WEBVTT - Talking Vision 756 Week Beginning 25th of November 2024 0:00:13.070 --> 0:00:18.890 From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's 0:00:18.890 --> 0:00:20.930 your host Sam Colley. 0:00:23.180 --> 0:00:26.510 Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And 0:00:26.510 --> 0:00:29.480 for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness 0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:30.680 and low vision. 0:00:30.740 --> 0:00:33.350 Some agencies you're just a number for them. But there's 0:00:33.379 --> 0:00:37.129 other agencies which do look at what you're capable of 0:00:37.129 --> 0:00:39.740 and they'll lift you up and go. You can do this. 0:00:39.739 --> 0:00:42.589 And like, just being really encouraging and they can see 0:00:42.589 --> 0:00:46.220 your capabilities, I guess. Whereas before with the job network now, 0:00:46.220 --> 0:00:48.440 I didn't know what I was capable of until they 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:51.229 seen the potential in me. And so I guess if 0:00:51.229 --> 0:00:53.840 you can know your potential and know what you're capable of, 0:00:53.870 --> 0:00:54.710 you can do anything. 0:00:54.740 --> 0:00:59.990 Welcome to the program. This week we hear from Anne Clements, 0:01:00.020 --> 0:01:04.640 a youth mentor and youth worker in the Hunter Valley 0:01:04.670 --> 0:01:09.250 who Her experienced vision loss at a young age and 0:01:09.250 --> 0:01:14.110 pivoted into a new career, helping out kids and young 0:01:14.110 --> 0:01:19.090 people in the Hunter Valley region for the past decade. 0:01:19.300 --> 0:01:23.170 You'll hear from him very shortly, so make sure to 0:01:23.170 --> 0:01:27.190 stick around to hear more. Then after that, we've got 0:01:27.190 --> 0:01:31.750 some news about the upcoming International Day of People with 0:01:31.750 --> 0:01:37.630 disability taking place on the 3rd of December. And finally, 0:01:37.630 --> 0:01:42.610 this week, Frances Kelland is back with a reader recommended. 0:01:42.819 --> 0:01:47.110 I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:55.180 Growing up, our next guest wanted to be a tattoo 0:01:55.180 --> 0:02:00.160 artist more than anything, but 20 years ago, everything changed 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:06.140 when he experienced vision loss and after years of retraining 0:02:06.140 --> 0:02:13.850 and upskilling and experiencing various difficulties with unemployment as a 0:02:13.850 --> 0:02:19.430 jobseeker with a disability, he landed a role as a 0:02:19.430 --> 0:02:25.010 youth worker and mentor with the Top Blokes Foundation. His 0:02:25.010 --> 0:02:29.060 name is Ian Clements and I'm very pleased to be 0:02:29.060 --> 0:02:33.620 joined by him right now. Ian, welcome to Talking Vision. 0:02:33.650 --> 0:02:35.990 Thank you very much for your time today. 0:02:36.230 --> 0:02:36.889 Thanks, Sam. 0:02:36.920 --> 0:02:40.280 Firstly, Ian, we'll start with a bit of an intro 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:44.030 to yourself. So tell us a little bit about yourself 0:02:44.030 --> 0:02:45.920 for the listeners out there. Okay. 0:02:45.920 --> 0:02:48.950 So I wasn't born blind. I was born with normal vision, 0:02:48.950 --> 0:02:50.960 and I was ten years old when I knew I 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:53.510 wanted to be a tattoo artist. So in all my 0:02:53.510 --> 0:02:55.700 free time, I used to draw pictures, and when I 0:02:55.700 --> 0:02:58.610 got a bit older, I was tattooing people. And then 0:02:58.610 --> 0:03:01.340 I was. 20 years ago, I lost my sight. So 0:03:01.340 --> 0:03:04.130 the tattoo dream was out of the window, so I 0:03:04.130 --> 0:03:07.570 didn't know what to do after them, and I started 0:03:07.570 --> 0:03:09.310 working with a social worker, trying to get me out 0:03:09.310 --> 0:03:12.670 and about and done some voluntary work in youth mentoring. 0:03:12.670 --> 0:03:15.040 So I really enjoyed doing that. So I went back 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:19.090 to TAFE and done some diplomas and certificates in youth 0:03:19.090 --> 0:03:26.500 mentoring and community service. And yeah, so that was in 2006, 0:03:26.500 --> 0:03:30.310 I believe, 2005 when I started doing that and done 0:03:30.310 --> 0:03:35.080 my diplomas in 2013, 2014. And yeah, since then I've 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:37.150 just been doing youth work. So yeah. 0:03:37.180 --> 0:03:40.870 And has that been in, um, just the Top Blokes 0:03:40.870 --> 0:03:45.400 Foundation in particular or other sort of places as well? 0:03:46.180 --> 0:03:48.820 Uh, when I first started volunteering, it was through the Samaritans. 0:03:48.820 --> 0:03:51.940 There was a program called just in the Hunter Valley area, 0:03:52.270 --> 0:03:57.220 New South Wales, and, um, it was just mentoring young men, 0:03:57.250 --> 0:04:02.020 young girls, taking them on, um, like day trips and 0:04:02.020 --> 0:04:04.360 just hanging out with them for people that didn't have 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:06.840 a sort of role models around them. And then, um, 0:04:06.870 --> 0:04:08.940 that was, as I said, that was all voluntary. But 0:04:08.940 --> 0:04:12.240 then I went on some, um, qualifications in that sector. 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:16.050 And I'm going into my second year nearly coming up 0:04:16.050 --> 0:04:19.080 three years next year working with Top Blokes Foundation. 0:04:19.170 --> 0:04:22.110 Tell us a little bit about Top Blokes Foundation. And, 0:04:22.140 --> 0:04:24.840 you know, the work they do and what your involvement 0:04:24.840 --> 0:04:25.650 is there. 0:04:26.010 --> 0:04:29.159 Yeah. Cool. Um, so top blokes, it started off in 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:32.940 Wollongong 19 years ago, I believe. They believe that the 0:04:32.940 --> 0:04:37.050 young males were underrepresented. And so our boss, Mel, she 0:04:37.050 --> 0:04:41.550 saw top blokes just in the Wollongong area and it spread. 0:04:41.580 --> 0:04:44.640 And what they primarily are, it's a young men's mental 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:47.370 health mentoring service. So we go to we work with 0:04:47.370 --> 0:04:53.100 boys aged between ten and young men 24 and everything 0:04:53.100 --> 0:04:55.500 in between, and we go to schools. So if we're 0:04:55.500 --> 0:04:58.469 doing a 10 to 13 age group, it goes for 0:04:58.470 --> 0:05:01.800 two terms, 20 weeks. And the older boys, they go 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:05.480 for ten weeks and we go through different programs mental health, 0:05:05.510 --> 0:05:10.730 healthy relationships, anger management, peer pressure, risk taking, the harmful 0:05:10.730 --> 0:05:14.930 effects of drugs and alcohol, and redefining masculinities what it 0:05:14.930 --> 0:05:18.440 means to be a man. So there's numerous topics we 0:05:18.470 --> 0:05:20.810 go through. So each week's a new topic that we 0:05:20.810 --> 0:05:22.670 deal with the boys, and we only do one hour 0:05:22.700 --> 0:05:23.510 a day with them. 0:05:23.540 --> 0:05:27.290 I want to go back to almost 20 years ago. 0:05:27.290 --> 0:05:30.080 I'd have been there when you got into sort of 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:34.190 studying in that sort of, um, you know, youth work 0:05:34.190 --> 0:05:38.180 and mentoring. What was it in particular that attracted you 0:05:38.180 --> 0:05:41.479 into that field? Had you always sort of had an 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:44.300 interest in it in sort of the back of your mind, 0:05:44.300 --> 0:05:47.270 or it was more of a kind of a forced 0:05:47.270 --> 0:05:50.990 thing because of the vision loss and things like that. 0:05:51.020 --> 0:05:54.050 What was the sort of the situation there? 0:05:54.710 --> 0:05:56.780 Well, as I said, I always wanted to be a catalyst. 0:05:56.780 --> 0:05:59.180 And once I lost my sight, I was really at 0:05:59.180 --> 0:06:01.640 a stop sign and didn't know what to do. I 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:03.620 didn't know what I was capable because I had no schooling. 0:06:03.620 --> 0:06:05.820 I didn't complete any schooling, so it's when I'd done 0:06:05.820 --> 0:06:08.849 the voluntary mentoring through the Samaritans. I thought, this is 0:06:08.850 --> 0:06:11.940 really good work and I just enjoyed being that person 0:06:11.970 --> 0:06:14.760 someone could look up to and, um, give what little 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.130 teachings here and there. And I just found it to 0:06:17.130 --> 0:06:20.610 be a really rewarding job. Yeah, I knew those mentors 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:22.529 around when I was younger, but I didn't know of 0:06:22.530 --> 0:06:25.020 any programs. And once I started hearing all the programs, 0:06:25.050 --> 0:06:26.250 I'm like, yeah, this is cool. 0:06:26.280 --> 0:06:30.300 And what sort of challenges did you face when you 0:06:30.300 --> 0:06:33.930 did experience vision loss, and what were the things that 0:06:33.930 --> 0:06:35.490 helped you overcome that? 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:40.080 At the start, I was pretty down because, as I said, 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.359 I didn't know what to do or where to go. 0:06:42.660 --> 0:06:46.020 Then Vision Australia and Guide Dogs got on board. And um, 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:51.779 so I started doing just normal life skills and general mobility, 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:54.000 but because I didn't know what I wanted to do, 0:06:54.030 --> 0:06:56.820 I didn't have any ambitions on travelling because I, you know, 0:06:56.850 --> 0:06:59.370 as I said, my guide dogs were really in the 0:06:59.370 --> 0:07:02.430 vision of Australia, really encouraging get out there. And so 0:07:02.430 --> 0:07:04.700 the biggest hurdle was just getting from A to B 0:07:04.730 --> 0:07:09.710 to the mentoring programs and to the TAFE campuses. And yeah, 0:07:09.710 --> 0:07:12.350 so that was a big support through Vision Australia and 0:07:12.350 --> 0:07:14.930 Guide Dogs doing all that. And then once I become 0:07:14.930 --> 0:07:17.840 more confident in getting around on my own. Yeah, I 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:19.340 just took it all on. 0:07:19.340 --> 0:07:23.810 And Ian, I'm keen to hear about your journey as 0:07:23.810 --> 0:07:28.640 a job seeker, especially following your experience of vision loss. 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:32.270 What were the sort of experiences you had there? 0:07:32.450 --> 0:07:35.300 Well, at the start I was doing some voluntary work 0:07:35.300 --> 0:07:38.570 through Samaritans, but then I got on to a couple 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:44.510 of job network agencies for people with disabilities. One was okay, 0:07:44.540 --> 0:07:47.150 I was getting some jobs that sounded interesting, but I 0:07:47.150 --> 0:07:49.760 was just a requirements which will hold me back. But 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:52.970 then I got onto another job network called Castle Personnel, 0:07:52.970 --> 0:07:55.700 which is another disability job network. And they were really 0:07:55.700 --> 0:07:58.970 supportive and they met all my needs and found me 0:07:58.970 --> 0:08:02.990 the appropriate jobs that I could do with the requirements. 0:08:03.010 --> 0:08:05.200 So if you are struggling, if you went into a 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:07.690 job network and just said, look, I've got a disability, 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:09.640 can you put me in the right direction? I'm sure 0:08:09.670 --> 0:08:11.290 they'll be able to point you in the right direction. 0:08:11.290 --> 0:08:13.390 So there is many a jobs out there for people 0:08:13.390 --> 0:08:16.510 with disabilities. And just if you're fit for the job, 0:08:16.510 --> 0:08:17.230 I guess. 0:08:17.350 --> 0:08:21.130 Well, absolutely. And it's all about seeing beyond the disability. 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:23.800 And the important message is, you know, a lot of 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:27.550 people are super adaptable. In fact, we probably have to 0:08:27.580 --> 0:08:31.690 be more adaptable than ever because of all the different 0:08:31.690 --> 0:08:34.090 little bits and pieces that we deal with. So I 0:08:34.090 --> 0:08:36.550 think they've got a lot of fantastic skills that we 0:08:36.550 --> 0:08:40.899 can offer various organisations. But I know you mentioned in 0:08:40.929 --> 0:08:45.520 there there's unfortunately a few misconceptions or a few things 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.540 out there where, you know, you go into somewhere and 0:08:49.540 --> 0:08:52.599 we don't have to name names here or anything like that. But, 0:08:52.630 --> 0:08:54.400 you know, you go in and they say, oh, you 0:08:54.400 --> 0:08:56.949 have to have a driver's license. And you say, well, no, 0:08:56.979 --> 0:09:00.400 I'm legally blind. I can't, you know, drive a car. 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:02.319 And or they say, oh no, we're going to give 0:09:02.319 --> 0:09:04.550 you a job in a factory with all this fast 0:09:04.550 --> 0:09:07.400 moving machinery. And you can't think. Well, no, that's not 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:09.619 going to work at all. That's quite dangerous. I don't 0:09:09.620 --> 0:09:13.009 want to be in that sort of situation. So it's 0:09:13.010 --> 0:09:16.819 also experiencing that. But also great to hear that you 0:09:16.819 --> 0:09:20.179 have found somewhere that is much more supportive and does 0:09:20.179 --> 0:09:23.599 understand your sort of needs. But what was that like 0:09:23.599 --> 0:09:26.989 to experience those other things? And a lot of people 0:09:26.990 --> 0:09:30.740 out there, um, unfortunately, are probably nodding their heads because 0:09:30.740 --> 0:09:33.469 they can totally relate and thinking, oh, yeah, you know, 0:09:33.500 --> 0:09:35.900 that's that's, you know, story of my life. 0:09:35.929 --> 0:09:39.499 Yeah. I guess some, some agencies, you're just a number 0:09:39.500 --> 0:09:42.290 for them. But there's other agencies which do look at 0:09:42.290 --> 0:09:45.709 what you're capable of and they'll lift you up and go, 0:09:45.709 --> 0:09:48.589 you can do this. And like just being really encouraging 0:09:48.589 --> 0:09:51.709 and they can see your capabilities I guess. Whereas before 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:53.719 with the job network now, I didn't know what I 0:09:53.719 --> 0:09:56.480 was capable of until they seen the potential in me. 0:09:56.479 --> 0:09:59.390 So I guess if you can know your potential and 0:09:59.390 --> 0:10:02.000 know what you're capable of, you can do anything, I guess. 0:10:02.050 --> 0:10:06.160 Yeah, well, it'd be quite a challenge living in, um, 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:10.569 a rural New South Wales with not so much public transport. 0:10:10.569 --> 0:10:13.119 And if you're, you know, not able to drive, that 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:16.449 does put a fair bit of a spanner in the works. 0:10:16.449 --> 0:10:19.539 So yeah, that's definitely, I think, something a lot of 0:10:19.540 --> 0:10:23.199 people can relate to if they do live outside of 0:10:23.199 --> 0:10:27.459 the major cities, what sort of ways did you negotiate 0:10:27.459 --> 0:10:31.569 that to sort of improve your independence and your mobility? 0:10:32.020 --> 0:10:33.819 Because I am in a rural town, we do have 0:10:33.819 --> 0:10:36.849 a train station, but we're limited to trains. So I 0:10:36.849 --> 0:10:39.189 was catching the train. I was getting a lift into 0:10:39.219 --> 0:10:43.270 TAFE and into work by support workers and played out. 0:10:43.270 --> 0:10:45.279 I was able to catch a train home, so I'd 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:47.080 catch a train home with my guide dog and just 0:10:47.079 --> 0:10:50.199 walk from the train station home. Mainly I just rely 0:10:50.229 --> 0:10:53.289 on support workers to drive me here and there. As 0:10:53.290 --> 0:10:56.079 I said, because the transport where I'm at is really limited. 0:10:56.380 --> 0:10:58.749 But I'm getting from a rural town, I'm getting into 0:10:58.750 --> 0:11:03.689 the the city, townships and surrounding areas just for support workers. 0:11:03.780 --> 0:11:07.469 Are you all right? Okay. Fair enough. And have you 0:11:07.469 --> 0:11:11.520 lived in the Hunter Valley for the majority of your life, or. 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:13.199 You've moved around a bit? 0:11:13.589 --> 0:11:15.989 No. I've always stayed in the Hunter region. 0:11:15.990 --> 0:11:18.929 And that really sort of gives you that really great 0:11:18.929 --> 0:11:22.649 local knowledge where you can help those young people from 0:11:22.650 --> 0:11:26.159 the local communities. You really sort of understand what they're 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:29.339 going through and the sort of issues they're facing. So 0:11:29.339 --> 0:11:33.030 I think that's also a fantastic aspect to all of 0:11:33.059 --> 0:11:36.089 that work that you are doing. Let's go into a 0:11:36.089 --> 0:11:41.250 little bit of detail about your involvement with Vision Australia. 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:44.490 I know you've spoken about this already a little bit, 0:11:44.490 --> 0:11:47.939 but what sort of ways were they able to help 0:11:47.939 --> 0:11:51.600 you to negotiate your experiences of vision loss? 0:11:51.630 --> 0:11:54.809 Yeah, well, no, they were really good. Um, at this, 0:11:54.839 --> 0:11:58.499 when I started using Vision Australia, I started they taught 0:11:58.500 --> 0:12:02.019 me how to use a computer with the jaws screen reader. 0:12:02.020 --> 0:12:04.629 So when I could see I wasn't a good computer 0:12:04.630 --> 0:12:08.050 user anyway. But they improved my computer skills, so I 0:12:08.050 --> 0:12:11.709 was able to use a computer, which helped me down 0:12:11.709 --> 0:12:14.589 the road when I was back at TAFE studying and 0:12:14.589 --> 0:12:17.800 also learn how to read Braille. And yeah, so I 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:19.600 think the biggest thing I've got out of Vision Australia 0:12:19.599 --> 0:12:23.530 was the support on life skills, using a computer and 0:12:23.530 --> 0:12:26.109 getting from A to B, so that was really helpful. 0:12:26.140 --> 0:12:30.490 And what sort of message would you have for people 0:12:30.490 --> 0:12:35.320 out there experiencing vision loss and not really sure where 0:12:35.349 --> 0:12:38.259 to go or what to do? And because it is 0:12:38.260 --> 0:12:41.740 no doubt a very stressful and despondent time. 0:12:41.859 --> 0:12:44.439 So if there are anything like that I was when 0:12:44.439 --> 0:12:46.809 I could see because honestly, I just thought blind people 0:12:46.809 --> 0:12:49.300 had canes and dogs and braille. I didn't know what 0:12:49.300 --> 0:12:51.400 was out there for the blind. But there is absolutely 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:53.559 so much out there for blind people to help them 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:56.140 live independently and get out and about on their own, 0:12:56.140 --> 0:12:58.719 and they just if you've got barriers up, Vision Australia 0:12:58.780 --> 0:13:00.610 will just come in and pull those barriers down. So 0:13:00.609 --> 0:13:03.329 just go. The world's open for you. So there's so 0:13:03.329 --> 0:13:06.569 much help support out there, whether it's mobility or just 0:13:06.569 --> 0:13:10.770 in-home assistance, that you can learn to manage living on 0:13:10.770 --> 0:13:11.429 your own. 0:13:11.429 --> 0:13:14.220 And and if people would like to find out a 0:13:14.219 --> 0:13:17.460 little bit more about top blokes, what's the best way 0:13:17.459 --> 0:13:18.750 for them to do that? 0:13:18.780 --> 0:13:21.959 Jump on their website. It's just Top Blokes Foundation. If 0:13:21.959 --> 0:13:24.120 you look it up on Google, Facebook, there's all the 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:26.790 links and the support work that we do for the 0:13:26.790 --> 0:13:30.029 young men, and there's some positive feedbacks that we've got 0:13:30.030 --> 0:13:32.759 from parents and even from the boys that have gone 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:36.329 through the program. And our main goal is to minimize 0:13:36.329 --> 0:13:39.239 young men's suicide and help them with their mental health. 0:13:39.270 --> 0:13:41.339 And we'll fill their tool belt up with all the 0:13:41.339 --> 0:13:43.830 good men and a top bloke. So yeah, just jump on. 0:13:43.859 --> 0:13:47.400 Top Blokes Foundation and suss us out. We're a good organisation. 0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:51.630 I've been speaking today with Ian Clements from the Top 0:13:51.630 --> 0:13:56.790 Blokes Foundation about his journey through vision loss to find 0:13:56.790 --> 0:14:02.240 a new career in youth mentoring and youth work. And 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:04.459 thank you so much for your time today. It was 0:14:04.459 --> 0:14:06.949 great to catch up with you and hear all about 0:14:06.949 --> 0:14:07.820 your story. 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:09.619 I appreciate your time. Thanks, Sam. 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:20.690 I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on 0:14:20.690 --> 0:14:26.210 Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of Reading Radio and the 0:14:26.210 --> 0:14:31.130 Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there 0:14:31.130 --> 0:14:34.850 with Ian Clements. If you missed any part of that 0:14:34.850 --> 0:14:37.910 chat with Ian or you'd love to hear it again. 0:14:37.910 --> 0:14:43.160 Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website. 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:49.880 Simply head to RVA radio.org. That's RVA radio.org to find 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:54.440 all past episodes, or you can find the program on 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:58.070 the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision 0:14:58.070 --> 0:15:02.890 Australia library. And now we've got some news about the 0:15:02.890 --> 0:15:09.010 upcoming International Day of People with disability coming up on 0:15:09.010 --> 0:15:13.900 the 3rd of December. That's right. International Day of People 0:15:13.900 --> 0:15:19.570 with disability, or IDP is just under a week away. 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:25.690 And that means the Australian Disability Network are wrapping up their. 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:30.430 It's Not hard to be inclusive campaign with week six 0:15:30.430 --> 0:15:37.780 entitled Inclusive Attitudes in their video which accompanies the campaign. 0:15:37.810 --> 0:15:42.880 One of the participants, Maddie, was asked to give one 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:48.040 word that employers most needed to improve to make their 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:54.820 workplaces inclusive. Her answer was attitudes. We need employers to 0:15:54.850 --> 0:15:59.860 think openly and flexibly, she said. These words from Maddie 0:15:59.859 --> 0:16:04.070 in their short film highlight perhaps the most fundamental barrier 0:16:04.070 --> 0:16:10.610 to workplace inclusion our mindset. And when employers do think differently, 0:16:10.609 --> 0:16:15.979 the results speak for themselves. As another participant, Sam says, 0:16:16.010 --> 0:16:21.499 organisations that hire people with disabilities are four times more 0:16:21.500 --> 0:16:26.629 likely to outperform their peers in shareholder returns. That's not 0:16:26.630 --> 0:16:31.310 just good for business. It's transformative for the 5.5 million 0:16:31.340 --> 0:16:37.010 Australians with disability who are talented, agile and resilient, just 0:16:37.010 --> 0:16:41.810 like Ian, who we heard earlier in the program. That 0:16:41.810 --> 0:16:45.529 is one of the main themes of week six of 0:16:45.560 --> 0:16:51.170 their Choose Inclusion campaign for 2024 with International Day of 0:16:51.170 --> 0:16:54.620 People with disability. As we said, just a week away, 0:16:54.650 --> 0:16:59.000 they're focusing on the power of inclusive attitudes to create 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:03.550 lasting change. In this final week, they want to highlight 0:17:03.580 --> 0:17:10.869 a fundamental barrier to authentic inclusion, unconscious bias and entrenched attitudes. 0:17:11.020 --> 0:17:17.530 And by challenging these biases, valuing diverse experiences and fostering 0:17:17.530 --> 0:17:21.399 a culture of respect, they can remove barriers that may 0:17:21.399 --> 0:17:27.070 hinder the full participation of people with disability. This week, 0:17:27.070 --> 0:17:33.219 the Australian Disability Network is publishing ten tips for inclusive Attitudes, 0:17:33.220 --> 0:17:38.109 which offer a foundation for any truly accessible and equitable 0:17:38.109 --> 0:17:42.399 workplace and beyond the workplace, they ripple out into the 0:17:42.399 --> 0:17:49.120 wider community, deconstructing barriers and influencing cultural change. And if 0:17:49.149 --> 0:17:52.060 you'd like to read or download the ten tips for 0:17:52.060 --> 0:17:56.530 Inclusive Attitudes, or just find out a bit more about 0:17:56.530 --> 0:18:00.179 the It's Not Hard to be inclusive Campaign in the 0:18:00.180 --> 0:18:03.840 final week in the lead up to International Day of 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:08.340 People with disabilities. You can, of course, head to the 0:18:08.340 --> 0:18:17.100 Australian Disability Network website at Australian Disability network.org dot you. 0:18:17.129 --> 0:18:25.560 That's Australian disability network all one word.org dot you. And 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:30.209 for people in the north western suburbs of Melbourne, the 0:18:30.210 --> 0:18:36.060 Moonee Valley City Council is running an ad p.w.d. conversation 0:18:36.060 --> 0:18:41.160 community Attitudes in Moonee Valley. Join them for a movie 0:18:41.190 --> 0:18:45.929 screening and panel conversation as they celebrate people of all 0:18:45.930 --> 0:18:52.800 abilities at this special DPW day event. It's held on 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:58.740 the 1st of December, 2024, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. 0:18:58.740 --> 0:19:03.459 am Australian Eastern Daylight Time at the Village Cinemas Airport 0:19:03.460 --> 0:19:09.399 West at eight Lower Street Airport West 342. The event 0:19:09.399 --> 0:19:13.900 will feature movie screenings from the Focus on Ability Short 0:19:13.899 --> 0:19:19.210 Film Festival, including a panel conversation, as well as an 0:19:19.210 --> 0:19:23.830 update on the Moonee Valley City Council's Disability Action Plan 0:19:23.830 --> 0:19:29.770 20 2425, as well as a Q&A and activities for 0:19:29.770 --> 0:19:34.929 all ages, including art activities, face glitter, hand massages and 0:19:34.930 --> 0:19:40.659 a photo booth. It's free, but an RSVP is required. 0:19:40.690 --> 0:19:45.130 Please advise your access requirements at the time of booking, 0:19:45.129 --> 0:19:51.310 or contact their Access and Inclusion Officer on Disability at 0:19:51.399 --> 0:19:59.550 mvcc dot vicovaro. That's disability at em. They say, say 0:19:59.970 --> 0:20:08.790 vasilyovo you. Or you can give them a call on 924388. 0:20:08.820 --> 0:20:15.629 That's 9243. Double eight, double eight. The access features include 0:20:15.629 --> 0:20:21.869 dimmed lighting, reduced volume during film screening, headsets for audio description, 0:20:21.869 --> 0:20:29.399 closed captions, Auslan wheelchair seating, accessible parking, accessible toilets, and 0:20:29.430 --> 0:20:33.600 a social story to come. Please indicate if you'll be 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:38.070 seated with a friend or family or support person or carer, 0:20:38.220 --> 0:20:41.850 and you are more than welcome to bring your own 0:20:41.879 --> 0:20:47.460 ear defenders or headphones if required. They'll do their best 0:20:47.460 --> 0:20:51.060 to arrange your preferred seating, and you can select your 0:20:51.060 --> 0:20:56.040 preference when ordering your ticket. To get there, you can 0:20:56.040 --> 0:21:01.160 take the For double seven, four, seven, 8 or 902 0:21:01.190 --> 0:21:05.420 bus to Lewis Street, or you can take the 59 0:21:05.450 --> 0:21:09.889 tram to stop 59. And if you'd like to ride 0:21:09.889 --> 0:21:12.920 your bike, there are bike racks available and you can 0:21:12.919 --> 0:21:18.350 plan your journey using the PTV Journey Planner. And if 0:21:18.379 --> 0:21:21.470 you'd like to book to head along to the event 0:21:21.470 --> 0:21:29.090 in Moonee Valley, simply head to the Eventbrite website at eventbrite.com. 0:21:29.090 --> 0:21:36.800 Dot you that's eventbrite.com dot a u and search for 0:21:36.800 --> 0:21:43.790 community attitudes in Moonee Valley or an IDP WD conversation. 0:21:50.899 --> 0:21:54.980 And now here's Frances Kelland with a reader recommended. 0:21:55.010 --> 0:21:58.470 The next book is another non-fiction book. It's called Whatever 0:21:58.470 --> 0:22:03.810 Happened to Brenda Hean, and it's by Scott Millwood. Brenda Hean, 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:07.109 a dentist's wife, was a part of the Hobart establishment. 0:22:07.109 --> 0:22:11.399 She made a very unlikely environmental activist. But Lake Pedder 0:22:11.399 --> 0:22:14.490 was one of those special places. She and a collection 0:22:14.490 --> 0:22:17.340 of like minded people took it upon themselves to save 0:22:17.340 --> 0:22:21.060 the Mountain Wilderness Lake from inundation to form a dam 0:22:21.060 --> 0:22:24.929 for the Hydro-Electric Commission, and in the process founded the 0:22:24.930 --> 0:22:29.459 first green political party in the world in September 1972. 0:22:29.490 --> 0:22:33.240 Brenda Hean left Hobart in a Tiger Moth aircraft being 0:22:33.240 --> 0:22:37.110 piloted by Max price. They were flying to Canberra to 0:22:37.139 --> 0:22:41.460 write Save Lake Pedder across the sky above Parliament House, 0:22:41.460 --> 0:22:44.100 and to meet with government officials in an attempt to 0:22:44.129 --> 0:22:48.960 gain federal political support for their campaign. The plane was 0:22:48.960 --> 0:22:52.350 cited several times as it made its way across the island, 0:22:52.350 --> 0:22:56.880 but never reached its destination. Neither the plane nor its 0:22:56.879 --> 0:23:01.850 passengers were ever seen again. 35 years of conspiracy theories 0:23:01.850 --> 0:23:06.680 have surrounded the intriguing story. But in 2003, a secret 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:12.020 source gave celebrated documentary filmmaker Scott Millwood a package with 0:23:12.020 --> 0:23:15.800 the advice in quotes use this for good. In it 0:23:15.830 --> 0:23:18.980 were the police files detailing the investigation of the case. 0:23:18.980 --> 0:23:22.280 Scott Millwood has made a documentary based on his attempts 0:23:22.280 --> 0:23:26.240 to uncover the truth while eyewitnesses are still alive. This 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:29.000 is the book of that film. Let's hear a sample 0:23:29.000 --> 0:23:33.530 of Whatever Happened to Brenda Hean by Scott Millwood. It's 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:36.290 narrated by the wonderful Humphrey Bower. 0:23:36.800 --> 0:23:40.130 A man has painted the same scene for 50 years, 0:23:40.159 --> 0:23:45.800 over and over, in endless variation. In it, a foreground 0:23:45.830 --> 0:23:49.639 of white sand and button grass creep beyond the dunes, 0:23:49.639 --> 0:23:53.239 and long tracts of tannin stained water are a sweep 0:23:53.240 --> 0:23:56.840 of watercolor that become a lake stretching to fill the 0:23:56.840 --> 0:24:02.320 paper until the purple mountains demand an end. Again and again, 0:24:02.350 --> 0:24:07.630 the artist Max Angus paints the same lost place. Again 0:24:07.629 --> 0:24:10.689 and again in his brushstrokes. The waters have not banked 0:24:10.690 --> 0:24:14.740 up behind a dam. Again and again the lake's highland 0:24:14.740 --> 0:24:18.700 beach has not been drowned. Again and again he is 0:24:18.700 --> 0:24:22.270 on this stretch of mountain sand with his homemade watercolour 0:24:22.270 --> 0:24:26.680 board set in his lap, its windbreaks sheltering the page 0:24:26.680 --> 0:24:30.219 and pools of liquid colour. And he in his army 0:24:30.220 --> 0:24:33.609 slouch hat, side by side with his friends. The painters 0:24:33.820 --> 0:24:36.850 looks up across the beach to the Frankland Range and 0:24:36.850 --> 0:24:41.439 Mount Solitary and the Sentinels and other mystic rocks beyond, 0:24:41.680 --> 0:24:44.560 and knows that he is in a place called home 0:24:46.389 --> 0:24:49.840 after so many stories of people who have lost their memories. 0:24:50.409 --> 0:24:55.509 Here is a story about losing forgetting. I imagine a 0:24:55.510 --> 0:24:58.540 film that begins with these words. As I sit in 0:24:58.540 --> 0:25:01.480 the drawing room of the home of Max Angus in Hobart, 0:25:02.139 --> 0:25:04.900 pulling him away from his paints and his paper so 0:25:04.899 --> 0:25:06.820 that he might set me off on my search for 0:25:06.820 --> 0:25:11.109 the Tasmania of the past. The room looks over the 0:25:11.109 --> 0:25:15.430 river that forms the looping cartographic harbour, its mouth opening 0:25:15.460 --> 0:25:19.659 to the south, shining blue, sparkling and flashing its seemingly 0:25:19.659 --> 0:25:23.290 benign smile at the mountain that rises up from its foreshore. 0:25:23.320 --> 0:25:27.159 Orientating the people of the city. I draw up two 0:25:27.190 --> 0:25:29.979 armchairs and a teak coffee table to hold the tray 0:25:29.980 --> 0:25:34.179 that will soon arrive. The interior of this room at 0:25:34.180 --> 0:25:37.419 the top of the house has not changed in three decades. 0:25:37.869 --> 0:25:42.430 That was whatever happened to Brenda Hean by Scott Millwood 0:25:42.430 --> 0:25:46.750 Scott is spelt s c o double t c o 0:25:46.750 --> 0:25:55.270 double T Millwood is spelt m I. Double LW00DMI double LW00D. 0:25:55.450 --> 0:25:59.050 And that book goes for nearly ten hours. 0:25:59.109 --> 0:26:02.290 And that's all the time we have for today. You've 0:26:02.290 --> 0:26:06.490 been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision 0:26:06.520 --> 0:26:10.689 Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the 0:26:10.690 --> 0:26:14.890 show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you. 0:26:14.889 --> 0:26:18.160 So please get in touch any time on our email 0:26:18.159 --> 0:26:23.470 at Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all 0:26:23.470 --> 0:26:28.270 one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's 0:26:28.270 --> 0:26:30.699 Sam Collins saying bye for now. 0:26:34.090 --> 0:26:38.290 You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during 0:26:38.290 --> 0:26:50.139 business hours on 1300 847 406. That's 1300 847 406 or by visiting Vision australia.org. 0:26:50.169 --> 0:26:52.629 That's Vision australia.org.