact on the attitudes of service providers and the broader community has led to more respect for the views and rights of people with intellectual disability and more support for their right to live normal lives as part of the community.
MDAA congratulates Robert on his achievements and on receiving this Award.
Commonwealth Government to consider new approaches to disability
Joint Media Release
Prime Minister; Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services
Canberra 23 November 2009
The Productivity Commission will investigate the feasibility of new approaches for funding and delivering long-term disability care and support.
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, announced the inquiry at the National Disability Awards ceremony in Parliament House.
The inquiry forms part of the Australian Government's ten year National Disability Strategy being developed with State and Territory Governments and in consultation with the National People with Disabilities and Carer Council.
The Productivity Commission inquiry will examine the feasibility, costs and benefits of replacing the current system of disability services with a new approach which provides long-term essential care and support for people with severe or profound disabilities however acquired.
The inquiry will examine a range of options for long-term care and support including consideration of whether a no-fault social insurance approach to disability is appropriate in Australia. It will also examine if a scheme would fit with Australia's health, aged care, income support and injury insurance systems.
These are complex issues that require rigorous analysis, design and costing. The feasibility study will assess whether a long-term care and support scheme would be appropriate, practical and economically responsible in the Australian context.
The Productivity Commission will consult widely and will be assisted by an associate commissioner with specialist disability expertise. An independent panel of experts will also be established to advise the Productivity Commission and Government during the Inquiry. The Australian Government will appoint the associate commissioner and the independent panel of experts shortly.
The Productivity Commission will report to Government in July 2011.
Figures released last week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed that around 2.3 million Australians will have a high level of disability by 2030.
This inquiry is an opportunity to rethink how we support people with disabilities so that they can engage with their community, get a job where possible, and live a happy and meaningful life.
The Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments have adopted a bold vision for the National Disability Strategy - an inclusive Australian society that enables people with disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens.
We need to harness support across all levels of government to make a difference.
That's why the Commonwealth is also proposing that the strategy be developed through the Council of Australian Governments.
This long-term agenda comes on top of an historic increase to Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment recipients of $70.83 per fortnight for single pensioners on the maximum rate and $29.93 per fortnight for couple pensioners combined on the maximum rate.
The Government has also allocated substantial new funding under the new National Disability Agreement, with more than $5 billion in funding over five years to the states for specialist disability services, including supported accommodation, respite and in-home care.
This includes the highest ever level of indexation and means that in 2013 the Australian Government's contribution will exceed $1.2 billion, compared to $620 million in 2007 under the previous government.
News from across the World: International
India
Gujarati's 'Ability' to beat disability wins UNESCO award
(Kulsum Yusuf, TNN 22.11.09, Rajkot)
After graduating from LD College of Engineering in computer engineering and working with multinational corporations (MNCs), Bipin Agravat, 34, would often spend time with the children of his village Thanagalol in Jetpur taluka of Rajkot, teaching them how to operate computers.
It was here that he met a 13-year-old speech impaired girl. “It took me one hour to teach her tasks that other children picked up easily because I could not communicate with her,” he says. “I decided to create a software that would break this barrier.”
Today, Agravat has been honoured by UNESCO for creating a unique software ‘Ability’. It bridges the disability divide. It converts typed text into both animated sign language and sound and can be connected to both a computer and a mobile phone.
UNESCO gave him the gold medal at the India Innovation Initiative meet held in New Delhi recently as it helps people with different disabilities to communicate. For instance, it allows a visually impaired person to communicate with someone who has speech impairment without assistance. It is also a unique tutor to learn sign language. ‘Ability’ has also won Agravat the Intel India Pioneer Award, and got him a nomination for T35 Awards, given by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Technology Review.
To ensure the software was effective, he took the help of Yogini Patel, an expert in training physically challenged persons, Tarak Luhar, principal of the primary school of Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad, and his mentor at LD college professor Navneet Panchal.
Like many engineering students, Agravat wanted to go to the US for higher studies after graduating in 1998. But his father, an ayurveda doctor, did not have the required funds and so he worked with numerous corporates across the country. Today, he has no regrets. He plans to market ‘Ability’ to various computer and mobile phone companies so that it reaches out to more people with disabilities. “I want the software to have more functions and also be available in more languages,” he says.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
School for kids with learning disabilities
(TNN 26.10.09, Davanagere). The Samveda training and research centre, a school exclusively meant for the children with learning disabilities was started 15 years ago in Davanagere, by Surendranath P Nishanimath.
The NGO was started in a small unit, with the help of public contributions and trained hundreds of children who were unable to read and write in their regular classrooms. The main goal of the centre is rehabilitation of children with moderate to severe learning disabilities, mild psychological/psychiatric conditions, conduct disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, speech disorders and slow learners.
Pavan Kumar J R and Mukthishree, alumni of this centre are pursuing their MBA course at Bangalore and Mysore respectively, after getting seats through PGCET, said Surendranath, proudly sharing his joy over their achievement. Thus, Samveda has become an informal school for these children.
Samveda also runs several teacher-training workshops around the state, designed to raise awareness of learning disability among primary school teachers.
Surendranath has developed many techniques to solve the reading and writing problems of these children. Many ideas for remedial teaching are shelved due to lack of funds and hence, fund raising is essential to Samveda, Surendranath said.
"As we don't have enough knowledge on learning disability in India, we need to continuously research and compare the research findings with the research done elsewhere in the world," Surendranath observed.
So far several international volunteers have arrived here and worked with Samveda for three to four months for the cause of children with learning disabilities.
Helena Forascepi Hernandes from Spain visited four times, followed by two visits by Victor Borisov, Judit Maria Nagy from Hungary and Gowri Tawadi, USA.
Now, Jovana Ruzicic of Belgrade from Serbia have been working at Samveda since September 12, for the cause of the children with learning disabilities. Jovana told The Times of India, that the her initial idea was to teach English, but later she felt that there was a need of funds. Samveda could do even more if the financial situation was better, she said. "It is my goal to contribute to the campaign of raising enough money to build a new centre that could educate even more students and teachers. We are planning a big fund raising campaign for a new facility and are hoping to collect enough money," Jovana declared.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Singapore
Enhanced Open Door Fund for persons with disabilities launched
(By Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia, 24.10.09). The employment of persons with disabilities received a boost with the launch of the Enhanced Open Door Fund on Saturday. New features have been added to the fund, which provides incentives to encourage companies to hire more of them.
Matthias Wong has no experience working in a supermarket. But Prime Supermarket hired him early this month as a retail assistant at its store at Teck Whye Lane.
Some job re-design was done to cater for his hearing disability. His colleagues also attended a sign language course in order to better communicate with Matthias.
Ching Wee Cheong, CEO, Prime Supermarket, said: "The first thing you must explain to your managers or the person in charge of the department or the branch is the reason why the company wants to employ them. It is more or less to perform the social responsibility, and also to give them a chance to work in a normal working environment."
Individuals like Matthias are getting more opportunities in gaining employment.
Thanks to the Open Door Fund, companies can use up to S$100,000 to implement job re-design and workplace modifications. And with the Enhanced Open Door Fund, firms can now take in persons with disabilities as apprentices under a funded apprenticeship programme before employing them.
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said such arrangements allow them to focus on their abilities.
He said: "There are many things that they can do. And I am glad that the private sector has taken this initiative with support from the government to push ahead and enhance the Open Door Fund.
"And through this Enhanced Open Door Fund, I am confident they will be able to reach out to more employers to help them adapt their work practices, to change their mindset, to encourage them to embrace these people with disabilities, so that they can become more independent and they can lead some meaningful lives."
So far, 57 companies have tapped on the fund to provide jobs for 387 persons with disabilities.
Sixty-six per cent of them were successfully retained for at least three months since the start of their employment. - CNA/ms
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
