Nineteen Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale locals have been doing their bit to support inclusion in the Shire by participating in a series of Basic Auslan Conversation Courses over recent months.

Funded by the Shire with the support of the Access and Inclusion Advisory Group, the in-person classes have seen participants learn how to use Auslan (Australian sign language) in a range of personal and professional scenarios.

Held at the Briggs Park Youth Space across May and June 2022, classes were run by professional instructors over an eight-week period.

Among the participants were local teachers, education assistants, business owners and staff and members of community and sporting groups as well as locals with hearing loss or loved ones who are Hard of Hearing.

Local education assistant Benita Robinson decided to enroll in the course after she once encountered a deaf child lost in a department store who she was unable to communicate with.

Benita said she is already using her new-found skills.
“I already use what I’ve learnt in class with my students to say good morning and to have conversations,” she said.
“I love how engaging (our tutor) has been and how challenging it has been to learn from a deaf person.”

An administrator at a local recreation centre, Sue Allen signed up to the course to learn how to communicate with Auslan customers at her workplace.

Sue said the course gave her a greater appreciation for the challenges faced by the deaf and the hard of hearing.
“I really appreciate the first sessions focusing on deaf culture,” she said.
“This opened my eyes to the challenges the deaf and hard of hearing community face daily.”

The course was the second of its kind to be funded by the Shire, with the first completed by 16 participants in 2021. The popular course has already registered expressions of interest from a further 50 residents, with details on the next sessions to be released when they become available.

Say Cheese!

Early Bird Ticket Sales are Open

Theme: Inclusive Communities
Location: Bendat Centre, Wembley,
Date: 7-8 December 2022

Join WA’s conference led exclusively by people with disabilities.

This conference welcomes everyone, including people who identify as having a disability or mental health issue; carers, family and friends; service providers; community sector professionals, educators, health workers and the wider community.

Registrations for the Carers WA Conference 2022 are now open!

This two-day conference is WA’s premier event leading into, and celebrating, National Carers Week. You are invited to join us as we explore common trends and challenges related to the caring role.

Tickets are limited. If you know a carer or industry professional who would benefit from this year’s program, encourage them to register soon. Carers, registered with Carers WA, attend free.

When: Thursday 13th & Friday 14th October 2022.

Where: Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Registrations: Click here.

The Opening the Door project aims to support people with disability to achieve choice and control with their housing options, including through:

• Developing and sharing online resources. You can access these from other project pages on the Opening the Door website drop down menu. You can find some useful resources here.
• Forums designed to both share information and gather experiences
• Support existing and establish new peer networks.

Opening the Door Forums Schedule

Forum dates are listed below, with some details being finalised. By attending the Forum events, it is hoped that people with disability and their families will:

• Develop a shared understanding of housing – both regarding opportunities, and barriers that need to be addressed
• Identify different housing and support options that are available, while recognising the current challenges.

All people are welcome to attend the Online Sessions.

Face-to-face Workshop Sessions are intended for people with disability, their families/ friends/ unpaid, carers and any support needed to attend.

You can find out more about each forum session here: OtD_State Forum Sess Details_v1.0

- Western Australia - Online sessions

• Tuesday 12 July, 11:00am - 12:30pm: Pathways to Housing for People with Disability in Western Australia. Register here
• Thursday 14 July, 11:00am - 12:30pm: Dealing with Tenancy Issues for People with Disability in Western Australia. Register here
• Friday 15 July, 11:00am - 12:30pm: National Disability Insurance Scheme – Home & Living supports. Register here

- Western Australia - Face-to-face 'My Housing Matters' Workshops

• Tuesday 19 July, 10:00am - 2:00pm: Mirrabooka (Perth). Venue to be confirmed. Register here
• Thursday 21 July, 10:00am - 2:00pm: Bunbury (South West). Venue to be confirmed. Register here

The Economic Participation Project is a partnership between People With Disabilities WA (PWdWA), Advocacy WA (AWA) and Youth Disability Network (YDAN).

Find out more here: https://advocacywa.org.au/projects/economic-participation-project/

Business in the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale fall under the Metro and Wheatbelt arm of the project.

Carers Australia invite you to take the 2022 National Carer Survey!

This survey is conducted every two years and is for people caring for a family member or friend who has a disability, mental illness, drug or alcohol dependency, chronic condition, dementia, terminal or serious illness, or who needs care due to ageing.

By sharing your opinions and experiences, you will help the State and Territory Carer Organisations advocate for greater recognition and support of carers across Australia. Please take the time to read the Participant Information and Consent Form prior to participating.

The survey should take you approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your responses. You can leave any question blank if it does not apply to you, or if you would prefer not to answer. Your responses will be anonymous.

At the end of the survey, you will be asked:

• whether you would like to be contacted for a follow-up study on the long-term effects of caring in 2024. You can participate in this survey regardless whether you choose to be part of the follow-up study.
• whether you would like the chance to win an Apple iPad 64 GB Wi-Fi. Carers Australia are giving away one prize per state and territory. The prize draw will be on 31 August 2022.

You must be at least 16 years of age to participate .

The survey is open until 31 July 2022.

If you have any questions about this survey or would like to request a paper copy, please contact the Carers NSW Research Team on (02) 9280 4744 or email research@carersnsw.org.au.

Click here to take the Survey now.

People With disabilities WA are calling for submissions for their federally funded Business Accessibility Empowerment Program. This is a no-cost service that will work one-on-one with your business to enable you to become more confident in three ways:

• Customer Service and Client Accessibility. Improve/Become more welcoming of the 1 in 5 Australians who have a disability who may be customers, stakeholders, and referrals who all form a potentially untapped market. This can potentially boost your revenue by 20% or more!

• Retain & Support Staff. Help to support and retain employees who may acquire a disability (or may already have a disability that is not visible or disclosed) so that skilled talent is not lost

• Expand Talent Pool. Expand your recruiting options - tap into a broader talent pool when making recruiting decisions

The time commitment is 3 hours over two meetings. Please apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/business_accessibility_eoi

Are you looking for an inclusive night out?

Kelete Events, DAPAK and the Metropolis Nightclub Fremantle, proudly presents a night club night for persons with a disability

WHEN
Monday 13 June 2022
6pm - 10pm
Fully Staffed, safe, and carefree

Food will NOT be available on the night.

Tickets available for $12:00 per person
(Carers MUST purchase a FREE companion ticket to attend)

WHERE
Metropolis Fremantle
58 South Terrace,, Fremantle Western Australia 6160

BOOK HERE
https://www.trybooking.com/BZHVY
(Please note Vaccination status is not compulsory, the host apologies for the question in the booking form)

We’ve completed new line marking at the front of our Administration building to improve access and parking for visitors. The new line marking includes:

• Dedicated visitor parking within the driveway forecourt
• Increased the length and width of the existing ACROD parking bay
• Provided new on-street parking on Paterson Street

Existing visitor parking is also available on the eastern side of Paterson Street and on Cockram Street.

Administration Centre driveway forecourt with line marking.

ACROD parking bay at Administration Centre driveway forecourt.

SAVE THE DATE
This exciting and accessible event will be held on 7-8 December at the Bendat Centre in Wembley.

Registrations will open in late June 2022 and this year's theme is “Inclusive Communities”.

Everyone is welcome including people with lived experience of disability, families and carers, sector professionals, service providers, health workers and the wider community.

Click here to see the PWdWA website for full details and join their email list to receive conference updates and announcements.

CALL FOR CONTENT
Do you have an idea for the conference program? The call for content is now open and anyone can make a submission to present. Click here for full details.

Submissions close June 30.