Touchstone Spring 2011 - Cerebral Palsy League

What’s NewAccess and InclusionPlan for BrisbaneHOMES TO BE MADEMORE ACCESSIBLEA new not-for-profit has beenestablished to encourage betteraccessibility practices in theconstruction industry.Livable Housing Australia willpromote greater understandingof the value of universal housingdesign throughout the residentialbuilding and property industry.Also, earlier this year thegovernment introduced newPremises Standards ushering insignificant changes to the waypublic buildings are designed,constructed and renovated.This means greater safety andaccessibility for all Australians.The standards also have thesupport of the Building Code ofAustralia.CPL WELCOMESNEW DIRECTORCPL is pleased to announcethe appointment of SimoneFraser (pictured with son Angus)to our Board of Directors.Simone will fill a temporaryvacancy until elections inNovember at CPL’s AGM.The 30-year-old is a lawyerand senior analyst withWellington Merchant Bankand brings with her specialistknowledge in the legal andbusiness areas.Simone also has first-handexperience of being a client ofCPL (when she was a child) andwill be a great addition to theBoard.Photo courtesy of Paul Guy, QuestNewspapersCPL has been workingalongside Brisbane City Councilto make the city more accessiblefor people with disability.The Draft Brisbane Accessand Inclusion Plan is a five-yearstrategy focusing on promotinguniversal inclusion so mainstreamfacilities and services areaccessible to all residents andvisitors.The State Client ConsultativeCommittee and CPL workedtogether on ideas beforepresenting them to the Councilat stakeholder meetings and in awritten response.Some of the initiativesproposed in the plan include freerecharge facilities for mobilityaids such as electric wheelchairsREVAMPED FACILITYALLOWS GROWTHThe Marsden Scout Hall wasgiven a ‘facelift’ midway throughthe year to make way foradditional services provided byCPL Springfield.Staff, clients, family, friends,representatives from the localBunnings and members fromthe community all pitched in torenovate the hall, give it a freshcoat of paint and tidy up insideand out.The hall played host toSpringfield’s new vacationcare program for children withdisability during the June/Julyschool holidays.It is also being used Mondayto Friday as an extra facility forSpringfield’s adult day service.and scooters in public places,and building a dedicatedmobility centre in the CBDoffering equipment for hire.Another recommendation wascreating an interface for peoplewith hearing impairments andother communication difficultiesso they can contact the Council’scall centre via web chat or SMS.Apart from newrecommendations, the planalso proposes 60 extensionsto existing Council initiativeswhich would improve access andinclusion.Earlier this year the Councilalso announced that all 26wards would have at least onedistrict park providing all-abilitiesplayground equipment.STUDENTS DEVELOPASSISTIVE DEVICESCPL has thrown its supportbehind the QueenslandUniversity of Technology’sEngineering for HumanityChallenge.The competition encouragesstudents to develop assistivedevices for people with disabilitywhich will provide greaterindependence.$10,000 in prize incentives willbe up for grabs with the winnersto be announced in November.Eighteen-year-old Dale Gonelli,helped launch the competitionduring Australian EngineeringWeek in July.Dale is pictured alongsidestudents Shaun Giddy and LalitaLinklater.TURN UP THE RADIO& STAY CONNECTEDThe GrapevineIt’s been over three years sinceCPL Springfield launched theIpswich Connections radio showand it continues to go from strengthto strength. The program, whichis run by people with disability,focuses strongly on issues whichaffect the lives of people withdisability and was the first of itskind in Queensland. It highlightsthe successes and the challengesfaced by people with disability, asMartyn Kneale and Stephneywell as industry news, sport andEveratt from Ipswich Connectionsentertainment.As the program’s profile grows, so too do the number of interestingand inspiring guests, with presenters interviewing the likes of CurtisPitt (Minister for Disability Services) and MasterChef’s John Hughes.The Ipswich Connections team hope to have the internet-basedradio show broadcasting on the University of Southern Queensland’snew community FM radio station by the end of the year.Ipswich Connections is broadcast on Phoenix Radio every Fridayfrom 1:30 to 3:00pm. To listen visit: http://phoenixradio.ning.comWIN TICKETS TO THE CHOIR OF HOPEAND INSPIRATION’S FIRST QLD SHOWSBrisbane and the Gold Coastwill get their first chance to seeThe Choir of Hope and Inspiration(formerly The Choir of Hard Knocks)live in concert in October.Created specifically for peopleexperiencing homelessness anddisadvantage, the Choir has beenhighly acclaimed and awarded fortheir hard work and commitmentsince their formation in 2006.Founding Musical DirectorJonathon Welch said this is theChoir’s first time performing inQueensland and is a reward fortheir persistence and dedication.“We’ve found audiences find the concert experience uplifting,inspiring, funny, touching, full of warmth and joy,” Jonathon said.“There’s a shared feeling of unity and community amongst anaudience that’s also shared onstage with the Choir members.”Being a member of the Choir has helped many to grow inconfidence and self esteem and move on to study or work.To celebrate the Choir’s first visit to Queensland, CPL is givingaway three double passes to both the Brisbane (12 October) andGold Coast (9 October) performances. To enter phone 1800 819 086or visit cplqld.org.au/giveaway and tell us why you would like to seethe show.If you have some ‘insider information’ that clients and theirfamilies might find useful, send your tips to The Grapevine andhelp spread the word. Simply email marketing@cplqld.org.au16 Touchstone Spring 2011Touchstone Spring 201117