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: People with a disability within employment, they're more than just
S3: their disability. They have lots of skills and talent to
S3: offer an organisation. And it's just really important with a
S3: campaign like this, that we make it clear that it's
S3: not complicated and that you could get a really good
S3: person by being an inclusive workplace.
S2: Welcome to the program. This week we chat to Karen
S2: Strauss and Brooke Carter from the Australian Disability Network. They're
S2: here to talk all about the upcoming It's Not hard
S2: to be inclusive campaign running in the six week lead
S2: up to International Day of People with disabilities, as well
S2: as a mentoring program which will be opening in just
S2: over a month's time. That conversation is coming up very shortly,
S2: so make sure to stick around. Then after you hear
S2: from Cranbrook, I'm joined by Sarah Bloedorn, manager of the
S2: Vision Australia Library, here to chat to us all about
S2: some changes that are going on at the library. And
S2: we finish up today with a little bit of news
S2: and information. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of
S2: Talking Vision. With the Australian Disability Network are embarking on
S2: a couple of really exciting programs over the next few weeks,
S2: including the It's Not Hard to Be inclusive campaign in
S2: the lead up to International Day of People with disabilities
S2: to have a chat with us all about this, as
S2: well as the range of mentoring programs run through the
S2: Australian Disability Network. It's my great pleasure to be joined
S2: by Brooke Carter and Corinne Strauss. Corinne, Brooke, welcome back
S2: to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for your time today.
S4: Thanks, Sam.
S3: Thank you for having us, Sam.
S2: Corinne, I'll start with you. I'd love to have a
S2: chat about the Pace mentoring program today. So could you
S2: give us a bit of an overview of the program?
S4: I can, but I'll tell you that Brooke has got
S4: her hands all over it. Um, but the Pace mentoring
S4: program is established to provide mentoring support for job seekers
S4: with Disability and to connect them with mentors within our
S4: member organization. And it's over about a 16 week period.
S4: We do it twice a year, and it is quite
S4: a transformational experience, transformational for a person with a disability
S4: who is seeking guidance around career progression or job applications
S4: or whatever it is that is related to their career.
S4: No matter your age, and at the same time, for
S4: the mentors, very often the mentors don't have an understanding
S4: or a lived experience with disability. And so this is
S4: a great way to build understanding of the barriers that
S4: people with disability face in attaining jobs or getting career
S4: progression in their organization.
S2: Okay. Now, as you've said, Brooke does have her hands
S2: all over this one. So, Brooke, I'd love to come
S2: to you and get your insights on the pace, mentoring program.
S3: Thanks, Sam. As Karins highlighted, it really is a great
S3: program with matching the mentors and the mentees together. We've
S3: been running the program for quite a few years. I
S3: do believe it turned ten last year. Wow.
S2: Oh my God.
S3: Happy birthday. Running. Thank you. We've been running it for
S3: a while. It's a really great program. It really teaches
S3: mentees the really important soft skills that you need to
S3: apply for a job and get through all of those
S3: steps that we all find really tricky. But having those
S3: extra conversations that you might need to have when you
S3: are a person that has a disability as well, and
S3: having the opportunity to flesh those out with a mentor
S3: is a really great experience. And that's where we see
S3: a lot of the growth come from from mentees at
S3: the start of the program, towards the end of the program.
S3: And as Corinne touched on as well, it's it's a
S3: great learning opportunity for the mentors as well. They really
S3: take a lot out of it for both their own
S3: professional career. They implement it into their own workplaces as
S3: well within their organizations, but they're also taking it out
S3: into their personal life as well. So there's so many
S3: areas around that inclusion that those lessons are being implemented.
S3: It really does make an impact, I guess, on everybody
S3: involved in the program as well.
S2: Brooke, I'd love to hear about your involvement in the program.
S2: I understand you've been quite heavily involved in the Pace
S2: mentoring program personally, so tell us a bit about that experience.
S3: So with the Pace mentoring program, I'm a program coordinator.
S3: So my role is to support and interact with all
S3: of the applicants that come through the programs. We do
S3: all the matching and we really get to hear about
S3: their stories through the program. I also do the mid
S3: program check ins with our mentors and our mentees, the
S3: one that I have had personal experiences with the stepping
S3: into program. But on a professional level, I've obviously had
S3: a lot of interaction with the Pace mentoring program, and
S3: I love it when we get to the end and
S3: we get to hear from guest speakers about their experiences
S3: and their stories and what an impact and just seeing
S3: that growth from the start of the program to the
S3: end of the program, it's really rewarding.
S4: Totally. And as a mentor in the program, Sam, it's
S4: great to see your mentees because I have mentored a
S4: few people in the Pace program myself, and it's great
S4: to see the mentees come into the program often lacking
S4: in confidence. And then by the end of 16 weeks,
S4: you actually see how they've built their confidence around their
S4: job seeking process and feeling confident to ask the questions
S4: that they maybe would have been reluctant to ask, or
S4: to imagine what they imagined was impossible. Initially. So, you know,
S4: dreaming big, encouraging them to think big and be bold
S4: in their actions. But at the same time, you know,
S4: as a mentor, we also learn the barriers that they face.
S4: And so in one of my cases, my mentee was
S4: facing incredible barriers around the job seeking process and the
S4: recruitment process because the job application forms were inaccessible to them.
S4: And so they didn't have somebody to contact to ask
S4: for an adjustment, or they wanted more information because they
S4: needed a lot more information before they could process the application.
S4: And so you see these barriers and you just wonder,
S4: why do we do that? You know, it should be
S4: accessible for everyone, never mind people with disability. But yeah,
S4: so great learnings for both ways.
S2: Oh certainly are great learnings. And as you've said Karen,
S2: there is quite a lot still to go in certain areas.
S2: As I understand, Australian Disability Network has just kicked off
S2: a six week campaign in the lead up to International
S2: Day of People with disability, entitled It's Not Hard to
S2: Be Inclusive. Now, this is a super important campaign involving
S2: a lot of businesses around Australia. So tell us a
S2: bit about that and the barriers that it's looking to
S2: knock down to enable employees and jobseekers with disabilities to
S2: find meaningful work around the country.
S4: Thanks, Sam. So yes, this is probably one of the
S4: biggest campaigns we've ever run at Australian Disability Network and
S4: it's super exciting. First thing to say is that we've
S4: created this amazing video, which people can see on our website,
S4: or if you go to our LinkedIn profile, and also
S4: very important to let people know that we've created an
S4: audio description version of the short film that's on our website.
S4: So it's inclusive for everyone to hear or see. But
S4: first of all, that's the big thing. Is this wonderful
S4: video about it's not hard and it's about comedy as well.
S4: It's got a comedic flavour around it, which is fabulous,
S4: and we've got a media pack. So if you go
S4: to our website, organizations can download the media pack and
S4: tap into it, and obviously our members get more information
S4: in advance. Whereas if you're not a member, you just
S4: get it every week as it rolls. But the first
S4: week we're going to be talking about choosing inclusion. The
S4: second week we will talk about inclusive communication, about creating
S4: accessible and understanding and engaging communications for everyone. Very often
S4: it's the thing that people forget to do. And then
S4: the third week we will do inclusive access. So we'll
S4: talk about creating environments where everyone can participate with ease
S4: and respect. And so what environment are we operating in
S4: where we are not being inclusive of people with disability,
S4: and that includes people with invisible disability or non-visible disability,
S4: as well as people with physical disability. The fourth week
S4: we're going to focus around inclusive recruitment. This is where
S4: we see loads of barriers for people with disability. And
S4: then the fifth week we're going to do workplace adjustments
S4: and talk about workplace adjustments and tools and resources around that.
S4: And we've done a huge amount of research in that space.
S4: And we've got lots of recommendations and tools and tips
S4: for people to be better at introducing workplace adjustment policies
S4: in their organisation, and also for people with disability to
S4: know how to ask for their adjustments. And then the
S4: final week, week six is inclusive attitudes. This is actually
S4: about fostering a culture of respect and understanding and equality
S4: in the workplace. And then the final week is a
S4: celebration and reflection of the progress we've made over the
S4: period of time. So great campaign, a great campaign for
S4: all Australians to participate in all employers, no matter how
S4: big or small you are. And all the material we've
S4: created is fully inclusive for everyone. And hopefully by doing
S4: this six week campaign, we can build better understanding and
S4: break down barriers for people with disability.
S2: I want to touch on that a bit with both
S2: of you about that progress that is being made, but
S2: also things you've observed that still need to be tackled,
S2: and you've spoken a little bit about the barriers a
S2: few of your mentees have faced and all that sort
S2: of thing. But, um, Brooke, I might start with you.
S2: I'd love to chat to you about the importance of
S2: a campaign. Like it's not hard to be inclusive, given
S2: both of us are people who have low vision. What
S2: does this sort of campaign mean for you? And being
S2: involved with such a big campaign over the next six weeks.
S3: Thanks, Sam. Yes. As being a person that does have
S3: low vision, these campaigns are really important. It's great that
S3: we have a day to celebrate, but we need campaigns
S3: like this to start the conversation early and continue the
S3: conversations as well. The employment space. It has improved a
S3: little bit, but there's still a lot of work to
S3: do in creating those opportunities. And a campaign like this
S3: really highlights some of the things that may be considered
S3: being complex to do, but they're actually not. They might
S3: be small, but they're so important. You know, having inclusive communication,
S3: having an inclusive recruitment process, making sure the environment is
S3: accessible beyond just the physical environment as well. What does
S3: that look like digitally? And simple things, just as being
S3: independent and having dignity to go through your workplace on
S3: your own. That's so important. They might seem complicated to
S3: put in place, but really they're not. And I guess
S3: a campaign like this, and as big as this, provides
S3: lots of different resources for different organizations and really assist
S3: them to have those conversations. And I think really we
S3: just need to have it grow wider and wider and
S3: having more conversations so that people like yourself and myself, Sam,
S3: that do have an extra added thing to be concerned
S3: about that doesn't have to be a concern anymore. People
S3: with a disability within employment, they're more than just their disability.
S3: They have lots of skills and talent to offer an organisation,
S3: and it's just really important with a campaign like this,
S3: that we make it clear that it's not complicated and
S3: that you could get a really good person by being
S3: an inclusive workplace.
S2: Definitely. And Karen, I'd love to get your thoughts as well.
S2: In a similar vein, what would you like to let
S2: our listeners know about?
S4: I would say to people who are listening today who
S4: may not have a disability, that inclusion is not hard.
S4: People with disability want to be given the same opportunity
S4: as anyone else. And if you put the right adjustments
S4: in and support and create an inclusive environment, you will
S4: find that they are incredible, great contributors to our community
S4: and to our workplace. And really, I think open your
S4: mind to what are you doing day by day that
S4: is creating barriers for people with disability. And a great
S4: example is things like our documents. When we create documents
S4: and emails and reports, are we making sure that those
S4: documents are accessible for everyone to read? You know, when
S4: we have meetings or we checking to see that people
S4: with physical disability can access the venue? Let's just think
S4: about everyone when we plan to do stuff. And so
S4: I think this campaign is a really good reminder of
S4: the small things that we can do to be welcoming
S4: and inclusive of all people with disability, not just as employees,
S4: but as customers and as friends.
S2: Absolutely. And now, Corinne, I'll stay with you finally to
S2: just get some details about how people can find out
S2: a little bit more about the Australian Disability Network. The
S2: programs that they are running, such as the Pace mentoring program,
S2: or just a bit more information about the It's Not
S2: hard to be inclusive campaign.
S4: I guess. I am so happy to do that. So
S4: the first thing I'd say to people who are listening
S4: to this, jump on to our website, Australian Disability Network,
S4: and you will find in the website there is a
S4: spot called News and Events, and you'll be able to
S4: find the link to the it's not hard to be
S4: inclusive material. And the video, the awesome video that's there.
S4: Also on LinkedIn and Facebook. We're putting a lot of
S4: stuff on socials. Australian disability network. The other thing is
S4: to let people know is that Australian Disability Network is
S4: an organisation that is there to help employers, biggest Australian
S4: employers that you can think of right through to the
S4: Prime Minister and Cabinet Office, right through to, you know, federal,
S4: state government, local government and all the biggest brands. Our
S4: job is to help build their capability and confidence to
S4: welcome and include people with disability in their organisation. And
S4: so we provide a whole range of tools and resources.
S4: We also provide opportunities to connect people with disability into
S4: our organisation, into our member organisations and through the Pace
S4: mentoring program, as well as through the internship program, which
S4: is amazing and I think it's gold standard. I don't
S4: know of many organisations around the world that do what
S4: we do around our mentoring and internship program. So if
S4: you want to learn more about what we do and
S4: how we do it, just jump on our website or
S4: otherwise contact us at Australian Disability Network. Our website is
S4: fully inclusive and accessible, and we're more than happy to
S4: chat to anyone who would like to know more. But
S4: LinkedIn is also a really good place to follow us
S4: as well, and all the work we do and follow
S4: Brooke's amazing work. She's a great team member. We love
S4: having her on her team. She's the most calm and
S4: collected person I know, and she's a great contributor to
S4: the organisation and an advocate for people with disability.
S2: Yes, I can definitely attest to that one. Karen, I
S2: have had quite a lot to do with Brooke over
S2: the years, and it's always been a pleasure to work
S2: with you, Brooke, and great to have you and Karen
S2: back on the show today. So thank you both very
S2: much for your time.
S4: Thanks, Sam.
S3: Thank you. Sam.
S2: That's Karen Strauss and Brooke Carter. They're from the Australian
S2: Ion disability network. Chatting to me today all about the
S2: Pace mentoring program and the upcoming It's Not Hard to
S2: Be Inclusive campaign. I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to
S2: Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated Stations of Reading
S2: Radio and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed
S2: that conversation there with Corin and Brooke from the Australian
S2: Disability Network. If you missed any part of that conversation
S2: or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is
S2: available on your favorite podcast platform or through the Vision
S2: Australia library. You can also find the show on the
S2: Vision Australia Radio website at RVA radio.org. That's RVA radio
S2: all one word.org. If you are a Vision Australia Library member,
S2: you may have heard the exciting news about the recent
S2: changes to the library over the past week or so. Well,
S2: to have a little bit of a chat about this,
S2: I'm very pleased to be joined by a regular of
S2: ours on Talking Vision. Sarah Bloedorn, manager of the Vision
S2: Australia Library. Sarah, welcome back. Thanks so much for your time.
S3: Thanks for having me.
S2: Now there's some exciting changes going on at the Vision
S2: Australia Library. So what is changing? What can people look
S2: forward to?
S5: Yeah, we're always trying to keep people on their toes
S5: at the library for sure, but very excited to share
S5: about a systems change that we've had. I know often
S5: I come on here and talk about programs and books,
S5: but we don't often think about the system that actually
S5: runs our library. Everything happening kind of behind the scenes
S5: to make sure it works well and we've just implemented
S5: a new and improved library system. So what does that
S5: mean in real speak? Well, what we've done is we've
S5: made it easier for you to use your library and
S5: to find the things that you want to read, which
S5: is really what we're all looking for, isn't it? In
S5: terms of a library service. Certainly we've introduced many more
S5: categories that when you're searching, you can get more accurate
S5: search results. So you're really finding the things that you
S5: want to read. And you can also use these categories
S5: when you're setting up your preferences. So we can automatically
S5: allocate library resources to you. We've made some other changes
S5: around how the catalogue searches for languages other than English,
S5: so that you can find different languages, should you like
S5: to read in that way. And our categories have now
S5: moved from 50 to over 200 categories. So to explain
S5: that in real time, I guess, you know, someone might
S5: come to us and say, I really love romance books.
S5: I'd love to read a romance book, but they might
S5: want a really specific romance, and they might be getting
S5: books that they're not enjoying. So now you can break
S5: down a category like romance, which is quite broad really,
S5: to things like historical romance or modern romance. You can
S5: be a bit more selective. So hopefully say if we
S5: send you five books, you know, four of them are
S5: going to be right instead of potentially previously, if it
S5: was a little bit broad, you might only get one
S5: that you really loved. So this way you can be
S5: really specific. Another example is thinking about kind of your
S5: crime and mystery genre, which we know is our most popular.
S5: Within that, there's so many subgenres that you might not
S5: think of, but you might really like. So for example,
S5: something like spy fiction, or you might like thrillers, or
S5: you might just like your classic detective mystery, so you
S5: can choose those. And then hopefully with that, find lots
S5: of great books that you enjoy.
S2: Okay, so there's lots of changes out there, lots of
S2: different things going on. But what isn't changing, Sarah? What's
S2: staying the same? Yeah.
S5: Great question. And we know that with change, people can
S5: be a bit concerned that something will be taken away.
S5: But I can assure you that the library system is
S5: working as it always has been. So for anybody that
S5: hasn't used the library for a little while and are
S5: listening to this, when you go to log on, it
S5: will all log you on as usual, you don't need
S5: to change your username or password, and when you go in,
S5: you're going to find your books that you had there before,
S5: your subscriptions, etc. so really nothing changes unless you want
S5: it to. And in terms of the categories, you can
S5: go in and change those. And I can explain about
S5: that a little bit more. But if you don't want to,
S5: if you're really satisfied with the books that you're getting
S5: at the moment, no worries, just leave it and keep
S5: reading and enjoying your library.
S2: Okay, so let's go into a little bit more detail
S2: about how people can explore the new library and find
S2: their way around all the new features that are available.
S5: Sure. So once you've logged in to the system, we
S5: encourage you to have a look around and to explore
S5: the new features. For example, just do a search and
S5: try out the new search functionality. That's a really simple
S5: way to get to grips with some of the changes.
S5: With your advanced search experience, we encourage you to use
S5: the new categories and subcategories to get more accurate results.
S5: And if you've set up your library resources to be
S5: auto allocated, then please check and have a look at
S5: the new categories which I mentioned previously, which we now have.
S5: So for example, we've got the category of action, intrigue,
S5: crime and War. And below that is 16 different subcategories
S5: to choose from. So like I mentioned you've got crime fiction,
S5: but you've also got suspense fiction or psychological fiction. So
S5: have a look through that and tick the boxes that
S5: you want. Any that you don't tick, you won't receive
S5: those ones. So that's great. If you're wanting to exclude anything,
S5: just don't tick the box. Of course, if you would
S5: like any help with this, we're very happy to take
S5: you through the process of the categories. Probably a few
S5: minutes on a phone call with one of our librarians.
S5: So please, if that feels more comfortable, give us a call.
S5: Our number is 1300 847 466. And we can either speak to
S5: you over the phone then, or we can organise a
S5: call back in your time. And we can go through
S5: the categories with you.
S2: Okay. Perfect that number again one 308 47466. And Sarah,
S2: would there be some other contact details that people could
S2: get in touch with you? I guess some other ways,
S2: if they do have some questions or some issues, is
S2: there maybe an email or a there might be an
S2: FAQ on a website somewhere?
S5: Yeah, absolutely. So we've got lots of information about the changes.
S5: So feel free to check out our website which will
S5: be updating. And we do have a very extensive frequently
S5: asked questions section. So that's Vision Australia. Org slash services
S5: slash library. And if you go to the library news
S5: section there'll be information there. And you're very welcome to
S5: email us as well where Vision Australia library at Vision australia.org. Sorry,
S5: that's a bit of a long one. I'll say it again.
S5: Vision Australia library at Vision australia.org. Email us with any
S5: questions or to request a call back.
S2: Cool. Thanks so much Sarah. I've been speaking today with
S2: Sarah Bloedorn, manager of the Vision Australia Library, here to
S2: chat to me all about the latest changes in the
S2: library to improve the service and the experience for library
S2: members who are blind or have low vision. Sarah, thank
S2: you so much for your time today. Great to catch
S2: up with you. You too. Thank you. Now, we caught
S2: up with Brooke and Karen from the Australian Disability Network
S2: earlier in the show, but the Australian Disability Network is
S2: also putting out the call out for people with Disabilities
S2: in Greater Melbourne to join a 45 minute in-person user
S2: testing interview for a major banking organisation. The purpose of
S2: this session is to gather feedback that will help improve
S2: online and mobile banking services to better meet accessibility needs.
S2: As we said, the session will run for 45 minutes.
S2: It's located at a suitable in-person venue, and participants will
S2: be compensated $150 for their time. If you're interested, please
S2: complete the User Experience Questionnaire by November 4th by heading
S2: to the Vision Australia Radio homepage and clicking through the
S2: link to the User Experience Questionnaire. Now that Vision Australia
S2: Radio home page again, that's VR radio.org. VR radio.org. Org
S2: to have your say. And that's all the time we
S2: have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking
S2: vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to all
S2: involved with putting the show together every week. And remember,
S2: we love hearing from you. So please get in touch
S2: any time on our email at Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org.
S2: That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But
S2: until next week it's Sam Collins saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on 1300 847 406. That's 1300 847 406 or by visiting Vision australia.org.
S1: That's Vision australia.org.