Making conferences more accessible for people with disability
The Gillard Government is helping to make conferences across the country more accessible for people with disability with almost $350,000 under the National Disability Conference Initiative.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas announced today 31 conference organisers that will receive grants of up to $12,000 to assist people with disability and their carers to access a range of disability-specific conferences.
“Conferences are a wonderful opportunity to come together to learn and share experiences, but many people with disability face barriers in accessing them,” Senator McLucas said.
“This funding is about making conferences with a disability-focus more accessible and inclusive so more people can attend and reap the benefits.
“The grants will be used to assist with the costs of conference fees, accommodation and travel for people with disability and their carers.
“It also enhances the accessibility of these conferences by funding Auslan interpreters, live captioning services or hearing loops and access to conference materials in a range of alternative formats such as Braille, larger font or note takers.
“For example, Limbs for Life will receive $11,064 for the ‘Life Without Limbs’ conference to be held in Victoria in October this year. The funding will help ensure people living in rural Australia are able to participate in the conference.
The Australian Government is working hard to ensure people with disability have the same opportunities as other Australians.
“The National Disability Conference Initiative is one way that we can help ensure that people with disability and their carers are supported to get involved, be informed and have their say.”
Organisations receiving National Disability Conference Initiative funding include:
| Organisation | Conference Title | Date | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autism Victoria | Victorian Autism Conference 2012, Melbourne | 9 Aug 2012 | $12,000 |
| University of New South Wales (School of Social Sciences) | Critical Reflections on the Status of Women with Disabilities in a Globalised World, Sydney | 10 Aug 2012 | $12,000 |
| The Institute For Family Advocacy & Leadership Development Assn Inc | The Odyssey – celebrating achievements, progress and change, Parramatta | 9 Aug 2012 | $12,000 |
| Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association Inc | Bridging the Assistive Technology Gap, Sydney | 22 Aug 2012 | $12,000 |
| Australian Sign Language Interpreters’ Association | ASLIA National Conference 2012, Adelaide | 24 Aug 2012 | $12,000 |
| National Disability Services Limited | NDS Employment Forum, Perth | 6 Sept 2012 | $11,998.63 |
| Youth Disability Advocacy Service of Youth Affairs Council of Victoria | Inaugural National Youth Disability Conference, Melbourne | 8 Sept 2012 | $12,000 |
| Vision Australia Limited | Texpo 2012, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne | 24 Aug 2012 | $12,000 |
| Mucopolysaccharide & Related Diseases Society Aust. Ltd | Working Together to Turn the Tide, Sydney | 22 Sept 2012 | $11,900 |
| Limbs for Life | Life without Limits, Melbourne | 6 Oct 2012 | $11,064 |
| Short Statured People of Australia Incorporated | SSPA Annual Convention 2012, Sydney | 2 Oct 2012 | $8,000 |
| Australian Aphasia Association Inc. | Living Well with Aphasia 2012, Melbourne | 12 Oct 2012 | $11,850 |
| Retina Australia (NSW) Inc. | Hope in Sight Retina Australia National Congress, Parramatta | 19 Oct 2012 | $12,000 |
| Deafness Forum of Australia Ltd | Captioning Awards, Sydney | 25 Oct 2012 | $3,500 |
| Accessible Arts NSW | Arts Activated Conference, Sydney | 31 Oct 2012 | $11,600 |
| Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability Victoria | ASID VIC Disability Support Worker Conference, Melbourne | 21 Nov 2012 | $12,000 |
| Deaf Australia Incorporated | National Summit on Early Intervention and Education for Deaf People, Canberra | 29 Nov 2012 | $11,647 |
| Australian Tertiary Education Network on Disability Inc | Pathways 11 Conference 2012 Sharpening Ideas, Refining and Redefining, Adelaide | 28 Nov 2012 | $12,000 |
| Cerebral Palsy Alliance | Emerge Young Leaders Conference, Sydney | 1 Dec 2012 | $10,000 |
| Disability Sport and Recreation Limited | Scoring the Equaliser – towards better health outcomes for people with disability through equal opportunities to participate in community sport and recreation, Melbourne | 3 Dec 2012 | $12,000 |
| Valid Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability Inc | Having a Say Conference 2013, Geelong | 8 Feb 2013 | $12,000 |
| Immune Deficiencies Foundation of Australia Ltd | IDFA National Conference, Sydney | 27 Apr 2013 | $12,000 |
| AGOSCI Inc | AGOSCI 2013 – Connect2Communicate, 11th Biennial National Conference, Sydney | 2 May 2013 | $12,000 |
| Arts Access Australia | Arts Access Australia National Members’ Meeting 2013, Canberra | 7 May 2013 | $11,250 |
| Dementia & Alzheimer’s Association (Tasmania) Inc | Alzheimer’s Australia 15th National Conference The Tiles of Life Colouring the Future, Hobart | 14 May 2013 | $12,000 |
| Australasian Tuberous Sclerosis Society Inc | 2013 ATSS Family Conference, Perth | 18 May 2013 | $11,380 |
| Stepping Stone Clubhouse Inc | New Clubhouse Development Conference – how to develop an ICCD Clubhouse for adults with a mental illness, Brisbane | 20 May 2013 | $11,900 |
| L’Arche Australia Ltd | Our Future Journey – Listening and Speaking Together, Mulgoa | 23 May 2013 | $12,000 |
| Multiple Sclerosis Australia | MS National Advocates Conference, Canberra | 27 May 2013 | $10,500 |
| Special Olympics Australia | Special Olympics Conference 2013, Melbourne | 21 Jun 2013 | $12,000 |
| Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities | Annual Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities | 18 May 2013 | $6,000 |