This Is the Newsletter of Dizability Options, an Independent Organisation Based in Port s1
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The.Sponge Newz, 20131007, OCTOBER
NEWZ & VIEWZ - OCTOBER 2013
This is the newsletter of Dizability Options, an independent organisation based in Port Elizabeth. In this issue we bring you a veritable cornucopia of disability issues, from AAC to WebAIM .
ABOUT US Our mission is to improve awareness of disability issues throughout South Africa. We do this through NEWZ & VIEWZ, and by our SMS Disability Information Service. The SMS service is available to anyone who sends a short SMS to 072 172 2623, with their name, town, disability and the information they need. You can also contact us at [email protected] We have a database of rehabilitation resources including government departments, NGOs, health and rehabilitation professionals, suppliers of assistive devices, architects and designers, the media and many more. For more information see http://thespongeproject.yolasite.com Please help us by promoting theses services through your networks and newsletters and by putting notices in your local hospitals, clinics, welfare offices, SASSA pay points, schools, labour centres, post offices, libraries and municipal offices.
ACCESS * The Green Building Council www.gbcsa.org.za has awarded six stars to the Vodafone SSI Centre in Midrand. We would like to know whether ecology embraces universal design? * Are you into email lists? Jacob Kruger, the Blind Biker, has kindly provided a link to a lot of email mailing lists on various topics http://www.whitestick.co.uk/mail.html * UNISA held a conference on Access Technology. We are waiting for info on outcomes from Siva Moodley. * Accessibility gone mad? - Detroit: As cars become more like PCs on wheels, what's to stop a hacker from taking over yours? In recent demonstrations, hackers have shown they can slam a car's brakes at freeway speeds, jerk the steering wheel and even shut down the engine - all from their laptop computers. Via [email protected] * WebAIM - web access in mind.. " Expanding the web's potential for people with disabilities" If you are into web accessibility go to http://webaim.org/newsletter/ and subscribe to their newsletter * Accessible Transport around the World - their latest newsletter is a timely reminder of what could be achieved in SA if key stakeholders worked together. www.globalride-sf.org * SANS 10400S is silent on accessible showers. Any suggestions? AFRICA * We have had a few requests for info from other parts of Africa. If your organisation has branches or contacts in other African countries please let us have details to add to our resource database.
AWARENESS, ADVOCACY AND RIGHTS * Elna Schutz [email protected] is a radio journalist and has posted some interviews showcasing personal stories of disabled people living in the Eastern Cape on http://elnaschutz.wix.com/elective She needs a platform to broadcast the stories so please contact Elna if you can help. * What do you think of Casual Day? There is an online questionnaire at http://rsvp.unisa.ac.za/index.php/173186/lang-en * The DISABILITY Act - Any news? * The DISABILITY 20 year Review - our concern is exactly who is being consulted in the disability sector. Harsha Dayal [email protected] has promised us a list. * The CRPD Baseline County Report to the United Nations has been released. It includes the local implementation of the CRPD Articles. Contact [email protected] for a copy. *"Who will you blindfold on Thursday 10 October" asks Jace Nair, SANCB National Executive Director. Why not organise a blindfold activity in your office on World Sight Day?
REHABILITATION * Congratulations to those fearless therapists and other members of the EC Health Crisis Action Coalition, for their report 'Death and Dying in the Eastern Cape' It prompted the Minister of Health to investigate the unacceptable state of healthcare in the province. He has now promised to suspend certain officials, to purchase 2581 wheelchairs and other assistive devices totalling R15.3 million, to purchase 100 ambulances, and to implement 287 projects covering new additions, upgrade, renovation and maintenance work in 132 facilities, costing over R1 billion. A wonderful opportunity to get running water, accessible buildings and other basic stuff. For more information contact [email protected] * Do you remember the Little Green Book issued in November 2000 about the National Rehabilitation Policy. It put the onus on District Managers, via their Rehab Coordinator/ Programme Manager to set up a forum on disability. They were to invite local NGOs from the disability sector, and also other government departments such as SocDev, Education, Labour, Housing and Transport, to work together with the Department of Health to raise the standards of rehab in that area. Please contact us if you know of any such past or present rehab or disability forum in your area.. We are waiting for Sandya Singh from the D of H to tell us whether there has been any change in the national policy.
>>Blind rehab * Technology, Entertainment and Design. Search www.TED.com for a film featuring Le Chal, haptic shoes that use vibration and GPS technology to guide the blind. (haptic = relating to sense of touch).
>>Communication rehab * AUTISM IS FOR WHITES ONLY - NO, FOR THE TRUTH GO TO www.aut2know.co.za (eye catching ad in our local paper)
>>Deaf rehab * Port Elizabeth Deaf Association were thrown out of their office by SARS a couple of months ago and have gone into hiding. Will someone please tell us who is providing services to Deaf people in the NMB Metro?.
>>Mental Health rehab.... * Question: Why is there no e mail list for the Mental Health sector? Answer: Because the powerful pharmaceutical industry and their allies the psychiatrists want to suppress exchanges of info between people with mental health illnesses that expose trial and error doctoring and the often debilitating side effects of psychotic drugs. * As a follow-up to the article in our July issue, Tony's story about the rocky road back from depression continues. " Because of individual differences, finding a life-style or counselling or medication that helps your condition is trial and error and the penalty is that on the way you may experience a smorgasbord of side effects. I thank the pharmaceutical industry for forcing me to learn more about the systems in my body. That has been a bi-product of the side effects I experienced during the recent five months of depression. >DIGESTIVE SYSTEM = Loss of appetite, Constipation, Diarrhoea, Gout, Dry mouth, thirsty. >MUSCO-SKELETAL SYSTEM = Loss of weight, Loss of strength, Shaky hands, Unsteady on feet, erratic walking, Small tooth grew from back gum then fell out, Loss of hair - fine new hairs brush out after shower. Finger nails grow fast. >NERVOUS SYSTEM - Dreams of past events and people - very realistic, not unpleasant, Insomnia, Feelings of guilt, Thoughts of death. >SENSORY SYSTEMS = Loss of hearing, Tinnitus got worse, Vision became blurred, That lot may read like a drug package insert, but are what I actually experienced while taking Cymgen since September 2012. They all disappeared when I stopped using the drugs " Remind us to never say "Keep taking the pills" again in jest. >>Physical rehab * CE Mobility - Thank you for giving us some info about measuring for a wheel chair in the July/August issue of Rolling Inspiration. * Higher Ground - are planning two exciting summer holidays. From the 9th - 13th December for young adults with an intellectual impairment and from the 15th - 19th December a holiday for adults with an acquired brain injury. There will be an Open Day on Monday 16 December. In early 2014 they will be organising a holiday in the Western Cape for adults who are blind or partially sighted - see http://www.higherground.org.za
EDUCATION * The Nelson Mandela Metro University recently sent SMSs to four blind students from EFATA School in Mmthatha to tell them that their applications to study were rejected "because they are blind". But totally blind students have studied successfully a few years ago at the former UPE. Now NMMU maintain that they are not ready to teach totally blind students. The sabres are rattling and the Eastern Cape Provincial Council for the Blind have locked horns with the university management. Contact Xolisa Yekani
SKILLS TRAINING * Last year there was a NATIONAL action team working on assisting the Transformation of protective workshops and the enterprise development process. Can anyone tell us the outcome? * History has a habit of repeating itself. We launched the AmaZingZing Initiative in Port Elizabeth in 2004 as an alternative to the traditional approach to protective and sheltered workshops. The initiative died under a deluge of apathy as, at the time, the Dept of Labour was promising salvation with learnerships through the SETAs and ESDAs, and later the SEDA and NEF. History has shown that even if disabled adults meet the admission requirements, only a fortunate few can cope with a learnership as most are not yet work hardened. Maybe some of the AmaZingZing concepts can be used in the current transformation exercise.
EMPLOYMENT * Is there any good news?
BACKWORDS * Concerned about identity theft? Advice in the UK Observer, 15/09/13, says avoid Dropbox and other Cloud services. * Have you or your organisation got an IT policy? An IT Professional recently commented on the use of mass emailing with exposed email addresses. "These should be Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) and thus hidden. Not only is this a breach of privacy but it is also a primary mechanism for spammers to steal email addresses. Any one of these recipients may have viruses on their PCs and this is the primary way spammers pick up active email addresses" * Please do not leave a mess for your family to sort out when you die. When did you last update your Last Will and Testament, Living Will and Power of Attorney? * Broken pencils are pointless..
Regards, Tony and Tim Webb, Dizability Options, Port Elizabeth. [email protected] http://thespongeproject.yolasite.com ______