WEBVTT - Talking Vision 784 Week Beginning 9th of June 2025 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:18.920 From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's 0:00:18.919 --> 0:00:21.000 your host Sam Colley. 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:26.520 Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:29.520 for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:30.560 and low vision. 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:34.479 Having all the skills, knowledge, education, you know, right up 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:38.319 your sleeve. I think that absolutely helps when you step 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:41.399 your foot in the workplace, you know your jaws, you 0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:44.120 know your zoomtext, you know your white cane, how to 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:47.639 get around. You just feel confident in that way and 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:49.400 no one can take that away from you. 0:00:49.599 --> 0:00:54.320 Welcome to the program. This week I'm very excited to 0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:58.480 welcome a voice who may few of you may be 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:03.880 familiar with. Her name is Vildana Praljak. She's the National 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:08.280 employment manager at Vision Australia, and I had the great 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:12.319 pleasure of catching up with her recently as part of 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:16.719 the Career Path podcast. And that interview is coming up 0:01:16.759 --> 0:01:20.240 very shortly, so make sure to stick around for that one. 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:24.400 Then after we hear from Vildana, it's my great pleasure 0:01:24.399 --> 0:01:30.079 to welcome Umbreen Williams from personnel Group, who's Allied Health 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:35.479 Department are running a series of information sessions around the 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:41.520 NDIS and the various clinical services available to people with 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:46.600 disabilities in their communities. I hope you enjoy this week's 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:53.560 episode of Talking Vision. Kicking off the show this week, 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:58.160 we feature an abridged version of my chat with National 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:04.730 Employment Manager from Vision Australia, Vildana Praljak. Vildana has lived 0:02:04.730 --> 0:02:08.810 experience of low vision, and this week you'll hear from 0:02:08.810 --> 0:02:13.730 her as she busts some common myths faced by numerous 0:02:13.730 --> 0:02:18.770 members of the blind and low vision community when interacting 0:02:18.770 --> 0:02:23.810 in the workforce. So without further ado, let's hear from 0:02:23.850 --> 0:02:28.330 Vildana right now. Today I'm excited to be joined by 0:02:28.370 --> 0:02:31.090 Vildana Praljak. Welcome, Vildana. 0:02:31.130 --> 0:02:33.850 Thank you Sam. And well done on pronunciation of my 0:02:33.850 --> 0:02:34.730 last name. 0:02:34.770 --> 0:02:35.650 No problem at all. 0:02:35.650 --> 0:02:36.090 Pretty spot. 0:02:36.130 --> 0:02:39.970 On. It's important to get people's names right, I think. Definitely. 0:02:39.970 --> 0:02:43.970 So good to hear. Now, firstly, Vildana, how can we 0:02:43.970 --> 0:02:47.810 break the myth that vision loss limits career options and 0:02:47.810 --> 0:02:53.610 help everyone to see the endless possibilities across industries like technology, 0:02:53.650 --> 0:02:55.930 finance and creative arts? 0:02:56.290 --> 0:02:59.930 Awesome. Not a big question at all. Do we have 0:02:59.930 --> 0:03:03.050 three hours? How do we break those myths? It is 0:03:03.050 --> 0:03:05.730 quite tricky, I think. Tricky in a way, to kind 0:03:05.730 --> 0:03:08.490 of there's not a simple solution to say, yes, we 0:03:08.490 --> 0:03:12.050 can do this by following these steps one, two and three. 0:03:12.090 --> 0:03:14.770 I think it comes down to some of the societal 0:03:14.770 --> 0:03:17.930 stereotypes that have been misapplied to people who are blind 0:03:17.930 --> 0:03:22.130 or have low vision historically, sometimes at the employer attitudes 0:03:22.130 --> 0:03:25.610 as well. And how could we do that? I'd say 0:03:25.650 --> 0:03:32.130 by probably showcasing some good stories. Employers where the placement 0:03:32.130 --> 0:03:34.690 into job for a person who's blind has low vision, 0:03:34.690 --> 0:03:39.050 has been quite successful, has worked well and helped employer 0:03:39.050 --> 0:03:43.130 to position themselves as an inclusive employer and to be honest, 0:03:43.170 --> 0:03:47.650 really increase their competitive advantage. I'd say it would be 0:03:47.650 --> 0:03:50.650 around us as a community of people who are blind 0:03:50.650 --> 0:03:54.890 to have a vision, really making sure that we have 0:03:54.970 --> 0:03:58.890 all of our education technology skills or what we call 0:03:58.890 --> 0:04:02.540 job readiness really up to date, because that really helps 0:04:02.540 --> 0:04:04.900 us to kind of showcase our talents and who we 0:04:04.900 --> 0:04:07.740 are really as a person. So that means if you're 0:04:07.740 --> 0:04:11.260 using screen readers being quite good and practicing and having 0:04:11.260 --> 0:04:15.540 enough experience in navigating computers or getting good skills and 0:04:15.540 --> 0:04:19.660 strategies in getting around the community and public transport, as 0:04:19.660 --> 0:04:22.660 well as some of those independent living skills around, even 0:04:22.660 --> 0:04:24.020 just like, how are you going to make a cup 0:04:24.020 --> 0:04:27.260 of tea in the office? Just all of that, I'd say, 0:04:27.380 --> 0:04:30.140 would probably come under that big umbrella of job readiness. 0:04:30.180 --> 0:04:33.180 I'll try and summarize it in a very, um, it's 0:04:33.220 --> 0:04:36.539 kind of both way work. The societal and the employer 0:04:36.540 --> 0:04:39.740 attitude needs shifting. But also we have to, as a community, 0:04:39.780 --> 0:04:43.100 be able to showcase our talents and our possibilities in 0:04:43.100 --> 0:04:45.380 the best possible light and be job ready. 0:04:45.380 --> 0:04:48.220 There are a few myths out there. For example, people 0:04:48.220 --> 0:04:51.020 might think, oh, there's only a few jobs I can 0:04:51.020 --> 0:04:53.980 do as someone with vision loss. So how can we 0:04:53.980 --> 0:04:58.339 challenge that belief, that vision loss limits career choices and 0:04:58.340 --> 0:05:01.300 inspire people to pursue diverse roles. 0:05:01.340 --> 0:05:04.420 Again, it comes back to connecting and being a part 0:05:04.420 --> 0:05:06.620 of community of people who are blind or have low 0:05:06.620 --> 0:05:09.900 vision and really looking out for those positive role models 0:05:09.900 --> 0:05:12.820 and to be honest, just approaching them, having a conversation 0:05:12.820 --> 0:05:15.620 with them and seeing, you know, how did you get there? 0:05:15.660 --> 0:05:18.700 What did you do? What worked? What didn't work? What 0:05:18.700 --> 0:05:20.980 is some of the advice that you can share? It's 0:05:20.980 --> 0:05:23.900 not a linear path. Absolutely. And there's a lot of 0:05:23.900 --> 0:05:26.420 ups and downs in anyone's journey, but I think it's 0:05:26.420 --> 0:05:29.020 just kind of connecting and being quite proactive with the 0:05:29.020 --> 0:05:31.740 broader blindness and low vision communities, because there are some 0:05:31.740 --> 0:05:35.260 exceptional leaders in those spaces. In my day to day job, 0:05:35.260 --> 0:05:38.140 I have had the opportunity to get to know quite 0:05:38.140 --> 0:05:41.260 a few different people that are working in all sorts 0:05:41.260 --> 0:05:46.620 of jobs everything from administrative roles, warehousing jobs all the 0:05:46.620 --> 0:05:49.420 way through to executive jobs in the government and large 0:05:49.420 --> 0:05:56.820 corporations like banks. Cybersecurity in community services in financial sector. Honestly, yeah. 0:05:56.820 --> 0:05:59.310 Where they say where there's an internet connection, Fiction. There 0:05:59.310 --> 0:06:00.910 is a job for someone who is blind and has 0:06:00.910 --> 0:06:03.270 low vision. But again, not to say that everyone has 0:06:03.270 --> 0:06:05.630 to have a job in the office. Absolutely. There are 0:06:05.670 --> 0:06:09.590 an incredible technologies now put in different environments that you 0:06:09.590 --> 0:06:12.310 can do some more hands on type jobs as well. 0:06:12.350 --> 0:06:15.710 I can't see us really driving airplanes for now, but 0:06:15.710 --> 0:06:18.270 the way technology is going, you know, why not? 0:06:18.310 --> 0:06:19.110 Yeah. Who knows? 0:06:19.110 --> 0:06:20.870 One day see that as one of the options? 0:06:20.910 --> 0:06:25.510 Absolutely. Yeah. And people who are blind or have low vision, 0:06:25.510 --> 0:06:30.470 they often face a few issues with perhaps self-esteem or confidence. 0:06:30.470 --> 0:06:33.510 Or can I do the job? Am I capable? And 0:06:33.510 --> 0:06:36.670 they have this nagging feeling in their brain, oh, you know, 0:06:36.710 --> 0:06:40.710 I'll always be at a disadvantage in the workplace, but 0:06:40.750 --> 0:06:44.430 how can we embrace the strengths that come with living 0:06:44.430 --> 0:06:49.270 with vision loss, such as adaptability and resilience, and use 0:06:49.270 --> 0:06:51.710 those to excel in the workplace? 0:06:51.750 --> 0:06:54.710 You're spot on. So as someone who is blind or 0:06:54.710 --> 0:06:58.350 has low vision and I absolutely, I am legally blind myself. 0:06:58.390 --> 0:07:01.070 I've acquired vision loss, and I absolutely can kind of 0:07:01.110 --> 0:07:02.950 tell a bit of a difference between the life before 0:07:02.950 --> 0:07:06.430 and after vision loss. And like you said, the adaptability, 0:07:06.430 --> 0:07:10.750 the flexibility, just the workarounds and the practicalities that come 0:07:10.750 --> 0:07:13.630 with vision loss. I'd absolutely say that's been a huge 0:07:13.670 --> 0:07:17.830 advantage for my own career progression. I think it's not 0:07:17.870 --> 0:07:21.950 a one size fits all approach, but I'd say celebrating 0:07:21.950 --> 0:07:24.870 some of the strengths that you have and absolutely like 0:07:24.910 --> 0:07:27.990 that sense of feeling like an imposter or this is 0:07:27.990 --> 0:07:30.670 not where I belong, or I feel like someone has 0:07:30.670 --> 0:07:34.270 just given me this role because of XYZ, not because 0:07:34.310 --> 0:07:37.830 I'm talented. I've been there. So I think it's just 0:07:37.830 --> 0:07:41.270 making the most out of any opportunity. And the confidence 0:07:41.270 --> 0:07:44.190 will be built by a sense of achievement. I'd say 0:07:44.190 --> 0:07:47.710 just if you are starting really small, volunteering in your 0:07:47.710 --> 0:07:50.550 local community, or even if you like, for Vision Australia, 0:07:50.550 --> 0:07:53.630 and contributing and seeing the impact of your work and 0:07:53.630 --> 0:07:56.150 slowly kind of starting to work towards your first job, 0:07:56.190 --> 0:08:00.480 that all helps to flex those muscles of confidence and self-esteem. 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:02.560 So just trying to build as many as you can, 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:05.440 those opportunities where you can contribute and feel like you 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:11.520 are a part of something. And again, having all the skills, knowledge, education, 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:14.760 you know, right up your sleeve, I think that absolutely 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:18.240 helps when you step your foot in the workplace, you 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:20.680 know your jaws, you know your zoom text, you know 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:23.680 your white cane, how to get around you just feel 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:26.400 confident in that way, and no one can take that 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:28.800 away from you. And you know, I always say vision 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:31.000 loss is not the most exciting thing about me. There's 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:33.520 so much I can do and stuff that I've done 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:36.800 and the achievements and failures as well. But I'd say 0:08:36.839 --> 0:08:41.079 having all of those definitely being quite familiar with the technology, 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:44.839 getting around and living independently, I think that's the biggest, 0:08:44.839 --> 0:08:47.959 biggest catalyst to anyone's good, healthy confidence. 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:52.679 And following on from that Vildana, there's a related kind 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:56.480 of thought that people might have where they might think, oh, 0:08:56.640 --> 0:09:00.759 employers won't want to hire me because of my vision loss, 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:04.199 but how can we shift that narrative and help employers 0:09:04.199 --> 0:09:08.920 recognize that talent and diverse perspectives, not eyesight, are what 0:09:08.959 --> 0:09:10.039 drives success. 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:14.039 It's a complex one, and different employers or even industries 0:09:14.079 --> 0:09:18.079 are at different stages of their sort of inclusive hiring practices. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.520 In the employment services at Vision Australia, we partner with 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:27.679 several different employers and some are very much advanced in 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:31.359 their journey of inclusive hiring. We have a pipeline pretty 0:09:31.359 --> 0:09:34.400 much with some employers. I hope they will not mind 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.480 me naming them like Apple for example. We work very 0:09:37.479 --> 0:09:40.719 directly with the talent acquisition team and they are very, 0:09:40.719 --> 0:09:43.160 very open to accommodate. But they also want to see 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.040 the talent as they say. They really want to see 0:09:45.040 --> 0:09:48.000 the people being hungry for the work and really wanting 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:50.400 to get out there and achieve. And I think it's 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:53.920 really building on that, showcasing those stories, but also allowing 0:09:54.170 --> 0:09:58.329 Employers because often the attitudes from my experience, it really 0:09:58.329 --> 0:10:01.650 comes from ignorance and not knowing what to do. What's 0:10:01.650 --> 0:10:04.530 the right thing to do? So people do two things. 0:10:04.569 --> 0:10:08.650 Either they say or do something inappropriate or disengage completely. 0:10:08.969 --> 0:10:12.050 What we're trying to do, I'd say, would be, can 0:10:12.089 --> 0:10:16.769 we have a very open and confidential conversation with employers? 0:10:16.770 --> 0:10:19.490 What is it that concerns you? And sometimes I know 0:10:19.490 --> 0:10:22.210 some blind, low vision peers would go and show them 0:10:22.209 --> 0:10:24.489 how they use technology. And it's like, this is just 0:10:24.490 --> 0:10:27.490 how I do things. If that's what's going to change 0:10:27.490 --> 0:10:30.729 the levels of confidence for the employer. Sometimes you can 0:10:30.770 --> 0:10:33.929 point them to different success stories or have a conversation, 0:10:33.969 --> 0:10:37.290 arrange a coffee, catch up with that potential employer or recruiter, 0:10:37.290 --> 0:10:40.410 and invite a colleague that's really successful and has done 0:10:40.410 --> 0:10:43.449 it in their career. There's just different ways of thinking 0:10:43.449 --> 0:10:46.449 outside of the box, but I think as a community, 0:10:46.490 --> 0:10:49.410 I'd say we'll have to be just open and prepared 0:10:49.410 --> 0:10:52.370 for that conversation where people may ask a lot of 0:10:52.410 --> 0:10:55.810 potentially awkward questions, but I think it really comes from 0:10:55.809 --> 0:10:57.490 ignorance more than anything. 0:10:57.849 --> 0:11:02.569 Vildana what would you say to somebody who might be thinking, oh, 0:11:02.569 --> 0:11:07.530 I can't pursue a career in technology or fast paced industries? 0:11:07.530 --> 0:11:10.809 How can we encourage people with vision loss to embrace 0:11:10.809 --> 0:11:16.329 those sorts of careers? Fast paced industries like technology, finance, healthcare, 0:11:16.370 --> 0:11:19.569 where assistive tools can level the playing field? 0:11:19.609 --> 0:11:24.089 Absolutely. And I've heard few senior leaders who are blind 0:11:24.089 --> 0:11:26.530 or have low vision saying there's never been a better 0:11:26.530 --> 0:11:29.369 time to be blind than now. And they're probably referring 0:11:29.410 --> 0:11:31.730 to the times when they would go to blind school 0:11:31.770 --> 0:11:34.490 versus to what it is today, where the whole world 0:11:34.490 --> 0:11:37.449 is sitting in our pocket. I'd say technology is the 0:11:37.449 --> 0:11:41.929 biggest enabler for employment and careers. For someone who has 0:11:41.929 --> 0:11:45.570 blindness or low vision. Again, be curious. Just play with 0:11:45.569 --> 0:11:49.769 those different software applications. I mean, there's a lot of 0:11:49.770 --> 0:11:53.140 talk around it in the community, but it's just incredible 0:11:53.179 --> 0:11:55.420 what it can do and the way it's going to 0:11:55.420 --> 0:11:58.020 be used in the workplace. You know, just stay on 0:11:58.020 --> 0:12:01.460 top of that. Read, educate yourself, have a go. If 0:12:01.459 --> 0:12:05.060 it's your first employment, try in a voluntary capacity first 0:12:05.059 --> 0:12:07.699 and see how you go. There's just different ways of 0:12:07.740 --> 0:12:10.740 cracking that tech world, but I'd say there are some 0:12:10.780 --> 0:12:14.100 fantastic examples of people who are blind or have low vision. 0:12:14.140 --> 0:12:17.699 Even at Vision Australia, for example, we have blind developers 0:12:17.740 --> 0:12:21.859 or companies like Microsoft or Apple as well. Optus as well. 0:12:22.020 --> 0:12:25.100 They some of their senior executives are people with lived 0:12:25.099 --> 0:12:28.100 experience of blindness and low vision. Westpac, like all these 0:12:28.099 --> 0:12:31.699 big banks? Absolutely. It is very possible. But it comes 0:12:31.699 --> 0:12:33.900 back to like, what is my bag of tricks and 0:12:33.900 --> 0:12:36.140 my bag of tools that I can use and obviously 0:12:36.140 --> 0:12:39.780 knowledge and those skills, curiosity and having fun. I would 0:12:39.780 --> 0:12:41.780 say would be probably the number one that I would 0:12:41.780 --> 0:12:43.579 say that would be my bag of tricks. 0:12:43.819 --> 0:12:47.699 What about those people who might be thinking, I don't 0:12:47.699 --> 0:12:51.219 have the confidence to go for my dream job? What 0:12:51.339 --> 0:12:55.059 steps can be taken to build that sort of confidence, 0:12:55.099 --> 0:12:59.260 focusing on strengths and feeling ready to pursue a dream 0:12:59.260 --> 0:13:03.260 job with support from career coaching and skills training. 0:13:03.579 --> 0:13:06.179 It's kind of chicken or egg. I don't think that 0:13:06.179 --> 0:13:09.939 any of us going to employment super confident. I remember 0:13:10.140 --> 0:13:12.179 when I was first starting and, you know, manager would 0:13:12.179 --> 0:13:14.339 ask me to do something like, what the hell? And 0:13:14.339 --> 0:13:17.179 I would just Google it. I think we partially would 0:13:17.179 --> 0:13:20.460 have to accept to be uncomfortable with uncertainty and not 0:13:20.459 --> 0:13:23.900 knowing that we don't know everything. I'd say, again, like 0:13:23.939 --> 0:13:26.860 practicing on a smaller kind of project, let's say at 0:13:26.859 --> 0:13:31.219 school or university or TAFE or volunteering. Just flex those 0:13:31.219 --> 0:13:33.579 muscles there. Just see how you go. It's a safe 0:13:33.579 --> 0:13:38.780 environment for you to trial and get some feedback. Work placements, internships, 0:13:38.780 --> 0:13:43.660 graduate programs they're all fantastic environments for someone to grow. 0:13:43.660 --> 0:13:46.939 And there are wonderful, wonderful mentorship programs out there as 0:13:46.939 --> 0:13:49.340 well that I can think of that really create that 0:13:49.339 --> 0:13:52.860 safe space to have a conversation and try things and 0:13:52.900 --> 0:13:57.179 hear from different perspectives. I'd also say the dream job 0:13:57.179 --> 0:13:59.420 is not a linear path to get to it. It's 0:13:59.420 --> 0:14:01.619 rarely really that, yeah, I want to be a CEO 0:14:01.620 --> 0:14:04.459 or I want to be an expert or an executive 0:14:04.459 --> 0:14:06.659 in a bank. It's a bit of a jungle gym. 0:14:06.660 --> 0:14:09.059 You go a bit left and right and one step 0:14:09.059 --> 0:14:12.339 forward and two backwards and then three steps ahead. And 0:14:12.339 --> 0:14:14.699 it's never really a straight, but I think as long 0:14:14.699 --> 0:14:16.660 as you kind of embrace it with a bit of, 0:14:16.699 --> 0:14:20.340 like I said, a curiosity and fun and exploring and 0:14:20.340 --> 0:14:24.180 desire to learn, I think everything will fall into place naturally. 0:14:24.220 --> 0:14:26.860 Phil, Donna, thank you so much for your time today. 0:14:26.859 --> 0:14:29.780 It was great to catch up with you and dispel 0:14:29.820 --> 0:14:33.739 all the different range of myths faced by the blind 0:14:33.740 --> 0:14:36.660 and low vision community in the workforce. 0:14:36.660 --> 0:14:38.619 Thank you Sam. Thanks for the opportunity. 0:14:38.660 --> 0:14:44.580 Vildana Praljak, their National Employment Manager from Vision Australia, chatting 0:14:44.580 --> 0:14:48.500 with me today about how we can bust the most 0:14:48.500 --> 0:14:52.470 common myths faced by members of the blind and low 0:14:52.470 --> 0:14:57.389 vision community when out and about in the workforce. If 0:14:57.430 --> 0:15:00.830 you'd love to hear the full episode, you can find 0:15:00.870 --> 0:15:06.070 the career path on your favorite podcast platform or through 0:15:06.070 --> 0:15:11.109 the Vision Australia library. This episode will very shortly be 0:15:11.109 --> 0:15:14.910 available in full, so be sure to check out the 0:15:14.910 --> 0:15:24.830 page very shortly. I'm Sam Corley and you're listening to 0:15:24.870 --> 0:15:31.070 Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated Stations of Reading 0:15:31.070 --> 0:15:37.229 Radio and the Community Radio Network. That was Vildana praljak 0:15:37.270 --> 0:15:41.390 there from Vision Australia. If you'd like to hear more 0:15:41.390 --> 0:15:45.230 from Vildana or you missed any part of that interview 0:15:45.229 --> 0:15:49.590 today on top of heading to the Career Path podcast. 0:15:49.630 --> 0:15:53.150 You can also find most of the interview on this 0:15:53.150 --> 0:15:58.110 week's episode of Talking Vision. Simply head to the Vision 0:15:58.150 --> 0:16:04.190 Australia Radio website at VA radio Dot. That's VA radio 0:16:04.229 --> 0:16:09.590 all one word.org or find us on your favorite podcast 0:16:09.590 --> 0:16:14.590 platform or through the Vision Australia library. And now back 0:16:14.590 --> 0:16:19.750 to the show with Umbaran. Today I'm speaking with Umbaran Williams, 0:16:19.830 --> 0:16:25.830 Business Development Manager at personnel Group, who's allied health department 0:16:25.830 --> 0:16:31.270 are running a series of information sessions, two of which 0:16:31.270 --> 0:16:35.470 are coming up very shortly in Perth and Wollongong for 0:16:35.470 --> 0:16:39.190 people to ask any questions they might have about not 0:16:39.190 --> 0:16:45.869 only the NDIS but behavioral support, psychology or occupational therapy. 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.840 So to tell us all about the sessions. It's my 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:54.320 great pleasure to welcome Maureen. Right now, I'm Maureen, welcome 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:57.639 to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for your time today. 0:16:58.240 --> 0:17:00.160 Well, thanks so much for having me, Sam. I'm very, 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:02.480 very excited and I have to let you know this 0:17:02.479 --> 0:17:05.159 is my second time being on the radio. 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:05.920 Oh, okay. 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:08.720 Hopefully I'll do better than the last time. 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:12.680 No, I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job. First up, um, Maureen, 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:16.600 I'd really love to hear about personnel group and in 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:20.160 particular the allied health sector where you're working. 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:23.840 Yeah, sure. Um, so the personnel group's been around for 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:28.880 about 39 years. So big for next year for us. And, uh, 0:17:28.919 --> 0:17:32.760 we started working in the disability employment space. And we're 0:17:32.760 --> 0:17:37.040 very community minded. We're not for profit. And recently, in 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:40.359 the last couple of years, we've expanded into the allied 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:46.000 health space. And we're doing that in Victoria, New South Wales, 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:49.920 Western Australia and Act. So we've got a few clinics 0:17:49.919 --> 0:17:54.639 around and some wonderful clinicians doing some amazing work. And 0:17:54.639 --> 0:17:58.479 my role I've only recently come on in April and 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:02.600 my role is business development manager. And I suppose just 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:05.399 connecting with other people in the community who are looking 0:18:05.399 --> 0:18:09.719 for supports as well as other NDIS providers. Yeah, just 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:12.920 trying to really collaborate with people and see how we 0:18:12.919 --> 0:18:13.920 can help them. 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:17.840 Okay. And I'd love to hear a bit more about 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:22.520 those clinics. And as I understand, there's a couple coming 0:18:22.520 --> 0:18:25.440 up this month in fact. So tell us a bit 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:26.399 about those. 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:30.159 Yeah. So we've got a few clinics in, as I mentioned, 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:33.280 in four different states. And what we've decided to do 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:38.480 is a few free therapy info sessions. So in our 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:43.680 clinic in Spearwood in Perth, we've got a free therapy 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:47.570 info session coming up on the 16th of June, as 0:18:47.570 --> 0:18:50.690 well as our clinic in Dapto, New South Wales. We've 0:18:50.690 --> 0:18:55.050 got one on the 26th of June and anyone in 0:18:55.050 --> 0:18:59.330 the community, whether they have an NDIS plan, don't have one. 0:18:59.330 --> 0:19:02.129 Just have some questions. Can just come into our clinic 0:19:02.129 --> 0:19:05.929 and have a chat with our clinicians. So in our 0:19:06.369 --> 0:19:10.330 clinic we have Mitchell, who is a wonderful psychologist combined 0:19:10.330 --> 0:19:14.810 with behaviour support practitioner and our clinicians in Spearwood. We've 0:19:14.810 --> 0:19:16.810 got three of them who'll be present on the day. 0:19:16.810 --> 0:19:22.609 We'll have an occupational therapist, psychologist and positive behavior support practitioner. 0:19:22.930 --> 0:19:27.369 So yeah, any questions anyone has can be around school readiness. 0:19:27.409 --> 0:19:30.050 If they've got children can be about themselves. If they've 0:19:30.050 --> 0:19:35.609 got anxiety or challenges with sleep behaviours, anything really that 0:19:35.609 --> 0:19:39.330 people may not have access to a clinician to chat about. 0:19:39.330 --> 0:19:41.369 They can come and have a chat with our allied 0:19:41.369 --> 0:19:44.010 health professionals and it's going to be a very casual 0:19:44.010 --> 0:19:46.570 environment for them to do that and don't need to 0:19:46.609 --> 0:19:50.250 sign up. You can just walk in and hopefully it'll 0:19:50.250 --> 0:19:53.010 create a comfortable space for people where they can feel 0:19:53.010 --> 0:19:54.810 they can have those conversations. 0:19:54.850 --> 0:20:00.290 And let's get the locations of those places in Spearwood 0:20:00.290 --> 0:20:03.570 and Dapto. For people who are interested, but not quite 0:20:03.570 --> 0:20:08.369 sure where those places are and how they'd navigate their 0:20:08.369 --> 0:20:11.689 way there, and mobility is super important and being able 0:20:11.690 --> 0:20:15.050 to find your way around. What's the best way for 0:20:15.050 --> 0:20:19.650 people to make their way to the Spearwood or Dapto locations, 0:20:19.649 --> 0:20:24.889 if they require public transport or accessible ways to get around? 0:20:25.210 --> 0:20:28.170 So within Dapto, which is quite near Wollongong in New 0:20:28.169 --> 0:20:33.010 South Wales, is sort of on a main highway. So 0:20:33.129 --> 0:20:36.290 if you are able to take public transport or a 0:20:36.290 --> 0:20:39.210 car and get there, it's right in the middle of 0:20:39.250 --> 0:20:42.900 a very busy area with shopping centres and things around there, 0:20:42.899 --> 0:20:46.379 so it's quite accessible and easy to get to. Our 0:20:46.379 --> 0:20:49.780 clinic in Perth in Spearwood is a little bit out 0:20:49.780 --> 0:20:53.140 of the way. Located south of the river. So if 0:20:53.139 --> 0:20:56.740 you're coming from, say, Perth CBD, there's a few options. 0:20:56.740 --> 0:20:59.780 You can take a train and get off at Mandurah 0:20:59.780 --> 0:21:03.340 station and then get a bus at Fremantle station and 0:21:03.340 --> 0:21:06.340 get off there. Um, otherwise you can take a train 0:21:06.379 --> 0:21:09.659 straight to Fremantle station and then it's a bit of 0:21:09.659 --> 0:21:12.859 a walk about ten minutes from there. And the address 0:21:12.859 --> 0:21:18.340 for that one is three by 21 Mill Road in Spearwood. 0:21:18.940 --> 0:21:22.620 And the clinic is located, as I said, on Princes Highway. 0:21:22.619 --> 0:21:26.660 So that's number 62, Princess Highway in Dapto. 0:21:27.020 --> 0:21:31.740 Perfect. And um, let's get the days and times again 0:21:31.740 --> 0:21:36.500 for people out there of those two sessions in Dapto 0:21:36.500 --> 0:21:37.580 and Spearwood. 0:21:37.619 --> 0:21:41.780 Yeah, sure. So, uh, for the Spearwood clinic, We're having 0:21:41.780 --> 0:21:45.959 the session on the 16th of June from 3 to 0:21:45.960 --> 0:21:50.220 4 p.m., and for the dental clinic, it's the 26th 0:21:50.220 --> 0:21:53.379 of June from 3 to 4:30 p.m.. 0:21:53.980 --> 0:21:59.340 And, um, brain, let's go into the reasons behind why 0:21:59.379 --> 0:22:02.340 personnel Group is holding the info sessions. 0:22:02.580 --> 0:22:05.980 The reason we came up with it is, I suppose, Manyfold. 0:22:05.980 --> 0:22:09.179 But one of the reasons being we are very committed 0:22:09.180 --> 0:22:13.300 to supporting the local communities we live and work in, 0:22:13.300 --> 0:22:16.659 so we just wanted to support them and be able 0:22:16.659 --> 0:22:21.860 to be available to answer any questions people had. But also, 0:22:21.899 --> 0:22:26.379 I think working in the sector, working within the NDIS space, 0:22:26.379 --> 0:22:30.019 within the disability space, I think I and a lot 0:22:30.020 --> 0:22:32.619 of my colleagues, we find ourselves to be very, very 0:22:32.619 --> 0:22:38.619 privileged to have easy access to allied health professionals, medical professionals, 0:22:38.780 --> 0:22:41.670 a lot of people who have, you know, answers to 0:22:41.710 --> 0:22:45.190 even the smallest questions we might have. And we're very, 0:22:45.190 --> 0:22:47.750 very aware of the fact that a lot of people 0:22:47.750 --> 0:22:50.910 don't have access to that. People may not have, you know, 0:22:50.950 --> 0:22:53.429 the funds or the connections to be able to just, 0:22:53.470 --> 0:22:55.949 you know, phone a friend and ask a question about 0:22:55.950 --> 0:22:59.870 whether their child is struggling with behaviors or, you know, 0:22:59.909 --> 0:23:02.590 things like that. So I think it's very important for 0:23:02.590 --> 0:23:06.230 people to have a safe space and an easily accessible 0:23:06.230 --> 0:23:10.190 space where they can go and ask questions without judgment 0:23:10.190 --> 0:23:13.350 and not have to, you know, pay hundreds of dollars 0:23:13.350 --> 0:23:17.070 to access. And people may not have an NDIS plan, 0:23:17.070 --> 0:23:20.270 or people may not feel comfortable going through a GP 0:23:20.310 --> 0:23:23.389 to get a referral to a specialist. So I think 0:23:23.389 --> 0:23:28.030 just creating those spaces where people feel comfortable and can 0:23:28.030 --> 0:23:30.989 just ask any questions and don't have to pay a 0:23:30.990 --> 0:23:33.550 lot of money or pay money at all in this case. 0:23:33.550 --> 0:23:37.109 And yeah, there's nothing in it for us other than 0:23:37.109 --> 0:23:39.750 just trying to support our community better. 0:23:39.950 --> 0:23:42.949 And as you've said, I'm boring. People don't need to 0:23:42.990 --> 0:23:48.230 necessarily register. They can simply show up to those information 0:23:48.230 --> 0:23:51.830 sessions to find out more and meet up with the 0:23:51.950 --> 0:23:57.070 different staff members of the allied health offices. But if 0:23:57.070 --> 0:24:00.470 people would like to know a bit more about personnel 0:24:00.470 --> 0:24:04.310 Group or the allied health work that you're doing, what's 0:24:04.310 --> 0:24:07.710 the best way for them to look into it and 0:24:07.710 --> 0:24:09.510 perhaps find out more info? 0:24:09.790 --> 0:24:12.550 Yeah, so there's a few different ways people can find 0:24:12.550 --> 0:24:18.109 out more information. So we've published the events on Eventbrite. 0:24:18.109 --> 0:24:22.709 So if you go on to Eventbrite.com and you type 0:24:22.710 --> 0:24:26.030 in the personnel group, the events will be there. So 0:24:26.030 --> 0:24:29.110 you can have a look at those. You can also 0:24:29.149 --> 0:24:32.670 find us on the social media platforms. So we are 0:24:32.710 --> 0:24:36.909 on Facebook LinkedIn and you can check our website as well. 0:24:36.909 --> 0:24:40.240 So we do update our social media and our website 0:24:40.240 --> 0:24:43.560 quite regularly with information. But yeah, that's pretty much the 0:24:43.560 --> 0:24:46.960 best way I'd say to find the information or I'm 0:24:47.000 --> 0:24:49.719 happy to give out my details as well, as the 0:24:49.720 --> 0:24:52.159 Flyers will have my details on them as well, so 0:24:52.159 --> 0:24:55.399 you can reach out to me directly via email or phone. 0:24:55.919 --> 0:25:00.159 We'll get that website first before we jump into that, 0:25:00.159 --> 0:25:01.080 if that's okay. 0:25:01.560 --> 0:25:05.840 Yeah. So it's personnel group with a double n.com. Oh. 0:25:06.639 --> 0:25:10.920 Wonderful. And for people who'd like to perhaps get in 0:25:10.919 --> 0:25:13.280 touch with you, what are those details there? 0:25:13.440 --> 0:25:16.359 Yeah, I'm happy to share my email and contact number, 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:17.840 if that's all right, to share. 0:25:17.879 --> 0:25:19.759 If you're comfortable with that. Yeah. 0:25:19.800 --> 0:25:22.879 Yeah. No, I'm more than happy to. So my direct 0:25:22.879 --> 0:25:33.400 contact number is 0432 826 771. So feel free to call or text. 0:25:33.399 --> 0:25:36.560 And if you'd like to send me an email my 0:25:36.720 --> 0:25:42.639 email address is U. Williams at personnel Group with a 0:25:42.639 --> 0:25:45.200 double n.com.au. 0:25:45.720 --> 0:25:51.320 I've been speaking today with Umbreon Williams, Business Development manager 0:25:51.320 --> 0:25:56.040 at the Allied Health Department of Personnel group. Chatting to 0:25:56.040 --> 0:26:01.600 us today about a series of information sessions coming up 0:26:01.600 --> 0:26:05.600 later this month to help people find out a little 0:26:05.680 --> 0:26:11.040 bit more about the services available to them through personnel 0:26:11.080 --> 0:26:17.119 Group in terms of NDIS plans or otherwise. Umbreon, thank 0:26:17.159 --> 0:26:19.639 you so much for your time today. It was great 0:26:19.639 --> 0:26:22.000 to have a chat with you and talk about the 0:26:22.000 --> 0:26:23.080 info sessions. 0:26:23.800 --> 0:26:25.920 No worries at all. Sam, thank you so much for 0:26:25.919 --> 0:26:28.440 having me. I really appreciate it and I feel very, 0:26:28.440 --> 0:26:31.120 very privileged to be talking to you today. 0:26:37.250 --> 0:26:40.290 And that's all the time we have for today. You've 0:26:40.290 --> 0:26:44.409 been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision 0:26:44.450 --> 0:26:48.610 Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the 0:26:48.609 --> 0:26:52.770 show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you. 0:26:52.770 --> 0:26:56.290 So please get in touch anytime on our email at 0:26:56.330 --> 0:27:01.689 Talking Vision at Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One 0:27:01.690 --> 0:27:06.169 word at Vision Australia dot. But until next week it's 0:27:06.169 --> 0:27:08.450 Sam Corley saying bye for now. 0:27:12.330 --> 0:27:16.410 You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during 0:27:16.409 --> 0:27:25.290 business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 746 0:27:25.330 --> 0:27:30.050 or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia dot.