Mel – Page 2 – WWDWA Inc

Taxi Drivers Who Sexually Assault Women With Disabilities – What Can We Do About It?

Dear WWDWA Inc members,

Some of you may have heard about the taxi driver who was recently charged with sexually assaulting women with disabilities who were passengers in his Maxi Taxi. If you haven’t, or don’t know much about what happened, you can read the following links for more information:

Taxi Driver Charged With Sexually Assaulting Disabled Woman

Cabbie Admits To Raping Passengers

An Unlikely Hero

Sexual assault is a very difficult thing to talk about. Especially for women with disabilities. But as hard as it is, we need to talk about it. We need to talk about how it affects us. We need to talk about what could have been done to prevent the assaults, we need to talk about what would make us feel and be safer. Often the solutions that are provided by service providers and the able-bodied community are ones that just make us feel more silenced and vulnerable.

So this is the time for us to speak up, not as individuals, but as a group, as many voices with different experiences, but with the same desire to feel safe in our lives in our community. But we need to talk to each other before we can have an effective voice, for so many of us it is too frightening and overwhelming to do it on our own.

WWDWA Inc Members, how would you like to have this conversation? Would you prefer to have a forum about this, or have a survey you can answer without giving your name, or contact WWDWA Inc privately to give your thoughts and ideas? Or is there some other way you would feel comfortable in telling us your story? What would make you feel safer when travelling by taxi?

What do you want us to tell government departments, service providers and the community?

Special Members Meeting – March 2014

On Sunday 20 March, the first part of our forum will be a Special Members Meeting for a Special Resolution to make changes to WWDWA Inc’s Constitution.

WWDWA Inc members can download the documents for the meeting at the following links:

Meeting Agenda Accessible Word Document

Proposed Constitution Changes Accessible Word Document

Postal Voting Form Accessible Word Document

Proxy Voting Form Accessible Word Document

WWDWA Constitution Accessible Word Document
WWDWA Constitution

WWDWA Inc Xmas Break

Dear members and supporters,

WWDWA Inc has had another very productive year and it is time we have our Xmas break to rest and refresh. We will be back on 13 January 2014. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to making 2013 a great year. To all of you who celebrate the holiday season we wish you a happy and peaceful one, and a happy holiday break to those who don’t celebrate. We are looking forward to coming back with more forums and projects that will benefit women with disabilities in WA.

Congratulations to our incoming Management Committee for 2014:

Zeliha Iscel – Chairperson
Eleanor Frida Kahlo – Treasurer
Ingrid Moore – Secretary
Melanie Hawke – Committee Member
Leone Lawrence – Committee Member
Monica McGhie – Committee Member

The monthly forums will start again in February 2014

And for something to end your year with a laugh, please enjoy this video made at the International Day of People With Disabilities 2013 event run by the Self Advocacy and Peer Support group.

WWDWA Inc Annual General Meeting 2013

WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES WA INC (WWDWA INC)

INCORPORATED ABN 88 362 290 308

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2013

Women With Disabilities WA Incorporated (the “Incorporated Association”)
gives notice that the 2013 Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday
24 November 2013, 2 pm, at the Subiaco Arts Centre, 180 Hamersley Road,
Subiaco.

Date: 5 November
by order of the Committee

Rayna Lamb – Coordinator
on behalf of the WWDWA Inc Management Committee

All community members are welcome to attend the AGM, but only WWDWA Inc members – women with disabilities who live in West Australia – are eligible to be on the Manangement Committee and to vote in elections. Please go to our Publications page to download copies of our Management Committee Nomination and Proxy forms.

Welcome starecase – the new magazine for people with disabilities by people with disabilities

Earlier this month a new magazine for people with disabilities started – `starecase’

“In Australia, we do a lot of talking about disability.
But we don’t always talk about the important things.
What it’s like to live our lives.
What its like when people do things ‘for’ and ‘to’ us, not ‘with’ us.
What its like to have ‘special’ things for ‘special people’, instead of being part of the rest of Australia.
We want to talk about the things that matter. To us, not them.
We want to say it out loud.
And if they’re not listening, we will say it louder.”

You can find copies of starecase on the starecase website

They want to hear from all people with disabilities. If you have something to say about living with a disability, they want to publish it!

People With Disabilities Australia Access to Voting Survey

PWDA Access to Voting Survey

Following the recent Federal Election, we want to hear from people with disability across Australia about your experience of voting.

People with disability have the right to accessible voting to ensure that OUR VOICE and OUR CHOICES are heard by government. Accessible voting requires polling places that are accessible, voting methods that are secret, and information about elections in accessible formats.

PWDA has put together this short survey so that YOU can tell us about your experience, positive or negative, of voting in the 2013 Federal Election. Access To Voting Survey

The survey will be open for 2 weeks until midnight Sunday 29 September.

Using the results of the survey we will write to the Australian Election Commission to tell them what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and to make recommendations about what should change. We will also write to the Election Commission in YOUR State or Territory to help them make local and State elections more accessible for people with disability.

Please pass on the survey to other people with disability and help us to reach 500 responses! People with disability have the right to full political participation, the more responses we get the louder your call for voting equality!

For more information about voting and elections or if you have any questions please contact Ngila Bevan ngilab@pwd.org.au or call 02 9370 3100

NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME (formerly disabilitycare Australia) Q & A Session

NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME
(formerly disabilitycare Australia)
Q & A Session

Invitation
WA’s Individualised Services and
The Developmental Disability Council of WA
are pleased to invite you to join—

David Bowen, CEO and Bruce Bonehady, Chairman,
National Disability Insurance Scheme
for a light lunch and Q & A session about the scheme

Friday 27th September 2013

The Boulevard Centre, Lower Level, Cambridge Library Building
99 The Boulevard, Floreat
Lunch 12.30pm, Q & A Session 1.00—2.30pm

Online RSVP: or go to Developmental Disability Council WA website

Please advise of any dietary or access requirements

Information: mary.butterworth@ddc.org.au or
9420 7230 (exc Wednesday)

Help design a resource for choosing service providers

From WA Individualised Services (WAiS)

Join our World Café – Be part of an exciting NEW PROJECT

Are you or your family currently supported by an organisation?
Are you in the process of choosing a service provider?

WAiS is seeking people to help co-design a resource booklet that will assist individuals with disability and/or their family in choosing a service provider that is right for them.

When: 23 October 2013
Time: 10.30 am to 12.30 pm (including light refreshments)
Where: Room 7, Conference Room,
City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi Street West Perth

Be informed about services. Know your rights.

What do you want and need to know about service providers?
What questions do you need to ask about what they can offer you and your family?
What questions do you need to ask so you can make an informed choice?
What questions do you wish you had asked before starting with a service?
What questions would you advise others to ask?

RSVP: 9420 7252 or k.duff@waindividualisedservices.org.au by 7/10/2013. Please advise us of any requirements you may have to participate.

Women With Disabilities Access to the Criminal Justice System – Have Your Say!

Women With Disabilities WA Inc will be making a submission to the Human Rights Commission about Access to Justice in the Criminal Justice System for People With Disabilities. If you would like to have your experiences and thoughts on this important issue included in our submission, please contact us via email, Facebook message or phone by Tuesday 20 August.

We apologise for the short time frame, but this is an important issue for so many women with disabilities and it is important that we have our say. For more information please go to http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/access-justice-criminal-justice-system-people-disability-issues-paper-april-2013

The Australian Human Rights Commission is concerned that many people with disability who need communication supports or who have complex and multiple support needs are not having their rights protected, and are not being treated equally, in the criminal justice system. This is happening to children, young people and adults with disability. It is happening to people with disability who are victims of crime, accused of crimes, witnesses, defendants and offenders. It is happening in police stations, courts, prisons and juvenile institutions, and other corrective services across Australia.

Questions from discussion paper:

What are the biggest barriers for you or other people with disability in the criminal justice system?

What could be done to remove these barriers and help people with disability in the criminal justice system?

Can you provide information about support that has helped you or other people with disability to participate in the criminal justice system?

Please tell us about any time that you or another person with disability experienced barriers to justice.

Do you have any other thoughts, ideas or comments you would like to make about people with disability and the criminal justice system?

WWDWA Inc back from winter break!

WWDWA Inc is back from its winter break – I hope you’ve all been able to keep warm in this very cold weather!

We have the dates for the forums for the second half of 2013 – put them in your diaries! As usual, they will be held at the Subiaco Arts Centre from 2-4 pm. More details about the forums will be in the newsletters.

25 August
29 September
27 October
24 November

The July newsletter will be sent out in the next couple of weeks. If you have anything that you would like to see included in our newsletter, please let me know.