DisABILITY Accessibility Information Resources

February 2007
Number 43

2007 Sponsor

Thanks are extended to Otto Bock who will be continuing their support of e-Bility News for another year. Otto Bock are global leaders in healthcare and rehabilitation mobility products and their ongoing assistance in maintaining this free service is greatly appreciated.

What's new on e-Bility.com?

Brochure stand

Uki Guesthouse

Overlooking Mount Warning in northern NSW, Uki Guesthouse welcomes everyone but most especially people with disability and wheelchair users. The Guesthouse has been designed with accessibility in mind including the accommodation, pool and outdoor entertainment areas. The onsite manager is also a registered nurse and can provide light assistance with activities of daily living such as showering, dressing, dining and retiring, as well as medications if needed.

Disabled Equipment Suppliers 2007 Catalogue

DES manufacture customised seating and positioning equipment for children and adolescents with a disability. The 2007 catalogue introduces some new products, extended sizes and additional features in response to customer requests. All are fully and easily adjustable with a wide choice of accessories.

Disability classifieds

Second hand equipment for sale

Several items of children's equipment have recently been listed for sale, including an adapted tricycle, standing frame, therapy roll, medium walking frame, transit and manual wheelchairs.

Second hand accessible vehicles for sale

Vehicles available include Ford Flashcab Wagons and Chrysler Voyager Entervans that have been modified for wheelchair access.

Articles

Holidaying in Western Australia in my wheelchair

Part two of Robyn's holiday in Western Australia, where she spends three weeks travelling down to the south and back, arriving in Perth for the Red Hat parade.

Healthy, happy kids: A child at play will stay at play

The positive play experiences we create during childhood allow us to participate in and enjoy the benefits of play for a lifetime.

Book corner

Love Ella

Love Ella is the story of a young married woman who finds herself having unexpectedly given birth to a child with disability and the impact this has on her life and her family. It is also the story of 11 year old Ella - a feisty, courageous little girl with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome who is aware of her difference and who holds precious the simple gift of her hands.

Disability links

Software for people with disability

Updated links to a variety of free or shareware enabling software and assistive technology options for people with disability.

What's new on the WWW?

Wheelabout photo gallery

The Wheelabout website now has an image gallery of photos, showing the different accessible vehicles and motorhomes as well as holiday snaps from customers.

Easter Show discounts

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is offering a 20% discount on tickets for people with disability if they book before 16 March 2007. The ticket also entitles the person with disability to bring their carer to the Show free of charge. Available from Ticketek on 02 8512 9933.

Commonwealth Disability Report

An independent evaluation of the Commonwealth Disability Strategy was conducted by Erebus International during 2005-06. The final report from the Evaluation is now available on the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) website.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The United Nations has recently adopted a landmark disability Convention which details the rights of people with disability and sets out a code of implementation that represents the "dawn of a new era" for around 650 million people worldwide living with disability. Member countries will be invited to join in the Convention towards the end of March with the aim of ratifying the convention within national legislation, policies and legal structures.

The Disability Agenda

An outcome of the Disability Debate in the UK on Creating an Alternative Future, the Disability Agenda website sets out what the Disability Rights Commission believe are the chief public policy challenges for the coming decade and the action required to meet them.

Next Chapter Book Club

The book club provides adolescents and adults with intellectual disability the opportunity to read and learn to read, talk about books, and make friends, in a fun community setting. Clubs meet weekly in local bookstores and cafés to read and discuss books of their choosing. NCBC members range from those who read well to those who do not read at all (USA).

Western Australia Beach Access Project

The Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) is currently undertaking work in the area of disability access to recreational beaches and waterways that will be of interest to local government and disability organisations across Australia. As part of this project an audit tool will be developed to assist local governments and community groups, such as surf clubs, to undertake access and infrastructure audits of their beaches and water ways to ascertain their suitability for wheelchair access. WALGA is calling for input from other Councils and has provided project documentation on the WALGA website community information page.

Scott Rains SlideShare on Universal Design

A series of universal design and accessible travel presentations by Scott Rains published on SlideShare. SlideShare is a new community website that changes Powerpoint slide shows into Flash shows so they can be shared online. Each slide show is accompanied by a "Slideshow transcript" of the text content.

New Zealand on Wheels

A wheelchair travel guide to New Zealand including user comments and discussion about travel, attractions and accommodation in NZ relating to wheelchair users.

The Nucleus Group

Nucleus is a dynamic Australian company that provides consultancy services to the community, social, disability and health services sectors. A selection of research reports and information booklets are publicly available on their website, including the Evaluation of Access for All Abilities (2006).

Disability Education Program

The Disability Education Program (run by the Department of Sport and Recreation NSW) has just published its 2007 schedule of courses aimed at assisting sport and physical activity providers to better include people with a disability in their sports activities.