The Disability Information and Resource Centre

The Julia Farr Association is currently evaluating a networking and planning initiative called PlanNET, as part of JFA’s ongoing work to discover the types of arrangements that can help people living with disability and their families build networks and plan for the future.

The JFA invites anyone who has had involvement with PlanNET in South Australia or similar initiatives in other states, or who have views on how people living with disability and their families might best build networks and plan for the person’s future, to contact their office on (08) 8373 8333 or freecall 1300 857 327.

They can arrange a telephone or face-to-face conversation, and can pay any agreed out-of-pocket expenses.

The Julia Farr Association is holding a forum for parents of children aged up to 17 years who live with disability.

The event will be held at Our Space: 104 Greenhill Rd Unley on Tuesday 10th August between 11am-1pm. The forum is aimed at parents interested in their children having the same choices and opportunities as their non-disabled peers.

The forum is an opportunity to share your ideas, aspirations and concerns, access useful information and meet other parents. More details can be found in the flyer.

Please fill out the registration form and either fax to (08) 8373 8373, email to admin@juliafarr.org.au, or phone (08) 8373 8333 if you require further information.

The Julia Farr Association (JFA) Noske Christmas Fund is now receiving applications for the 2010 round.

The fund is a small annual distribution, which has been developed to carry out the wishes of the late Mr Noske who generously set aside funds to enable people living with disability (who meet the eligibility criteria) to celebrate Christmas. Grants are limited to no more than $200 per applicant and will be allocated at the discretion of the JFA Trust Fund sub-committee.

The Julia Farr Association will distribute the funds each year and will call for interested candidates prior to the Christmas period.

The JFA is releasing the grant in July to allow people time to complete their applications, to then be considered, with funds to be distributed during the Christmas season.

This is a great little grant which has the potential to really help a person celebrate the good things in life during the festive period. Applications for funding can take many forms and might be thought of as a personal gift, travel to see family/friends or a special item. Preference will be given to applications which fund items of special importance to the individual. These items will be funded in preference to communal Christmas parties as these events are generally seen as the responsibility of the personal support agency.

Funding is limited to less than $200 per applicant and will be allocated at the discretion of the JFA Trust Fund sub-committee. No guarantee of funding is given and the total funds available are limited. Part funding may be allocated.

Those Eligible to apply are people who:

1. live with physical disability, acquired brain injury or degenerative neurological disorder; and
2. who it would be reasonable to conclude is currently/formerly or could have been eligible (including those in community based accommodation) for association with Highgate Park (formerly Julia Farr Services, the Julia Far Centre, Home for Incurables); and
3. who are in receipt of a disability support pension or equivalent; and
4. who uses this application form, appropriately completed, thus giving their consent to disclosure of all details set out on the application form to Australian Executor Trustees as the trustee of the Noske Estate.

To apply candidates need to submit a completed application form to the Julia Farr office by 5pm Wednesday, 25th August 2010.

For more information please contact Rachel at rachell@juliafarr.org.au or 08 8373 8306.

Are you a young person aged 16-30 and living with a disability? Do you have a positive and determined outlook on your life? Do you have a few hours to spare for a few weeks? If you’ve just said ‘YES’ three times Julia Farr really wants to hear from you!

The Julia Farr Youth Group is seeking young people who are positive about their life and their disability, and would be interested in offering some leadership support to a younger person living with disability. This is called mentoring, and they are recruiting mentors for an exciting new initiative. This is your opportunity to share your experiences with a younger person living with disability, in a way that helps the person with their self-confidence, getting to know new people, and dreaming BIG!

If you are accepted onto the initiative as a mentor, Julia Farr can offer you training and a great opportunity to grow your leadership skills.

Application Form

Job Description

For more info call Georgie (08) 8373 8313 or georginae@juliafarr.org.au or www.juliafarr.org.au

The Julia Farr Association is conducting a survey on the experiences of people living with disability, called Tellus.

The Tellus survey asks questions that don’t get asked anywhere else, such as:

• “Have you made new friends or acquaintances in the last six months?”
• “Is the level of support you receive enough to help with your personal needs?”
• “What are the main things stopping you from living the life you want?”

Without revealing your personal details the results of the survey will be collated so that your experiences and views can have an impact on the decisions that affect you.

How to participate

On Line Survey

You can complete the survey online by clicking here. The survey is also linked from the Julia Farr homepage.

Electronic Version of Survey

If you don’t want to complete the survey online Julia Farr can mail you a copy of the survey on CD. You can then use your computer to complete the survey and return the responses to Julia Farr on the same CD. To do this, please contact Alicia Fidock on 8373 8311 and she will send you a CD version of the survey with instructions and a reply paid envelope.

Paper Version of Survey

If you would to prefer to complete the survey on paper, please contact Alicia Fidock on 8373 8311 and she will send you the survey with a reply paid envelope.

Over the Phone

You can complete the survey over the phone by calling Alicia on 1300 857 327 (calls charged at a local rate). Alicia will read the questions to you over the phone and write down your answers.

Please contact Alicia Fidock on 8373 8311 or aliciaf@juliafarr.org.au with any further questions.

Please have your survey completed by the end of July.

The Loop Adelaide Conference, Event 1, with Jenny Pitts (UK) and Penny Hambleton (NZ), is now FULL! If you haven’t received an email in the last 24 hours, confirming your registration for Event 1, Julia Farr do not have you listed as attending and have not received your booking form.

Please contact Julia Farr on (08) 8373 8333 if you thought you were registered for Event 1 but have not received an email confirming so. Registrations will not be accepted on the day due to the event now being at capacity.

As spaces have filled fast for Event 1, you are strongly recommended to book soon for Event 2 with John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien (US) to be held on Friday 30 April and Saturday 1 May.

Please see the flyer and registration form.

The Loop Conference to be held in Murray Bridge, South Australia has been rescheduled. The Conference will now be held on Tuesday, 18th May 2010. Please see this flyer and registration form for further information. Send in your registration ASAP to book your place.

The Julia Farr Youth group wishes to invite young people with a disability to come to their next meeting:

Julia Farr Youth are looking for young people aged 16-30 who live with a disability and are passionate about disability youth issues to come to our next meeting.

We meet once a month at Julia Farr Association at 104 Greenhill Road Unley to discuss issues which are important to young people and try to come up with ways that achieve helpful changes. We are for young people, by young people with initiative.

Our current primary focus is the design, development and implementation of a Mentor Program for children aged 11-16 years who live with a disability and the development of a photographic art exhibition on human rights for the 2011 fringe festival.

We look forward to new young people joining our group and hope you can come along. To find out more please contact Georgina at Julia Farr Association on 8373 8313 or email georginae@juliafarr.org.au.

Food and travel costs are provided!

Places are still available at the Loop Conference workshops in Adelaide in March and April.

Registration form.

For further information please phone the Julia Farr Association on (08) 8373 8333 or email admin@juliafarr.org.au.

Julia Farr Association’s The Loop Conference is also presented in several country areas.

The focus of this years conference is on quality in human services.

These one-day conferences are aimed at people living with disability, older persons, people living with mental illness, other people receiving personal assistance, service agency leaders and staff, policy makers and other people interested in supportive communities.

2010 Locations and Dates

• Murray Bridge – 24 March
• Port Pirie – 19 April
• Whyalla – 20 April
• Port Lincoln – 23 April
• Mt Gambier – 27 April

For more information and to register please view this document.