WEBVTT - Talking Vision 726 Week Beginning 29th of April 2024 0:00:38.350 --> 0:00:44.140 From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's 0:00:44.140 --> 0:00:46.090 your host, Sam Coley. 0:00:48.540 --> 0:00:51.750 Hello everyone. It's great to be here with you. And 0:00:51.750 --> 0:00:54.720 for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:59.010 and low vision. People who have low vision, they'll tackle 0:00:59.010 --> 0:01:01.560 it in their own way. They have different, obviously different 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:04.920 levels of sight, different eye conditions. So it really isn't 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.800 a one size fits all. And that was really important 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:12.390 for us to keep present throughout the whole process. Welcome 0:01:12.390 --> 0:01:16.020 to the program. We've got another exciting event coming up 0:01:16.020 --> 0:01:18.780 for you on the 9th of May. It's the Impact 0:01:18.780 --> 0:01:23.880 Conference run by the Australian Disability Network. I'm joined today 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:28.500 by the Chief Executive Officer of the network, Karen Strauss 0:01:28.500 --> 0:01:31.620 will be catching up with her later in the program, 0:01:31.620 --> 0:01:34.740 so make sure to stay tuned for that one. But 0:01:34.740 --> 0:01:38.340 before we chat to Karen and finish up with another 0:01:38.340 --> 0:01:42.540 reader recommended from Francis, I catch up with Chris Adkins, 0:01:42.540 --> 0:01:46.590 one of the brains behind The Pupil Project, a new 0:01:46.590 --> 0:01:51.480 video series created by Vision Australia to highlight the everyday 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:55.950 experiences of people who have low vision in particular. And 0:01:55.950 --> 0:01:59.940 that conversation is coming up right now. I hope you'll 0:01:59.940 --> 0:02:08.730 enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Almost half a 0:02:08.730 --> 0:02:12.900 million Australians, including yours truly, live with low vision, which 0:02:12.900 --> 0:02:18.600 we predict will increase by 25% by 2030. The stigma 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:22.290 and lack of understanding can be barriers to inclusion, which 0:02:22.290 --> 0:02:25.200 is why Vision Australia is thrilled to announce a new 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:28.800 project that will help more Australians see the world through 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:32.130 the eyes of someone with low vision. It's called the 0:02:32.130 --> 0:02:35.250 Pupil Project and to have a chat with me about 0:02:35.250 --> 0:02:39.330 the project, I'm joined by marketing lead from Vision Australia, 0:02:39.330 --> 0:02:43.920 Chris Adkins, making his Talking Vision debut. Chris, thanks so 0:02:43.920 --> 0:02:47.610 much for your time. Welcome to Talking Vision. Thank you. 0:02:47.610 --> 0:02:50.880 I'm a bit nervous. It's my first time on radio. Welcome. 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.190 Welcome to the big world of radio. It's great to 0:02:53.190 --> 0:02:57.270 have you, but we are talking, of course, today about 0:02:57.270 --> 0:03:01.860 the Pupil Project, one of the exciting new initiatives from 0:03:01.860 --> 0:03:05.400 Vision Australia. So, Chris, tell us a little bit about 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:09.270 the Pupil Project. Yeah. So the Pupil Project is a 0:03:09.270 --> 0:03:12.990 series of five videos that depict some of the everyday 0:03:12.990 --> 0:03:16.800 scenarios people with low vision may experience, but also showing 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:20.490 what people with various eye conditions will actually see. So 0:03:20.490 --> 0:03:22.920 we've got things in there, you know, reading a use 0:03:22.920 --> 0:03:26.070 by date, having dinner, trying to order off a menu 0:03:26.070 --> 0:03:29.100 on a wall that's written in cursive handwriting, which can 0:03:29.100 --> 0:03:33.360 be hard for everyone. Certainly. Yeah. And Chris, who is 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.930 the target for the pupil project, what are we sort 0:03:36.930 --> 0:03:40.500 of looking for in terms of the audience there? Well, 0:03:40.500 --> 0:03:44.730 we created it to show sighted Australia what people with 0:03:44.730 --> 0:03:47.580 low vision see, but also get a peek at that 0:03:47.580 --> 0:03:50.670 for themselves and actually see through their eyes as much 0:03:50.670 --> 0:03:53.760 as we can. We also developed a full suite of 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:57.510 informative resources for both sighted Australians, but also people in 0:03:57.510 --> 0:04:00.300 the blind and low vision community, including ways to be 0:04:00.300 --> 0:04:04.260 more inclusive, learning more about eye conditions that cause vision 0:04:04.260 --> 0:04:07.290 loss and taking care of your eye health. But we 0:04:07.290 --> 0:04:10.890 also created a brochure that focuses on living with low 0:04:10.890 --> 0:04:14.310 vision and dealing with a recent vision loss diagnosis for 0:04:14.310 --> 0:04:17.460 people in the community. Tell us a little bit about 0:04:17.460 --> 0:04:22.440 the process behind how the videos came about. I was, um, 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:26.100 quite exciting as a member of the low vision community 0:04:26.100 --> 0:04:29.280 to be involved behind the scenes there. So it was 0:04:29.280 --> 0:04:32.880 fantastic to get some input from people out there with 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:35.400 low vision who had a lot to say and a 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:38.430 lot of things to contribute. So, you know, what was 0:04:38.430 --> 0:04:41.550 the process like there from your standpoint? Well, first, it 0:04:41.550 --> 0:04:44.310 was great to have you involved to be a lot 0:04:44.310 --> 0:04:47.520 of fun. Yeah. We, uh, linked up with Amy and 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:49.800 Jess from The Open Arms, which is just an external 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:52.980 agency to create the video series in a really fun environment, 0:04:52.980 --> 0:04:56.130 super bright and super attention grabbing, so that people can 0:04:56.130 --> 0:04:58.890 learn more about low vision and being more inclusive in 0:04:58.890 --> 0:05:01.710 everyday life. And they were a great to work with, 0:05:01.710 --> 0:05:05.160 super collaborative, and really helped us make sure that we 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:08.460 had people with lived experience involved in the process from 0:05:08.460 --> 0:05:10.980 start to finish. Just making sure what we created was 0:05:10.980 --> 0:05:14.460 really real and authentic. We worked with you and a 0:05:14.460 --> 0:05:17.580 group of others who are all have low vision in 0:05:17.580 --> 0:05:20.880 scenario workshops, just trying to find these moments that were 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:25.590 really real, but also everyday, and what people who aren't 0:05:25.590 --> 0:05:28.680 low vision or people who are sighted would relate to 0:05:28.710 --> 0:05:32.790 as well. Then we took those. We tested them through 0:05:32.790 --> 0:05:35.490 script writing, came back to the same group and like, 0:05:35.490 --> 0:05:38.670 does this feel right? What do we need to change? 0:05:38.670 --> 0:05:41.670 The scripts were also written by someone named Imogen, who 0:05:41.670 --> 0:05:44.850 has vision loss herself, and one of the video crew 0:05:44.850 --> 0:05:48.420 members was actually supporting his mum through vision loss too. 0:05:48.420 --> 0:05:51.270 And I think that's why the end result, the whole 0:05:51.270 --> 0:05:54.300 video series, feels so real because it's all based on 0:05:54.300 --> 0:05:58.530 like real experiences. It was really interesting to see the 0:05:58.530 --> 0:06:02.640 creative process behind it, and there were a few things 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:05.790 in there where it's really interesting to see the different 0:06:05.790 --> 0:06:11.040 perspectives and different ways that people interact with their disability. 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.920 Like a lot of people feel a certain way about 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:16.740 a certain thing, but then somebody else says, oh, no, 0:06:16.740 --> 0:06:20.250 I have, you know, this experience with this certain thing. 0:06:20.250 --> 0:06:24.090 And it's really important to highlight that low vision isn't 0:06:24.090 --> 0:06:26.400 a monolith. And this is a great way, I think, 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:30.720 to do that. So when we were having those discussions, Chris, 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:33.540 I'm really interested to go into that a little bit 0:06:33.540 --> 0:06:37.680 more because there were so many different outlooks on what 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:41.010 it means to be somebody with low vision and what 0:06:41.010 --> 0:06:44.610 that experience is like. So what sort of things did 0:06:44.610 --> 0:06:47.100 the team really enjoy from that and really get out 0:06:47.100 --> 0:06:50.370 of there? Well, I think it's clear to everyone that 0:06:50.370 --> 0:06:53.790 people who have low vision, they'll tackle it in their 0:06:53.790 --> 0:06:56.730 own way. They have different, obviously different levels of sight, 0:06:56.730 --> 0:06:59.910 different eye conditions. So it really isn't a one size 0:06:59.910 --> 0:07:03.480 fits all. And that was really important for us to 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:07.170 keep present throughout the whole process. You didn't want to 0:07:07.170 --> 0:07:11.190 say this is what all people think or experience or 0:07:11.190 --> 0:07:14.700 might see, just because it's not accurate. And I think 0:07:14.700 --> 0:07:18.120 the most interesting one to me was actually yourself. You 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:21.000 brought up the menu walls, which we actually ended up 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:24.510 using in one of the videos, and it was something 0:07:24.510 --> 0:07:28.200 that even myself, as you know, a sighted person, I 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:30.600 struggle with those at times and have to either take 0:07:30.600 --> 0:07:32.760 my phone out or like, lean in and squint. I 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:35.910 actually did it on this weekend. Yeah. And, um, it 0:07:35.910 --> 0:07:39.690 was interesting to see how everyone tackled it in different ways. 0:07:39.690 --> 0:07:41.790 Some people, like, I might ask for help or I'll 0:07:41.790 --> 0:07:44.070 just take a photo on my phone, zoom in, step 0:07:44.070 --> 0:07:46.530 aside and figure out what I want to get, I 0:07:46.530 --> 0:07:49.290 might ask, oh, can you list off this menu? I 0:07:49.290 --> 0:07:51.930 can't see it or I'm struggling to read it properly. 0:07:51.930 --> 0:07:55.230 And that one was the most interesting because it felt 0:07:55.230 --> 0:07:59.970 like such an everyday, normal experience. Yeah. Pop off to 0:07:59.970 --> 0:08:02.550 the cafe in the morning, get your coffee, maybe get 0:08:02.550 --> 0:08:06.360 a croissant. But it's something that people also just wouldn't 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:10.170 really think about with low vision and how there's different 0:08:10.170 --> 0:08:13.110 barriers for different people. And we had a really funny 0:08:13.110 --> 0:08:16.590 description of, you know, someone going into the most detailed 0:08:16.590 --> 0:08:19.110 description of what everything is down to the type of 0:08:19.110 --> 0:08:23.130 bread being used. And yeah, I someone was like, we 0:08:23.130 --> 0:08:25.140 don't need to go to that level of detail. Just 0:08:25.140 --> 0:08:28.560 tell me the basics of what cheese is it? And 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:31.920 anything that's important to know. So well. That's right. And 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:35.070 I sort of with, um, where I'm living, I've hit 0:08:35.070 --> 0:08:38.280 the cafe jackpot. I've got three around the corner from me, 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:41.760 so it's something very front of my mind. So that's 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:44.760 certainly something that's definitely come up a lot, which is 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.610 something I know a lot of other people did, um, 0:08:47.610 --> 0:08:52.290 also deal with. So it was so relatable. And so, 0:08:52.290 --> 0:08:54.750 as you've said, so every day. So it was great 0:08:54.750 --> 0:08:57.990 to have that included. And it was interesting to see 0:08:57.990 --> 0:09:01.920 the way that the scripts kind of changed and shifted 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:05.970 in terms of, oh, that doesn't sound right. Or um, the, 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:09.750 you know, some, some funny instances of how they were 0:09:09.750 --> 0:09:12.990 sort of wording things or it's like, look at me, 0:09:12.990 --> 0:09:16.860 I'm this wacky person with low vision and I'm like, no, 0:09:16.860 --> 0:09:19.620 you can't. It's like, let's just yeah, let's dial that 0:09:19.620 --> 0:09:22.410 back a little. Di that. Yeah. Or this. Yeah. No. 0:09:22.410 --> 0:09:27.150 Things like to demonstrate contrast. Someone was wearing stark white 0:09:27.150 --> 0:09:30.540 against black and all this stuff, which is I guess 0:09:31.110 --> 0:09:34.860 I get the point, but it's not. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:09:34.860 --> 0:09:38.010 it was an interesting learning process for us all because 0:09:38.010 --> 0:09:40.980 things like black and white, before I was at Vision Australia, 0:09:40.980 --> 0:09:43.140 I was just like, oh, that makes sense. That's contrast 0:09:43.140 --> 0:09:46.500 in like a graphic design sense. Yes, but it's just 0:09:46.500 --> 0:09:49.170 a totally different thing and there's different ways to get 0:09:49.170 --> 0:09:51.030 around it, which is why we ended up with these 0:09:51.030 --> 0:09:54.990 really cool set designs where it's bright yellow, bright green, 0:09:54.990 --> 0:09:58.350 bright blue, but contrasted with this dark blue to make 0:09:58.350 --> 0:10:01.710 it feel real and feel it was all accessible. We 0:10:01.710 --> 0:10:04.230 landed in really cool spot that wasn't just black and white. 0:10:04.230 --> 0:10:06.330 We had some color and some fun in it as well. 0:10:06.330 --> 0:10:10.500 It's important to note this was exclusively about low vision, 0:10:10.500 --> 0:10:15.270 so it's about people with usable vision in this instance. 0:10:15.270 --> 0:10:18.540 So that could be from the cusp of being legally 0:10:18.540 --> 0:10:23.670 blind up to myself, who has quite a sizeable amount of, um, 0:10:23.670 --> 0:10:28.380 usable vision. And then there's another potential discussion down the 0:10:28.380 --> 0:10:31.260 track of that whole thing of being, quote unquote, not 0:10:31.260 --> 0:10:34.890 blind enough. That's a whole other conversation. But, you know, 0:10:34.890 --> 0:10:37.680 there's so much to unpack there. So it was great 0:10:37.680 --> 0:10:40.770 to be involved. Yeah. And the reason we tackled low 0:10:40.770 --> 0:10:43.440 vision in this scenario is that a lot of people 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.440 think they understand it, but they don't fully understand what 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:50.520 it actually means to be legally blind or have low vision. Yeah. 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:53.130 People aren't. Oh, you can wear glasses and that'll, that'll 0:10:53.130 --> 0:10:56.340 do it. And it's like, no not quite. No. Um, no. 0:10:56.340 --> 0:10:59.580 But it's been interesting and it's been a fun journey 0:10:59.580 --> 0:11:03.930 to tackle that education point because it's something very simple 0:11:03.930 --> 0:11:07.170 to explain. Oh, it just is when glasses aren't enough. 0:11:07.170 --> 0:11:09.450 But a lot of people don't know that unless they 0:11:09.450 --> 0:11:13.260 know someone or have been in that experience themselves. So 0:11:13.260 --> 0:11:16.440 it's been an interesting thing for us to address in 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:19.590 such a fun way. How can people access the videos 0:11:19.590 --> 0:11:23.370 from the Pupil Project or the other resources that are 0:11:23.370 --> 0:11:26.340 attached to those videos? Yeah, so you can head to 0:11:26.340 --> 0:11:30.870 Vision Australia. Org slash pupil Hyphen project to watch all 0:11:30.870 --> 0:11:34.050 the videos. It's a video of five series with audio 0:11:34.050 --> 0:11:37.470 description and without depending on your need or preference. And 0:11:37.470 --> 0:11:40.020 you can read all the informative resources we developed as well. 0:11:40.020 --> 0:11:42.960 About low vision being more inclusive and learning more about 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:46.410 your eyes because it's relevant for all people, and it's 0:11:46.410 --> 0:11:49.170 something that I think everyone can take for granted, even 0:11:49.170 --> 0:11:52.620 simple as wearing sunglasses when you go outside is really 0:11:52.620 --> 0:11:56.880 important for everyone. Absolutely. Well, I've been speaking today with 0:11:56.880 --> 0:12:01.440 Chris Adkins from the team behind The Pupil Project, an 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:06.960 initiative from Vision Australia to highlight the lived experiences. Of 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:11.430 people with low vision going about their everyday life. Chris, 0:12:11.430 --> 0:12:13.620 thank you so much for your time today. It was 0:12:13.620 --> 0:12:16.230 a pleasure to have you on the show and great 0:12:16.230 --> 0:12:19.080 first interview. You did a great job. Thanks for having me. 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.450 I'm ready to be here more often. I'll love to 0:12:21.450 --> 0:12:32.100 have you. I'm Sam Kelly and you're listening to Talking 0:12:32.100 --> 0:12:37.110 Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of the Reading 0:12:37.110 --> 0:12:41.940 Radio Network and the Community Radio Network. I hope you 0:12:41.940 --> 0:12:47.070 enjoyed that conversation there with Chris Adkins about the Pupil Project, 0:12:47.070 --> 0:12:51.000 which recently launched. If you missed any part of that 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:54.720 conversation with Chris or you'd love to hear it again. 0:12:54.720 --> 0:12:59.460 Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website 0:12:59.460 --> 0:13:05.640 at VA radio.org. That's VA radio.org. Or you can find 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:08.910 the program on the podcast app of your choice or 0:13:08.910 --> 0:13:13.200 through the Vision Australia library. And now coming up next, 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:16.500 there's a big new event to chat about involving the 0:13:16.500 --> 0:13:21.030 Australian Disability Network on the 9th of May. The Australian 0:13:21.030 --> 0:13:26.370 Disability Network will be holding their annual impact conference, taking 0:13:26.370 --> 0:13:31.260 place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and to 0:13:31.260 --> 0:13:33.900 have a chat with me about the conference. It's my 0:13:33.900 --> 0:13:38.340 great pleasure to welcome the Chief Executive officer of the 0:13:38.340 --> 0:13:44.400 Australian Disability Network, Corinne Strauss. Corinne, welcome to Talking Vision. 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:45.990 It's a pleasure to have you. 0:13:46.680 --> 0:13:47.430 Hello, Sam. 0:13:47.820 --> 0:13:52.650 Now, before we get into the impact conference today, Corinne, 0:13:52.650 --> 0:13:55.620 I'd love to hear a little bit more about the 0:13:55.620 --> 0:13:58.740 Australian Disability Network and the work you do. 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:04.410 Australian Disability Network is Australia's peak body to help Australian 0:14:04.410 --> 0:14:10.230 employers build their disability confidence to welcome and include people 0:14:10.230 --> 0:14:14.520 with disability as employees and also as customers. And we 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:18.660 do that by, you know, providing them tools and resources 0:14:18.660 --> 0:14:23.700 and training, um, helping them write their disability action plans, 0:14:23.700 --> 0:14:28.830 building disability employee networks and a range of other tools 0:14:28.830 --> 0:14:31.620 and resources. So yeah, it's a it's a it is 0:14:31.620 --> 0:14:35.130 a peak body. It's a member based organisation. And it 0:14:35.130 --> 0:14:40.410 has a whole range of members ranging from the Prime 0:14:40.410 --> 0:14:44.400 Minister and Cabinet Office, you know, Australian government through to 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:48.450 state government through to our famous brands like Qantas and 0:14:48.450 --> 0:14:54.900 Commonwealth Bank and Medibank etc.. So yeah, it's an amazing organisation. 0:14:54.900 --> 0:14:58.260 Could you tell us a little bit more about your work, 0:14:58.260 --> 0:15:02.820 specifically in the blindness and low vision space, for example, 0:15:02.820 --> 0:15:07.170 with organisations such as Vision Australia, who, as I understand 0:15:07.170 --> 0:15:09.180 you've been working with for quite a bit. 0:15:09.180 --> 0:15:13.140 Yes. Mm. That's a good question. So I think first 0:15:13.140 --> 0:15:16.350 and foremost what I want to say is that our 0:15:16.350 --> 0:15:20.490 work is around all people with disability. Yes. And so 0:15:20.490 --> 0:15:24.750 we don't specifically focus on particular disabilities because we need 0:15:24.750 --> 0:15:29.940 Australians to be confident when they're engaging with people. Disability 0:15:29.940 --> 0:15:33.630 because some people can have blindness or low vision and 0:15:33.630 --> 0:15:36.720 they can also have chronic health conditions. So we want 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:39.000 them to be able to have a conversation and make 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:42.780 sure that adjustments are in place for everyone. But in 0:15:42.780 --> 0:15:47.220 our case, you know, we have our internship program for 0:15:47.220 --> 0:15:50.850 university graduates or near to graduation. And we also have 0:15:50.850 --> 0:15:56.580 a mentoring program for job seekers or career changers with disability. 0:15:56.580 --> 0:16:00.330 And many of them have low vision, uh, people with 0:16:00.330 --> 0:16:03.060 low vision. And we work with them and our member 0:16:03.060 --> 0:16:08.160 organisations to ensure that workplace adjustments are in place. And 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:11.940 we support them to have conversations that allow for the 0:16:11.940 --> 0:16:15.030 best experience. It's not just the work we have done 0:16:15.030 --> 0:16:20.430 with these organisations, but the ongoing interactions we have on 0:16:20.430 --> 0:16:25.650 a daily basis with a community. We've supported many people 0:16:25.650 --> 0:16:30.090 through our Directing Change program, which is a board increasing 0:16:30.090 --> 0:16:34.290 the representation of people on boards with disability. And, you know, 0:16:34.290 --> 0:16:38.700 we've even had somebody from Blind Citizens Australia as a 0:16:38.700 --> 0:16:42.510 scholar on that program. And, um, you know, I can 0:16:42.510 --> 0:16:45.000 only think that they'll go from strength to strength. And 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:48.120 we've worked with Vision Australia and they've been a member 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:53.220 of our since 2007. So that's as significant period of time. 0:16:53.220 --> 0:16:57.570 And we've with Vision Australia, they've taken on an internship 0:16:57.570 --> 0:17:01.680 and they've taken on mentoring programs. Guide Dogs in New 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:05.550 South Wales are looking at doing an internship with us. 0:17:05.550 --> 0:17:09.750 And they've also accessed our e-learning platform to do the 0:17:09.750 --> 0:17:14.580 training for building disability confidence in their organisation. And so 0:17:14.580 --> 0:17:18.660 to his guide dogs, Victoria looked at joining our network. 0:17:18.660 --> 0:17:22.260 So those are some samples of our engagement with people 0:17:22.260 --> 0:17:23.970 with low vision or blindness. 0:17:23.970 --> 0:17:28.240 And um, moving on to something quite exciting. Over the 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:31.300 next couple of weeks. On the 9th of May is 0:17:31.300 --> 0:17:35.350 the Impact conference. So tell us a little bit about 0:17:35.350 --> 0:17:38.800 the conference there and some details around that. 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:43.030 Well, Sam, very excited about that. I have to say, 0:17:43.030 --> 0:17:47.440 we've got our awards night on the 8th of May 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:51.370 in Melbourne at the Convention Centre and will be announcing 0:17:51.370 --> 0:17:56.500 the Disability Changemaker of the year. We'll be announcing the 0:17:56.500 --> 0:18:01.750 disability initiative of the year and also the Disability Employee 0:18:01.750 --> 0:18:06.820 Network of the year, and also our mentor and mentee 0:18:06.820 --> 0:18:10.240 of the year and our supervisor of the year as well, 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:13.900 and the intern of the year. The other thing that 0:18:13.900 --> 0:18:17.680 is huge on this night of the awards is the 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:22.930 announcement of the top performer in the Access and Inclusion Index. 0:18:22.930 --> 0:18:25.900 So this is a massive amount of work that is 0:18:25.900 --> 0:18:31.000 undertaken by organisations to ensure that they are building a 0:18:31.000 --> 0:18:34.840 really inclusive organisation for people with disabilities. So we'll be 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:37.090 announcing the winner on the night and it's going to 0:18:37.090 --> 0:18:40.990 be great news. And then the next day is this conference, 0:18:40.990 --> 0:18:45.640 which has got superstars from around the world coming. We've 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:50.680 got people like the United Nations special Envoy for disability, uh, 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:55.120 United Nations special envoy. Her name is Professor Maria Soledad 0:18:55.120 --> 0:18:59.740 Cisternas Reyes, and she is a person who is blind, 0:18:59.740 --> 0:19:04.060 a lawyer by background, and also was a chair and 0:19:04.060 --> 0:19:07.390 a co-author on the United Nations Convention on the Rights 0:19:07.390 --> 0:19:11.020 of People with disability. A beautiful woman in the sense 0:19:11.020 --> 0:19:15.850 of just a beautiful soul, and so knowledgeable on the convention, 0:19:15.850 --> 0:19:18.970 on the rights of People with disability. And we have 0:19:18.970 --> 0:19:24.610 Randy Lewis, who absolutely changed the way Wallgreens works by 0:19:24.610 --> 0:19:29.950 introducing employment of people with disability into their warehousing systems, 0:19:29.950 --> 0:19:34.360 and really just focusing on getting employment of people with 0:19:34.360 --> 0:19:39.310 disability up significantly in wallgreens. And they made such a 0:19:39.310 --> 0:19:43.180 huge difference to their profitability as a result. So he's 0:19:43.180 --> 0:19:46.870 coming over from the United States to speak. We've got 0:19:46.870 --> 0:19:52.720 the global lead of accessibility at Microsoft, Jenny Lefler, coming 0:19:52.720 --> 0:19:58.150 over from overseas. Jenny has hearing impairment, but she absolutely 0:19:58.150 --> 0:20:01.330 lives and breathes accessibility. And of course Microsoft. What can 0:20:01.330 --> 0:20:05.500 I say. They do amazing work around accessibility. There's so 0:20:05.500 --> 0:20:09.280 much to talk about. There is so much on the agenda. 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.590 Just how much time have you got? Well. 0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:15.700 That's the thing. We only do have a certain period 0:20:15.700 --> 0:20:18.910 because I could talk to you about this for hours. 0:20:18.910 --> 0:20:23.050 It is an absolutely star studded event for people to 0:20:23.050 --> 0:20:25.540 head along to. I'm sure a lot of people out 0:20:25.540 --> 0:20:28.240 there are thinking, oh my God, I'd love to head 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:31.390 along to that. So could you give us some details 0:20:31.390 --> 0:20:35.470 about on the 9th of May, how long that conference 0:20:35.470 --> 0:20:39.520 is running for, how can people access it and where 0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:41.290 they can access it as well? 0:20:41.650 --> 0:20:46.960 Yeah. So the conference information is on the website. I 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:49.510 also want to say in an Australian first, because I've 0:20:49.510 --> 0:20:53.440 never seen this before, we have got CEOs of Australia's 0:20:53.440 --> 0:20:57.970 biggest brands coming into a room to share their insights 0:20:57.970 --> 0:21:03.340 on building a disability confident organisation. So their experience, their 0:21:03.340 --> 0:21:07.120 journey and those are the CEOs of Qantas, the CEO 0:21:07.120 --> 0:21:12.400 of Coles, the CEO of Australia Post, the CEO of 0:21:12.400 --> 0:21:16.000 Medibank and also the CEO of Pacific National, which is 0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:19.210 all our rail infrastructure. And they've been doing great work 0:21:19.210 --> 0:21:22.480 around building disability inclusion. And so we'll hear from them 0:21:22.480 --> 0:21:26.290 what it's like as a leader to be building a 0:21:26.290 --> 0:21:30.910 disability inclusive organisation. So 9th of May, you can find 0:21:30.910 --> 0:21:37.360 the information on our website which is Australian Disability network.org 0:21:37.360 --> 0:21:41.140 dot a U. All the booking is on the website. 0:21:41.140 --> 0:21:46.120 Our website is completely accessible. We are wcaG 2.2 compliant, 0:21:46.120 --> 0:21:51.430 so it should be accessible to everyone. And the program, 0:21:51.430 --> 0:21:56.020 the registration and all the information is on there for 0:21:56.020 --> 0:21:58.570 people to look at and to decide whether they want 0:21:58.570 --> 0:21:59.500 to come along. 0:21:59.500 --> 0:22:04.090 And I'm sure they will, because that's absolutely incredible. The 0:22:04.090 --> 0:22:08.470 amount of people and, you know, the serious star studded 0:22:08.470 --> 0:22:13.510 line up that the Australian Disability Network has put together 0:22:13.510 --> 0:22:17.260 all in one room, that is an incredible effort and 0:22:17.260 --> 0:22:21.250 something I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy heading 0:22:21.250 --> 0:22:26.110 along to. So look forward to hearing how that all goes. 0:22:26.110 --> 0:22:29.780 I've been speaking to. A date with the chief executive 0:22:29.780 --> 0:22:35.510 officer of the Australian Disability Network, Karen Strauss, about the 0:22:35.510 --> 0:22:39.080 work the network is doing and will continue to do, 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:44.420 as well as the upcoming Awards Night and Impact conference 0:22:44.420 --> 0:22:49.040 taking place over the eighth and 9th of May. Karen, 0:22:49.040 --> 0:22:51.680 thank you very much for your time today. It was 0:22:51.680 --> 0:22:54.710 a pleasure to catch up and hear all about the 0:22:54.710 --> 0:22:58.190 network as well as the upcoming Impact conference. 0:22:58.790 --> 0:23:02.000 Thanks, Sam. It was my pleasure and thanks for all 0:23:02.000 --> 0:23:05.090 the support. It's I'm very proud to be a part 0:23:05.090 --> 0:23:05.690 of this. 0:23:12.400 --> 0:23:16.630 And now here's Frances Kelland, with a reader recommended. 0:23:16.840 --> 0:23:20.140 And now on to some fiction. The first book today 0:23:20.140 --> 0:23:25.060 is Life Sentence. This is by Judith Cutler, and it's 0:23:25.060 --> 0:23:29.830 part one of a series. Chief Superintendent Frances Harman has 0:23:29.830 --> 0:23:32.590 been assigned to investigate the case of a woman beaten 0:23:32.590 --> 0:23:35.500 into a coma. Elise has been in a coma for 0:23:35.500 --> 0:23:37.960 two years, and if the hospital switch off her life 0:23:37.960 --> 0:23:41.650 support now, her attacker will be guilty of murder. Fran 0:23:41.650 --> 0:23:46.660 faces overload as she takes on more responsibilities her elderly parents, 0:23:46.660 --> 0:23:50.080 as well as Elise, a child abduction, the disappearance of 0:23:50.080 --> 0:23:52.840 her only witness, and the growing affection that she and 0:23:52.840 --> 0:23:56.020 her long time colleague Mark Turner seemed to share for 0:23:56.020 --> 0:23:58.780 one another. But is this all too much for one 0:23:58.780 --> 0:24:02.260 woman to handle? Let's hear a sample of Life Sentence 0:24:02.260 --> 0:24:06.670 by Judith Cutler. It's narrated by Diana Bishop. 0:24:07.450 --> 0:24:11.710 She jerked sharply awake. Where was she? And what was 0:24:11.710 --> 0:24:17.280 that noise? Had she fallen asleep and crashed the car? No, 0:24:17.280 --> 0:24:21.300 it was someone rapping on the driver's window. God knew 0:24:21.300 --> 0:24:24.900 what time it was. She hadn't dared drive any longer. 0:24:24.900 --> 0:24:27.600 That was it. Not without a coffee and some fresh air. 0:24:27.690 --> 0:24:30.150 And before she'd done more than cut the ignition, she'd 0:24:30.150 --> 0:24:34.780 fallen asleep. She must have dribbled and probably snored too. 0:24:35.240 --> 0:24:38.000 But it was the trickle of saliva that troubled her most, 0:24:38.000 --> 0:24:40.790 an outward and visible sign that she'd not been in 0:24:40.790 --> 0:24:44.210 control of herself while technically being in control of a vehicle. 0:24:45.620 --> 0:24:49.200 You all right, miss? It was a traffic cop, his 0:24:49.200 --> 0:24:52.110 Day-Glo jacket fluorescing in the headlights of the cars, still 0:24:52.110 --> 0:24:56.190 using the car park even at this hour of the morning. Yes, 0:24:56.190 --> 0:24:58.290 it had been about midnight when she'd pulled off the 0:24:58.290 --> 0:25:02.910 M3 into fleet services, which was where she must be now. 0:25:04.200 --> 0:25:08.040 She heaved herself out of the Saab. I've had a 0:25:08.040 --> 0:25:11.370 long drive, officer. Thought I'd take a break. And before 0:25:11.370 --> 0:25:14.970 I got anywhere near my Kit-Kat, there I was, sending 0:25:14.970 --> 0:25:20.040 my pigs to market. Nodding without sympathy or humor. The 0:25:20.040 --> 0:25:23.430 young man, he looked about 18, dodged back to his 0:25:23.430 --> 0:25:26.880 Range Rover and came back, fitting a mouthpiece to a breathalyzer. 0:25:27.910 --> 0:25:32.680 Thank goodness her parents Devon bungalow was dry capital D. 0:25:33.430 --> 0:25:35.620 She blew, as if to clear the last cobweb from 0:25:35.620 --> 0:25:38.560 her brain and then, damn it, if she didn't start 0:25:38.560 --> 0:25:41.110 a flush right from her belly up into her hair, 0:25:41.110 --> 0:25:44.080 it went. The night air blessedly sliding onto it like 0:25:44.080 --> 0:25:48.400 ice cream onto hot chocolate sauce. That seems to be 0:25:48.400 --> 0:25:53.170 all right, he said, tacking on miss as an almost 0:25:53.170 --> 0:25:56.530 insulting afterthought as he registered this symptom of her age. 0:25:57.420 --> 0:26:01.770 I suppose this is your vehicle. Without speaking. She reached 0:26:01.770 --> 0:26:04.470 for her bag, stowed in the rear footwell, out of 0:26:04.470 --> 0:26:08.500 sight of casual predators. She always practiced what she preached 0:26:08.500 --> 0:26:10.180 when it came to crime prevention. 0:26:10.390 --> 0:26:14.590 And that was a sample of Life Sentence by Judith Cutler. 0:26:14.830 --> 0:26:26.620 Judith is spelt Judith. Judith Cutler is Cutler. Cutler. And 0:26:26.620 --> 0:26:29.470 that book goes for nine hours, and it's part one 0:26:29.470 --> 0:26:33.670 of the Fran Harman series of books. And she's written 0:26:33.670 --> 0:26:37.480 quite a few different series, all with a female protagonist 0:26:37.480 --> 0:26:42.070 in the lead. Uh, there's the Josie Welford mystery series. 0:26:42.070 --> 0:26:45.970 Cold pursuit is the second in the Fran Harman series, 0:26:46.120 --> 0:26:49.990 so quite a few. And there's also standalone novels as well, 0:26:49.990 --> 0:26:53.170 and there's just a lot in the library, a lot 0:26:53.170 --> 0:26:56.530 of her different series, as I said, always featuring a 0:26:56.530 --> 0:26:59.800 woman as the primary character and lots there if you 0:26:59.800 --> 0:27:01.090 enjoy her books. 0:27:05.560 --> 0:27:08.650 And that's all the time we have for today. You've 0:27:08.650 --> 0:27:12.910 been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision 0:27:12.910 --> 0:27:17.050 Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the 0:27:17.050 --> 0:27:21.250 show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you. 0:27:21.250 --> 0:27:24.550 So please get in touch any time on our email 0:27:24.550 --> 0:27:29.860 at Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all 0:27:29.860 --> 0:27:34.630 one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's 0:27:34.630 --> 0:27:36.940 Sam Colly saying bye for now. 0:27:40.460 --> 0:27:44.210 You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us any time 0:27:44.210 --> 0:27:53.990 during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one (300) 847-4106 or by 0:27:53.990 --> 0:27:58.850 visiting Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.