Tag: people with disabilities

Delegates’ Report: Disability Services and Community Partnerships

Posted on by alex

On the 3rd of September I had the pleasure of attending the Ringwood Spiders Trophy Presentation Evening, a football team for people with disabilities, which competes in the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) league comprising of teams across Victoria.

The Trophy Presentation Evening provides an opportunity to reflect on the Spiders achievements throughout the year, including the formation of a second team and the continuation of their Junior Development Squad, which has seen new members over the past season. In addition, the Ringwood Spiders Cheerleader Squad continues to provide an opportunity for people unable to play football to still support and be a part of the team.

The Ringwood Spiders are eagerly awaiting the 2011 Football Season but have a range of activities planned over the summer months, including lawn bowls organised in partnership with the Ringwood Bowls Club. The Ringwood Bowls Club is one of the many organisations that have formed partnerships with the Ringwood Spiders and it was great to see the Trophy Presentation Evening held once again at the Bowls Club.

On the 9th of September I attended the Spring Formal of the Croydon Special Development School. The school specialises in education for people with disabilities while providing connections with the wider community. The Spring Formal demonstrated the strength of the school’s connections to the wider community, with several students from local high schools being partners to participants in the formal.

It was fantastic to see students from local high schools supporting students from the Croydon Special Development School and I commend each of them for their involvement in the Spring Formal.

On the 15th of September I attended the Eastern Volunteer Business Booster Breakfast, a new initiative of Eastern Volunteers designed to create mutually beneficial partnerships between the business and community sectors. The breakfast included the launch of Friends of EV, a new program which will create partnerships between Eastern Volunteers and the business community. It is worth noting that Eastern Volunteers is a stable organisation that has existed for 30 years, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable and positive outcomes for the community.

Lastly, on the 20th of September I participated in the filming of Monkami’s Drama Group, “Hey Hey It’s Monkami”, the fourth production from the Group. Hey Hey It’s Monkami, is the fourth performance of the group and will be performed on Thursday the 28th of September at the Karralyka Centre.

Filming for the Monkami Drama Production – Hey Hey Its Monkami

Posted on by alex

Monkami is a not-for-profit disability service provider in Croydon, which provides educational, employment and lifestyle opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.  Monkami has developed a strong arts based program to encourage confidence and expression with their participants, including the Monkami Drama Group, which is now in its fourth year of productions.

This afternoon I volunteered to be part of the filming for the Monkami Drama Groups, “Hey Hey Its Monkami”, the title and theme of this year’s production.  A scene takes place at the Council Chamber and will form part of the production that will be performed at the Karralyka Centre on the 28th of October.

Media Release: Ringwood Station petition well supported

Posted on by alex

Maroondah City Council’s petition calling on all state political parties to commit to a redevelopment of Ringwood Station in the next term of government has received generous support from the community.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said to date more than 150 people had signed the petition, some choosing to leave comments on Council’s website.

“It has been great to hear how strongly the community feel about the need for an upgrade to the station. Last week Council released a video on our website which highlights the difficulties people who rely on a mobility device have in accessing the station,” Cr Makin said.

“The amount of community support our campaign has received to date speaks for itself. People are fed up with the current state of the station and are willing to speak out to campaign for change,” Cr Makin said.

“I urge those who haven’t already signed the petition to visit one of Council’s service centres or website and support our campaign. The more community support we can generate the greater the impact it will have when we present the petition to the political parties,” Cr Makin said.

Some of the comments posted on Council’s online petition:

“Every time I walk up or down this station I wonder how people with disabilities, pregnant women or mums with prams get up and down the walkway to go over the tracks. It’s a big worry, and I feel unsafe walking there and nothing is even wrong with me.” Georgia, Mount Evelyn

“Ringwood Station needs to be more user friendly for all Maroondah residents. More and more residents are relying on Ringwood Station than ever before. It is time to invest.” Emily, Ringwood.

“This is discrimination, clear and simple.” Aidan, Bayswater North

“I use Ringwood Station daily for commuting to work in the city and the Ringwood Station is a joke….. The ramps are quite steep and falling over on icy conditions is not uncommon, I have done it a couple of times. We need action fast.” Sandy, Ringwood.

“The sooner the better, waited too long,” Ringwood East couple

“I have a 19-year-old intellectually and physically disabled daughter. It is IMPOSSIBLE for us to use Ringwood Station due to the appalling lack of disabled facilities. Is it not part of the State Disability Plan to ensure ALL Government sites have disabled access? Surely the Department of Transport is remiss in its responsibility to ensure that Ringwood Station (as a major transport hub) is accessible for all people, not just the able bodied. Karen, Ringwood East.

“It is appalling that people who use public transport should be subjected to an unsafe and intimidating environment at their local station. Ringwood Station is an anachronism that the Government should be ashamed of, and improve if it has any sense of social conscious.” Nick

Go online to watch the video, to complete an online submission or to download a copy of the petition:
Maroondah Council website – www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
Maroondah Youth Services website www.maroondahyouthservices.com.au

To sign the petition or find out more about the campaign:
Visit one of Council’s service centres:
City Offices Service Centre
Braeside Avenue, Ringwood

Eastland Service Centre
Level 2, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood
Croydon Service Centre
Civic Square, Croydon

Visit one of Council’s facilities:
Arrabri Community Centre
Allambanan Drive, Bayswater North.

Croydon Library
Civic Square, Mount Dandenong Road, Croydon.

Karralyka Centre
Mines Road, Ringwood.

Maroondah Federation Estate
Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

Ringwood Library
4 Ringwood Street Mall, Ringwood
(Adjacent to Eastland Shopping Centre).

Wyreena Community Arts Centre
13-23 Hull Road, Croydon.

– ENDS –

Launch of Brush Strokes Exhibition from the Croydon Stroke Support Group

Posted on by alex

The Croydon Stroke Support Group provides peer support to people with stroke and their carers. The group has a strong emphasis on social inclusion and provides a range of art based programs to restore confidence to people with stroke.

This morning I was invited to open the Croydon Stroke Support Group’s Brush Stroke exhibition, which is being exhibited at Maroondah Federation Estate in Greenwood Avenue in Ringwood. Brush Strokes, includes a range of mediums, including photography, sculpture and painting, some of which were collaborative pieces made by several members of the group.

Brush Strokes is the inaugural exhibition to be held in the Long Gallery, within the former school building of Ringwood Primary. The building, which is now used for community space will complement the existing cultural focus of Maroondah Federation Estate, providing additional space for the arts within Maroondah.

In addition, I had the pleasure of launching Left of Tomorrow, a book by Wendy Lyons, a person with stroke and a member of the Croydon Stroke Support Group. Wendy’s book details her experiences with stroke and the challenges she faced.

The Croydon Stroke Support Group has a strong focus on the arts and the restoring of confidence for people with stroke. In addition to photography, painting and sculpture, the group has also initiated a choir to provide people with stroke the ability to sing and regain their voices.

The Croydon Stroke Support Group meets each Thursday on a weekly basis, for details please visit www.strokeassociation.com.au/CroydonSSG.htm

Maroondah Weekly: Changes on the way in community care

Posted on by alex

Maroondah City Council provides home and community care services to eligible residents that have a disability or are frail aged, as well as carers. These services, which include Meals on Wheelers, carer support, social support programs, domestic assistance, respite care and property maintenance, are provided to people in need of additional assistance.

The State Department of Health has recently developed a new approach to the delivery of home and community care services. This approach, known as the Active Service Model, has the aim of providing tailored services rather than the traditional one-size-fits all approach, resulting in higher confidence and wellbeing for participants.

Maroondah City Council has been implementing the Active Service Model which will be gradually rolled out to the 3000 home and community care clients that reside within the municipality. The Maroondah Weekly has reported on the improvements that will be delivered through this new approach:

Mayor Alex Man said the revamp would abolish the “one-size-fits-all” approach and instead focus on each client and their individual nutritional, social and cultural needs.

“It’s about providing services which promote capacity building and restorative care so that people can stay involved in everyday activities, maintain or rebuild their confidence and strengthen their capacity to adapt to changing life circumstances.”

Maroondah City Council was recently announced as a finalist in the LGPro Aged and Disability Services Awards, reflecting the Council’s commitment to delivering an approach to home and community care that improves the wellbeing of the recipient.

Maroondah Leader: Video ramp struggle

Posted on by alex

Maroondah Council is continuing its campaign to secure an upgrade of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transit interchange through a video that highlights the accessibility issues that exist with the Station.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on Council’s innovative approach to this campaign:

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said the video, recorded last Wednesday by Maroondah Council, revealed how bad the station was for people with disabilities to access.

The video highlights the personal experiences of people with disabilities and mobility aids experience in using the station.

“In one case the station’s ramps were so steep that the rear support wheels on the wheelchair lifted two to three centimetres off the ground”, Cr Makin said. “Others can’t stop on the ramps because the brakes are not strong enough to cope with the gradient.”

The video clearly demonstrates the critical need to upgrade Ringwood Station, particularly given its status as a Central Activities District.

Cr Makin said the video showed the personal impact on people tying to use a station that does not meet the Disability Discrimination Act.

“The amount of feedback the council has received has been phenomenal,” he said. “Many people have expressed their fear of using the station because of its access issues.”

To view the video or to sign the petition, please visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSKJvKKnwoo[/youtube]

Croydon Special Development School – Spring Formal

Posted on by alex

The Croydon Special Development School is located in Belmont Road East in Croydon and provides an educational curriculum for children with a disability, beginning with early year programs through to secondary education.

This evening I was invited to the School’s Spring Formal, which involved several 15 and 16 year old students. The Spring Formal not only celebrated the start of Spring but also the presenting of students at the Formal, who participated in several dance routines.

Croydon Special Development School has a strong focus on the community and this was seen through several students from other secondary schools participating in the event alongside students from Croydon Special Development School.

The Spring Formal was made possible through the work of volunteers, staff and students and I would like to congratulate the school on organising such a fantastic event and for providing the opportunity of a school formal for the students.

The 2010 Ringwood Spiders Trophy Presentation Evening

Posted on by alex

The Ringwood Spiders is a football club for people with disabilities, competing within the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) League.

The Ringwood Spiders has seen on-going success, including the formation of a second team and the continuation of its cheer squad and junior development squad. This evening I attended the Ringwood Spiders Trophy Presentation Evening, which was held at the Ringwood Bowls Club.

Alex with Josh and Adam from the Ringwood Spiders
Alex with Josh and Adam from the Ringwood Spiders

The Ringwood Spiders trophy presentation evening provides an opportunity to reflect on the past season and recognise the accomplishments of players. It is encouraging that there is ongoing support for the Ringwood Spiders from organisations like the Ringwood Redbacks, the Ringwood Bowls Club and businesses like Lakeside Cafe in Ringwood.

While the football season may be drawing to a close the Spiders will be undertaking a Summer events program, including lawn bowls at the Ringwood Bowls Club and a range of other activities.

For further information on the Ringwood Spiders please visit www.ringwoodspiders.com.

Heatherdale Community Action Group – 2010 Annual General Meeting

Posted on by alex

The Heatherdale Community Action Group was formed as a residents based group to preserve and enhance the amenity of Heatherdale, a locality located within the municipalities of Whitehorse and Maroondah.

This evening I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Heatherdale Community Action Group, where committee members were elected for the upcoming year. In addition, the evening featured a presentation from EACH a community based health provider located within the eastern region of Melbourne and beyond.

EACH, which was formally known as Eastern Access Community Health, has grown extensively since its formation over 30 years ago and now includes over 600 staff who deliver a range of health and community support services. In addition to its active presence in Maroondah, Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges, EACH also covers most of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, as well as having a presence in regional Victoria and Western Sydney.

EACH has a focus on preventive health and provides services covering dental care, mental health, disability assistance, gambling assistance, counselling and career assistance. For further information on EACH please visit www.each.com.au.

Maroondah Disability Action Group – Meeting with the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector

Posted on by alex

The Maroondah Disability Action Group was formed to provide a community based advocacy group for people with disabilities. This morning the group was addressed by Senator Mitch Fifield, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector.

The Senator discussed the Coalition’s policies for people with disabilities and carers, including the need for streamlining the provision of services between all levels of government and an emphasis on individual based care packages.

The Maroondah Disability Action Group meets on a monthly basis and includes a range of guest speakers to advocate on behalf of its members and people with disabilities.