From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

One of the members said, look, you know what? With our mobility and orientation training and so forth, you know, we're pretty comfortable or confident being able to get to a tram stop and navigate around a tram stop. There's no issue there. What our biggest problem is, is knowing where the approaching tram is travelling to.

One of the members said, look, you know what? With our mobility and orientation training and so forth, you know, we're pretty comfortable or confident being able to get to a tram stop and navigate around a tram stop. There's no issue there. What our biggest problem is, is knowing where the approaching tram is travelling to.

Welcome to the program. If you live in Melbourne and you're a frequent tram user, our next guest has some potentially exciting news for you. His name is Wayne and he's here to chat to us all about a new app designed to help passengers who are blind or have low vision navigate around the Melbourne Tram Network more safely and accessibly. That interview is coming up right around the corner. But after we hear from Wayne, we catch up with Sally Andrews, the CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, to have a look back over her past six years at BCA as she moves on to an exciting new academic opportunity. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. This week we kick off the show by chatting to Wayne Speers from Yarra Trams about the New Netherlands app, which is currently undergoing the trial phase over the Melbourne Tram Network. I began by asking Wayne about Netherlands and what the app was all about.

Welcome to the program. If you live in Melbourne and you're a frequent tram user, our next guest has some potentially exciting news for you. His name is Wayne and he's here to chat to us all about a new app designed to help passengers who are blind or have low vision navigate around the Melbourne Tram Network more safely and accessibly. That interview is coming up right around the corner. But after we hear from Wayne, we catch up with Sally Andrews, the CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, to have a look back over her past six years at BCA as she moves on to an exciting new academic opportunity. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. This week we kick off the show by chatting to Wayne Speers from Yarra Trams about the New Netherlands app, which is currently undergoing the trial phase over the Melbourne Tram Network. I began by asking Wayne about Netherlands and what the app was all about.

Okay, so navigations originated in Spain. The company that's developed it is a Spanish company and it has been developed primarily to assist people who are blind or people who have low vision to be able to navigate from A to B. So, for instance, if somebody is at a transport interchange and they need to get from the front door to platform eight through a series of, we'll call them, Rubik's Cube looking codes, but they're augmented QR codes essentially, and that in combination with an app on the user's smartphone that allows for discreet way of wayfinding. So as the phone recognizes a code in its field of vision, it would be able to give information to the user to say, for instance, ten meters away, there's an escalator that goes up to the departure platforms or continue straight ahead to the ticketing office, something like that. So it was essentially designed as a wayfinding solution to assist people with low vision and those who are blind to be able to get around.

Okay, so navigations originated in Spain. The company that's developed it is a Spanish company and it has been developed primarily to assist people who are blind or people who have low vision to be able to navigate from A to B. So, for instance, if somebody is at a transport interchange and they need to get from the front door to platform eight through a series of, we'll call them, Rubik's Cube looking codes, but they're augmented QR codes essentially, and that in combination with an app on the user's smartphone that allows for discreet way of wayfinding. So as the phone recognizes a code in its field of vision, it would be able to give information to the user to say, for instance, ten meters away, there's an escalator that goes up to the departure platforms or continue straight ahead to the ticketing office, something like that. So it was essentially designed as a wayfinding solution to assist people with low vision and those who are blind to be able to get around.

And how did that come to Yarra Trams attention? What's the story behind that and how that all kicked off?

And how did that come to Yarra Trams attention? What's the story behind that and how that all kicked off?

So Yarra Trams is operated by the careless Downer business owner franchise to the Victorian Government and Careless is one of the world's largest public transport operators and they're headquartered in France. With that international connection, we became aware of a trial that they were doing some time ago, about three years ago, I think it was in Versailles, doing the wayfinding opportunity at the Versailles. I think it was a bus and train interchange and we threw our connections at this, became aware of this and thought, Geez, that would be something worth investigating and looking into for wayfinding to assist people getting to and from tram stops. And so that's how that idea was born.

So Yarra Trams is operated by the careless Downer business owner franchise to the Victorian Government and Careless is one of the world's largest public transport operators and they're headquartered in France. With that international connection, we became aware of a trial that they were doing some time ago, about three years ago, I think it was in Versailles, doing the wayfinding opportunity at the Versailles. I think it was a bus and train interchange and we threw our connections at this, became aware of this and thought, Geez, that would be something worth investigating and looking into for wayfinding to assist people getting to and from tram stops. And so that's how that idea was born.

And in terms of how the Netherlands app would be working in practice over the tram network, what sort of routes and stops can people expect to be able to use the app?

And in terms of how the Netherlands app would be working in practice over the tram network, what sort of routes and stops can people expect to be able to use the app?

So one really exciting thing, which is how we're implementing the navigation system as the trial is not so much wayfinding to get from point A to point B, but it's part of enhancing the opportunity of getting information for real time, tram information at tram stops and also on the trams. So this is not something that's been done a great deal around the world. So we're one of the first operators to do that, certainly the first public transport operator in Australia to do it with nav lines and for the user it will allow them to be at a tram stop and with the code at the tram stop, be able to find out when the next tram is coming in terms of waiting time where the next tram is travelling to, and also whether it's a low floor tram. So that way for the purposes of accessibility, getting onto a tram, being able to prepare for steps or just be able to walk across from the platform or take a step up and so on. We're trialling it on all of the Route 96 stops. So that's all the way from East Brunswick down through to Saint Kilda, and we're trialling it on every E-Class Tram and C two class trams. So the A-class trams operate not only the 96 route, but they also operate the 8611 to 58. And that means that as the trams are travelling around the network, even though the tram might not be on a Route 96, it will still have the real time information available to people on that tram for the route that they're travelling on and for the Route 96 stops. If the tram stop is a shared tram stop. So for instance, the one at Luna Park down near Saint Kilda, that's a tram stop that's shared with both the Route 96 and the Route 16. So if someone's waiting at the tram stop, it will give them the information for the next arriving tram, even though it might not be about 96. So it would be the next tram is about 16 headed to headed to Melbourne University due in three minutes. It's a low floor tram so that way the person knows that the next tram is going to be around 16 and then once that trams departed, the next tram would be announced after that.

So one really exciting thing, which is how we're implementing the navigation system as the trial is not so much wayfinding to get from point A to point B, but it's part of enhancing the opportunity of getting information for real time, tram information at tram stops and also on the trams. So this is not something that's been done a great deal around the world. So we're one of the first operators to do that, certainly the first public transport operator in Australia to do it with nav lines and for the user it will allow them to be at a tram stop and with the code at the tram stop, be able to find out when the next tram is coming in terms of waiting time where the next tram is travelling to, and also whether it's a low floor tram. So that way for the purposes of accessibility, getting onto a tram, being able to prepare for steps or just be able to walk across from the platform or take a step up and so on. We're trialling it on all of the Route 96 stops. So that's all the way from East Brunswick down through to Saint Kilda, and we're trialling it on every E-Class Tram and C two class trams. So the A-class trams operate not only the 96 route, but they also operate the 8611 to 58. And that means that as the trams are travelling around the network, even though the tram might not be on a Route 96, it will still have the real time information available to people on that tram for the route that they're travelling on and for the Route 96 stops. If the tram stop is a shared tram stop. So for instance, the one at Luna Park down near Saint Kilda, that's a tram stop that's shared with both the Route 96 and the Route 16. So if someone's waiting at the tram stop, it will give them the information for the next arriving tram, even though it might not be about 96. So it would be the next tram is about 16 headed to headed to Melbourne University due in three minutes. It's a low floor tram so that way the person knows that the next tram is going to be around 16 and then once that trams departed, the next tram would be announced after that.

Oh, that's a fantastic thing.

Oh, that's a fantastic thing.

Yeah, it.

Yeah, it.

Is. And the excitement for this, it really does generate a lot of interest with people, not only from our accessibility reference group members and also members of the. Public that we invited on initial tests, but also people that we've been talking about, this technology that really beaming smiles is the best way to describe the response when we're telling people and sharing about this trial.

Is. And the excitement for this, it really does generate a lot of interest with people, not only from our accessibility reference group members and also members of the. Public that we invited on initial tests, but also people that we've been talking about, this technology that really beaming smiles is the best way to describe the response when we're telling people and sharing about this trial.

Great to hear. Has had a wonderful response. But in the past, had you had feedback from the Blind and Low Vision community to Yarra Trams with particular issues around navigation or perhaps needing more accessible information? And that was sort of some of the motivation behind getting involved with Netherlands.

Great to hear. Has had a wonderful response. But in the past, had you had feedback from the Blind and Low Vision community to Yarra Trams with particular issues around navigation or perhaps needing more accessible information? And that was sort of some of the motivation behind getting involved with Netherlands.

We have we've certainly been getting feedback from our passengers through our regular feedback channel, which can be made through PTV or through our online access, but we also have our accessibility reference group. And the reference group is made up of members from organizations that are advocates or community groups for people with disability or accessibility needs, such as Aspect, which is autism Spectrum Australia, also Blind Citizens Australia Vision Australia certainly guide Dogs Victoria. So all of these organisations, we have representatives as part of a regular group that we meet up a few times a year. And also as I said, the feedback from passengers helps us understand more the needs and changing requirements of people with disability or accessibility needs. Plus, we're also guided with the disability standards for accessible public transport and looking at ways that we're able to improve the travel experience for people as they need. So when we started this program right from the onset, we wanted to make sure that members from our accessibility reference group were included on that journey. So we had a lot of discussion around the scope of what we were thinking of doing for the trial. And initially we were pretty much on the idea that it would be helping people get from A to B in terms of finding their way to a tram stop. And through the process of our discussions with members from the Accessibility Reference Group, we were politely challenged in a really nice way where one of the members said, Look, you know what, with our mobility and orientation training and so forth, you know, we're pretty comfortable or confident being able to get to a tram stop and navigate around a tram stop. There's no issue there. What our biggest problem is, is knowing where the approaching tram is travelling to. In that conversation with that simple statement, we actually flipped on its head our rollout strategy for what we thought Netherlands would be useful for. We did initially think that the live tram tracking information would be helpful, but it was going to be a little bit further down the implementation timeline. So we flipped it and we've actually started now with the real tram tracking, real time information for people waiting at a tram stop and people when they're on a tram, that's all based from the interactions that we've had with with our accessibility reference group team members getting their feedback on board for this rollout.

We have we've certainly been getting feedback from our passengers through our regular feedback channel, which can be made through PTV or through our online access, but we also have our accessibility reference group. And the reference group is made up of members from organizations that are advocates or community groups for people with disability or accessibility needs, such as Aspect, which is autism Spectrum Australia, also Blind Citizens Australia Vision Australia certainly guide Dogs Victoria. So all of these organisations, we have representatives as part of a regular group that we meet up a few times a year. And also as I said, the feedback from passengers helps us understand more the needs and changing requirements of people with disability or accessibility needs. Plus, we're also guided with the disability standards for accessible public transport and looking at ways that we're able to improve the travel experience for people as they need. So when we started this program right from the onset, we wanted to make sure that members from our accessibility reference group were included on that journey. So we had a lot of discussion around the scope of what we were thinking of doing for the trial. And initially we were pretty much on the idea that it would be helping people get from A to B in terms of finding their way to a tram stop. And through the process of our discussions with members from the Accessibility Reference Group, we were politely challenged in a really nice way where one of the members said, Look, you know what, with our mobility and orientation training and so forth, you know, we're pretty comfortable or confident being able to get to a tram stop and navigate around a tram stop. There's no issue there. What our biggest problem is, is knowing where the approaching tram is travelling to. In that conversation with that simple statement, we actually flipped on its head our rollout strategy for what we thought Netherlands would be useful for. We did initially think that the live tram tracking information would be helpful, but it was going to be a little bit further down the implementation timeline. So we flipped it and we've actually started now with the real tram tracking, real time information for people waiting at a tram stop and people when they're on a tram, that's all based from the interactions that we've had with with our accessibility reference group team members getting their feedback on board for this rollout.

That's super important feedback, and I'm really glad to hear that you've had that positive interaction. Then There's been a lot of benefits from both sides there. Now as the app rolls out and people join up and, you know, participate in the trial, what's the best way for people to access the Netherlands app? How can they get their hands on it?

That's super important feedback, and I'm really glad to hear that you've had that positive interaction. Then There's been a lot of benefits from both sides there. Now as the app rolls out and people join up and, you know, participate in the trial, what's the best way for people to access the Netherlands app? How can they get their hands on it?

First of all, it's a free service or free app, so there's no payment required for it. And using the app is really very simple. There's a lot of features within the app itself. And as people like most apps, as people get used to using it, those features become more noticeable. However, the app can be downloaded from the Android play store and also from the Apple store. And there's two different apps available from Navy Lens. The first one is nav lens, just the word nav lens. And this is for people who would need the information to be provided in an audible format. The other app is called Lens Go, and this is a little bit more of a multimedia type interaction. It still provides the same information, but the only thing that it doesn't provide for the information in real time is that audible ability. So people, for instance, who might have English as a second language and they're not confident with it, they can use Navy lens or Navy lens go because it will use the default settings of your phone and the language setting to translate what appears in English to whatever the default language is on that phone. And it's about 32 different languages that it can translate it to. But for people with low vision or who are blind, the Lens app is the one that you would want to have that audible information from the tram stops that we've got.

First of all, it's a free service or free app, so there's no payment required for it. And using the app is really very simple. There's a lot of features within the app itself. And as people like most apps, as people get used to using it, those features become more noticeable. However, the app can be downloaded from the Android play store and also from the Apple store. And there's two different apps available from Navy Lens. The first one is nav lens, just the word nav lens. And this is for people who would need the information to be provided in an audible format. The other app is called Lens Go, and this is a little bit more of a multimedia type interaction. It still provides the same information, but the only thing that it doesn't provide for the information in real time is that audible ability. So people, for instance, who might have English as a second language and they're not confident with it, they can use Navy lens or Navy lens go because it will use the default settings of your phone and the language setting to translate what appears in English to whatever the default language is on that phone. And it's about 32 different languages that it can translate it to. But for people with low vision or who are blind, the Lens app is the one that you would want to have that audible information from the tram stops that we've got.

That's a great little feature with the 32 languages there.

That's a great little feature with the 32 languages there.

That's yeah.

That's yeah.

That's, that's an amazing little bonus for the range of communities around Melbourne with different languages and cultures. So that's fantastic to hear. That's inclusive in. What a few ways. Now, understand, the trial has been going for a little while now. How's the trial been going so far and what sort of observations have you had?

That's, that's an amazing little bonus for the range of communities around Melbourne with different languages and cultures. So that's fantastic to hear. That's inclusive in. What a few ways. Now, understand, the trial has been going for a little while now. How's the trial been going so far and what sort of observations have you had?

So with the trial, we actually had it sort of delayed just by a couple of weeks while we fine tuned some of the information that was coming back from the tram tracker system into nearby lanes. So we actually started the trial. It was launched on the 14th of August by the Minister of Public Transport, Ben Carroll, and he installed the commemorative plaque. It stopped nine at the top of Bourke Street and Spring Street, and that was really exciting to see that. But the trial itself, with the real time information, we started that on Monday, so that was the 21st of August and in the first three hours and this is without any PR or advertising or anything like that, in the first three hours of installing those codes, one of the codes at Stop one, I think it was down at the corner of Spencer and Bourke Street in the first three hours. It was scanned 117 times.

So with the trial, we actually had it sort of delayed just by a couple of weeks while we fine tuned some of the information that was coming back from the tram tracker system into nearby lanes. So we actually started the trial. It was launched on the 14th of August by the Minister of Public Transport, Ben Carroll, and he installed the commemorative plaque. It stopped nine at the top of Bourke Street and Spring Street, and that was really exciting to see that. But the trial itself, with the real time information, we started that on Monday, so that was the 21st of August and in the first three hours and this is without any PR or advertising or anything like that, in the first three hours of installing those codes, one of the codes at Stop one, I think it was down at the corner of Spencer and Bourke Street in the first three hours. It was scanned 117 times.

Oh, my God. Yeah. Wow.

Oh, my God. Yeah. Wow.

That's incredible. That's very exciting to hear. People are just really getting around it and really embracing the technology.

That's incredible. That's very exciting to hear. People are just really getting around it and really embracing the technology.

Absolutely. Because the Navy Lens Code needs the Navy lens app. If somebody is scanning the code just as they would scan a regular QR code, nothing's going to happen. So what we've done is we've placed a QR code alongside the lens code so that even if the person doesn't have the lens app installed, it will recognize the QR code and that will then launch people to a web page which we have on our website and give them information about what the product is and also how they can download the app. And also they can provide feedback on their experience using nav lens and register for regular updates on the Netherlands trial itself. So Curiosity is the mother of all invention in that?

Absolutely. Because the Navy Lens Code needs the Navy lens app. If somebody is scanning the code just as they would scan a regular QR code, nothing's going to happen. So what we've done is we've placed a QR code alongside the lens code so that even if the person doesn't have the lens app installed, it will recognize the QR code and that will then launch people to a web page which we have on our website and give them information about what the product is and also how they can download the app. And also they can provide feedback on their experience using nav lens and register for regular updates on the Netherlands trial itself. So Curiosity is the mother of all invention in that?

Certainly is. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And how can people sign up for the Netherlands trial period? What's the best way for them to do that?

Certainly is. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And how can people sign up for the Netherlands trial period? What's the best way for them to do that?

The best thing to do is to get out and start using the app. And again, it's only on the Route 96 stops, but certainly if someone's travelling along the Bourke Street corridor in the city, there will be an ambulance code on each of those stops. So there's opportunity to interact with the system there. If they're not a regular Route 96 traveller and the way to register for the trial, there's no registration needed to use the system. But certainly if people want to provide their feedback and then get those regular updates, you can use the website which is Yarra Transcom, dot, forward slash navy lens, and that's spelt in a V lens. Or you can contact the call centre which is one 800 807 and ask them to assist you with the registration process. If you're unable to access the internet or have needs for other means.

The best thing to do is to get out and start using the app. And again, it's only on the Route 96 stops, but certainly if someone's travelling along the Bourke Street corridor in the city, there will be an ambulance code on each of those stops. So there's opportunity to interact with the system there. If they're not a regular Route 96 traveller and the way to register for the trial, there's no registration needed to use the system. But certainly if people want to provide their feedback and then get those regular updates, you can use the website which is Yarra Transcom, dot, forward slash navy lens, and that's spelt in a V lens. Or you can contact the call centre which is one 800 807 and ask them to assist you with the registration process. If you're unable to access the internet or have needs for other means.

Okay, perfect. I've been speaking today with Wayne Speers from Yarra Trams, all about the brand new Loveland's app, helping people who are blind or have low vision get around Melbourne's tram network more safely and accessibly. Wayne, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to have a chat with you all about the Netherlands app and looking forward to hearing about the latest updates in the future.

Okay, perfect. I've been speaking today with Wayne Speers from Yarra Trams, all about the brand new Loveland's app, helping people who are blind or have low vision get around Melbourne's tram network more safely and accessibly. Wayne, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to have a chat with you all about the Netherlands app and looking forward to hearing about the latest updates in the future.

Absolutely. Thanks so much, Sam.

Absolutely. Thanks so much, Sam.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia radio associated stations of RPI and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that interview with Wayne Speers there. If you missed any part of today's interviews or you'd love to hear them again, they will also be available on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library to listen back any time. And now for our second interview. Today I catch up with CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, Sally Andrews. Sally will be moving on from BCA at the end of September as she commences full time study and as a valued guest of talking vision over the years. It's my great pleasure to catch up with her, to talk about her last six years in her various roles at BCA. I began by asking Sally to tell us about the most treasured memories she's had over that time.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia radio associated stations of RPI and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that interview with Wayne Speers there. If you missed any part of today's interviews or you'd love to hear them again, they will also be available on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library to listen back any time. And now for our second interview. Today I catch up with CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, Sally Andrews. Sally will be moving on from BCA at the end of September as she commences full time study and as a valued guest of talking vision over the years. It's my great pleasure to catch up with her, to talk about her last six years in her various roles at BCA. I began by asking Sally to tell us about the most treasured memories she's had over that time.

Yeah, there's definitely been a lot happen in the past six years, but I think the fondest memories that I have all relate to the times that I have met people and they've expressed to me things that aren't working for them or things that are concerning them. And there have been plenty of occasions where we've been able to hear those concerns and being able to take them to the right people and actually start to see some change in those areas. It certainly hasn't been something that's happened 100% of the time, but on the odd occasion that it does, and you can be that person to have a hand in bringing about some of those big systemic changes. They're definitely my my favorite memories.

Yeah, there's definitely been a lot happen in the past six years, but I think the fondest memories that I have all relate to the times that I have met people and they've expressed to me things that aren't working for them or things that are concerning them. And there have been plenty of occasions where we've been able to hear those concerns and being able to take them to the right people and actually start to see some change in those areas. It certainly hasn't been something that's happened 100% of the time, but on the odd occasion that it does, and you can be that person to have a hand in bringing about some of those big systemic changes. They're definitely my my favorite memories.

And following on from that. Sally, what achievements have you been most proud of over that time as CEO of BCA? If you want to sort of go into specifics about some big programs or projects or things that BCA has been able to achieve over that time, what have you been most proud of there?

And following on from that. Sally, what achievements have you been most proud of over that time as CEO of BCA? If you want to sort of go into specifics about some big programs or projects or things that BCA has been able to achieve over that time, what have you been most proud of there?

I think one of the things that I've enjoyed the most and that am the most proud of is the initiatives that we've been able to begin at BCA and also the initiatives that we've been able to to build on to make sure that people are getting involved and staying connected so that people can come along to things like our BCA conversations, BCA inform our Connect events, our peer connect groups, our local branches, our special interest branches and just being able to meet other people who might share an interest or live close by and being able to form relationships, getting a little bit more specific. Some of the things I'm really proud of most recently are working with our board staff and members to formally endorse other a statement from the heart and begin work towards a reconciliation action plan. And I'm also really proud of some of our biggest systemic advocacy achievements. We've seen a lot of change in areas like the independent assessments move in the NDIS being discontinued. We've been working really closely with the New South Wales and the Tasmanian Electoral Commission to try and improve access to secret, independent and verifiable voting. And just earlier this week we met with the Victorian Education Minister and they announced that due to the huge amount, the overwhelming amount of advocacy and feedback they'd received, they were going to discontinue their proposal to make significant changes to the visiting teacher program. So yeah, they're definitely a handful of the things that I'm the most proud of.

I think one of the things that I've enjoyed the most and that am the most proud of is the initiatives that we've been able to begin at BCA and also the initiatives that we've been able to to build on to make sure that people are getting involved and staying connected so that people can come along to things like our BCA conversations, BCA inform our Connect events, our peer connect groups, our local branches, our special interest branches and just being able to meet other people who might share an interest or live close by and being able to form relationships, getting a little bit more specific. Some of the things I'm really proud of most recently are working with our board staff and members to formally endorse other a statement from the heart and begin work towards a reconciliation action plan. And I'm also really proud of some of our biggest systemic advocacy achievements. We've seen a lot of change in areas like the independent assessments move in the NDIS being discontinued. We've been working really closely with the New South Wales and the Tasmanian Electoral Commission to try and improve access to secret, independent and verifiable voting. And just earlier this week we met with the Victorian Education Minister and they announced that due to the huge amount, the overwhelming amount of advocacy and feedback they'd received, they were going to discontinue their proposal to make significant changes to the visiting teacher program. So yeah, they're definitely a handful of the things that I'm the most proud of.

And you're still around for quite a few weeks from now and staying around till late September. So it's probably a bit of a whirlwind to kind of wrap up everything and tie up a few loose ends before you move on, which we'll talk about in just a SEQ because that's a really exciting opportunity in itself. But what are some immediate plans that BCA has over the next coming weeks?

And you're still around for quite a few weeks from now and staying around till late September. So it's probably a bit of a whirlwind to kind of wrap up everything and tie up a few loose ends before you move on, which we'll talk about in just a SEQ because that's a really exciting opportunity in itself. But what are some immediate plans that BCA has over the next coming weeks?

September is going to be a really busy month for BCA. I'm really excited about a lot of the things that are happening. We've got BCA Connect on Policy coming up at the end of the month, that'll be Saturday the 23rd where we're going to be talking about and launching some of our public policies. The full program for that's going to be coming out next week and there's still plenty of time for anyone who's interested to register. We're also going to be announcing the recipient of the David Blythe Award and the Certificate of Appreciation. And soon after that, we're going to be holding our special general meeting where we are going to ask our members to vote on proposed changes to our Constitution. It's going to be more discussions in the tell us what you think about series. And we're going to be looking at visual descriptions and how do people feel about visual descriptions at the start of meetings and events and do they like it when people get up and talk about their appearance and their backgrounds And if they do? What are some guidelines that we could provide people when they give those visual descriptions? So there's a lot happening in the month of September. And in amongst all that, yeah, we will be preparing to hand over my role to a new person. So it's definitely going to be busy times.

September is going to be a really busy month for BCA. I'm really excited about a lot of the things that are happening. We've got BCA Connect on Policy coming up at the end of the month, that'll be Saturday the 23rd where we're going to be talking about and launching some of our public policies. The full program for that's going to be coming out next week and there's still plenty of time for anyone who's interested to register. We're also going to be announcing the recipient of the David Blythe Award and the Certificate of Appreciation. And soon after that, we're going to be holding our special general meeting where we are going to ask our members to vote on proposed changes to our Constitution. It's going to be more discussions in the tell us what you think about series. And we're going to be looking at visual descriptions and how do people feel about visual descriptions at the start of meetings and events and do they like it when people get up and talk about their appearance and their backgrounds And if they do? What are some guidelines that we could provide people when they give those visual descriptions? So there's a lot happening in the month of September. And in amongst all that, yeah, we will be preparing to hand over my role to a new person. So it's definitely going to be busy times.

Absolutely busy times. But there's also exciting times, as I mentioned just briefly, I understand you'll be taking up an opportunity to dedicate yourself to academic studies. So tell us a bit about that. What are you looking forward to there?

Absolutely busy times. But there's also exciting times, as I mentioned just briefly, I understand you'll be taking up an opportunity to dedicate yourself to academic studies. So tell us a bit about that. What are you looking forward to there?

Yeah. So the whole time I've been at BCA, I have also been studying part time through the University of New England and later in August I'll actually be heading down to Armidale to graduate officially and accept my certificate there and am commencing an honors program where I'll be researching employment initiatives both in Australia and overseas and investigating their outcomes for neurodiverse people. I'm really excited to be able to dedicate myself to being a full time student. It's not something I've had the opportunity to do before, but I have had the opportunity to study full time and to work part time to support myself. That's come up for me and I've decided that it's an opportunity I can't miss. So I'm going to dedicate the next year to my honours, and then my plans are to go on to some further study in the area of HR and look at developing a series of best practice standards for inclusive recruitment.

Yeah. So the whole time I've been at BCA, I have also been studying part time through the University of New England and later in August I'll actually be heading down to Armidale to graduate officially and accept my certificate there and am commencing an honors program where I'll be researching employment initiatives both in Australia and overseas and investigating their outcomes for neurodiverse people. I'm really excited to be able to dedicate myself to being a full time student. It's not something I've had the opportunity to do before, but I have had the opportunity to study full time and to work part time to support myself. That's come up for me and I've decided that it's an opportunity I can't miss. So I'm going to dedicate the next year to my honours, and then my plans are to go on to some further study in the area of HR and look at developing a series of best practice standards for inclusive recruitment.

So that's been an area that you've had a passion for for quite a while. What sort of specific aspects of this area are you really excited about and what are the sort of trends that you're looking forward to seeing and learning from and taking away with you to bring into new roles as they come up?

So that's been an area that you've had a passion for for quite a while. What sort of specific aspects of this area are you really excited about and what are the sort of trends that you're looking forward to seeing and learning from and taking away with you to bring into new roles as they come up?

Yeah, I think at the moment it is a really exciting time. You know, we're in the early stages of the new Australian Disability Strategy. We're working on developing our first national autism strategy. A disability employment service is being reviewed and there are big changes happening there. So there's a lot happening when it comes to employment. And a lot of my career before I came to BCA was in the employment space working for disability employment service providers, Job Services Australia, the work for the Dole program, and I've seen those programs when they work, but I've also been part of them when they really haven't worked and they haven't met people's expectations and they haven't been able to tackle a lot of the systemic barriers and the issues that really get in the way of people with disability finding work like the poor community, attitudes that we know are really the biggest thing that we encounter when we're looking for jobs. So I'm hoping that over the coming years I can put together some really practical research and come up with some tangible and implementable recommendations that might contribute towards seeing a shift in the very stubborn unemployment and underemployment rate of people with disability. My focus area at the moment is on people who are neurodiverse As a neurodiverse person myself, that's just of particular interest to me, but I want it to be things that are applicable to people with disability more broadly, things that could be implemented by any organisation, so that when we start to look at the breakdown of employees, we don't just measure gender and cultural linguistic diversity when we are looking at diversity, but we start to measure the number of staff we have with disability as well and really start to see a change in those employment statistics.

Yeah, I think at the moment it is a really exciting time. You know, we're in the early stages of the new Australian Disability Strategy. We're working on developing our first national autism strategy. A disability employment service is being reviewed and there are big changes happening there. So there's a lot happening when it comes to employment. And a lot of my career before I came to BCA was in the employment space working for disability employment service providers, Job Services Australia, the work for the Dole program, and I've seen those programs when they work, but I've also been part of them when they really haven't worked and they haven't met people's expectations and they haven't been able to tackle a lot of the systemic barriers and the issues that really get in the way of people with disability finding work like the poor community, attitudes that we know are really the biggest thing that we encounter when we're looking for jobs. So I'm hoping that over the coming years I can put together some really practical research and come up with some tangible and implementable recommendations that might contribute towards seeing a shift in the very stubborn unemployment and underemployment rate of people with disability. My focus area at the moment is on people who are neurodiverse As a neurodiverse person myself, that's just of particular interest to me, but I want it to be things that are applicable to people with disability more broadly, things that could be implemented by any organisation, so that when we start to look at the breakdown of employees, we don't just measure gender and cultural linguistic diversity when we are looking at diversity, but we start to measure the number of staff we have with disability as well and really start to see a change in those employment statistics.

Do you anticipate there will be something of a blindness and low vision component in the units and the courses that you'll be studying, or is it more focused in neurodiversity at this stage?

Do you anticipate there will be something of a blindness and low vision component in the units and the courses that you'll be studying, or is it more focused in neurodiversity at this stage?

The study that I'll be doing is very much self directed research, so it involves quite an extensive literature review of Australian and international material. A lot of that does focus on disability as a whole. There often isn't research that's broken down into specific disability types. There certainly is some, but a lot of it is more broad. So I definitely will be investigating all types of disability, multiple disability and disability and all of it's intersectionality as well.

The study that I'll be doing is very much self directed research, so it involves quite an extensive literature review of Australian and international material. A lot of that does focus on disability as a whole. There often isn't research that's broken down into specific disability types. There certainly is some, but a lot of it is more broad. So I definitely will be investigating all types of disability, multiple disability and disability and all of it's intersectionality as well.

And Sally, there's always an exciting opportunity in these sort of fields and this type of study to address some gaps in the scholarship and the research in terms of not only the social sciences, but really addressing the business community and making the findings really relevant to them as well. So is that something you're looking forward to in that regard?

And Sally, there's always an exciting opportunity in these sort of fields and this type of study to address some gaps in the scholarship and the research in terms of not only the social sciences, but really addressing the business community and making the findings really relevant to them as well. So is that something you're looking forward to in that regard?

Yeah, absolutely. My study so far has been in the social sciences and also in organization management, and I'm really excited to be able to take the sociological issue and my perspective on it and incorporate that into something academic that can be presented to more of the business world and research that relates more directly to business and organizational development as a way to really bridge the. Between the two disciplines.

Yeah, absolutely. My study so far has been in the social sciences and also in organization management, and I'm really excited to be able to take the sociological issue and my perspective on it and incorporate that into something academic that can be presented to more of the business world and research that relates more directly to business and organizational development as a way to really bridge the. Between the two disciplines.

Well, looking forward to keeping in touch with you and perhaps catching up in a year or two to find out some things that you've come across and some real exciting trends or things to be aware of for people and raise awareness for the issues that people in the disabled community face on a daily basis. So definitely looking forward to keeping in touch and having a chat with you about that down the track. Now I've been speaking today with Sally Andrews, current CEO of BCA, but she's also heading off to take up an academic opportunity in the next couple of months. Sally, thanks so much for catching up with me today. All the best for your future academic studies.

Well, looking forward to keeping in touch with you and perhaps catching up in a year or two to find out some things that you've come across and some real exciting trends or things to be aware of for people and raise awareness for the issues that people in the disabled community face on a daily basis. So definitely looking forward to keeping in touch and having a chat with you about that down the track. Now I've been speaking today with Sally Andrews, current CEO of BCA, but she's also heading off to take up an academic opportunity in the next couple of months. Sally, thanks so much for catching up with me today. All the best for your future academic studies.

Thanks Sam, and thanks for all of your support over the past six years. It's always been a pleasure working with you.

Thanks Sam, and thanks for all of your support over the past six years. It's always been a pleasure working with you.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together. And remember, we love your feedback and comments, so please do get in touch on Talking vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Culley saying bye for now.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together. And remember, we love your feedback and comments, so please do get in touch on Talking vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Culley saying bye for now.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 308 4746 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision australia.org.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 308 4746 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision australia.org.