AAA NewsletterIssue 17 - December 20041.0 ARTS ACCESS AUSTRALIA NETWORK NEWS1.1 Arts Access Australia new name and fundingArts Access Australia is the new name for the DADAA National Network with a new web address http://www.artsaccessaustralia.org. Over the coming months we will be updating site content. Our funding situation for the next three years is looking solid with the Australia Council confirming triennial funding commencing in the current 04/05 financial year. We have also been successful in securing funding from the Audience and Market Development Division of the Australia Council for a national audience development and access research project that will commence in early 2005. 1.2 Arts Access Australia at 3rd International Arts and Health Conference Dublin, IrelandIn June 2004 Arts Access Australia Executive Director presented a paper on ‘Arts and Mental Health – some perspectives from Australia’ at the 3rd International Arts and Health Conference Dublin. Copies of the presentation are now available by emailing ed@artsaccessaustralia.org. The trip was funded by the Community Cultural Development Board (CCDB) of the Australia Council and their latest ‘Art and Wellbeing’ publication is featured at item 4.3 below. 1.3 Access Arts (QLD) in Japan for World Expo 2005 World Expo 2005 will be held in Aichi Japan from March to September
2005. Access Arts QLD has been invited as the only Australian Non Government
Organisation (NGO) for the NGO Village. Access Arts QLD will partner the
Japanese Tanpopo-NoYe Foundation in presenting a month of activities on
the theme of learning for sustainability. The partnership will feature
Sound Circles – collaborations between sound and song makers from
Brisbane, Cairns and the Sunshine Coast and inspired by Pilbara (WA) basket
makers. 1.4 Access Arts (QLD) – Art on Show and Outsider Arts Studio Access Arts has assisted many artists over the years to find their preferred
art form, develop within that art form and present their work to the public.
Our Art on Show pages present a taste of the diversity and number of artists
who work with Access Arts to achieve success in their artwork. If you
are interested in employing a performer Brisbane based talent agent Salubrious
Productions works with many artists also associated with Access Arts.
There are also plenty of works from the Brisbane Outsider Arts Studio
displayed. 1.5 Accessible Arts NSW new website Accessible Arts is the peak arts and disability organisation across
New South Wales. Following a whole of organisation review in 2004, we
have identified the core function of the organisation to be: Advocacy,
Inclusive Practice and Audience Development on a strategic, statewide
basis. The initiatives and programmes planned for 2004 and 2005 continue
to enhance opportunities for people with disabilities to participate at
all levels in the arts and cultural community. Read more at: 1.6 Accessible Arts NSW – Disability Arts Workers Network (DAWN) Accessible Arts is seeking expressions of interest from Disability-Arts
workers across NSW to develop a Disability Arts Workers Network. We are
aiming to hold a meeting with interested individuals and organizations
in early 2005 to identify areas of need and set some specific goals for
the next eighteen months. Add your contact details and work profile using
our web based entry form located at 1.7 NSW - International Day of People With a Disability International day of people with a disability is 3 December each year.
Accessible Arts NSW has lead the way in encouraging arts and cultural
organisations to participate in events. For a program see: 1.8 VIC - The Other Film Festival 3 – 5 DecemberAustralia’s first disability film festival, The Other Film Festival, will screen new cinema made by, with and about people with a disability. The Festival will feature acclaimed films produced nationally and internationally, as well as an emerging filmmakers’ program. More than fifty films will be screened over the three-day Festival at The Age Theatre, Melbourne Museum. Contact the Arts Access EASE Ticket Service on (03) 9699 8497 TTY: (03) 9699 7636 or email ease@artsaccess.com.au You can also download a booking form directly from http://www.otherfilmfestival.com 1.9 Canberra DisAbility Arts Festival 2004 This year, the premier function to celebrate the Day on Friday 3 December
in Canberra will be an Arts Festival and night market in Garema Place
in the city center from 4pm until 10pm. The festival will bring together
and showcase the talents and abilities of the disability and arts sectors.
Disability ACT, People with Disabilities ACT and Arts and Recreation Training
ACT are working in partnership to bring together an art exhibition, night
market, opening and award ceremonies, music and other performances, culminating
in a digital screening of artwork. The Festival will be officially launched
at 6pm.
2.0 AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT NEWS2.1 The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations The Federation has recently been established as: the primary national
voice to government that fully represents the interests of all people
with disability across Australia. The mission of the Federation is: to
champion the rights of people with disability in Australia, and help them
participate fully in Australian life 2.2 National Consultations on UN Convention – Rights of people with disabilities In 2004 People With Disabilities Australia (PWD) conducted consultations
around Australia with people with disability and their organisations to
have a say about what is in, and what should be in, the draft Convention.
PWD was funded by the Australian Government through the Attorney-General's
Department to do this. Reports and information are available at: 2.3 Amendments to Accessible Public Transport Standards Amendments further clarifying the measures required by public transport
operators to make their vehicles more readily accessible have been tabled
in Parliament. The amendments are available on the Attorney-General’s
Department web site, along with a Regulation Impact Statement and Guidelines
at: 2.4 National Relay Service improves access The Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) has announced that text
callers through NRS can now call 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers anywhere in
Australia and get the same service no matter where they live. For more
information visit:
3.0 EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIESAustralia3.1 Deaf Olympic Games Cultural Festival 7 – 15 January 2005 Melbourne This is the first time (since its inception in 1924) that the Deaflympic
Games have been held in Australia. This is also the first time ever that
there has been a world-class Cultural Festival held in conjunction with
the Games. Find out more at: 3.2 Two Fires Conference on Arts and Activism Braidwood, NSW March 18-21, 2005 The Two Fires Conference will be held at the Two Fires Festival, a unique
festival, celebrating and extending the legacy of the great Australian
poet, conservationist and reconciliation activist, Judith Wright. The
conference will run over four days, celebrating and nurturing the essential
relationship between the 'two fires', arts and activism. Find out more
at: 3.3 Transformations Conference – Canberra 7-9 February 2005 Transformations is an international forum that will aim to shift the
conventional model of sustainable development. The conference will examine
case studies and demonstration projects and explore how the Universal
Declaration on cultural Diversity and Human Development Report 2004 can
be implemented at the policy and program level. For more information see: International3.4 UK - Beyond Boundaries – Adventure survival series – deadline December 2004Adventure Survival Series challenging Preconceptions about Disability. Diverse World TV is looking for 8 disabled people to film on a unique, once in a lifetime expedition across Nicaragua. The series will be shown on BBC2 in 2005. The objective is simple; to get from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Your start point will be the rainforests of the Mosquito Coast, your finish line, the surf of the Pacific. You have four weeks, seven other team members and a range of specialist equipment at your disposal. The terrain will be extreme. To succeed you will have to ford swollen rivers, cut through dense undergrowth, rappel across waterfalls, climb active volcanoes and cross the second largest lake in Latin America. As if this is not enough to contend with, Nicaragua is also home to crocodiles, anacondas and the worlds only species of freshwater shark! We are looking for amazing people to take on an amazing task. If you feel you are up to the challenge of a 200 mile coast-to-coast trek, are 18 or over and can spare four weeks in February 2005 then please contact Matt Ward or Belinda Kirk on: production@diverseworld.tv 3.5 UK - 6th London disability film festival 1 – 5 December The London disability film festival is a showcase of the talents of
disabled film makers. All the films screened share the clear creative
ownership of disabled people. For more information see: 3.6 US - SUPERFEST Film Festival call for entries SUPERFEST, the world’s longest-running juried international disability
film festival, is seeking your entry for submission to their 25th film
competition. They are seeking entries of works about disability produced
since January 1999. A 1/2 inch VHS-NTSC preview format is required, along
with a completed and signed entry and release form, and entry fee check.
Final entry deadline: January 31, 2005 (post-marked). Judging takes place
in Spring 2005, and winners will be announced on or around April 1st,
2005. Winners will be screened in the SF Bay Area in June, 2005, and all
entries will be listed in the festival catalogue. Winners will be asked
to provide still production photos and tape copies for publicity purposes.
Entry fees range from US Dollar 30 to US Dollar 90, depending on film
length and production budget. To request an entry packet, send a legal
size SASE to: CDT, P.O. Box 1107, Berkeley, CA 94701; Email: Superfest@aol.com.
For detailed information, or to download an entry form, visit: 3.7 USA – Breath and Shadow disability literature journal Breath and Shadow: A Journal of Disability Culture and Literature is
an American literary journal written and edited entirely by people with
disabilities. They publish a free, monthly, accessible online journal
of poetry, essays, fiction, interviews, and other writing that comes from
the perspective of the disability experience. They are always seeking
submissions (and can offer a small payment) Contact editor Sharon Wachsler
at: BreathandShadow@aol.com or visit:
4.0 NEW RESOURCESAustralia4.1 Access Awareness Handbooks Access Audits Australia have developed a range of Access Awareness Handbooks
in response to a need for a simple and concise resource that could be
used by a range of organisations who are trying to improve access to their
business, services and premises. 4.2 HREOC – Asylum Seeker Children in Detention Report The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission report chronicles
the experiences of children in detention in exhaustive detail. The Department
of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs has not disputed
the incontrovertible evidence of the devastating impact that indefinite
detention has on the mental health of children and their families. Some
children have been diagnosed with clinical depression, post traumatic
stress disorder and developmental delays. Many children have showed symptoms
like nightmares, bed-wetting, muteness, lost appetite and suicidal ideation.
The report documents, beyond any doubt, that the longer children are in
detention, the more likely it is that they will develop serious mental
heath problems. Nine out of 10 of asylum seeker children in detention
end up calling Australia home - because they are eventually found to be
genuine refugees. View the report at: 4.3 Art and Wellbeing publication – CCDB Australia Council Art and Wellbeing assembles ideas and case study material which demonstrate
connections between community cultural development and government 'wellbeing'
initiatives. Australian and overseas research shows that direct involvement
by communities in arts activity can contribute significantly to individual
and community wellbeing and can enhance the efforts of government agencies
in realising their policies for community wellbeing and ecologically sustainable
communities. The publication is available online at: International4.4 UK - Action for Access – A practical Resource for Arts Organisations A marvellous publication providing practical advice on access for arts
and cultural organisations – large and small. Second Edition 2004,
Arts Council of England downloadable from: 4.5 UK - Music and the Deaf Music and the Deaf defines its mission as "to help deaf people
of all ages and degrees of hearing loss to access music and the performing
arts through workshops, schools projects and signed theatrical performances
throughout the United Kingdom. They have a range of publications available
on various topics associated with music and deafness. To find out more
contact: 4.6 UK – Never Again! – welcoming learning disabled people into arts venues Theatre company Mind the Gap has produced a CD Rom guide to welcoming
learning disabled people into arts venues. To order a copy, please contact:
4.7 UK – email service for dance and disabled people Potential is the Foundation for Community Dance’s programme of
work focused 4.8 UK - Access All Areas - disability and youth arts guidelines Exploring equal opportunities within youth arts these guidelines focus
on ways in which barriers to participation can be removed for young disabled
people, highlighting organisations and projects responsibilities in the
light of new legislation under the DDA. Essential reading for anyone involved
in the arts and young people. Each set of guidelines can be ordered online
at: 4.9 Arts Access UK – national arts and cultural online database AAUK is a new initative from the The National Disability Arts Forum
that will help venues, sites and events promote their accessibility to
disabled people throughout the UK. AAUK is the first national online database
that will provide disabled people globally with a single reference point
for access information on the whole of the UK arts and cultural sector.
Becoming part of Arts Access UK is easy and it is free! For more information
contact: Silvie Fisch , AAUK Manager, National Disability Arts Forum Email:
mailto:aauk@ndaf.org 4.10 UK – report on experiences of Black and Minority disabled children This report ‘All our children Belong’ by Parents for Inclusion
describes the uniquely challenging experience faced by Black and minority
ethnic families with disabled 4.11 UK - Touchdown Dance – resources for visually impaired dance Touchdown Dance is an integrated professional performance company of
visually impaired and sighted dancers working regionally, nationally and
internationally. Touchdown has produced a selection of accessible resource
and information packs on dance methods and processes. Contact them for
further details: 4.12 Ireland - Irish Deaf.com Directory www.irishdeaf.com, contains a list of deaf clubs and organisations around
Ireland, as well as news, listings of subtitled media, jobs, courses and
so on. There's information on types of communication devices used by the
deaf and hard-of-hearing, also there are tips on how you (hearing people)
can assist deaf and hard of hearing people. To find out more, please contact
Irish Deaf.com at the details below or any of the members listed on; 4.13 USA – Eye Tracking Technology The Eyegaze System, is a hands-off, unobtrusive, remote human-computer
interface that can be used to track a user's gaze point or allow an operator
to interact with their environment using only their eyes. See more at: 4.14 USA - Brain actuated technology. The Cyberlink allows people, regardless of physical condition, to control
all aspects of a computer and to communicate through their computers completely
hands-free. The Cyberlink senses and responds to minute surface electrical
signals generated from 4.15 USA – Opening Stages: A Quarterly Newsletter for People with Disabilities Opening Stages is for people with disabilities pursuing careers in the
performing arts. To become a subscriber and receive the free quarterly
Opening Stages newsletter: e-mail your request for a subscription to Opening
Stages along with your name, e-mail address and snail mail address to
access@kennedy-center.org, or fax your request to: (202) 416-8802. If
you do not want to receive your newsletter via e-mail, please request
a hard copy and let us know if you need it in large-print or Braille.
For more information contact: e-mail at access@kennedy-center.org 4.16 USA - NCCA Launches "The Art of Ageing Creativity Matters" The National Center for Creative Ageing has launched a multiyear public-awareness
campaign called "The Art of Ageing: Creativity Matters" to spotlight
the relationship between creative expression and healthy aging and to
win support for the establishment of a new stream of federal funding dedicated
to arts-and-aging programming. Activities include a national policy conference
preceded by town-hall meetings conducted across the country; a national
petition calling for a referendum leading to the legislation of a separate
stream of funding for arts-and-aging programming; and a range of art-making
projects, including an "Art of Aging" visual arts exhibition.
To get the NCCA newsletter, e-mail: ncca@creativeaging.org 4.17 IFACCA D'Art report, Arts and Disability Policies Written by IFACCA's research analyst, Chris Madden, with the help of
11 respondents, the report looks at concepts and issues surrounding disability
and the arts, and explores disability policies and programs adopted by
arts funding agencies. Examples of arts and disability initiatives are
provided, with resources listed both by type of initiative and by country.
The report will be of interest to anyone looking to develop arts and disability
initiatives or review existing policies and programs. View the report
at:
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