“Using the internet to increase physical activity in teenagers with cerebral palsy – are you kidding?” by Dr Carol Maher, is the third lecture in the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation’s 2009 New Science Seminar Series.

The free session, to be held on Wednesday 22 July at 10.30,  goes for about an hour and will include a light morning tea and an opportunity for Q & A.

The presenter is a 2008 Young Investigator Awards (YIA) finalist. The presentation will be a snapshot of her research findings in everyday language.

Queen Victoria Lecture Theatre
Ground Floor of the Queen Victoria
Building at the Women’s & Children’s
Hospital, 72 King William Rd, North Adelaide
Gold coin donation appreciated
For more information contact:
rani.clark@wchfoundation.org.au
or phone (08) 8464 7900

RSVP’s are not required.

Invitation flier (pdf)

On Friday 31st July there will be dance to help raise funds for prostate cancer research. The money will benefit the Flinders Medical Centre’s research efforts to find a cure.

The dance will be held at the West Croydon and Kilkenny RSL Hall, 19 Rosetta St, West Croydon at 7pm. It’s a ‘bring your own supper’ affair. Bar facilities will be available (all drinks at RSL members prices) so there will be no BYO drinks.

The music will be by the Party Cats, Adelaide’s number 1 50’s and 60’s rock and roll duo, comprised of Peter Tilbrook (formerly of The Masters Apprentices) on vocals and lead guitar, with Brian “Davvo” Davidge on bass and backing vocals.

The theme is Doctors and Nurses with a prize for the best dressed doctor and nurse.

Tickets must be purchased before the event and are only $15. Contact Gwen on 0407 910476 or via email: gillmooreinc@bigpond.com to order tickets.

INDIVIDUALS
Amr Abdallah - Music
$8000 to produce and market a debut EP.

Robert Cettl - Literature
$6000 for ebook publication of Always An Other?  Representations of disability in Australian film.

Naomi Clarke – Visual Art
$7500 towards the purchase of adapted photographic equipment and a photographic exhibition in 2010.

Adam Cocca - Music
$3000 towards the purchase of adapted music equipment to assist in the production of songs.

Elizabeth Dickinson-Sharpe - Music
$800 professional music study fees to assist in the development of her piano skills.

Helen Katsinis – Literature
$3000 for attendance at a national conference for professional romantic fiction writers.

Mel Kelly – Performing Arts
$2745 for stage one development of Drug Of Choice, a hybrid performance-art piece.

Teri Kelly – Literature
$5000 to assist in the publication of Girls Like Me, a poetry anthology.

Kyra Kimpton – Dance
$10000 for development of solo dance piece Prelude.

Daniel Levy - Music
$6000 to produce a second EP.

Suzanne MacKenzie – Music
$2600 for travel costs to access singing and music lessons.

Gaelle Mellis – Theatre
$8829 for stage two development of contemporary performance piece Take Up Thy Bed And Walk.

Nina Pearce – Theatre
$4000 to re-stage This Place, a play to be presented during Mental Health Week.

Jungle Phillips – Visual Arts
$4094 to produce a professional quality catalogue and exhibit at three Sydney galleries.

Phil Spruce – Literature
$5100 to draft a novel All That You Can Be.

Kelly Vincent – Theatre
$8900 to create Startspace, a cross media installation theatre work.

ORGANISATIONS
CanDo4Kids – Visual Arts
$8179 for a mentorship program with professional artists to make a tactile mural for vision and hearing impaired children.

Central Northern Adelaide Health Service: Club 84 – Music
$11,925 to support The Harmony Of Hearts Choir to produce a professional quality performance for presentation at various community events.

City of Port Adelaide Enfield – Community Cultural Development
$11,000 to present the Umbrella Fest by Tony Doyle Visions at the Port Festival in October 2009.

Ink Pot Arts Inc- Music
$8036 for Tutti artists to work with The Gathering Wave choir to develop a concert performance.

Kym MacKenzie and Darryl Williams - Theatre
$7880 for professional development of Roadies - a comedy act about two stagehands.

Mental Health Coalition SA – Visual Arts
$3000 to have an exhibition during Mental Health Week 2009.

No Strings Attached – Theatre
$13,300 for stage two development of the play Steak ‘n’ Chelsea with Rachel High and Julie MacNamara.

Restless Dance Theatre – Dance
$17,500 for development of a new dance theatre piece Beauty with choreographer Ingrid Voorendt.

SA Writers Centre – Literature
$13,000 to employ a writer in residence to assist writers with a disability.

Individuals:            16                      $86,168
Organisations:        9                       $93,820
Total Applications: 25     Total:       $179,988

The Richard Llewellyn Arts and Disability Trust (RLADT) fund was introduced in South Australia in 2006. The first of its kind in Australia, the fund supports the creative and artistic aspirations of people with disabilities.

This year, 16 individuals and nine organisations successfully applied for funding and received a combined total of $179,988.

Funding will support a diverse and exciting range of arts and cultural activities including photographic exhibitions, mentorships, writers’ residencies as well as upcoming concerts and performances. A visual arts exhibition developed by the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia and a performance of a play by Nina Pearce called This place will be presented during Mental Health Week in October 2009

Previous and current recipients have applied to the fund to develop or present work at a national and international level.

Gaelle Mellis, a leading advocate for disability arts and who proudly identifies as a disabled artist has won numerous awards, including a 2005 Churchill Fellowship and was shortlisted for a Ruby award in 2007. In previous funding rounds Gaelle undertook a research trip to the UK. Having successfully re-applied for the fund in 2009, she will complete the second stage development of a contemporary performance piece called Take up thy bed and walk.

As a set designer and artist Gaelle’s work is highly sought after by leading performance companies, including Australian Dance Theatre, Restless Dance Company and Brink Productions.

Adelaide’s Restless Dance Theatre continues to win accolades for their groundbreaking and innovative style. In 2008, the RLADT supported professional artists Sam Haran, Steven Mayhew Alison Currie and Jo Stone to work with members of the ensemble including Lorcan Hopper and Dana Nance to develop Debut. Restless successfully applied for funding this year for their new production called Beauty.

Kyra Kimpton who is also part of the Restless ensemble, will use the fund to undertake a creative development with UK artist Jemima Hoadley for a solo dance piece called Prelude, which she will perform during the 2009 Adelaide Fringe and in London the following year.

The Hon Jennifer Rankine, Minister for Disability, has extended her congratulations to all this year’s recipients and adds, “It is particularly exiting to see so many of our local talented artists and companies, presenting their work much further afield. The Government of South Australia recognises the significant role that arts and culture plays in enriching the lives not only of people with disabilities, but across the wider community.”

The Richard Llewellyn Arts and Disability Trust is a partnership between the Department for Families and Communities and Arts SA. The fund is financially controlled by the Public Trustee and administered by Arts SA.

The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement presents Dr John R Jordan on their International Educator Tour 2009.

Thursday, 6th August, 2009 , 9.30am - 4.30pm (Registration from 9am)

Ayers House, 288 North Tce, Adelaide  SA 5000.

Registration closes 10th July.

For further information contact (03) 9265 2100 or email info@grief.org.au

www.grief.org.au

Meld is a monthly networking opportunity for all visual artists in SA including those who have a disability or who experience mental illness.

The next meeting is on Friday 3rd July, 3pm to 5pm at Nexus Cabaret Space, corner North Terrace and Morphett St, Adelaide  SA.

Guest speaker is Stefan Maguran, who is presently establishing an Outsider Art Festival in Adelaide to be held in November  www.outsidersfestival.blogspot.com

For more information call Desiree Laz on 0405 962 883 or Alex Bickford on 8240 2566.

Link to the MELD flier (pdf)

This information session presented by Baptist Care (SA) and the Mental Illness Fellowship of SA is for organisations that want to know more about the benefits of peer support, how to introduce peer workers within their organisations and how to create an effective support structure for Peer Workers.

The flier (doc) gives more information.

MEDIA RELEASE

June  19th  2009

WELCOME TO DISABILITY SPEAKS!

Disability Speaks was created in April 2009. Its purpose is to advocate and campaign for better support for all South Australians living with a disability and provide information regarding community forums and events.

Disability Speaks has been created to build upon the foundations achieved by Dignity for Disabled, which together with your support, helped to bring to the attention of the State Government and the broader community, the major unmet support needs for people with a disability within our State.

We are a not-for-profit, bi-partisan, self-funded  group  which has been established with the following aims:

·          To ensure a voice to people with disability in policy and service development and delivery;

·          To ensure that voice is consumer driven;

·          To ensure that consumer choice is fundamental to all policy and service options;

·          To ensure equitable representation across the disability sector in policy and service development, and

·          To ensure that important  information is widely circulated within the disability community.

Our aim is to have in excess of  10,000  online supporters by year end. To support this aim, disability organisations will be invited to assist Disability Speaks to distribute information regarding major events.

It is envisaged that this program will be perpetual and provide key disability related information to stakeholders for years to come.

Disability Speaks supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

We trust you will enjoy receiving and reading Disability Speaks information, and will support our events and functions. We would also appreciate if you would forward Disability Speaks on to your contacts, databases, friends, clients and supporters. Disability Speaks has no affiliation with any political party.

David Holst

Disability Speaks
Further information:  0418 555 683
Email: disabilityspeaks@internode.on.net

June 24, 2009

The national program for Young Carers in Australia is in crisis, according to Carers Australia CEO Joan Hughes.

She was speaking at the launch of the “Bring It! 2008″ forum report which recommends steps to better support and recognise Australia’s young carers. Young carers are carers under 26 who support family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic conditions, terminal illness or who are frail. There are some 380,000 young carers, including 170,600 under the age of 18.

“Young Carers are in urgent need of support and assistance if they are to have the same rights, choices and opportunities as other young Australians,” Ms Hughes said.

“Young carers can’t wait until the next Budget for help. To delay any longer is to risk sacrificing the future of these caring young people who make such as difference to our society.”

“The government has talked a lot about social inclusion, education and training. No additional funds were allocated in the recent Budget to extend the Young Carer Program and better help young carers. ”

The “Bring It! 2008″ forum report shows that carers need continuing, flexible support and services, equal access to these as well as services that are culturally and age appropriate and based on best practice.

The report urges all professional groups and agencies to have policies and guidelines which clearly include young carers. Likewise, mandatory awareness training across all groups who deal with carers, including doctors, teachers, social workers and those in hospitals and the health industry.

“It has some great recommendations from participants including young carers, such as a ‘no wrong door’ policy which means that no matter how the person or family comes in contact with government and support agencies, they should get appropriate help,” Ms Hughes said.

“It also recommends a ‘whole of family’ approach, so that the whole family’s needs are assessed, regardless of which family member first contacts an agency.

“Sadly, some agencies can forget that young carers can have adult-sized responsibilities when caring, and they aren’t always treated with dignity and respect by all areas of government.”

Ms Hughes said young carers were the future of our society, yet we were “ignoring their very real needs as carers.”

“Where do we want direct support to go and how can we help it get there”?

A meeting and forum for direct support staff and others to express their views and opinions on the current problems and issues they face and suggest ways of improving our current support services.

July 29th, 6.30pm, Staff Room, Sturt Buildngs, Flinders University.

Flier with details and map (doc)