WUNRN
Women
With Disabilities
Update
Report July/August 2008
Women
With Disabilities
Contents:
1.
2. WWDA
Submission to the Australian Government’s Consultations on the National Plan to
Reduce Violence Against Women and Children
3. WWDA
Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Pay Equity and Increasing Female
Participation in the Workforce
4. WWDA Presentations to International Conferences
5. WWDA Telecommunications Group - Update
6. Article: Coercive Sterilisation of Romani Women in
7. The Midnight Quiet – A Poem by Cherie Wells
8. Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Conference –
Communiqué 23 July 2008
9. The Pension Review
10. National Rural Women’s
11. News & information from other organisations
12. Conferences
13. New on the WWDA Website
14. Resources – Books, Reports, Websites
15. WWDA Management Committee 2008-2009
16. Join WWDA!
1.
On
July 18
More information on the CRPD can be found at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/
Nominees for the CRPD Committee can be found at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crpd/crpds1.htm
The
Australian Government has also signalled its intent to become a party to the Optional Protocol to CEDAW (OP-CEDAW).
The OP-CEDAW was adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly on
6 October 1999 and entered into force on the 22 December 2000. The OP-CEDAW
contains two procedures: a communications procedure allowing individuals, or
groups of individuals, to submit claims of violations of rights to the
Committee on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women; and
an inquiry procedure, enabling the Committee to initiate inquiries into
situations of grave or systemic violations of women's rights. Individuals may
make communications only if the nation concerned is a party to the protocol. As
of November 2007, there were 90 signatories to the Optional Protocol. The
Howard Government had refused to sign the Optional Protocol to CEDAW, meaning
that women with disabilities in
The
Attorney-General recently called for comments on whether
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/26august2008/tor1.htm.
The
Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (see: www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/index.htm)
will now consider the NIA and the text of the Optional Protocol and will report
by 10 November as to whether it considers the Government should become a party
to the Optional Protocol. The Joint Standing Committee has invited submissions
on the Optional Protocol from anyone with an interest in the subject matter of
the proposed treaty action: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/26august2008/index.htm.
More
information on the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and
its Optional Protocol can be found at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/
During
the past two months, WWDA has also provided written submissions to several
other consultation processes, including:
- the possible accession of
- the AusAID consultation on the development of a Disability Strategy for the Australian
Government’s Overseas Aid Program;
- the Australian Government’s Draft Fourth Report under the Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC);
- the Senate Inquiry into the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.
Contact
WWDA at wwda@wwda.org.au for more
information.
2. WWDA Submission to the Australian
Government’s Consultations on the
National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children
In
the lead up to the Federal election in late 2007, the Australian Labor Party
(ALP) articulated its commitment to reducing violence in our community,
including violence against women. In doing so, the ALP recognised the need to
acknowledge the incidence and prevalence of family violence in all sectors of
the Australian community and to accurately name and define family violence in
all aspects of Labor Party policy making. The ALP specifically acknowledged the
particular vulnerability of women with disabilities to violence and pledged to
implement measures to address this.
In
early 2008, the newly elected Rudd Labor Government announced its intention to
establish a National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children. The
National Council was established in May 2008 and has a number of roles,
including the responsibility of drafting a National Plan to Reduce Violence
Against Women and Children. As part of this task, in June 2008, the Council
called for public responses to inform the development of the Plan.
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In
July, WWDA developed a Submission for input into the Government’s National Plan
to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children.
WWDA’s
Submission entitled ‘We’re Women Too!’
stresses WWDA’s view that an integrated and inclusive human rights approach to
the prevention of violence against women must take into account the variety of
factors that shape and reinforce women's experiences of discrimination and
violence, including disability.
WWDA’s
submission focuses on key, practical strategies to end and prevent violence
against women with disabilities, and these strategies are addressed under a
range of themes including:
- A Human
Rights Approach to Violence Prevention
- Structure,
Scope, & Elements of the National Plan to Reduce Violence
- Addressing
the Social Exclusion of Women with Disabilities
- Building
the Capacity of Women With Disabilities Organisations
- Legislation
and definitions
- Data
Collection and Research
- Inclusive
and accessible services and programs
- Information,
education and training
- Access
to the criminal justice system
- Advocacy
& Media Campaigns
- Coordination
and inter/multi agency collaboration
WWDA’s
Submission has been widely disseminated, including a copy sent to a number of
Ministers and politicians, as well as to the members of the National Council to
Reduce Violence Against Women and Children. A copy is also available on
WWDA
delegates Annie Parkinson and Keran Howe also met with the members of the
National Council in late August to further discuss issues around violence and
women with disabilities. A report of that meeting will be provided in the next
Update Report.
3. WWDA Submission to the Parliamentary
Inquiry into Pay Equity and Increasing
Female Participation in the Workforce
On
Thursday 26 June 2008 the Acting Minister for Employment and Workplace
Relations, The Hon Brendan O'Connor MP, asked the House of Representatives
Standing Committee on Employment and Workplace Relations to inquire into and
report on pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female
participation in the workforce.
WWDA’s
Submission to this Inquiry looks at the intersection of gender, disability and
employment and highlights the obvious marginalization and exclusion of women
with disabilities in the Australian labour market – a situation that has
remained unchanged in
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WWDA’s
Submission gives a brief overview of a rights based approach to employment,
recognising that equal treatment, equal opportunity, and non-discrimination
provide for inclusive opportunities for women with disabilities in mainstream
society. The Submission examines a range of barriers which prevent women with
disabilities from securing and maintaining paid employment, including for
example: discriminatory attitudes; poverty; non-optional costs of disability;
inflexible work arrangements; inaccessible environments; experience of and
vulnerability to violence; issues relating to transport, child care, attendant
care; insecure housing; and more.
A
number of strategies to address the barriers are discussed including the need
for data collection and disaggregation; research; targeted gender-specific
measures to promote inclusion; and importantly, the need for capacity building
of women with disabilities organisations, groups and networks in efforts to
promote the social inclusion of women with disabilities.
WWDA’s
Submission has been submitted to the Parliamentary Committee on Employment and
Workplace Relations and will be distributed more widely in the coming weeks. A
copy will also soon be made available on WWDA’s website. Please contact Carolyn
at wwda@wwda.org.au if you would like
more information.
4. WWDA Presentations to International
Conferences
WWDA
Vice-President Sue Salthouse, is currently in Canada to showcase WWDA’s work on
human rights advocacy and violence prevention at two international Conferences
– the Rehabilitation International 21st World Congress (Quebec City,
August 25-28) and the first ever World Conference of Women’s Shelters (Alberta,
September 8 – 11).
The
Rehabilitation International 21st World Congress Conference will see
Sue Salthouse present a paper on behalf of WWDA entitled ‘A Seat at the Table: Improving the Status of Australian Women With
Disabilities through Systemic Advocacy’. This paper highlights the impact
of multiple discriminations caused by the intersection of gender and
disability, and looks at the systemic advocacy work of WWDA over the past
decade in efforts to address these discriminations. As an adjunct to the
Rehabilitation International Congress, a day is being dedicated to a Forum for
Women With Disabilities. The aim of the Forum is to examine ways in which women
with disabilities around the world can collaborate on the implementation of
Article 6 (Women With Disabilities) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (CRPD).
WWDA
Executive Director Carolyn Frohmader has been liaising with the Forum
organisers to secure WWDA’s involvement in this Forum, and any outcomes arising
from the Forum. The Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN)
Sue
Salthouse is also representing WWDA at the first ever World Conference of
Women’s Shelters, to be held in
As
reported in an earlier issue of our Update Report, WWDA wrote to the Federal
and State/Territory Governments requesting funding support to enable our
organisation to attend these important international conferences. WWDA
gratefully acknowledges the support of the ACT, NSW and Vic governments – which
each met WWDA’s funding request for $3,000.
This
month, WWDA’s Resource Manual on Violence
Against Women with Disabilities is being showcased as an example of good
practice at a Conference on Violence Against Women with Disabilities in the
European Parliament. Member of European Parliament (MEP) Eva-Britt Svensson
from the GUE/NGL-Group, and Vice Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and
Gender Equality (FEMM) in co-operation with Coalition Against Trafficking in
Women (CATW) is hosting a conference on ‘Violence
Against Women with Disabilities’ on August 28, in the European Parliament.
Commissioner Vladimir Spidla (Employment, Social Affairs and Equal
Opportunities) will also be attending the conference, and has been provided
with a copy of WWDA’s Resource Manual. Eva-Britt Svensson (MEP) has written to
WWDA acknowledging the contribution of WWDA’s violence prevention work, and the
importance of WWDA’s leadership in this area.
WWDA’s
Conference papers 1) ‘A Seat at the
Table: Improving the Status of Australian Women With Disabilities through
Systemic Advocacy’ and 2) ‘No Way Out
– Nowhere to Go: global perspectives on disability, disempowerment, domestic
violence and denial of refuge’ will soon be made available on WWDA’s
website. If anyone would like a copy emailed to them, please contact WWDA at wwda@wwda.org.au A detailed report will also be provided in
the next edition of WWDA’s Update Report.
5. WWDA Telecommunications Group - Update
5.1. Phone-glish: the new WWDA dictionary of
mobile communication
For
many of us the world of phones and especially of mobile phones is one of
jargon, acronyms and myriad, meaningless technical specifications. With large
numbers of Service Providers, some large and some small and some
fly-by-nighters, the whole scenario has been dubbed ‘a confusopoly’ whereby the
many companies with similar products seem as if they are intentionally
confusing us as customers instead of competing on price.
Under
the 8th WWDA Telecommunications Consumer Representation Grant project, WWDA was
supported by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) to produce a dictionary of mobile communications,
which will give you simple explanations of a large number of the telecommunications
terms you will come across. Phone-glish
was compiled by Louise and Bob Bannister, and contains a simple Plain English
explanation of over 70 phone terms. The dictionary is in a Powerpoint format,
with hot links on each page, so that you do not have to browse in alphabetical
order. You can jump from link to link according to your interest or
inclination. Some links take you straight to the web for information on the
telecommunications Acts which give the legal structure to how it all works in
Phone-glish will be available soon on the WWDA website, but in
the mean time is available on application to WWDA at wwda@wwda.org.au or ph: 03 62448288. The
file size is 474KB. There is also a word document version for easy access by
screen reader programs. You are free to pass Phone-glish on as you want, and use all or in part, with the usual
acknowledgement of source and support from the Department of Broadband,
Communications and the Digital Economy.
5.2. WWDA
Telecommunications Consumer Representation Grant 2008-09
WWDA has again been successful
in obtaining a grant through the Telecommunications Consumer Representation
Grants program of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital
Economy (DBCDE). This is WWDA’s ninth successive grant under this program. The
grant enables WWDA to represent women with disabilities on various
telecommunications advisory bodies, and at forums and symposiums; to have input
to the development of Disability Action Plans for telecommunications
organisations (such as the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman); and to give
input to government discussions and formal inquiries into telecommunications
policy. The WWDA Telecommunications Group is led by Sue Salthouse, and its
current members are: Louise Bannister (TEDICORE Project Advisory Body),
Margaret Cooper (Telstra Disability Forum), Margherita Coppolino, Joyce
Deering, Leah Hobson, Jo-An Partridge and Christine Tilley.
In addition WWDA receives a
smaller, but parallel grant from DBCDE to enable us to have input to
telecommunications industry regulation. The industry undertakes a
self-regulatory process, conducted by the Communications Alliance (CA).
Telecommunications Companies (Telcos) such as Telstra, Optus, and Vodaphone are
members of CA, and it has primary responsibility for the development of
industry Standards, Codes and Guidelines. The CA has two consumer councils, the
Consumer Council, and the Disability Council. This latter council was formerly
chaired by Assoc. Professor Dr. Christopher Newell. Following his untimely
death Sue Salthouse has been endorsed as Chair of the Disability Council, with
Gunela Astbrink (National Coordinator of TEDICORE) as Deputy Chair.
For information about
Communications Alliance see http://www.commsalliance.com.au;
about TEDICORE see http://www.tedicore.org.au,
and for the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman see http://www.tio.com.au. The WWDA Report to
DBCDE for its 8th Telecommunications Consumer Representation Grant
is available from WWDA at wwda@wwda.org.au or ph: 03 62448288.
5.3. Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN)
The Australian Communications
Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is a new peak body to represent the diversity
of views among consumers of telecommunications services.
This new organisation has recently
been established following the election of the Rudd Government and the call
from the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
(Senator Stephen Conroy) for a more effective consumer voice in communications.
This call was echoed by consumer organisations highlighting the need for one
strong, clear consumer voice to be heard. WWDA was closely involved in the
establishment of ACCAN, with Sue Salthouse represented on the Consumer
Representatives Working Group which worked with DBCDE representatives to bring
ACCAN into being.
At the beginning of August
2008, ACCAN took its first steps with the announcement of its new Constitution
and Inaugural Board. Its fledgling website is at http://www.accan.org.au. A submission for
government funding in the 2009-10 budget has been made with 3-year funding
cycles being proposed. Dependent on this, ACCAN will commence operations on 1st
July 2009. One of ACCAN’s primary responsibilities will be to administer the
Telecommunications Representation Grants program currently wholly administered
by DBCDE.
The inaugural ACCAN Board of 9
Directors has excellent representation of people with disabilities and
additional non-disabled people with expertise in disability issues in
telecommunications. Board Directors include: Kyle Meiers (Manager of National
Information and Projects with Deaf Children Australia, president of Deaf
Australia); Alex Varley (Chief Executive Officer, Media Access Australia); Sue
Salthouse (Vice President WWDA, Project Leader WWDA Telecommunications Group,
Chair CommsAlliance Disability Council); Gerard Goggin (Professor of Digital
Communication and Deputy Director Journalism & Media Research Centre,
University of NSW); Holly Raiche (Executive Director ISOC-au and former
CommsAlliance Secretariat to its Disability Council); and Len Bytheway (CEO ACT
for Kids and former CEO of the Australian Communication Exchange). Other ACCAN
Inaugural Board members are: Nan Bosler (President Australian Seniors Computer
Clubs Association); Aaron Davis (CEO Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network);
and Catriona Lowe (Co-CEO Consumer Action Law Centre).
For
more information on any aspect of ACCAN and the background to its
establishment, please contact Sue Salthouse at sudata@optusnet.net.au or via WWDA at wwda@wwda.org.au
5.4. 2nd Annual Communications Consumer Dialogue Forum
The second annual
Communications Consumer Dialogue was held in
6. Article: Coercive Sterilisation of Romani
Women in
At the beginning of July 2008, members
of the Ostrava-based Group of Women Harmed by Coercive Sterilisation and their
advocates from European Roma Rights Centre and Peacework Development Fund
initiated a campaign to activate the global women’s rights movement in lobbying
efforts for public recognition of coerced sterilisation and compensation for
Romani survivors of these practices in Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
Women With Disabilities
Truth to power
By Gwendolyn Albert
For
the past four years, I have been involved in helping the survivors of coercive
sterilization in the
A
few weeks ago, I found myself in a hotel in
But,
for me, the most important development of the past four years has been the
changes I've observed in the women themselves. Despite some rough patches —
such as hostile reporting in the local press after they demonstrated outside an
No
one personifies this transformation quite so clearly as Elena Gorolova, who was
sterilized without her informed consent in 1990, during the course of her
second Caesarian section delivery. While she was in the throes of labor in the
birthing room, in enormous pain and under the influence of sedatives, doctors
gave her a piece of paper and told her, "Sign this or you will die."
Trusting them, she signed without even reading the document — as she later
said, "At that moment, I would have signed my own death warrant." The
"consent" obtained from Elena under these circumstances is typical of
the post-communist complaints registered with the ombudsman. She did not choose
to be sterilized — the doctors chose for her.
Four
years ago, when I first reported on these violations with Elena at the United
Nations in
Only
a truly strong individual could have withstood the recent experience of an
online interview with readers of the Czech news server iDNES.cz, which Elena
agreed to do while we were in
The
questioners seemed to have a hard time grasping that the throes of labor are
not the right time to ask a woman whether she wants to be sterilized. They
tried to explain to Elena that the "real problem" was her husband's
desire to have more children, not the doctor's sterilizing her without her
informed consent. They implied that having children was just a ploy for
receiving social support. They asked whether she smokes, what grades she got in
grammar school and why she doesn't just adopt. They asked her why the Roma
abuse welfare, why they throw it away on gambling, drugs and alcohol — racist
questions that have nothing to do with human rights abuses.
As
was her prerogative, she did not respond to the more ignorant questions. She
answered the ones she thought worthwhile, repeating her intensely personal
story for what must be the 1,000th time in an effort to make people realize
what not only she, but many others, have been through. I find her stamina
simply incredible.
The
Czech government will take over the EU presidency in the first half of 2009,
followed by
Thanks
to the efforts of everyone who has worked on the issue of coercive
sterilization in this country since the late 1970s, the Czech government now has
a tremendous opportunity to join the ranks of those countries capable of such
self-reflection and atonement. The question is whether Czech leaders are
compassionate enough to do so.
For
more information on the Campaign for
Compensation for Coercively Sterilised Romani Women, go to:
European
Roma Rights Centre: http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=2965
7. The Midnight Quiet – A Poem by Cherie
Wells
Long nights, sleepless
nights, every night’s the same
The
nothingness of the sounds in my room
Is driving me
insane
If only I
could fall asleep and clear out my mind
But sleep
doesn’t come easily and morning is counting away the time
So I while
away the midnight quiet wishing it was morn
To fall asleep
when I feel it’s safe
Usually at
dawn
I loathe the
solitude that my life has become
Trapped in a
body that is wasting away
Nothing anyone
can do, nothing anyone can say
So I endure
once again the midnight quiet
Waiting for
sleep to release me from the pain
Of not only
from the disease I have
But the pain
of being alone in this silent room
This noiseless
nothingness is filling up my brain
With thoughts
of darkness and sorrow
Thoughts of no
tomorrow
No more
midnight quiet’s
No more
loathing of this solitude
And sadly no
more pain
8. Community and Disability Services
Ministers’ Conference – Communiqué
23 July 2008
The
Community and Disability Services Ministers' Conference (CDSMC) provides a
forum for Australian Government, State and Territory Governments and the
Government of New Zealand to discuss matters of mutual interest concerning
community, family and disability services policy and programs. It also aims to
promote a consistent and coordinated national approach to community, family and
disability policy development and program implementation. Following the CDSMC
in July, a Communique was released which announced a number of agreements and
decisions in the areas of: Disability; Child Protection; Grandparents raising grandchildren;
National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women; Adoption; Early Childhood
development; Seniors; and a National Compact with the Not for Profit Sector.
The communiqué included the following information in relation to disability:
Ministers
agreed to establish a new National Disability Reform Agenda that will place
people with disability, their families and carers at the centre of services
across
The
new National Disability Reform Agenda will introduce national tools to identify
service benchmarks; plan for changing needs; identify people at risk; and work
towards program and service delivery consistency across jurisdictions. The
National Disability Reform Agenda will drive reform in the key areas of:
- Service
Benchmarks
- Disability
Services’ Quality Standards
- Service
Planning
- Building
People Centred Service Delivery
- Early
Intervention and Prevention
- Workforce
Capacity
- National
Consistency
- Ageing
Carers
Ministers
also agreed to $6.5 million to enhance the ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and
Carers (SDAC); including doubling the sample size which will significantly
improve the collection of information in this important area. Ministers also
agreed to develop a national workforce plan which will include the
identification of national workforce requirements in 10 and 20 years, national
career pathways for the disability sector and strategies for retention and
skills growth. This work will be undertaken in line with the Commonwealth
Government’s Skilling Australia Agenda.
These
outcomes build on the $1.9 billion funding boost to deliver 24,500 much needed
disability support places across
* For a copy of the full Communiqué,
contact WWDA at wwda@wwda.org.au
9. The Pension Review
The
Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
(FaHCSIA) has asked the Secretary of FaHCSIA, Dr Jeff Harmer, to complete an
investigation into measures to strengthen the financial security of seniors,
carers and people with disability, including a review of the Age Pension, Carer
Payment and Disability Support Pension. This review is part of the Government’s
wider inquiry into
Context
Many
people who rely on the income support system for a basic acceptable standard of
living say that they are finding it harder to make ends meet. The Senate
Standing Committee on Community Affairs has drawn attention to the financial
circumstances of older Australians with few assets who do not own their own
home, particularly singles, private renters, and those with a limited capacity
to work and/or save for retirement. Many of these people have a long-term
reliance on the income support system. The committee recommended the Government
review the suitability of the base pension levels through economic analyses of
amounts required to achieve at least a modest standard of living for retired
Australians. The Government recently introduced a number of changes including
one off payments to seniors and carers and an increase in the Utilities
Allowance from $107 to $500 and its extension to disability support pensioners
and carers in recognition of some of the pressures identified in the Senate
Committee report.
Terms of reference
The
Pension Review Background Paper provides information to help people understand
how well the income support system works for those who rely on it. It addresses
the Review’s three key terms of reference
- the appropriate levels of income support and
allowances;
- the frequency of payments; and
- the structure and payment of concessions or other
entitlements.
Principles of the social security
system
The social security
system redistributes Government revenue collected in the tax system to
individuals and families to increase the wellbeing of the Australian
population. It is part of a broader social protection system that includes
direct expenditure on services and infrastructure (such as health, education
and community services), the superannuation system—which complements the Age
Pension in Australia’s retirement income system—and payments, services and
investment to promote the efficient and effective functioning of the Australian
economy which underpins individual and national wellbeing. To work effectively,
in addition to supporting a basic acceptable standard of living, taking into
account prevailing community standards, the income support system has to:
- give
greater assistance to those with additional costs either through transfer
payments or services;
- target
payments to those not able to fully support themselves;
- promote
participation and self-provision through services, incentives to work and
save, and obligations; and
- be
sustainable.
Key Facts
Around
4.6 million Australians receive an income support payment of some kind from the
Australian Government in the form of a pension or allowance (27 per cent of the
population aged 15 years and over):
- in 2006–07, Australian Government expenditure on the
income support system was $71.6 billion, or around 6.8 per cent of GDP
- 77 per cent of Australians over the age of 65 receive
income support, and 17 per cent of Australians aged 16–64 years
- 59 per cent of income support recipients are women, and
58 per cent are single.
Most
pensioners do not have substantial savings or other assets: over half have
assessable assets (excluding the family home) under $30,000 and 30 per cent
report having bank balances of less than $1,000, but some have higher assets
with 5 per cent reporting assessable assets over $250,000. Pensioners are able
to receive some pension with assets up to around $1,000,000. The family home is
a major form of savings for seniors: 61 per cent of Age Pensioners are
homeowners; among Age Pensioner couples, 83 per cent are homeowners. Few
pensioners participate in work to supplement their payments: 4 per cent of Age
Pensioners, 12 per cent of Disability Support Pensioners and 11 per cent of
Carer Payment recipients.
Consultation
The
Government has announced a public consultation process to ensure that
individuals and community organisations can contribute to the work of the
Pension Review. A series of public meetings in capital cities and major
regional centres commenced in
Individuals
and organisations who are interested in providing their input into the Pension
Review are also invited to share their views through a written submission
process. Submissions can be sent by post or email. If sent by post they do not
require a stamp, as long as they have the correct postal address details which
are:
Pension Review Submissions
Reply Paid 7101
The email address for submissions is: pensionreview@nationalmailing.com.au
The closing date for submissions is 26 September 2008.
10. National Rural Women’s
The
Commonwealth Government made a pre-election commitment to improve the capacity
of women from regional, rural and remote
In
recognition of the additional difficulties faced by women with disabilities in
rural areas in accessing their communities, WWDA was invited by the OfW to have
a representative on the Advisory Committee which worked with departmental
personnel to organize the
More
than 80 women were selected from across all States and Territories, with a
range of interests including commercial, government, agriculture, small
business, education, health, arts and the environment. There was a range of
diversity in background, age, interests and areas of specialty. In addition to
the WWDA delegation of women with disabilities, there was a significant
presence of women from Aboriginal and
Senator
Claire Moore (Senator for
A
chapter of the final report is devoted to issues for Women With Disabilities.
The key recommendations are:
- Include women with disabilities in all decision making
processes, using positive discrimination for their appointment to
representative positions on advisory boards;
- Implement all the recommendations to the Australian
Government from the UN Committee for Convention on the Elimination of
Discrimination Against Women, including collection and analysis of data
disaggregated by disability, ethnicity, and race, improvement of access to
health services for women with disabilities; and improvement of health infrastructure;
- Improve access to support and carer services; and
- Improve employment opportunities.
Plenary
sessions were held to discuss models for enhancing the cohesiveness of rural
women’s voices. The final report on the National Rural Women’s
11. News & information from other
organisations
11.1.
The
Health Portfolio Executive has recently endorsed the updated SA Health
Disability Action Plan 2008-2013. The purpose of the Action Plan is to provide
direction for SA Health to develop strategies and targets to eliminate
practices that discriminate against people with disabilities who use health
services or are employed within the health system. The SA Health Disability
Action Plan also provides the framework to meet the agencies obligations to the
Promoting Independence Disability Action Plans for
Further
information about the SA Health Disability Action Plan is available from:
Ann
Pengelly, Senior Policy Officer, Policy and Legislation Unit
Ph:
08 8226 6857 Email: ann.pengelly@health.sa.gov.au
Website:
www.health.sa.gov.au/Default.aspx?tabid=62
11.2. Accessible
Tourism Portal Enables
Finding
accessible tourism experiences and day trips has been a major issue for people
with disabilities and those with access requirements. Many disability
organizations provide member created word of mouth lists, tips and stories to
help others plan their day trips and holidays more easily. However, these information systems are
incomplete and problematic.
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A
prototype accessible tourism Web “portal”, www.sydneyforall.com aims to make it
easier to find accessible destination experiences around
As
this is a test site and will be reviewed at the end of three months, feedback
on the portal and suggestions are welcome. People can complete the independent
survey that is linked to the portal, or you can contact either the researchers
directly on accessibletourism@uts.edu.au
or sydneyforall@tourism.nsw.gov.au.
The long-term aim is to have a more expansive portal that will assist people to
plan their holidays and will incorporate detailed transport, accommodation and
disability support information.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Simon Darcy, UTS
Ph: 02 9514-5100 Email: Simon.Darcy@uts.edu.au
11.3. New
Disability Studies and Research Centre
Established
in July 2008, the Disability Studies and Research Centre's (DSARC) innovative approach to disability studies
focuses on applied Australian Asia Pacific cross-disciplinary research with a
critical, social perspective approach. Its creation as a university-based
centre follows on the five-year record of research success established by the
Disability Studies and Research Institute (DSaRI), a collaborative
community/university research centre. DSARC will build on DSaRI's record to
collaborate with and contribute to the disability community's ability to
develop credible research and policy positions to engage effectively in public
policy debates. The Centre is aligned with the Social Policy Research Centre,
the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law at the
For
more information, contact:
Disability
Studies and Research Centre
Faculty
of Arts and Social Sciences,
Ph:
(02) 9385 6893 Email: dsarc@unsw.edu.au Web: not yet available
11.4. New
Wheelchair Basketball Team -
Gold
Coast Blaze, Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Assoc, Gold Coast City Council and
Gold Coast Recreation & Sport Inc have joined together to establish social
wheelchair basketball in the Gold and Tweed Coast region – ROLLERBLAZE.
Wheelchair basketball is an exciting team sport for men and women, modeled on
the able-bodied game of basketball. It is played on standard basketball courts
with regulation height rings and backboards. The game can be played by anyone
regardless of skill level. The goal is to have a regular, mixed social league
(16 years and over). All equipment is available. Rollerblaze is looking for players as well as
people who are interested in learning to referee, coach, be a team manager or
supporter. For more information contact:
Ph: 07 55 313312 (BH) or 07 55 930096 (AH)
Email: rollerblaze@bigpond.com
11.5. National
Leadership Achievement Award for Women
|
|
The
Australian virtual Centre for Leadership for Women (CLW) at www.leadershipforwomen.com.au
is inviting women who have developed self-initiated projects for the community
to nominate themselves for the 2009 national Leadership Achievement Award for
Women. This prestigious Award, Diamond sponsored by ANZ and Gold sponsored by
Australia Post and Avril Henry Pty Ltd is open to all Australian women 18 years
and above and is in its fourth round having commenced in 2006. The winner will
receive prize money of $1200; two Finalists $800 each and eight short-listed candidates
will receive $500 in prize money.
Applications
close on 22 December 2008 with winners being announced on 8 March 2009
International Women’s Day. Please consider nominating yourself or other women
who demonstrate the value of pursuing one’s vision, collaborating and valuing
the contributions of others and being committed to achieving the best outcome
for their community. More information about the Award, including Applications
can be found at:
www.leadershipforwomen.com.au.
12. Conferences
12.1. The
4Rs - Rights, Reconciliation, Respect, Responsibility – Conference
This
conference brings together leading researchers, analysts, and practitioners
from universities, government, and the non-government sector to explore, debate
and plan for a more socially inclusive future. It is a perfect opportunity to
engage with contemporary research and policy insights in fields directly
relevant to your priorities, including for example: Human rights education and
the debate over a Human Rights Act; Disability and social inclusion; Climate
Change and Citizens' Rights; Women and Islam in
30 Sept – 3 October 2008
UTS Broadway Campus,
For further information and registration options, go
to: www.the4rsconference.org
12.2. Arts Access
Arts
Access
Monday
15th September 2008
Venue:
Association for the Blind WA,
For
more information contact:
DADAA
Inc: Ph: (08) 94306616 Email: arts@dadaawa.asn.au
Arts
Access
12.3. National Disability Advocacy Conference
The
Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) will be holding its conference in
partnership with the Victorian Disability Advocacy Network (VDAN) and the
Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU) in
Strengthening Disability
Advocacy – National Conference 2008
Tuesday 7th – Wednesday 8th
October 2008 at the Telstra Dome, Melbourne
For more information: Ph: 03
9639 5807 Fax: 03 9654 5749 Email: admin@daru.org.au Web: www.daru.org.au
13. New on the
Over
the past two months, WWDA has continued to work on updating and enhancing the
WWDA website. A large number of resource materials have been added, along with
copies of WWDA’s recent Submissions to various inquiries and reviews. Examples
include:
Housing/Homelessness
Women
With Disabilities
Women and the Right to Adequate Housing
in
Social
Inclusion
National Disability Authority
(NDA),
National Disability Authority
(NDA),
Centre for Analysis of Social
Exclusion (UK) Being and becoming: Social
exclusion and the onset of disability - By Tania Burchardt (2003) Available
in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/citizen.htm
Corporation for National and
Community Service (
Cost of
Disability
'The Costs of Disability and the Incidence of Poverty' - By Peter Saunders (2006). Available in PDF only. Go
to: http://www.wwda.org.au/employm.htm
Violence
Women
With Disabilities
Women’s Aid (UK): 'Making the links: Disabled women and
domestic violence' - By Gill Hague, Ravi Thiara, Audrey Mullender &
Pauline Magowan (2008) Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/viol.htm
Victorian Women with
Disabilities Network Advocacy Information Service: 'A Framework for Influencing Change - Responding to Violence against
Women with Disabilities 2007-2009' Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/viol.htm
'Violence and abuse against women with disabilities in
Allies for Women in Need of
Services (USA): 'Violence Against Women
with Disabilities - A study of sexual assault and domestic violence among women
in
'‘The health impact of violence: A
disability perspective’ - By Chris
'Violence and Women with a Disability
Break Down the Barriers' - Paper
presented at the 3rd National Homelessness Conference - By Chris Jennings
(2003) Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/viol.htm
‘Family Violence & Sexual Assault: A
Criminal Justice Response for Women with Disabilities’ - By Chris Jennings (2005) Available in PDF only. Go
to: http://www.wwda.org.au/viol.htm
British
Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health: 'Violence and Trauma in the Lives of Women with Serious Mental Illness'
- By Marina Morrow (2002) Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/viol.htm
'Triple Disadvantage: Out of Sight, Out
of Mind' - Report prepared by Chris
Jennings for the Violence Against Women with Disabilities Project (2003)
Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/viol.htm
National
Rural Women's Coalition (NRWC) - Relationships
Booklet Available in HTML & PDF. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/viol.htm
Violence
Against Women with Disabilities Project of
Human
Rights
The
Harvard Project on Disability We Have
Human Rights: A human rights handbook for people with developmental
disabilities (2008) Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/unhrt.htm
Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights From Exclusion to Equality: Realizing the rights of persons with
disabilities. Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol (2007) Available in PDF
only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/unhrt.htm
University
of
Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Human Rights: A Handbook For
Parliamentarians (2005) Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/unhrt.htm
Inter-American
Institute for Human Rights (IIHR) & the Association for the Prevention of
Torture (APT) Optional Protocol to the
United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment: A Manual for Prevention (2005) Available in PDF only.
Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/unhrt.htm
United
Nations Inter-Parliamentary
Health
British Columbia Centre of
Excellence for Women’s Health: The
Challenges of Change - The Midlife Health Needs of Women With Disabilities
- By Marina Morrow with the Midlife Health Needs of Women with Disabilities
Advisory Committee (2000) Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/health.htm
Gender & Disability
- General
'Chartbook on Women and Disability in the United
States' - by L. Jans & S.
Stoddard (1999) Available in PDF only. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/gendis.htm
14. Resources – Books, Reports, Websites
|
Women
With Disabilities Resource
Manual on Violence Against Women With Disabilities This
Manual is made up of four Books, and Audio, e-text & Large Print PDF
versions of the Books are included on a CD-ROM which accompanies the Manual.
Braille and DAISY versions are also available on request. Cost: $22.00
(within Order
Forms and information about the Manual are available on the |
|
Gender
equality: What matters to Australian women and men. The Listening Tour
Community Report. This
is the report of Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, who
undertook a national ‘Listening Tour’
in late 2007. Over 1,000 people took part in the 90 events held across
The
report is free and is available from WWDA via email at wwda@wwda.org.au or can be downloaded
from: http://www.hreoc.gov.au/listeningtour/launch/index.html
|
|
The
Disabled Writers' Association is a
new, free service developed by author Robert N Stephenson. Based in Adelaide
South Australia Robert will use his skills as a professional writer (author),
editor, publisher and professional writing tutor to assist writers with a
disability to develop their skills within a framework that suits their
individual needs. Go to: http://www.disabledwriters.com |
DWA Disabled
Writers' Association |
|
The Circle of
Empowerment, Twenty-five Years of the UN Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women (2007) This
book is a collection of essays and personal reflections from individuals who
have served on the CEDAW Committee. It introduces readers to the issues and
activism that surround the convention as one of the most important human
rights tools ever created. The Circle of Empowerment reveals the profound
impact the convention has had on women's lives around the world. With
examples and moving reminiscences from |
|
Women and
Violence By Barry Levy Release
date November 2008 Women
and Violence is a comprehensive
look at the issue of violence against women and its many appearances, causes,
costs and consequences. Understanding that personal values, beliefs and
environment affect an individual’s response to—and acknowledgement
of—violence against women, this book addresses topics such as global
perspectives on violence, controversies and debates, and social change
strategies and activism. Available from www.amazon.com or through www.booktopia.com.au in |
|
|
CASE Community
Lists CommunityLists
is an email mailing list service for the use of Australian non-profit
community organisations. Lists are available to all members of Computing
Assistance Support & Education (CASE). CASE (www.case.org.au) is a non-profit
organisation that was formed to assist Australian community organisations in
making better use of information technology. It accomplishes this through
education, advocacy and technical support relevant to the specific needs of
the community services sector. http://www.communitylists.org.au
|
15. WWDA Management Committee 2008-2009
Earlier
this year WWDA called for nominations for the vacant positions on its
Management Committee following the completion of several members terms of office.
The required number of nominations were received thereby eliminating the need
for a postal ballot. Executive positions will be elected following the Annual
General Meeting in October. The WWDA Management Committee members for 2008-2009
are:
|
Annie
Parkinson Sue
Salthouse Pamela
Menere Vicki
Alipasinopoulos Josephine
Dixon Kate List |
Helen
Meekosha Samantha
Jenkinson Margie
Charlesworth Sheila
King Rayna
Lamb |
Women With Disabilities
Ph: +61 3 62448288 Fax: +61 3 62448255
Email: wwda@wwda.org.au Web: www.wwda.org.au
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