Audio

Session 1

After Acknowledgement of country, welcome and roll Call, Chair: Rowena Dowling, Co-president, hands over to Chair of Session1, David Foran, Co-president.

Title: Equitable and Dignified Access.

Presenter:
Kelly Vincent MLC.

Kelly Vincent is the Dignity for Disability Party’s representative in the South Australian Parliament. She was elected to the Legislative Council in 2010 in an event that made history.

Kelly is the first South Australian politician to permanently use a wheelchair for mobility, the youngest woman ever elected to an Australian parliament and the first Australian to be elected on the platform of disability rights.

Presentation and Q&A discussion forum lead by Kelly Vincent, on the challenges of equitable access for people with disability.
Defining and exploring “Equitable and Dignified Access”. What should we reasonably expect? How do we recognise it? What are effective strategies for action when we don’t receive it? What is the relationship between access and inclusion? Some guidance, advice and insights regarding effective advocacy drawing upon Kelly’s experiences both in and out of politics.

Audio length approx. 1 hour 15 minutes.

Day 1 Session 1 audio (mp3 format 86mb)

Session 2

Title: Emerging Trends and Techniques in Dog Guide Training.

Presenters:
Jason Stankoski, Instructor, Guide Dogs QLD – discussion and demonstration of the development of a light-weight prototype harness.
Paul Adrian, Guide Dog Services Manager, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provides an update and overview of the International Guide Dog Conference.
Harry van der Jagt, National Manager, Client Services, Seeing Eye Dogs, Vision Australia discusses emerging trends.

Chair: Rowena Dowling, DGHA Co-President.

Audio length approx. 1 hour 30 minutes.

Day 1 Session 2 audio (mp3 format 115mb)

Session 3

Title: National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and My Aged Care (MAC).

How does the NDIS and MAC impact on us as consumers?

Presenters:
Dr Lloyd Walker, Director Assistive Technology, Market and Providers Division from the National Disability Insurance Agency speaks about the NDIS with particular reference to the provision of dog guides and related services to eligible participants.
Tony Starkey, Accessibility Coordinator for the Royal Society for the Blind and current Chair of the Australian Blindness Forum speaks about the NDIS and MAC from the perspective of the blindness sector.

Chair: Nadia Mattiazzo, DGHA Vice President.

Audio length approx 1 hour 30 minutes.

Day 1 Session 3 audio (mp3 format 157mb)

Session 4

Title: Tellington Touch.

Presenters:
Millie Miller, Qualified Tellington Touch Practitioner and Dominique Hewitt, Accredited T Touch practitioner.

Discussion and practical demonstration of the Tellington Touch Technique.

TTouch® is the method of gentle non-habitual bodywork, developed by Linda Tellington-Jones, PhD (Hon). It is based on a philosophy of mutual respect, co-operation and can effectively facilitate non-verbal communication with animals. It is comprised of light pressure slides, lifts and circular touches that can be used in combination with other aspects of the Tellington Method using body wraps and groundwork movement exercises.

Chair: David Foran, DGHA Co-president.

Audio length approx 1 hour 30 minutes.

Day 1 Session 4 audio (mp3 format 101mb)

Presentation of the Judith Killen 2016 Golden Harness Award

At the conclusion of day 1, during the conference dinner, we had the presentation of the Judith Killen Golden Harness Award.

The Judith Killen Golden Harness Award is presented to a person for their outstanding efforts in fostering, representing, promoting, enhancing and protecting the interests of Australians who are blind or vision impaired and who use a dog guide.

Dog Guide Handlers Australia would like to congratulate Ray Joyce, the recipient of the 2016 Judith Killen Golden Harness Award.

Ray was unable to attend the conference in person, but we did interview Ray prior to the conference and have this audio;

Audio Length approx. 20 minutes.

Ray Joyce Golden Harness Award audio (mp3 format 10mb)

Paul Adrian, a long time Colleague of Ray, was at the conference dinner and had this to say about Ray:

Audio length approx. 10 minutes.

Paul Adrien on Ray Joyce audio (mp3 format 5mb)

Dog Guide Handlers Australia 2016 Annual General Meeting.

Chair: Rowena Dowling, DGHA Co-president and Greg Madson, DGHA Treasurer.

Audio Length approx. 40 minutes.

DGHA AGM 2016 audio (mp3 format 30mb)

Session 5

Title: Assistance Dog Legislation/Accreditation.

Presenters:
Richard Lord, Chief Executive Officer, Assistance Dogs Australia.
Sharon Scott, Director of Training, Paws for Diabetes.
Jaci Armstrong, a handler who through her involvement in peer support, is a strong and vocal advocate for inclusive practices. This includes her work as policy officer for Guide Dogs Australia towards reforming current relevant legislation.

A panel discussion around the need for establishing nationally consistent legislation for Assistance Dog access, and national standards for assistance dog training, public access testing and accreditation.

Chair: Greg Madson, DGHA Treasurer.

During this session 2 papers were mentioned; for your infomation we provide copies of those papers here:

Assistance Animals and the need for uniform legislation (RTF doc 3mb)
DISABILITY ASSISTANCE ANIMALS OR NOT? Problems in Policy and Practice (Word docx 70kb)

Audio length approx 1 hour 20 minutes.

Day 2 Session 5 audio (mp3 format 138mb)

Session 6

Title: International Travel with a Dog Guide.

Presenters:
Martine Abel-Williamson – World Blind Union
Francois Jacobs – Business Analyst and Research Assistant.

Martine is a Table Officer of the World Blind Union and the WBU Objective Lead – Access to the Environment and Transport. Martine recently attended and presented at the WBU General Assembly regarding the latest survey results launched about international travel with a dog guide. Francois now lives in Melbourne and was the Assistant Researcher for this important Project. This research was sanctioned by the World Blind Union and supported by the International Guide Dog Federation. The presentation was followed by questions/discussion.

Chair: Nadia Mattiazzo, DGHA Vice President.

Audio length approx 1 hour.

Day 2 Session 6 audio (mp3 format 90mb)

Session 7

Title: Tips and Tricks.

An interactive session with handler input on a range of topics.

Chair: Joyce Jones, DGHA Co-Secretary.

And

Final Session.

Title: Dog Guide Handlers Australia member issues.

An interactive session with handler input on a range of dog guide issues.

Chair: Nadia Mattiazzo, DGHA Vice President.

Closing Remarks and Conference Concludes.

Chair: Rowena Dowling and David Foran, DGHA Co-presidents.

Audio length approx 45 minutes.

Day 2 Session 7 audio (mp3 format 60mb)

Day 1 – Saturday 6 September 2014.

• Workshop 1 After a rollcall we hear from David Foran on Dog Guides and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Audio length around 110 minutes in MP3 format.
• Workshop 2 We hear From Paul Adrian, Manager Guide Dog Services – Victoria Guide Dogs, about the history of dog guide training up to the latest Clicker Training methods. Audio length around 75 minutes in MP3 format.
• Workshop 3 We hear from Harry Van Der Jagt, National Manager Client Services – Seeing Eye Dogs Australia, and some experienced dog guide handlers about the range of equipment used with dog guides. Audio length around 50 minutes in MP3 format.
• Workshop 4 Dorothy Docherty, Consumer Advisory Representative – Guide Dogs Victoria, and Nadia Mattiazzo – Consumer Advisory Representative – Seeing Eye Dogs Australia, speak about dog guide handlers and schools working together. Audio length around 55 minutes in MP3 format.
• DGHA 2014 AGM Dog Guide Handlers Australia 2014 Annual General Meeting. Audio length around 30 minutes in MP3 format.

Presentation of the Judith Killen 2014 Golden Harness Award

During the conference dinner, the inaugural Dog Guide Handlers Australia Judith Killen Golden Harness Award was presented. This award is presented to a person for their outstanding efforts in fostering, representing, promoting, enhancing and protecting the interests of Australians who are blind or vision impaired and who use a dog guide.

Dog Guide Handlers Australia would like to congratulate Rowena Dowling, the first ever recipient of the Judith Killen Golden Harness Award.

Peter Greco from the RPH Adelaide radio show “Focal Point” interviewed Rowena on her receiving the award. Rowena’s interview is about 10 minutes in. To listen go to Focal Point

Episode 366 of the Blind Citizens Australia radio show, New Horizons, featured Joyce Jones, an attendee at the DGHA 2014 conference, and Rowena Dowling, speaking on recieving her Golden Harness Award.

to listen go to New Horizons episode 366

Day 2 – Sunday 7 September 2014.

• Workshop 5 Beth Critchley, Certified canine natural therapist from Naturopaws, speaks about caring for your dog guide. Audio length around 40 minutes in MP3 format.
• Workshop 6 Harry van der Jagt, National Manager Client Services SEDA, speaks about the New SEDA kennels and Recent discussions with Melbourne Zoo on Dog Guide Access. Audio length around 50 minutes in MP3 format.
• Workshop 7 Daisy Holt, cadet Guide Dog Mobility Instructor – Royal Society for the Blind South Australia, speaks about training with other breeds for use as dog guides. Audio length around 30 minutes in MP3 format.
• Workshop 8 Dog Guide Handlers Australia members, Nadia Mattiazzo, Nicole Damarra and Tracey Cross discuss various issues including – traveling with your dog guide, dog distraction, pet insurance, retiring a dog guide and starting with a new dog guide and tips and tricks. Audio length around 45 minutes in MP3 format.

Uber Service Assistance Program and refusals with taxi and rideshare services

Guest presenters at our 23 March members meeting were , Chris Edwards Vision Australia Manager Government Relations and Advocacy.
Jane Britt Blind Citizens Australia Team Leader, Policy and Advocacy
Martin Stewart Blind Citizens Australia Team Leader, Policy and Advocacy

Discussion on the Uber Service Assistance Program. And, Dog Guide refusals with taxi and rideshare services.

The duration is 1 hour 15 minutes, and the file size is 39Mb, in mp3 format.

Samantha O’Keefe Therapy Dogs and Ally Burnham Canine Court Companion Program

Guest presenters at our 29 September members meeting were Samantha O’Keefe, Therapy Dogs Co-ordinator Guide Dogs New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory and Ally Burnham, Volunteer with Guide Dogs New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory Canine Court Companion Program

The duration is 58 minutes, and the file size is 29Mb, in mp3 format.

Session about Tele-Health Services and Supports

Guest presenters Aaron Horsington, Team Leader, Guide Dog Client Services, Guide Dogs Victoria, and Brooke Anderson, Seeing Eye Dog Instructor, Vision Australia.

We had two great presenters from Melbourne (currently in lockdown) to explain all about the Tele-Health services available to us during this time of restricted mobility. Many of these services could remain as options post the Covid-19 pandemic if feasible.

The duration is 52 minutes, and the file size is 25Mb, in mp3 format.

Amber Yarde from Community and Mainstream Engagement NDIS

guest presenter Amber Yarde, Assistant Director, Victoria, Community and Mainstream Engagement, Community and Mainstream Engagement Branch National Disability Insurance Agency.

Amber started with a short talk about NDIS support for dog-guides and handlers. She then answered questions related to NDIA policy and funding for dog-guides and handlers.

The duration is 1 hour 20 minutes, and the file size is 30.8Mb, in mp3 format.

Zoren Milasinovich a vet from Green Cross Vets

Guest presenter Zoren Milasinovich the vet from Green Cross Vets in Narre Warren.

Zoran starts with a short talk about some common first aid situations and how you might handle these if you are blind or have low vision. He then answers questions on health, maintenance and general care of dog guides.

The duration is 1 hour 12 minutes, and the file size is 30.6Mb, in mp3 format.

Developments in Technology Influencing the Future of O&M

Presenters at this meeting are Nicole Homes – Access & Technology Officer & Kelly Prentice – O&M Specialist from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT who spoke about developments in technology influencing the future of O&M. This includes the use of video streaming, Bluetooth beacons & the changing face of O&M services.

The duration is 45 minutes, and the file size is 24 Mb, in mp3 format.

Kim Ryan on Puppy Development in Tasmania

A special presentation by Kim Ryan, from Guide Dogs Tasmania. Kim speaks about the puppy development program in Tasmania.

The duration is 48 minutes, and the file size is 27.1 Mb, in mp3 format.

Cheng Hock Kua on Dog Guide Services in Singapore

A special presentation from Cheng Hock Kua, the founder of the first Guide Dog Service in Singapore. Cheng Hock is blind and uses a guide dog, and is passionate about advocating for the use of guide dogs in Singapore, and to provide the opportunity for people who are blind or vision impaired in Singapore to train with a dog guide.

The duration is 42 minutes, and the file size is 19.5 Mb, in mp3 format.

Fidelco Foundation – German Shepherds as Guides – part 1

Part 1 of a special 2 part presentation from the Fidelco Foundation in the USA, which breeds and trains German Shepherds as Guides.

The duration of part 1 is around 40 minutes, and the file size is around 38Mb

Fidelco Foundation – German Shepherds as Guides – part 2

Part 2 of this 2 Part presentation from the Fidelco Foundation in the USA, which breeds and trains German Shepherds as Guides.

part 2 duration is around 40 minutes and the file size is around 24Mb, in mp3 format.

Penny Stevenson – Orientation & Mobility Instructor

A special presentation from DGHA member, Penny Stevenson. Penny speaks about her personal experience as a vision impaired dog guide user, and her professional experience as an Orientation & Mobility Instructor.

The duration is 46 minutes, and the file size is 21.3Mb, in mp3 format.

Robert Acosta on Accessible World

A special presentation from Robert Acosta, from Accessible World .
Robert speaks about the extensive online discussion forums, archives, and audio information available for download. A link to the Accessible World website is provided on our resources page.

The duration is 37 minutes, and the file size is 17 Mb, in mp3 format.

Dr Donna Bennett on Dog Nutrition

A special presentation from Dr Donna Bennett, a veterinarian who speaks about dog nutrition.

The duration is 58 minutes, and the file size is 23 Mb, in mp3 format.

Brooke Marsh Animal Physiotherapist

A very interesting presentation from Brooke Marsh an Animal Physiotherapist in Queensland.

The duration is 1 hour 8 minutes, and the file size is 29 Mb, in mp3 format.

Daniel Kish on Echo Location

Daniel Kish speaks about his navigation method, Flashsonar.

The duration is 1 hour 13 minutes, and the file size is 34 Mb, in mp3 format.