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Sylw!The Bulletin of Wales Council for the BlindNo. 13 - October 2004Submit an article...You may have something you wish to publicise or know of something which may be of interest to our readers. If you do, please use our submission form at http://www.wcb-ccd.org.uk/English/sylw/sylw_submissions.htm . We normally produce Sylw at the end of the month for release on the first of the following month. WCB reserves the right to edit, amend or refuse all material submitted. Please donate...This bulletin is produced without any direct funding. You can
help us by making a donation. Please go to http://www.wcb-ccd.org.uk/English/Donations/donations.htm
to find out how or go straight to UshopUgiveFor a period of one week from 04/10/04, UshopUgive.com will be donating 50p to Wales Council for the Blind for every user who registers on the UshopUgive site and indicates that they are doing so on behalf of Wales Council for the Blind. Simply visit www.UshopUgive.com and register (you will find the 'Register' button in the section at the top of the homepage) to trigger this donation. Please feel free to e-mail your friends with this offer. Contents1) WCB updateWCB Annual General MeetingThe A.G.M. of Wales Council for the Blind will take place this year on Wednesday, 20th October, at Coleg Powys, Newtown, Powys, starting at 11 a.m. and finishing at 3.30 p.m. A buffet lunch will be served free of charge. The day will launch a consultation on the WCB Constitution and whether it needs changing. Members and colleagues are invited to take part in the discussion. Guest speaker Tim Day (WCVA) talks about the new charity act; Dr. Rhianwen Stiff and Ffion Miles talk about personal experiences in Employment. A booking form is on the web-site at http://www.wcb-ccd.org.uk/English/Events/WCB_agm_2004_booking_form.htm . R.S.V.P. by Thursday, 14th October. Rehabilitation Officer SeminarBooking forms have now been sent out detailing the Rehabilitation Officer Seminar, An Introduction to Working with Children, Tuesday 9th November, Coleg Powys, Llandrindod Wells. Deadline for bookings is Friday 5th November. Any queries please contact Vicky Richards on 029 20 473954 or email: staff@wcb-ccd.org.uk Volunteer needed to assist WCB Awareness TrainerWe are still looking for a sighted assistant to team up with our new trainer who lives in Presteigne, Powys. If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Nicola Jones on 029 20 473 954 or email nicola.jones@wcb-ccd.org.uk We are delivering an Awareness Training Course on Monday 11th October in Rhayader. Call if you are interested in attending. Donate to WCB while you shopWCB is now a registered charity with UshopUgive. Using this new on-line portal you can generate donations to WCB from major retailers just by shopping on line. It costs you nothing, but it will pass some money to WCB. Please shop via this link: http://www.UshopUgive.com/default.asp?charid=538 2) Consultations and lobbyingPart 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act comes into forceThe new duties under the DDA require that those who provide a service to the public need to remove any physical barriers to ensure disabled people receive a fair service. However the Disability Rights Commission has found that, despite the DDA being on the statute books for nearly 10 years, many businesses continue to pose significant barriers throughout Wales. Dr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, Wales Commissioner of the DRC, said 'Whilst it's clear that some shops and services are getting it right for the disabled consumer there are those that have done little or nothing to prepare for the legislation.' However, Wales' newest city, Newport, came out best of all the British cities surveyed by the DRC in terms of access and staff attitudes. (Source: DRC). Guide Dogs appeals to local businesses: Open Your Doors!A campaign to be held during Guide Dogs Week commencing 4th October aims to educate service providers about their existing and new obligations under the DDA, and make sure that they 'open their doors' to guide dog owners. GDBA have produced a pocket-sized reference guide outlining the legal duties, and providing handy tips and advice on how to give a top quality service to guide dog owners and all other visually impaired people. They will also be rewarding good service by giving out 'Opening Doors' certificates to service providers nominated by guide dog owners. For more information contact rebecca.atherton@guidedogs.org.uk 3) Reports and publicationsPreparing for EmergenciesMany of you will be aware of the Government's Information door-drop detailing actions to take in emergency situations such as a terrorist attack. However, you may not have a copy in your preferred format. The booklet is available from 0800 597 5976 in a range of languages and, in English language, braille audio tape and large print. 4) EventsUltraCane WorkshopOn behalf of WCB, Sound Foresight Ltd, the creators of the UltraCane, are presenting a workshop for Rehabilitation and Mobility Officers on Tuesday 30th November, 1-4 pm at the Penglais Campus, University of Wales Aberystwyth, fee £10. Please contact Vicky at the office on 029 20 473954 or email staff@wcb-ccd.org.uk to register your interest. Booking forms will be issued shortly. World Sight Day - 14th October 2004Thursday 14th October is World Sight Day. To mark the occasion St Dunstan's, working in partnership with VISION2020, is the beneficiary of the second Flight for Sight: an annual event founded and run by British Airways London Eye in support of sight charities. By publicly marking World Sight Day St Dunstan’s, VISION 2020 and representatives of the 38 UK and international sight-related Charities hope to draw attention to the fact that 80 per cent of blindness in the world is curable or preventable. In addition they hope to raise awareness of the issues that the visually impaired community in the UK face on a daily basis. Contact rebecca.shadwell@st-dunstans.org.uk for further information. Making good Social Workers - Involving service users and carers in training new social workersFriday, 22 October 2004, 10.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Organisations are invited to send up to two representatives to this workshop looking at:
Travel, carers’ and personal assistants’ expenses can be reimbursed. For further information contact John Taylor by Friday, 8 October 2004. Tel: 0117 924 1606. Email johntaylor36@blueyonder.co.uk Arts Disability Wales AGMArts Disability Wales is launching its new name - Disability Arts Cymru - at the 22nd AGM on 22nd October. The venue is the Swansea Grand Theatre and the meeting starts at 3.30pm. email: arts.disability@btconnect.com 5) Other resourcesInternet Dial-up ScamA letter to New Beacon this month details a scam which reconnects your computer to the internet via a Premium Rate number. These numbers are charged at around £1.50 per minute. Individuals have reported telephone bills of up to £400 resulting from these connections. The website http://www.icstis.org.uk allows visitors to type in the telephone number and obtain the contact name and address of the company benefiting from the calls. The new AMD Alliance International Website is onlineThe aim was to structure the site in a way that makes it easier for visitors to find the information they are looking for whether they are people with AMD, their carers, family and friends, eye health professionals or journalists. It's at www.amdalliance.org. WebEyes Browser SoftwareA reader has recommended the WebEyes software which enables font size control and conversion of scrolling to 'page turning' in Internet Explorer. A free trial download is available from http://www.webeyes.us/ . Self-employment for Disabled peopleEver thought of being self-employed? Disability Wales "Enter Project" supports disabled people who wish to work for themselves. The Enter project does this by providing free 1-2-1 business support and pre-start workshops throught Wales. In the last three years we have supported numerous clients in bringing down barriers they face in becoming self-employed. The service provided by Enter Disability Wales is not impairment specific as we support all disabled people. For further information on workshops and meeting your regional client advisor contact Abu Askira via aaskira@dwac.demon.co.uk 6) MiscellaneousJob OpportunityAn opportunity has arisen for 5 blind and partially sighted seminar trainers to work on the GAIN (Getting Accessible Information Now) for Wales project. More details will be posted at http://www.wcb-ccd.org.uk/English/Accessible_Media/gain_job_notice.htm on Wednesday 6th October. Beacon Hunts for Unsung Charity HeroesDo you know anyone who has used their business skills to help transform a charity? Or someone who has started a charity that has really helped to make a difference? Or an individual who freely gives their time or money to those in need? If so, Beacon would like to hear from you. The Beacon Prize is an award scheme designed to highlight the achievements of those who make significant contributions to charity, whether through resources, time or specialist skills. Its aim is to foster a greater culture of giving in the UK. If you know someone that is doing some truly great work, Beacon would like to hear about them. You can nominate them for one of the six categories – Leadership, Creative Giving, New Initiatives, Community Builder, Young Philanthropist or Risk Taking. For further information or to obtain a nomination form please visit the website http://www.beaconfellowship.org.uk or email enquiries@beaconfellowship.org.uk . Alternatively you can call 020 7849 6550. 7) RemindersVI SportsAn Open Meeting is to be held on Sunday, 24th October, in Rhayader Leisure Centre, Powys, to launch a new body to represent the interests of VI people in sport. This will replace the former Welsh Sports and Recreation Association for the Visually Impaired. The meeting is being organised by WCB and the Federation for Disability Sport in Wales. Anyone who feels they may have a contribution to make to this new body should contact WCB by Friday, October 1st for more information. Email nicky.malson@wcb-ccd.org.uk Carers' StrategyThe Centre for Social Policy Research and Development, Bangor, is carrying out research into the experiences and support needs of carers across Wales. The results will inform the Carers' Strategy and future initiatives spanning a whole range of policy areas. They are inviting carers to take part by completing a confidential questionnaire. So far they do not have many family carers for people with sensory impairment so are keen to involve people in that situation. They would also like to be able to identify carers who are themselves visually impaired to take part. Contact Dr. Diane Seddon or Dr. Yvonne Tommis. Phone: 01248 382-225. E-mail: d-seddon@bangor.ac.uk or contact us at WCB for more information Planning the Route - Social Care for Deafblind Children and AdultsAn RNIB Cymru conference supporting deafblind people at Hanover International Hotel, Cardiff, on 4th November. Contact Kate Millar or Gwenda Fitzpatrick on 029 2045 0440. Access and Beyond: towards rights and equalityDisability Wales Annual Conference and AGM in partnership with DRC Cymu - 28-29 October, St. David's Hotel, Cardiff Bay. info@dwac.demon.co.uk tel: 029 2088 7325 Cash available to help voluntary sector rise to health challenge WalesGrants are available for National voluntary sector organisations in Wales to help promote better nutrition, increased levels of physical activity, a reduction in smoking and further action to prevent ill-health. Minister for Health and Social Services Jane Hutt has announced that a total of £220,000 is being made available through the Health Challenge Wales Voluntary Sector Grant Scheme. The money will help national voluntary organisations address the major health problems that Health Challenge Wales aims to target. Application forms and guidance will be issued on 26 August. The closing date for applications is 21 October 2004.
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