S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host Sam Colley.
S2: Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision.
S3: We really need to see service providers or other disability
S3: workers calling out risky conduct. And the ultimate purpose, again,
S3: is to make sure that people with disabilities are safe
S3: when receiving disability services.
S2: Welcome to the program. This week we have a chat
S2: with Victorian Disability Worker Commissioner Dan Stubbs about a new campaign.
S2: The VDC is running to ensure the safety of people
S2: with disabilities when receiving support services and working with support workers.
S2: That conversation's coming up very shortly, so make sure to
S2: stick around. Then after you hear from Dan, I'll catch
S2: up with producer, writer and actor of the new movie
S2: My Eyes coming out on the 28th of May. Suzanne Chambers.
S2: Then after that, we wrap up with some FYI news
S2: from the editor of FYI, Liz Dalakouras. I hope you
S2: enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. I started my
S2: conversation with Dan by asking him about the Victorian Disability
S2: Worker Commission and his role as commissioner.
S3: Sure, Sam. So the Victorian Disability Worker Commission is the
S3: only regulator like it in Australia. We regulate all disability
S3: workers in Victoria and really that any support worker or
S3: practitioner working with people with disabilities to support them in
S3: relation to barriers created by their disability. It's a pretty
S3: broad definition, and the overall objective is to promote and
S3: provide for a safer, stronger disability sector in Victoria. And
S3: we do that by a range of functions, including promoting
S3: a code of conduct, accepting complaints from anybody and receiving
S3: mandatory notifications from key people.
S2: And Dan, I understand you're conducting a new campaign to
S2: encourage disability providers and workers to notify the VW of
S2: conduct by disability workers that may put the people they
S2: support at risk. So could you explain a little bit
S2: more about this?
S3: Sure. So this is all about us making sure that
S3: disability workers so people anyone working in the disability sector
S3: and disability service providers. though employers of disability workers who
S3: provide disability services know that they have an obligation to
S3: notify us of certain types of conduct, and that's conduct
S3: that puts people with disability at risk of harm. And
S3: so the key aspect of that for people to remember
S3: is if they have a reasonable belief of anyone with
S3: a disability being put at risk of harm by their
S3: disability worker, then we need to be told about that
S3: by either the service provider or another disability worker who
S3: becomes aware of that.
S2: And following on from that. Dan, why do you believe
S2: it's important that disability workers and their employers notify the VDC?
S3: There's a few reasons. And the primary reason is because
S3: often people with disabilities are in a vulnerable situation when
S3: they are relying on disability workers to provide assistance to
S3: them in the wide range of ways that we get
S3: support from disability workers and practitioners. The other reason that
S3: I think is really important is that often people with
S3: disabilities themselves. So when we're using disability services, it's a
S3: big ask to require that the person with disability make
S3: the complaint to us. You know, I think it's the
S3: hardest thing we can ever ask anyone with a disability
S3: or their family to do. And that make a complaint
S3: about their support worker. We really need to see service
S3: providers or other disability workers calling out risky conduct. And
S3: the ultimate purpose, again, is to make sure that people
S3: with disabilities are safe when receiving disability services.
S2: Does this apply to services to older people?
S3: Dan Yeah, good question. Sam. It does because the Disability
S3: Worker Commission covers people working in disability, regardless of the
S3: age of the people disability. And there's many older people
S3: in places like aged care settings, or even in their
S3: own home where they're receiving my aged care type services.
S3: They're usually receiving those kind of services because they have
S3: a disability. It might be an age related disability, but
S3: they are still receiving disabilities. So it doesn't matter what
S3: age someone is. It's about the fact that they're receiving
S3: a service in relation to their disability.
S2: Could you give examples of some types of conduct that
S2: absolutely must be notified to the Commission, the sort of
S2: things they're looking to be aware of and stamp out?
S3: There are four general categories that we require people to
S3: notify us of risky conduct. There's the situation where a
S3: worker is intoxicated by drugs or alcohol when working as
S3: a disability worker. The second one is when a disability
S3: worker has engaged in sexual misconduct while working. There's the
S3: situation where a disability worker has an impairment that puts
S3: a person with disability at risk of harm when they're practicing. Now,
S3: I just want to clarify. That doesn't mean that someone
S3: with a disability can't be a worker. It's very much
S3: about if that impairment puts someone at risk of harm.
S3: And the final one and the one where we deal
S3: with a lot. It's where a disability worker has departed
S3: from acceptable professional standards in the delivery of their disability service.
S3: And that's a fairly broad definition. But really, I really
S3: want people to concentrate on a disability worker putting someone
S3: with disability at risk of harm. That's the key criteria
S3: that overlays all of those areas of conduct.
S2: When should a disability service provider or a worker make
S2: a notification?
S3: The key driver for that is when another worker or
S3: the service provider has a reasonable belief that a disability
S3: worker has put a person with disability at risk of harm.
S2: Dan, I noticed you mentioned reasonable belief in there. Could
S2: you expand on that a bit?
S3: Reasonable belief is if someone has some sort of direct
S3: knowledge of the risky conduct that a worker is engaged in.
S3: So it's not going to be when someone maybe has
S3: a suspicion, but they don't also need to have seen
S3: the conduct. They can reasonably believe it because they had
S3: it reported directly to them by someone who witnessed it.
S3: So it's more than just a suspicion, but it doesn't
S3: mean you have to have direct evidence of that conduct.
S2: Do disability service providers and workers still have to notify
S2: the VDS if they have reported it to the NDIS
S2: Quality and Safeguards Commission?
S3: Yeah. One of the things about Victoria is that we
S3: have this scheme that regulates all disability workers across all
S3: types of funding and yes, some disability workers are funded
S3: by the NDIS, some are funded in the aged care
S3: setting and some are funded in other places like education
S3: and health, we do require all types of conduct that
S3: put people with disabilities at risk of harm to be
S3: notified to us, particularly by service providers. It's really important
S3: that they let us know. Sometimes service providers will finish
S3: someone up or let them go if they are unhappy
S3: with their conduct. We want to be able to make
S3: sure that worker doesn't just go and act in the
S3: same way, with the same risky conduct at another service provider.
S3: And when we do receive these notifications, we are obliged
S3: to let the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission know about something.
S3: So anyone notifying us can feel confident that once they've
S3: told us if it is a matter, if it is
S3: an area of service that is funded by the NDIS,
S3: then they can be confident that the NDIS Commission will
S3: be notified by Arth two.
S2: What is your message to our listeners regarding mandatory notifications?
S3: I think the key thing is I know listeners will
S3: be users of disability services in different way, and I
S3: think people need to feel confident that if they use
S3: the services of any disability support worker, they are being
S3: held to a standard in Victoria where they have to
S3: be notified about if they are putting someone at risk
S3: of harm. And I think it's also important that if
S3: you experience the sort of conduct by a disability support
S3: worker that you feel has put you at risk of harm,
S3: you can let the service provider know and they will
S3: have to tell us. And I think that's really important.
S3: You don't need to necessarily do much more than that.
S2: What's your message to disability service providers regarding their workers
S2: and mandatory notifications?
S3: It's really important that service providers recognise that it's a
S3: lawful obligation, that they notify us of unsafe conduct by
S3: any disability support worker, and they should also make sure
S3: that the workers who they employ are qualified and capable
S3: and operate to a certain standard and know their obligations
S3: to report certain types of conduct. Know how to report
S3: that conduct to us. And probably most importantly, feel supported
S3: by their employer to notify them and us of concerns
S3: they have.
S2: Only. Dan, how can anyone find more information about mandatory
S2: notifications or the VD c more broadly?
S3: First of all, I just want to let everyone know
S3: that in a few weeks time, we're holding a webinar
S3: for anyone interested. That's later in May. We're holding that webinar,
S3: and people can log into that or see a recorded
S3: version on our website, and that will set out all
S3: the information anyone needs to know about making a notification.
S3: People can go to our website, which is simply. We're
S3: pretty easy to find on the internet by just googling us,
S3: the Disability Worker Commission in Victoria, and if there's any
S3: workers out there or service providers and they believe there
S3: has been the sort of conduct they need to notify
S3: us of, but you're not sure. Let us know and
S3: we'll talk you through that. Our intake staff are people
S3: who are very experienced in the disability sector, and we
S3: can talk people through what that is. And if people
S3: with disabilities want to let us know about poor quality
S3: services or the type of services that they think is
S3: putting them at risk of harm, they can also call
S3: us directly and we can deal with that directly with
S3: them as well. So please don't hesitate to give us
S3: a call and talk us through any matter that you're
S3: concerned about with your disability worker.
S2: I've been speaking today with Victoria Disability Worker Commissioner Dan
S2: Stubbs about the latest campaign. The commission is currently running
S2: to inform people about mandatory notifications and give greater awareness
S2: for the rights of people with disabilities. On Sam Culley
S2: and Joel listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio,
S2: associated stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network.
S2: I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Dan Stubbs.
S2: If you missed any part of that conversation with Dan
S2: or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is
S2: available on the Vision Australia Radio website. Simply head to
S2: RVA radio. That's RVA radio all one word dot. Or
S2: you can also find the program on the podcast app
S2: of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. And
S2: now please enjoy my chat with writer, producer and actor
S2: Suzanne Chambers. I started off by asking Suzanne about her
S2: new movie, My Eyes.
S4: Yes, well, it is a feature film inspired by true events, actually,
S4: of my life. When I volunteered at the Paralympic Games
S4: and fell in love with a judo athlete, actually, by
S4: the way. Um, but it's a beautiful film, actually, about love, resilience.
S4: The lengths we go for family also raises awareness about
S4: preventative eye health as well, which is true to my
S4: heart being an optometrist by trade, and it stars an
S4: amazing cast as well. We've got Adam Garcia, who some
S4: of you may remember from Coyote Ugly Bootmen back in
S4: the day. Eduardo Sanchez, who is a Mexican judo Paralympic champion.
S4: He won gold twice and CU Chin from the Joy
S4: Luck Club. If you're big fans of that movie. So
S4: it's something that we've worked incredibly hard to create. And yeah,
S4: glad it's out. Coming out.
S2: Yeah. Now, um, tell us a little bit about your
S2: involvement with my eyes. Suzanne. Um, I understand you're the
S2: producer of the movie.
S4: Actually, I'm on both sides of the camera. Actor, writer
S4: and producer. Oh, okay. So, yes, but in terms of
S4: the story, yeah, it is obviously something very close to
S4: my heart. It's almost like a love letter. Back to
S4: the IC industry, really, from my perspective, something that I
S4: wrote back in Covid, you know, five years ago, based
S4: on obviously, my experiences with volunteering when working with the
S4: judo athletes who are vision impaired. And it was such
S4: a profound experience. Obviously, I wanted to really tell the story,
S4: and it was one of the things that I also
S4: produced it, which basically means the buck stops with me
S4: when making everything happen. And it was a hard decision
S4: also to decide whether or not to play my character
S4: in the film. Originally, I wasn't going to do that.
S4: I went, oh no, let's get someone famous, you know,
S4: like a Aquafina or Gemma Chan or someone. But one
S4: of my mentors said to me that, you know, he said, Suze, it's,
S4: you know, this is your story and you've got to
S4: think really hard about it. If you ended up seeing
S4: someone else play you in this, are you going to
S4: regret it? You know, because it's one of a lifetime
S4: kind of shots. And so something that I thought about
S4: and went, okay, no, okay. All right. I will regret it.
S4: And so I decided obviously to play also my character
S4: in the film. So yes, a few hats. Still, though,
S4: in the making of it.
S2: Certainly. And Suzanne, as you've mentioned there, this has been
S2: quite a few years in the making. Um, and of course,
S2: Covid does sort of throw a spanner in the works
S2: in terms of preparation and availability of people and resources
S2: and all that sort of thing. Did that slow things
S2: down for you, or did it all sort of really
S2: take off after anyway? So it wasn't in the pipeline
S2: just yet?
S4: Yeah. Well, I guess a blessing in disguise with the
S4: Covid was that it gave me time to develop the
S4: script to write. I mean, I was working quite heavily
S4: as an optometrist at that time as well, because even
S4: though the entertainment industry might have ceased, that's when all
S4: our healthcare services, you know, hemorrhaged really in terms of
S4: the need. But in terms of the impacts, it was
S4: hard to decide whether or not to shoot overseas or
S4: within Australia, because once we decided that we were going
S4: to have Eduardo play the role of, well, pretty much
S4: play himself, being the character and having tunnel vision. You know,
S4: it was hard going. Can we shoot in Mexico? Actually,
S4: the resounding answer was no. But. So fortunately, by the
S4: time we got to production and Borders open, that's when
S4: we went, okay, let's see what we can do and
S4: actually shoot over there as well.
S2: Was this the first movie that you'd put together yourself?
S2: Had you been involved with production or acting or any
S2: of that sort of thing prior to my eyes? Or
S2: was this the first kind of foray into that for you?
S4: I've actually been in the industry now for 11 years professionally.
S4: I know, I know, My Eyes is actually my third
S4: major feature film. My first one, unsound, was actually back
S4: in Covid days, actually, and that was actually about a
S4: deaf trans man, actually. And another love story in a
S4: sense with that. But it was my biggest one so
S4: far in a sense of in terms of the budget,
S4: it was like a $4 million feature film. My eyes and,
S4: you know, yes, I've been obviously, you know, acting and
S4: writing and producing all through the last decade and in
S4: my day job I also work as a production accountant.
S4: I believe my brain, I know, and then I work
S4: on other major productions as well in relation to that.
S4: But yes, it's a big undertaking making these projects. They
S4: take many, many years to get up.
S2: Um, you know, juggling all of that with the day
S2: job and being the accountant and being involved with optometry
S2: and being involved with writing, producing, acting, everything. So that's just, um, incredible.
S2: But let's have a bit of a chat about the
S2: finer details of my eyes and when people can go
S2: and check it out. So it releases on the 28th
S2: of May. Where can people go and watch if they'd
S2: like to head along?
S4: Yeah, yeah, it's incredibly exciting. We are releasing across select
S4: cinemas around Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and
S4: because every portion of every ticket that we sell, for
S4: my eyes, it's actually being distributed evenly amongst a group
S4: of not for profit organizations dedicated to eye care and
S4: blind sports. And so because of that, tickets can only
S4: be found on the Fan Force website, which is fan force.
S4: And basically that's where you'll see all the location times.
S4: We've got a few obviously in Melbourne, Sydney and across
S4: every single state and territory in Australia. And as I mentioned,
S4: New Zealand and with some of these screenings, we're obviously
S4: having a Q&A as well. So you'll get to actually
S4: meet myself. You'll get to also meet Eduardo Sanchez, who
S4: is the real life judo Paralympic champion coming through as well,
S4: and also some of the other cast and crew in
S4: various different screenings. So it's going to be a lot
S4: of fun. We had our world premiere at the 39th
S4: Mar de Plata International Film Festival in Argentina last year. Actually,
S4: it's one of the most prestigious and only class A
S4: film festivals in Latin America, and it was incredible. The
S4: film also got picked to represent Australia at the 69th
S4: Asia Pacific Film Festival, Macao, which I was also very
S4: lucky to be invited to go across, and we only
S4: just had a full house recently, last week actually at
S4: the Gold Coast Film Festival as part of that. And yes,
S4: and you know, we really enjoyed the Q&A. We had
S4: great response. And yeah, it was a great start to this.
S4: And we're really hoping that we can raise awareness about
S4: preventative health, about inclusion, and to really put our industry
S4: and vision on the map. You know, I think it's
S4: something that's quite unique and it's never really seen much
S4: on the big screen.
S2: As you've said, you've released a couple of movies before,
S2: but this is the one that's really focusing in on vision,
S2: on eye health, on what people who are blind or
S2: have low vision are capable of. And so was that
S2: something you'd always really wanted to get stuck into and
S2: tell that story and show the world what people from
S2: the blind and low vision community can do?
S4: Yeah, absolutely. It is one of my passions of mine.
S4: I come from a public health background with optometry. Spent
S4: a lot of time in third world countries, and I
S4: really wanted through this story to show that people with
S4: vision impairments, with any form of disability, it's not a
S4: negative thing, in a sense of that typical trope. You know,
S4: the stereotype that we tend to see or fall into
S4: in the story. It is uplifting. It's seeing people with
S4: vision impairment just be normal people, you know, like they
S4: can fall in love. They can have, you know, children,
S4: they have emotions. They're grappling drama, right? And they can
S4: be super hot, you know, like just like, you know, Eduardo,
S4: he's amazing, amazing person. And you know, with just like
S4: everyday people, you know, and that's where the authenticity comes from. And,
S4: and I think it's something that it's important to just reinforce,
S4: but in a very entertaining way. It's something that I
S4: do focus on in my work. I call it Impact Entertainment.
S4: You know, we want to make a positive impact but
S4: also entertain.
S2: Mhm. For sure. Now let's get the details about a
S2: movie launch event, which is coming up on the 2nd
S2: of June for Sydneysiders out there to head along to.
S2: It's at the Burwood Cinema. So tell us a bit
S2: about that one.
S4: Yeah, yeah. So very excited that we're going to have
S4: someone from Vision Australia hosting that event. Actually we're going
S4: to be having myself, one of our consultant directors, Eduardo,
S4: there for the Q&A, which means that audiences can ask
S4: us anything. It is free rein.
S2: Wow.
S4: Okay. And yeah, and you obviously get to see the
S4: movie and be amongst the crowd. And yeah, we just
S4: want to amplify these voices and it's going to be exciting.
S4: It's going to be the same with every single Q&A
S4: that's going to be across the country, really. And we're really,
S4: really looking forward to it.
S2: Looking forward to hearing what sort of questions come your way.
S2: I'll have to keep tabs on that one. That could
S2: be quite interesting. But yeah. Suzanne, thank you so much.
S2: It's been a pleasure to catch up with you today
S2: and chat about my eyes. So that's my eyes coming
S2: out on the 28th of May across Australia, New Zealand
S2: and the USA. And if you're in Sydney, you can
S2: head along to a session that Vision Australia is involved
S2: with on the 2nd of June. Suzanne, thank you so much.
S2: It's been so good and I'm really excited to hear
S2: how the movie goes.
S4: Yeah. Thank you so much, Sam. Thanks, everyone.
S2: And now here's Liz Dalakouras, editor of For Your Information,
S2: otherwise known as FYI. We kicked off our chat this
S2: week by chatting about a few articles.
S5: Yeah, absolutely. So one that's proven quite popular this week
S5: just speaks about the cost of NDIS misinformation. So Steph Travers,
S5: who's the board director at the people with Disabilities Australia,
S5: who also receives the NDIS herself. She recently spoke out
S5: about the public discourse that's left her and many others
S5: in the community feeling like a political football. It's just
S5: a really interesting opinion piece article that really highlights the
S5: importance of getting the information right when it comes to
S5: the NDIS.
S2: And there's a couple of other articles that people can
S2: look forward to as well is.
S5: Absolutely there is. So we at Vision Australia have created
S5: a new one that focuses on advocating for yourself, as
S5: in someone who is in the aged care system. So
S5: no matter your age, your location or your circumstances, remember
S5: that you always have the right to advocate for yourself
S5: and take control of your life. That article can be
S5: found in the news section of our website.
S2: Third, and finally, there's a third article of Vision Australia's
S2: been involved with.
S5: Absolutely. It's a really interesting topic, Sam. It's about protecting
S5: your information online. So going online we know can be
S5: quite a scary thing, particularly when you're asked to put
S5: in your bank details, your address, your phone number. Nobody's
S5: keen to do it, but we know there are safe
S5: and non-safe ways to do it. And this is the
S5: sort of article that just helps you feel more confident
S5: and comfortable being online and live.
S2: There's different ways for people who are blind or have
S2: low vision to enjoy their favorite sport, with some tactile feedback.
S2: That's now becoming available, so that's quite exciting for people
S2: out there.
S5: It really is. It's not only exciting, it's really cool.
S5: Imagine following a live sporting match with your hands. It's
S5: an incredible innovation. This device has real time vibrations that
S5: are mapped out to the action, and it just changes
S5: the way you can watch tennis, basketball, baseball, AFL, whatever
S5: sport it is you enjoy, you get to now feel
S5: the game.
S2: That's right. But on a slightly related topic, there's also
S2: some life hacks for people to enjoy and check out
S2: and see what works for them. In particular, I think, Liz,
S2: you wanted to have a chat about rubber bands.
S5: Absolutely. So as a part of FYI, moving forward, we're
S5: going to have a little section that's going to highlight
S5: our life hacks, and there'll be a new one in
S5: there every week to kick off this series. We used
S5: one of the new videos in our series. Who knew
S5: that rubber bands could be your new best friend? So
S5: this video will highlight that. Simply put a rubber band
S5: on your sauce bottle and not on your mustard bottle
S5: so you know which one is which. It's an amazing video.
S5: Visit our website, jump on the Lifehack section and you
S5: will lose yourself scrolling down and seeing all these cool
S5: little tips and tricks.
S2: And Liz, I understand the calendar artwork competitions back open
S2: again for people to take part. Tell us a bit
S2: about that one.
S5: Yeah, it sure is. It's such a great competition, Sam.
S5: You simply submit your artwork and then you have a
S5: chance to be featured in our large print calendar or diary. Plus,
S5: you can win a $200 gift card. Wow. So it's
S5: time to ready, set, create, because then you get to
S5: have your artwork displayed in people's homes.
S2: Fantastic. Now it's always a great competition and it's always
S2: lovely to check out the winning entries. There's a lot
S2: of amazing talent out there, so look forward to checking
S2: out this year's edition. And speaking of editions, the way
S2: that you can sign up to the FYI mailing list
S2: hasn't changed. Go on to the Vision Australia website and
S2: head to FYI and you can get your email on
S2: the FYI mailing list. Isn't that right, Liz?
S5: That's exactly right. Super easy. Delivered to your inbox every
S5: second Thursday.
S2: Perfect. There you go. I've been speaking today with Liz Dalakouras,
S2: editor of Foyer Information, otherwise known as FYI, having a
S2: chat with me today about the latest edition of Vision
S2: Australia's fortnightly newsletter. Liz, thank you so much as always
S2: for your time today. Great to catch up with you
S2: and have a chat about FYI.
S5: Absolutely. Thank you for having me Sam. It's always so
S5: much fun.
S2: And that's all the time we have for today. You've
S2: been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
S2: Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
S2: So please get in touch anytime on our email at
S2: Talking at Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One word
S2: at Vision Australia. But until next week it's Sam Culley
S2: saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 74
S1: six or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.