Spring 2014
SIDE BY SIDE
The newsletter of Side By Side Advocacy
www.sidebysideadvocacy.org.au
STA F F M E M B E R S
GAR Y GO OD SHI P
EX EC U T IV E OF F IC E R
AID A M ORD EN
IND IV I DU A L ADV OC AT E
AMAND A C HU I
IND IV I DU A L ADV OC AT E
DEB M AI O
C IT I ZE N A DV OC AC Y
C OO RDI NAT OR
BOARD MEMBERS
C ORA L IE J EN SEN
C HAI R
ST EV E MAC DO NA LD
V IC E C H AIR
MIC HA E L S L INN
T REASU RER
RU T H PE RRAM
SEC R ET AR Y
MIC H EL L E D ON EL L Y
F ION A GIV EN
LIF E M E M B E R
GE ORG E GR AY
Office H ou rs :
9.00 am —5.00pm
Welcome to our latest newsletter!
WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE
NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME?
Over the last year I have attended information sessions and have been involved in
discussions and workshops regarding the legislation and implementation of the National
Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Currently there is a rollout of launch sites for the NDIS. In NSW the launch site is in the
Hunter Region which includes a large scale residential centre called Stockton. Stockton is
an old style segregated facility, which houses 300-400 people with disability. The NDIS is
moving south at a rate much slower than expected and probably will not achieve the
proposed completion of the rollout date of 2018.
The necessary legislations have been enacted with the most important and relevant being
the Enablement Bill (which allows for the transfer of assets from the States to the National
Disability Advocacy Agency) and the Inclusion Bill (which is about how people with
disability will be enrolled in the scheme).
As a sector we have been negotiating and advocating for standards and safeguards for
people involved in the scheme, both current participants and future applicants. If you have
any queries or worries regarding the NDIS, be for yourself or someone you support, please
feel free to give me a call and we can have a chat regarding your issues.
Gary Goodship
Executive Officer
Emergency Phone:
1300 162 510
OUR WEBSITE
Visit...
www.sidebysideadvocacy.
org.au
...to find out more!
See us at Stall 68 in Rowe Street, Eastwood - Saturday 18th October!
SI D E B Y SID E A D VOCA C Y I NC.
SHOP 1
30 -32 H ER B ER T STR EET
W : W W W. SI D EB YSID EA D V OCA C Y. OR G. AU
W EST R YD E
NSW
2114
T: 02 9808 5500
E: I NF O@SI D EB YSID EA D VOCA C Y. OR G. AU
F : 02 9807 6960
ABN 83 39 5 894 577
CITIZEN ADVOCACY
A note from Deb
The past few months have certainly been busy ones for our
CA program. Apart from hosting the Australia wide CA
networking meeting in July we have welcomed 4 new Citizen
Advocacy matches:
Gerard & Bandy, Jeff & Frank,
Liz & Alison, Jeanette & Norma
INDIVIDUAL ADVOCACY
A note from Aida and Amanda
Yvonne is a client of Side By Side Advocacy. She has
limited mobility and sometimes uses a wheelchair.
One of our success stories for 2014 is about how
individual advocacy helped Yvonne to finally get her
new kitchen.
Yvonne moved into a one-bedroom home in 2013.
Her occupational therapist made a request to Housing
NSW for some modifications to her new home. The
modifications included installation of rails, a
temperature valve on the hot water, a new ceiling fan
light, lowering the bathroom mirror and most
importantly…. an accessible kitchen. Yvonne was not
able to use the kitchen because it was unreachable to
her.
Phil & Max get together for lunch at the CA
networking meeting
Two of our wonderful citizen advocates, Audrey and Lisa,
have been quite unwell recently. The staff & board at Side By
Side Advocacy wish them both a speedy recovery. We send
our best wishes and support.
Finally, after many months of writing letters,
telephone calls and home visits, including
representations to the District Director of Northern
Sydney District of Housing NSW, all modification
requirements were completed and Yvonne’s new
kitchen was installed! Yvonne can cook her own
meals and she feels more independent being able to
move around without help.
Side By Side Advocacy Board Member Missing in Action
I have been missing in action for a few
months. This was not for a bad reason,
in fact I had one of the most amazing
experiences of my life.
This message is applicable both on a
global stage and at the more local level
in the work of Side By Side Advocacy.
People with intellectual disability are
often asked what are their goals but
they are seldom asked what are their
dreams. Everybody has the right to
dream.
I had the honour and privilege of giving
this year’s International Society for
Augmentative
and
Alternative
Communication (ISAAC) Outstanding
Consumer Lecture at the ISAAC Biennial
Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
The idea behind this lecture is to see the
person beyond the fact that they
communicate using AAC. The title of my
lecture was “A Journey of Discovery to
the
Last
Frontier:
Discovering
Adventure in Antarctica”. It was about
adventure, in particular my trip to Antarctica in 2010.
The preparation took months. It involved creating a
PowerPoint presentation inclusive of photos, graphics
and music. One of the key messages of my lecture was to
encourage people to follow their dreams and not to let
anything get in the way.
SI D E B Y SID E A D VOCA C Y I NC.
SHOP 1
30 -32 H ER B ER T STR EET
W : W W W. SI D EB YSID EA D V OCA C Y. OR G. AU
Giving the lecture was a very special
experience. I was honoured with a
standing ovation and having people
who had made a contribution to me
being able to realize my dreams in the
audience, particularly my parents.
“Twenty years from now you will be
more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than
by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your
sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
Fiona Given
W EST R YD E
NSW
2114
T: 02 9808 5500
E: I NF O@SI D EB YSID EA D VOCA C Y. OR G. AU
F : 02 9807 6960
ABN 83 39 5 894 577
We have developed a Policies and Procedures
Manual in Plain English. It is available on our
website or you can get a copy from the office.
Would you like to be part of a discussion group to
let us know your opinion? Please make contact
with the office to register your interest.
Accessing the Office
The office of Side By Side Advocacy is well located to be accessed by
public transport:
We are a short distance from West Ryde Railway
Station
Side By Side Advocacy is funded by the Australian
Department of Social Services. For more
information visit their website at:
There is a bus stop at both ends of Herbert Street.
http://www.dss.gov.au/
If you come by car, please be aware that parking
outside the office is time-limited.
A way to have your say!
Do you have any suggestions or ideas about how
to improve Side By Side Advocacy?
We encourage you to tell us what you think.
Please write, phone, email or leave a comment in
the Feedback Box at the office.
If you come to the office and you can’t find anywhere to park you
can use the visitors’ parking underneath the building. Please call
ahead and we will explain to you how to use it. If you need to come
to the office it is always best to make an appointment, as we are
often out and about supporting other people with advocacy needs.
Your opinion counts!
OUR VISION
2014
CALENDAR
We envisage a world where people with disability are equal and
valued; where diversity is celebrated, needs are fulfilled and
opportunities realised.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Side By Side Advocacy promotes and upholds the rights, needs and
interests of people with intellectual disability to enable full and
meaningful participation in the community.
18.10.2014
Granny Smith Festival
VALUES
13.11.2014
Board Meeting
 Each person’s life is of equal and inherent value and worth.
 People with disability have the right to advocacy and to protection
28.11.2014
Cocktail Party
from devaluation, neglect, abuse and the denial of human rights.
 People with disability have the right to be treated as individuals,
and not in terms of their disability.
3.12.2014
International Day of
People With Disability
 All people are entitled to comprehensive and appropriate support
to ensure full inclusion into the community.
 All people have the right to make decisions about their own lives.
 All people should be treated with dignity and respect.
11.12.2014
Board Meeting
 All people have the right to be safe, valued and accepted.
 All people have the potential to grow and develop and should be
29-31.12.2014
OFFICE CLOSED
provided with opportunities.
 All people regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality or religion
have the same human and legal rights.
12.02.2015
Board Meeting
 People with disability are to be treated in accordance with the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
SI D E B Y SID E A D VOCA C Y I NC.
SHOP 1
30 -32 H ER B ER T STR EET
W : W W W. SI D EB YSID EA D V OCA C Y. OR G. AU
W EST R YD E
NSW
2114
T: 02 9808 5500
E: I NF O@SI D EB YSID EA D VOCA C Y. OR G. AU
F : 02 9807 6960
ABN 83 39 5 894 577
COCKTAIL PARTY - 28th November 2014
Celebrating International Day of
People with Disability
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILTY
3rd December 2014
Side By Side Advocacy will again celebrate this UN sanctioned day with a cocktail party. It will be
held prior to the actual day on 28th November at Brush Farm House.
The aim of the day is to promote inclusion of people with disability and to encourage the
removal of all types of barriers including those relating to the physical environment,
information and communications technology, and attitudinal barriers.
This year’s theme, decided by the United Nations is “The Promise of Technology”. Do you have
any ideas as to how we can incorporate this theme into our Cocktail Party? We welcome your
suggestions! If you would like an invitation, either for yourself or someone else, please contact
the office.
COMMUNITY FESTIVALS
Board member Steve
and his wife Olivia
welcomed their
daughter Isobel in
February 2014.
Community Festivals can be a great day out! While they
usually include market stalls, food and craft, they also offer
lots of free entertainment.
Community groups use these occasions as a way to
publicise their services and activities. You could pack your
lunch and have an economical and fun great day out
connecting with the community.
Side By Side Advocacy recently attended the Moocooboola
festival in Hunters Hill. We will also be at the Granny Smith
Festival again this year on Saturday October 18. Please
drop by Stall 68 in Rowe Street, Eastwood and say hello!
SI D E B Y SID E A D VOCA C Y I NC.
SHOP 1
30 -32 H ER B ER T STR EET
W : W W W. SI D EB YSID EA D V OCA C Y. OR G. AU
W EST R YD E
NSW
2114
T: 02 9808 5500
E: I NF O@SI D EB YSID EA D VOCA C Y. OR G. AU
F : 02 9807 6960
ABN 83 39 5 894 577