Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income Generation Efforts 

Blind Citizens NZ has both Charitable and Donee status. This is important for anyone thinking about the mutually beneficial outcomes of payroll giving and making us your charity of choice. 

Income received through donations, bequests and payroll giving for example, go a long way towards supporting the many facets of our work i.e. our advocacy, promotional campaigns, and communication and community education. Making Blind Citizens NZ the recipient of a bequest or legacy, is another way you can support us. 

Payroll Giving: This is an easy way for an employee to donate to a charity of their choice, such as Blind Citizens NZ. When an employee donates to a charity through their payroll, they receive a tax refund immediately. For all other types of donation, the donor must wait until the end of the tax year to receive their tax refund.

One of the key benefits of donating through your wages (Payroll Giving) is that as an employee you may decide to donate your refund to the charity as well. Charitable Payroll Giving is optional and not all employers will participate. Blind Citizens NZ has Donee Status, and is eligible to receive payroll gifts. Steps to Payroll Giving donations include:

1. Asking your employer if payroll giving is an employee benefit. You can advocate for Blind Citizens NZ, and outline why you are passionate about the organisation. Some employers match payroll gifts with a contribution of their own.

2. If payroll giving is available, provide your employer with the bank account details for Blind Citizens NZ.

3. Decide how much you can afford, and how frequently you will donate, considering the immediate tax benefit. For Blind Citizens NZ, every little helps us in our work to make a blind bit of difference for blind people.

4. Notify Blind Citizens NZ that you are making a payroll gift. Your employer may transfer the money into Blind Citizens NZ’s bank account without any notification.

Making a Bequest: Through our efforts and your financial support, we are working on the removal of barriers faced by blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision impaired people. Blind Citizens NZ has been extremely fortunate to benefit from legacies, and we take this opportunity to recognise generically, the generosity of those people and their families. Your Will can make a lasting gift and Blind Citizens NZ would be extremely grateful for any contribution. 

If you choose to leave a gift to Blind Citizens NZ, we suggest the following will assist your legal advisor…

“I give and bequeath to the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Incorporated (CC41040):

• $ (a specific dollar amount); or
• A specific percentage of my estate; or 
• The whole or a specific percentage of the residue of my estate.

Free from all duties and charges, as a contribution to the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc to be applied for general purposes only, for which the receipt of the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc shall be sufficient discharge to my trustees.”

To find out how we inform those who have pledged their support to us, if you have questions, or you wish to make a contribution contact: 

• Rose Wilkinson 021 222 6940 | 0800 222 694;or
• Email: bequest-info-blindcitizensnz@groups.io 

Leadership | Advocacy Workshop – We’re calling for expressions of interest

For the first time in several years, Blind Citizens NZ is holding a combined Leadership | Advocacy Workshop. This workshop will have a strong focus on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Disability Convention). It will be held Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 October 2023 at the Naumi Hotel Auckland Airport. Ideally, participants will be keen to stay on for the AGM and Conference where you might even be a first-time attendee. 

Are you interested in learning more about the Disability Convention and how this can inform advocacy and awareness raising? Are you interested in developing your leadership and advocacy skills? If so, we encourage you to send through an expression of interest for the workshop. Highlight the skills and | or knowledge you bring. Tell us what you hope to achieve from the workshop.

If successful with your expression of interest, expenses for travel and accommodation will be Blind Citizens NZ’s responsibility. If you stay on for the AGM and Conference, full registration costs would be your responsibility. Expressions of interest with the information we have asked for, should be received by 9am, Monday 31 July 2023. Your expression of interest for the attention of the Chief Executive can be sent to:

• Email: admin@blindcitizensnz.org.nz and put “Expression of Interest, Leadership | Advocacy Workshop” in the subject line; or
• Post: PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242; 
• Fax: 04-389-0033

2023 Annual General Meeting and Conference Challenging Others Challenging Ourselves

The venue and dates for this year’s AGM and Conference are finalised. We will be at the Naumi Hotel Auckland Airport. To make the most of everyone’s availability, and mindful of people’s travel time and the success of last year’s event, this will again be held over two days. We start at 9am Friday 13 October and we finish following our Conference Dinner the evening of Saturday 14 October. Business sessions and guest presenters will be spread across the two days. 

This year we are again running a hybrid event which means you have the choice of joining in person, or online via ZOOM. Regardless of which option you choose, everyone is required to complete and submit a registration form. If joining in person, options (and costs) vary from daily attendance to staying at the Naumi Hotel and arriving Thursday 12 October and leaving Sunday 15 October. 

If you are planning to attend in person, you can take advantage of the option to pay your registration costs (accommodation and food) by instalment. You can find out more and put a payment plan in place by contacting National Office. Each situation is considered on a case-by-case basis and every assistance possible is offered.

Registration forms are available from our National Office, Branches and Networks and will be hosted on our website as well. 

Financial assistance for ‘first time’ attendees

A reminder that the Board is allocating funds to support ‘first time’ attendees. Funding for ‘first time’ attendees is about providing financial assistance forOrdinary (voting) Members. 

Other than attending the entire event for the first time in-person, there are three conditions that a ‘first time’ attendee must meet to be considered for financial assistance. These requirements are:

• to be able to make a financial contribution – decisions are made on a case-by-case basis;
• making a commitment to attend the full two days of the AGM and Conference, whether on a daily basis, or staying at the Naumi Hotel Auckland Airport; and
• that you are an Ordinary (financial voting) Member. 

If you meet these requirements and would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please contact the Chief Executive for further information via one of the following options:

• Email: admin@blindcitizensnz.org.nz and put “2023 first-time attendee” in the subject line;
• Post: PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242; 
• Phone: 0800 222 694; Fax: 04-389-0033.

Applications for financial assistance for first time attendees close at 4pm, Thursday 3 August 2023. The Board will make a final decision about the number of members it can support following the close of expressions of interest.

Update – Membership Subscription Review (June 2023)

Rose Wilkinson Chief Executive

The Board’s Membership Subscription Review proposal was addressed at a Special Meeting of Members on Tuesday 6 June. The meeting was well-attended and resulted in the following resolution: That Blind Citizens NZ as per the Membership Subscription Review proposal, offers individuals that have not paid a subscription in the last five financial years to be given access to Blind Citizens NZ events as if they have paid a subscription, with this offer ending June 30 2025. 

What this means is that for anyone who has not paid a subscription since 2018, that for the next two years to 30 June 2025 inclusive you:

• will receive information such as newsletters and notices of meetings from your local Branch or Network;
• will receive Focus, along with updates informing members of our work from National Office;
• can participate in activities including General and Annual General meetings, but you can’t vote or stand for election to the Board, a Branch Committee or a Network.

We encourage readers to share this opportunity as widely as you can. This will help us to reach people who may be interested in Blind Citizens NZ but who have not been in a position to become a member. 

If you have any questions please contact the Chief Executive at our National Office (contact details at the end of this Focus issue.

Advocating for a universally accessible form of ID

Visual description via AI, the promise and the problem

By Jonathan Mosen

Editor’s note: Among his many roles, Jonathan is a former assistive technology product manager and accessibility consultant. He regularly covers technology developments in his Living Blindfully podcast.

Chances are you’ve heard some of the buzz around new technology called ChatGPT. It has taken the concept of artificial intelligence, or AI for short, mainstream.

ChatGPT is a freely available virtual chat interface which you can enter prompts into in order to generate information or have a AI-powered conversation. As I sat down to write this article, I gave thought to how to describe it more fully to those who may not have worked in information technology as I have. The obvious answer was to ask ChatGPT to describe the pros and cons of itself in non-technical language. Here’s what it came back with.

“ChatGPT is an AI language model that has transformed the world of conversational AI with its remarkable capabilities. It has strengths and weaknesses like any other technology. One of the major strengths of ChatGPT is its ability to understand and respond to human language in a natural and fluent manner. It can be used in various applications such as customer support, content creation, and social media management. However, despite its many strengths, ChatGPT does have its limitations. One of the main weaknesses of the model is its lack of understanding of common-sense knowledge and world facts. It may generate nonsensical or incorrect information if it has not seen similar examples of information during its training.”

That is a very self-aware, if I dare use that expression, description. ChatGPT is already saving me time, but I have also seen it write utter nonsense on subjects about which I have knowledge. Like any technology, it will improve over time. In the six months I have been using it, its “hallucinations” have decreased, but not disappeared.

There are many articles available already that discuss some very real philosophical and ethical issues we must confront urgently as a species due to the rapid advancement of AI. Many of the pros and cons of this technology have the same impact on us as everyone else. But there’s one area where blind and low vision users may benefit immensely. ChatGPT can now describe images, with competitors like Google also introducing similar features.

The key players

ChatGPT are working with two companies in the blindness space to test this technology and its implications. Envision produces software running on smart glasses that provide access to visual information. You can hear a full review and demonstration of the Envision glasses in episode 202 of my podcast, Living Blindfully, formerly called Mosen at Large. The new “Ask Envision” feature is available at this stage in its glasses, but not the free Envision app for your Apple or Android smartphone.

The second blindness-related company working with ChatGPT is Be My Eyes. This popular app connects its users with sighted volunteers and companies willing to provide support via the platform. Be My Eyes is testing what it’s calling “Virtual Volunteer”. You provide it with a picture, either by taking a photo in the app or by supplying a picture. It could, for example, be a picture on social media or a photo from your camera roll. Within seconds, virtual volunteer will describe the picture to you. Not only is the initial description far more detailed than any app currently on the market, you can ask follow-up questions as if you were asking a sighted person to explain particular details to you. 

How well it can answer those questions depends on how good the picture is, and how much ChatGPT knows about the subject in question.

Because the description is powered by a tool that holds an astounding amount of knowledge, you can go beyond the picture, as CEO of Be My Eyes, Mike Buckley, explained to Living Blindfully.

“Think about taking a picture of the contents of your refrigerator and not only getting a list of the contents, but the tool can tell you what you can make for dinner based on what’s in there,” he says.

“We took a picture, Jonathan, of the Indian railway map system and then we asked something like, “How do I get from Bangalore to Delhi?” It gave the directions. Literally which lines you had to take and how to get there. Then I said, “Can you tell me in Hindi?” It did. It’s remarkable. It’s remarkable power.”

If you have doubts about what the AI is telling you, or it’s just not being helpful, you can get a sighted volunteer on the line with the double-tap of a button.

Setting realistic expectations

Be My Eyes are taking a cautious approach, testing it with a handful of users before opening the test more widely. Even then, they are seeking to set realistic expectations.

“Let’s be really firm about this,” Buckley says, “We do not want anyone using this technology to replace a white cane. We don’t want to use it to replace a guide dog in terms of where it is now. We want to be slow, we want to be thoughtful, we want to be cautious. We’ve even put that in the agreement upfront with the beta testers that it should not be used for these purposes. Down the road as video comes in and as the AI gets more sophisticated and intelligent, I think there are absolutely going to be navigational and other use cases, but we’re just not there yet.”

What’s it really like?

I’ve been given early access to this technology. When it works well, it can take your breath away. When it fails, it can make things up with such confidence that you may be convinced it’s telling the truth when it isn’t. Those of us with no vision may not be able to determine the accuracy of certain descriptions without verification from a sighted person we trust.

Last year, my wife, youngest daughter and I took a holiday in Europe. I took numerous photos, and I’ve been asking Virtual Volunteer to describe them to me. My wife was fascinated by the ravens at the Tower of London, so my daughter took a picture of one with us in the background. Here’s how Virtual Volunteer described that picture.

“The picture is of a cobblestone street with a black bird in the foreground. In the background, there are two people walking on the sidewalk and a brick building with stairs and a blue lamp post. The bird appears to be a crow or a raven and is standing on the cobblestones. The street is lined with a stone curve and there is moss growing between the cobblestones.”

This is a particularly good example because the system expressed some uncertainty about the bird. In a case like this, you can educate it to put it on the right track. I replied to Virtual Volunteer that the bird is indeed a raven, and to describe the raven to me in detail. Here’s how it replied.

“The bird is a raven, which is a large black bird with a curved beak and glossy feathers. It is standing on the cobblestones with its head tilted to the side as if it is looking at something. Its wings are folded at its sides and its feet are visible. The bird appears to be healthy and well-fed.”

I was also able to ask about the two people in the photo, Bonnie and me, and what we were wearing on that day.

Going through our holiday photos with Virtual Volunteer has brought back memories in vivid detail like no other software has been able to do. I will definitely be taking more photos now that I have this technology.

Wide-ranging applications

In daily life, I have used it to help me work out how much charge is left on my portable battery pack, and to describe unfamiliar air conditioning remotes in hotel rooms. You can often ask it to read the controls to you left to right, top to bottom, and it will come back with a detailed explanation.

I can take a picture of a document I suspect is a bill, and ask it to summarise who it’s from and what the total amount owing is. It has given me the closest experience I’ve ever had of glancing at a printed page for relevant information.

I’ve even done things I wouldn’t have bothered doing before, such as taking a picture from a hotel window and gaining a real understanding of what is outside.

Using it to get descriptions of social media photos during the coronation was quite something, as I could ask specific questions about objects and fashion.

The pitfalls

All that is great, until it gets something completely wrong. We have a Samsung television at home. When I asked Virtual Volunteer to describe the buttons on the remote control to me, it knew it was looking at a Samsung remote control, but it described a different remote control which did not have the buttons in the same order as the remote we have.

While frustrating to be pressing buttons and getting the wrong results, it’s not the end of the world if this technology describes the wrong remote control to you. 

But what if it were to misidentify medication, or something else that might be a risk to health and even life? It’s for this reason that Be My Eyes and ChatGPT are cautious about making this technology available widely. They are also engaging closely with the National Federation of the Blind, a consumer organisation in the United States, to help shape the future of this product.

It would be ideal if a system could be developed that produces a confidence rating for each picture it is describing, and if the technology could be trained to take a conservative approach to description rather than risking a guess. 

When computing technology expands to the point that it can provide real-time description of video as we travel, we will face even greater challenges in terms of the technology being useful while also being unclear about what is real.

In the meantime, there’s no doubt that the new generation of artificial intelligence applied to describing images will give us unparalleled access to visual information.

More info on Virtual Volunteer

For my demonstration of Virtual Volunteer, you can listen to Living Blindfully episode 222, available everywhere you get podcasts. You can also download the free Be My Eyes app for your Android or Apple device, and register your interest in testing the service.

Draft Blind Citizens NZ 2023-2026 Strategic Plan 

At its June meeting, and based on feedback, the Board decided that Blind Citizens NZ’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan would be an updated version of the current Strategic Plan. The Board encourages feedback on the 2023-2026 Draft Plan below. If the Board receives feedback from individual members, Branches, and | or Networks who feel that the proposed Strategic Plan cannot be supported without significant alteration, then the Board will bring the draft to this year’s AGM and Conference for discussion. However, if feedback from everyone is consistently supportive, the Board will adopt the Strategic Plan 2023-2026 at its August 2023 meeting. It will bring the Plan to AGM and Conference for information.

Amendments to the Strategic Plan include tweaks to make sure plain language is used. Other changes include:

• ‘Vision’ statement: amended to recognise the importance of people having ‘choice, control, and equity’.
• ‘Values’ statement: makes it clear that all points are valued with ‘equal importance’.
• Goal 1: In the bullet point for this Goal, the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles in Blind Citizens NZ’s advocacy is recognised.
• Goal 3: first bullet point amended to include leadership, and self-determination.
• Goal 4: the words ‘approach everyday life with’ are replaced with ‘to have’.
• Goals 5, 6 and 7: some bullet points have been shortened.

A full summary of amendments that includes word changes etc., can be requested from the National Office. Feedback including support for the draft, or suggested amendments should be received by the Chief Executive Rose Wilkinson no later than 4pm, Monday 31 July 2023 to any of the following:

Post: Blind Citizens NZ, PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242;

Fax: 04-389-0030; Email: rwilkinson@blindcitizensnz.org.nz

Purpose: Blind Citizens NZ exists to give voice to the aspirations and lived experiences of blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision-impaired people living in New Zealand.

Vision: Every blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision-impaired person has choice and control over their life and therefore equity with all other New Zealanders.

Note: In the context of this document, the word “blind” includes all those people who are blind, deafblind, low vision, or vision-impaired, or who use any other blindness term that describes them, who can identify with our goals.

Values: We value with equal importance:

• respect for the different ways each of us responds to the challenges of blindness;
• the shared learning and support received from the lived experiences of others;
• commitment to democratic principles that ensure our representations are broadly based;
• commitment to sustained effort in our advocacy;
• constructive, cooperative and mutually supportive relationships with other disability organisations;
• the principles of Te Tiriti O Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi);
• the principles and opportunities of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the New Zealand Disability Strategy;
• our history and the role we have played in the lives of blind people since 1945.

• We will advocate on the grounds of human rights and equity using the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to those who create barriers to our full participation in society.

• We will always portray blind people positively.
• We will create greater community awareness that blind people can and do fully participate in society; (amended)

• We will provide and support leadership opportunities and advocacy training to promote the self-determination of blind people;
• We will demonstrate through collective action, how blind people can improve their life, and the lives of others.

• We will assess blindness and disability services to ensure they are meeting the needs and expectations of blind people;
• We will advocate for a better experience for blind people using publicly available services;
• We will advocate for improvement in both quantity and quality of service where there is evidence of unmet need.

• We will work with Government and our disability sector partners to promote changes that benefit blind and other disabled people.
• We will actively support like-minded international organisations that advance the cause of blind people throughout the world including the World Blind Union.

• We will maintain a consistent flow of information to the blind community, and seek every opportunity to engage with them about the impact of blindness on their lives;
• We will promote and provide a safe and welcoming environment within our branches and networks for social interaction, peer support and sharing information.

• We will actively promote the benefits of joining our organisation, and seek new ways to attract more members;
• We will demonstrate that we are a dynamic and constructive Disabled People’s Organisation worthy of everyone’s support.

Blind Citizens NZ 2023 Scheduled Election

From Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

Blind Citizens NZ’s 2023 Board election is for two Member at Large positions. In alphabetical order by surname, individuals whose terms conclude at the end of this year’s Annual General Meeting and Conference (13-14 October) are Andrea Courtney and Paula Waby.

Call for nominations

Rule 10 Elections, clause 10.1, directs Blind Citizens NZ in its election procedures. In publicising this year’s scheduled election and the call for nominations, members are advised that:

• people currently in these positions are eligible for re-election;
• the term of office for both positions is three years;
• successful candidates will commence their term immediately following the conclusion of this year’s Annual General Meeting and Conference (13-14 October);
• the election for the two positions happens at the same time, by a ballot of all eligible Ordinary (voting) Members;
• nomination forms and | or email nomination procedures are available upon request from National Office.

Anyone standing for election should take the time to ask for, and become familiar with, the duties and responsibilities of Blind Citizens NZ’s Board Members. This information identifies the skills, experience and knowledge needed as a Board Member. Additionally, the Board has recently finished its evaluation of skills and attributes to identify what it needs of Board Members standing for election in this year’s election. 

The Board emphasises the importance of the following skills and attributes for anyone standing for election and encourages individuals to identify these in their CV:

• Board Members are required to be well-prepared for Board Meetings and to be aware of the time-commitment involved. This involves reading meeting agendas of around 150 pages (or more) in length.
• The Board is always looking for people who have financial skills, who will focus at a governance level, and who have community and stakeholder connections.

To be eligible for nomination for any position, you must:

a. live in New Zealand; and

b. for at least 24 months of the past five years up to and including 24 August 2023, have been a (financial) Ordinary Member of Blind Citizens NZ.

Nominations require two people to support you i.e. move and second your nomination. There are two ways nominations can be completed and submitted. You can use a paper form, or the email process. If using the paper form, signatures of all three members involved in the nomination are required. Email procedures similarly require the same people to confirm their respective role in the nomination process. If you choose the email procedure, you are required to contact the Returning Officer at National Office prior to commencing this process. This is important, as there are instructions unique to the email procedure that must be followed. The email procedure mirrors requirements for the paper-based option as closely as possible.

Ordinary Members, financial as at 24 August 2023, are eligible to stand for election to these two positions. 

The closing date for nominations is 4pm Thursday 24 August 2023. Candidates are required to provide their CV at the same time as their nomination is submitted to the Returning Officer. Nominations and CVs should be sent to the Returning Officer at one of the following:

• Post: Blind Citizens NZ, PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242;
• Fax: 04-389-0030;
• Email: election@blindcitizensnz.org.nz

Once nominations close, ifthe maximum number of nominations for the two positions is received, no election will be needed. Candidates will be declared elected unopposed. Should nominations exceed the number of positions being elected, an election will then be held. 

Voting in the election

Ballot material (names of people standing for election, information they have provided about themselves etc.), will be sent to all Ordinary Members recorded as financial on the member database at National Office as at 4pm, Thursday 24 August 2023. No later than Thursday 14 September 2023, ballot material will be distributed in the voting member’s preferred format.

When does voting close? Completed ballots (votes cast by voting members) must be received at National Office no later than 4.00 pm, Tuesday 3 October 2023. Vote counting will take place no later than Wednesday 11 October 2023.

Ways to cast your vote in Blind Citizens NZ’s election: there are several options available for members to participate in the election process. Election (ballot) material about candidates standing for election is available in large print, audio, Braille, by email, and via our National Feedback Line bulletin on TellMe. If you are in any doubt about what your preferred communication option is to receive information and vote in Blind Citizens NZ’s election, please contact our National Office to check.

You choose your preferred voting option: When voting in Blind Citizens NZ elections, you can choose one of three options. It is important to remember that the way you vote, can be different from the way you choose to receive your election (ballot) material. 

You can cast your vote using the large print form, the Braille-card option, or TellMe. For many reasons we encourage members to try TellMe. This offers a truly independent, confidential, and empowering voting experience. Using TellMe means you can independently do all the things you need to do in an election – you hear about the candidates standing for election, and you can cast your vote. 

Casting your vote by TellMe means you are in control. This includes certainty that your vote will be received by the due date and time. There is no worrying about whether a postal ballot will reach its destination in time to be counted. 

Postal votes offer less certainty that your vote will arrive by the close of voting. If you would like to know more about using TellMe and casting your vote using this option, please contact our National Office.

Trying

Jonathan Godfrey National President

Over the years, I’ve tried to write columns that inform readers and give you a chance to see how I think. I wouldn’t describe myself as a natural writer by any means. 

Sure, I can string a few sentences together, but I have to have a plan and many of my columns are a struggle for me to develop that plan. I often need to let events in life guide me, motivate me, and occasionally irritate me. I’ve frequently started with an idea and burned out before I am happy to let anyone else see what I wrote, which leads to having to start again with a blank page. 

I did seriously think to ask ChatGPT to write my column for me. I’ve seen how this interactive artificial intelligence (AI) tool has been used to do all sorts of things from writing book reviews to answering student assignments. Later in this edition you’ll read an article from Jonathan Mosen about its benefits and drawbacks in the world of describing images. I confess that I spent a whole day, a rainy day as it happens, seeing how well my students might be able to cheat on an exam question I was writing if they used Chat GPT. I’ve also managed to develop a small computer program to do an investigation of my digital music collection, in a programming language I don’t know. What I did discover is that while AI can be used to substitute for students who want to cheat, it can also be used to construct solutions to problems. Given my students will want to be solving problems in their future careers, perhaps they should be encouraged to use this new tool. I’m already looking to see if this new interactive way of working with computers is going to improve my efficiency and effectiveness at work. It seems to me that anyone who learns how to get the best out of the latest tools is putting themselves in a strong position to have a productive future.

During discussions with our international visitors at the World Blind Union Executive Committee meeting that Blind Citizens NZ hosted from 29 May to 2 June, I had some fascinating conversations with people. While I haven’t yet managed to process all the things I learned from others, I did take away that some of the challenges faced by blind people around the world are the same as those we face here: 

• access to information in a civil emergency; 
• concerns over the future of Braille; 
• making sure disabled people understand their rights; 
• making sure disabled people enjoy those rights; 
• worrying about how a pair of blind people can go out without a sighted assistant. 

OK, I proved the last one by demonstration. By taking a visiting blind person on a walk to a local restaurant and guiding some others to a supermarket. It’s clear that the range of issues faced by blind people in other countries includes all the challenges we have here and then some. We do work well as a Disabled People’s Organisation and do so with our Government. That doesn’t happen by chance, and it certainly does not happen everywhere. I believe we are fortunate in Aotearoa New Zealand to be able to stand up for ourselves as individuals and as a community without fear.

A recent Employment Relations court case was also of interest to me. For a very long time, and I mean decades, Blind Citizens NZ has called on Blind Low Vision NZ (BLVNZ) to hold itself up as the exemplar employer of blind people. An exemplar doesn’t meet the bare minimum expectation, they are the leaders. A former BLVNZ member of staff took the organisation to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and won. This staff member identifies as blind, and quite clearly the ERA’s findings show BLVNZ did not even meet its legal obligations. I find this disappointing because the ERA’s decision shows that BLVNZ was not an exemplar employer.

A NZ Herald article suggested that an appeal was to be forthcoming. Blind Citizens NZ raised this matter with the RNZFB Board, stating the need for BLVNZ to be seen as an exemplar employer. The RNZFB Board have now directed that appeal be withdrawn. Whether our letter was important in determining that outcome isn’t clear, but we were there to be counted. 

As an organisation, Blind Citizens NZ have stood up and been counted like this numerous times over our proud history, even if the affected individual has never been, is not now, or might never become one of our members. Why? Because the principle must be upheld. Our current and future members may want to gain employment. Being able to show all employers how to do the right things for and with their blind employees is crucial. 

How did we get to the point of being able to call on the RNZFB Board to act? The Blind Citizens NZ position on being an exemplar employer has been established from discussions over many years, covering concerns such as the ability of blind staff to use the computer software with confidence. The last time the topic came up at one of our AGM and Conferences was in 2017. At the time, only a small minority of members were working at what was then the Blind Foundation. But most importantly, everyone present at branch and network meetings had a chance to discuss the topic before it got to the AGM and Conference. I’m not aware of any group of blind people who think the RNZFB should not be an exemplar employer of blind people, but they are quite entitled to air their views as anyone who does. There is of course an unknown number of blind people who are not aware that such discussions are taking place.

This brings me to the latest Blind Citizens NZ discussion I was part of – a Special Meeting of Members which agreed to let blind people who have not paid a subscription in the last five financial years (1 July 2018 to 30 June 2023), to be treated as if they had paid a subscription between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2025. Anyone taking advantage of this opportunity won’t get to vote in elections or stand for office. They will however, get to see how Blind Citizens NZ supports its members with information, peer support, and providing a space for members to share their aspirations and lived experiences. Our motto of “blind people speaking for ourselves” relies on actually letting blind people speak for themselves. I’ll argue that the motto should not apply only to those people who have paid a subscription. No matter the issue, if we are to claim any of our positions are held by a wider group and possibly almost all of the blindness community, then we must create the opportunity for the widest range of views to be heard. 

Putting a blind-friendly transport system on the political  agenda

Editorial – Áine Kelly-Costello, Focus editor

The General Election is around the corner. That means it’s a good time to remind all political parties that campaigning for a transport system which works for everyone and reduces emissions needs to work for blind people too. I’ve rounded up a handful of the transport issues which are particularly relevant for many of us as blind, vision impaired, low vision and deafblind commuters, in search of convenient, affordable and accessible ways of getting around.

The mixed blessing of Total Mobility

Total Mobility (TM) is a regionally-administered scheme providing taxi subsidies to disabled people, and people who are unable to use public transport easily. Blind people qualify for the scheme. At its best, TM can make getting around significantly less hassle and more affordable. 

Basically, a 75% subsidy is now in place for TM users. The subsidy, however, includes a cap, which is $40 in the large urban centres of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, and is lower in all other regions. Effectively, these settings mean that travelling short distances via taxi becomes significantly more affordable, but that the further you go, the less you are proportionally subsidised, leaving barriers in place for those needing to taxi longer distances, such as between the North Shore and South Auckland.

A review to investigate how Total Mobility operates and how it can be improved to create better outcomes for disabled people. led by Te Manatū Waka, the Ministry of Transport, is due to start this year and run through to mid-2024. Blind Citizens NZ has inputted into and influenced the terms of reference for the review. The ministry’s Helen White, Manager Mobility and Safety, confirmed that the terms of reference will be shared publicly shortly. 

Disabled people will be able to input into the review and the consultation materials will be available in accessible formats. 

A review will be welcomed, given persistent challenges including the inconsistencies in the administration of TM between regions, sometimes lengthy taxi wait times, and chronic shortages of the mobility vans many wheelchair users rely on.

Public transport accessibility

Public transport commuter frustrations have been in the news frequently this year. In Auckland and Wellington, bus cancellations and trains replaced by buses have both turned into everyday occurrences. This unpredictability causes blind public transport users additional layers of stress, especially as we can’t always access the information on real-time boards. Even without the added chaos, catching the desired bus and getting it to stop without needing it to be flagged down was already challenging.

Another long-standing barrier has been a lack of audio announcements on buses. The Auckland Branch of Blind Citizens NZ have long advocated for this to be remedied in the country’s largest city. It was one of a suite of public transport accessibility improvements called for in a complaint they brought in 2017 under the Human Rights Act. Although the pandemic delayed the roll-out, stop announcements in English and te reo Māori are rolling out this year [1] and Auckland Branch members have been heavily involved in the process, selecting the voices for both languages. Some also took part in testing how the announcements would work on the buses
 to give the right level of information, timing between stops and ensuring the announcements could be heard clearly given environmental sounds. The announcements will additionally include info on transfers, live service disruption information and contextual snippets about historic locations.

Similar advocacy has been taking place in the Wellington region [2]. Branch members have been among those providing feedback on the audio announcements, which will similarly be in English and te reo Māori, include points of interest and be accompanied by a visual display. Testing on select buses is in its final stages at present with the roll-out for the full bus fleet taking place in the next 12 months. 

Also, while a strong public good case can be made for free public transport for everyone, the continuation of half-price public transport for Community Services Card users from 1 July is welcome. It doesn’t kick in by default though and cardholders need to apply for it through the relevant local transport provider.

A halfway house between public transport and taxis

One way of getting around which, if equitably-implemented, could be a game-changer for many disabled people, is on-demand transport services. These consist of a fleet of vans and shuttles offering passengers corner to corner, or sometimes door-to-door service to get where they want to go when they want to go, for the same price as a public transport trip. The corner-to-corner service would mean people wouldn’t expect to walk more than 120 metres. Such services have been or are being trialled throughout an expanding range of locations including the Auckland suburbs of Devonport, Takanini and Papakura, as well as Hastings, Hawkes Bay, Tawa Wellington, and Timaru. People can use them to connect with public transport in areas less well-serviced or alternatively to get to their destination in a single trip. They have seen wide-spread uptake in the local communities where trials have taken place, with recognition of their benefits for accessibility [3] as well as being a more tailored and convenient option in areas like Timaru where bus patronage was very low. 

Bookings are required and are generally made via a smartphone app. For those who don’t have smartphones or wouldn’t be comfortable booking this way, alternatives like booking over the phone are also needed. 

That’s been available in Timaru, where you can book via the MyWay app over the phone, or by visiting locations like supermarkets, banks and hospitals. In contrast, the trial in Wellington’s Tawa only lets you book via the Metlink OnDemand app. In Timaru and Auckland, you can pay using a transport card but in Tawa you would need to pay with a credit card. It’s also unclear to what extent screen reader users can receive descriptive information about the exact location of the pick-up spot, and a non-visual realtime indication where the vehicle is located as it travels there. 

Walking around in safety

From inconsistency at intersections to overhanging branches, sandwich boards and potholes, there’s no shortage of unnecessary hazards when it comes to walking around safely. While e-scooters provide a convenient and accessible form of mobility for many including some disabled people, they’ve posed no end of hazards to other footpath users, not least those of us who can’t see them approaching or inconsiderately parked. The e-scooters are virtually silent so the ideal option for staying safer involves getting them prohibited from riding on footpaths. Councils can also choose to impose upper speed limits which can be preset by the e-scooter operators.

Living Streets Aotearoa, an organisation promoting walking-friendly communities, recently brought a lawsuit seeking grounds for e-scooters to be banned from footpaths in Auckland. The challenge failed in the High Court, with the ruling citing a technicality [4] about the UN Disability Convention not being applicable because it isn’t written into Waka Kotahi’s (NZ Transport Agency’s) controlling legislation. While it’s unclear if there is any penalty in practice, Waka Kotahi guidance [5] says e-scooters still can’t officially be used in cycle lanes. From the perspective of footpath and e-scooter rider safety, this would be the logical place for them to ride when that infrastructure is available.

Another cause of confusion has been the installation of green warning tactile indicators (the regular ones are typically yellow or white). The regulations about these tactiles, known as RTS14 [6], explain as follows:

“Where pedestrian and/or cycle volumes are high, paint marking can be used to indicate that pedestrians are to use one side of the crossing and cyclists the other to avoid conflict between these users. In such circumstances, warning indicators shall be installed across the entire width of the shared crossing, including the area allocated for cyclists. This will ensure that any person who is blind or has low vision that is walking in the area allocated to cyclists will receive a tactile warning prior to entering the road.” 

That said, there is a risk with this arrangement, as some blind pedestrians in Wellington have detected. Given the tactiles are also covering the cycle crossing area, lining up with the tactiles to cross (keeping in mind those without colour vision won’t know which tactiles are green) could point the pedestrian somewhere undesirable such as the middle of an intersection. The use of well-positioned directional tactile indicators then becomes crucial to offset this risk. The alternative of no tactile warning about a shared crossing space, especially when such crossings may not be in predictable positions, could also pose a hazard, so this area would benefit from more proactive outreach to the blind community and ensuring our feedback is taken into account.

Another safety issue is posed by electric vehicles (EVs) if they don’t have systems built in for emulating combustion engine sounds when idling or travelling at low speeds. Since March 2016, Aotearoa New Zealand has been signed up to UN regulations [7] requiring EVs to be fitted with the technology to do this, known as Acoustic Vehicle Alerting systems (AVAS). Since a 2017 update [8] to the rules, the AVAS systems are not permitted to have a pause function (otherwise known as a driver-controlled off switch). Despite this, UN regulations don’t carry any formal legal weight here until they’re implemented in our national law, which this one hasn’t been. The European Union and US have EV sound standards and Australia is consulting on one currently [9]. Our country, meanwhile, still has nothing. 

Envisioning a disability-responsive transport system 

An overarching barrier for disabled people getting around comes down to the fragmented nature of our transport system. Recent transport research commissioned by Waka Kotahi found that our transport system is overly reliant on measuring journey possibilities by transport mode, and not accounting for the additional barriers disabled people face. For us as blind people, many of the barriers extend beyond those already outlined to needing to meticulously plan our journeys, navigating the unpredictability of construction sites or encountering other unexpected obstacles or disruptions. As the research notes, “While individual factors such as footpath standard and the presence of tactile pavers are important, it is the combined impact of a multitude of barriers that makes for long and tiring journeys for many disabled people.” That means the chances we’ll just end up staying home because the journey requires too much effort are higher, which obviously has the knock-on effect of making us miss things, whether that be a friend’s party, a community meeting, a medical appointment, or limiting our job or study opportunities. 

One of the main barriers holding back progress in our transport system is the fact that so much of it relies on local-level regulation and policy. Imagine if we had a national transport accessibility standard. In one hit, we could regulate to make sure that public transport nation-wide is equipped with audio announcements and that EVs must be safely audible. We could nationalise Total Mobility, and remove the subsidy cap or even make it free, to vastly reduce barriers to accessing our communities for many. 

We could ensure widespread investment in separated micro-mobility lanes where cyclists and e-scooters could safely ride, leaving the footpath for pedestrians and wheelchair users. 

None of these very achievable changes appear to be imminent given that the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill before Parliament will not create accessibility standards. **In my view** it will achieve nothing more than creating a non-independent advisory committee, making it a massive missed opportunity to make sure tangible and obligatory responsibilities are placed on those offering any publicly available services including transport. 

This Election, let’s remind all parties that disabled people have every right to get around our cities and towns and access our communities conveniently and safely, just as everyone should be able to. 

References 

Note on referencing

In my editorial, we are trialling a new form of referencing for the benefit of our hard-copy readers this time. In addition to links provided in-text which work for digital readers, hard-copy readers can use the bracketed number, e.g. [1], to go to the bottom of the text where you’ll find a shortened version of the URL. Previously, short URLs were included in-text but this is disruptive to the reading flow, particularly for those using speech, so we hope this option will work better. Feedback welcome. 

Focus June 2023

Áine Kelly-Costello – Focus Editor

Welcome to the second edition of Focus for 2023.

My editorial takes you on a journey—pun intended—through some of the many facets of a blind-friendly transport system. President Jonathan Godfrey had no idea what he’d write about for his column but wrote one anyway. And long-time tech guru Jonathan Mosen brings us a fascinating read on the potential and pitfalls of using artificial intelligence algorithms in visual descriptions.

We’re also introducing a new feature this time, an update from the executive Officer on an area of advocacy Blind Citizens NZ has been beavering away on. The idea is to make the often gradual goings-on behind the scenes more visible. This time, the topic is universal access to ID. Updates in this edition on the 2023 Blind Citizens NZ elections and conference are also not to be missed. Enjoy!

As always, please do send me your feedback and your ideas for articles or topics, by August for the September edition.

Email me at focus.abcnz@gmail.com, or get in touch with the full Focus committee (Board Member Paula Waby, Chief Executive Rose Wilkinson and me) by emailingfocus@blindcitizensnz.org.nz

Note on referencing
by Áine Kelly-Costello Focus Editor

Putting a blind-friendly transport system on the political agenda
Áine Kelly-Costello

Trying
Jonathan Godfrey, National President

Blind Citizens NZ 2023 Scheduled Election
Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

Draft Blind Citizens NZ 2023-2026 Strategic Plan 

Visual description via AI, the promise and the problem
Jonathan Mosen

Advocating for a universally accessible form of ID

Update – Membership Subscription Review 

2023 Annual General Meeting and Conference Challenging Others Challenging Ourselves

Leadership | Advocacy Workshop – We’re calling for expressions of interest

Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income Generation Efforts 

Acknowledgement of financial support (December 2022)

Blind Citizens NZ is appreciative of donations received from our members and supporters, and for funding from the Lotteries Grants Board, and Blind Low Vision NZ

Blind Citizens NZ Large Print Calendars

Blind Citizens NZ still has some of our 2023 Large Print Calendars available. These are ideal for anyone needing or preferring to have larger sized dates (and print). The Calendars are approximately 59 cm wide and 42 cm long. They can be purchased for $10 through our National Office, or your local Blind Citizens NZ Branch or Network. When posted from our National Office there will be additional costs. The most cost-efficient option therefore, is to purchase these direct from your Branch or Network. 

Phone our National Office on 0800 222 694 to purchase one of our Large Print Calendars. We can put you in touch with your local Branch or Network, or arrange delivery to you direct. Postage incurs additional costs. These vary depending on the number you require and where in the country they are being sent. Here is the first month for 2023… While somewhat smaller, this gives an indication of size.

Blind Citizens NZ Board / National Office Contacts (December 2022)

Board

• National President: Jonathan Godfrey: a.j.godfrey@massey.ac.nz
• Members-at-Large:

• Martine Abel-Williamson: martine.the1@xtra.co.nz
• Wendy Chiang: wendy.chiang@gmail.com
• Andrea Courtney: andycoute@gmail.com
• Chrissy Fern: fernmeek@gmail.com
• Tewai Halatau: tewaihalatau@gmail.com
• Paula Waby (and Primary WBU Delegate | Representative): paula.waby4@gmail.com

Focus Editor, Áine Kelly-Costello

• Email articles to: focus.abcnz@gmail.com 
• Post: PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242

National Office

• Physical: Ground Floor, 113 Adelaide Road, Newtown, Wellington.
• Post: PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242.
• Phone: 04 389 0033; 0800 222 694.
• Fax: 04 389 0030.
• Website: http://www.blindcitizensnz.org.nz
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BlindCitizensNZ/
• Email: admin@blindcitizensnz.org.nz 
• Chief Executive: Rose Wilkinson: rwilkinson@blindcitizensnz.org.nz 

All the very best for Christmas and the New Year to our readers, from the Board and staff of Blind Citizens NZ.

New or Refreshed Strategic Plan for Blind Citizens NZ

Rose Wilkinson Chief Executive

The life of our organisational 2021-2023 Strategic Plan (Plan) is nearing an end. This work has been on the Board’s radar for some time noting the Plan is considered in some way at every scheduled Board meeting. At its November meeting, the Board set time aside to reflect on the entirety of the current Plan. Its initial thinking on this occasion is that incremental as opposed to major change is required. However, the Board wants, and needs to hear from members, Branches and Networks before it makes any decisions.

The current Strategic Plan is included in this Focus issue for your reference. The Board is asking if this was to be refreshed, what are the areas you would see needing to be addressed? Alternatively, if you feel an entirely new Plan is the way to go, the Board needs to hear reasons for this approach and suggestions as to what would be included in a new Plan.

The Board is setting time aside at its March 2023 meeting to receive and consider feedback, and determine its approach. Timing is everything! To be considered by the Board at its March meeting, all feedback must reach Blind Citizens NZ’s National Office no later than 9am, Wednesday 1 March 2023.

Aside from the usual feedback mechanisms (details below), there will be two ZOOM hui where members can join in and share their feedback. If you are interested in joining one of these ZOOM hui, contact our National Office and let us know. You do not need to have a computer or mobile (smart) phone to use ZOOM. A landline phone works just as well. The dates the ZOOM hui will be held are:

• Thursday 16 February, 4pm-5pm; and
• Tuesday 21 February, 6pm-7pm.

Feedback can also be provided and is welcomed via any of the following options:

• Email to: admin@blindcitizensnz.org.nz;
• Phone: 0800 222 694, selecting option 1;
• Post: PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242.

Here now is the Strategic Plan 2021-2023…

Blind Citizens NZ Strategic Plan, 2021-2023
Implemented 1 July 2020

Purpose

Blind Citizens NZ exists to give voice to the aspirations and lived experiences of blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision-impaired people living in New Zealand.

Vision

Every blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision-impaired person is choosing the life they live.

In the context of this document, the word “blind” encompasses all those who are blind, deafblind, low vision, or vision-impaired, or who use any other blindness term that describes them, who can identify with our goals.

Values

We value:

• respect for the different ways each of us responds to the challenges of blindness;
• the shared learning and support received from the lived experiences of others;
• adherence to democratic principles that ensure our representations are broadly based;
• commitment to sustained effort in our advocacy;
• constructive, cooperative and mutually supportive relationships with other disability organisations;
• the principles and opportunities afforded by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the New Zealand Disability Strategy;
• our history and the role we have played in the lives of blind people since 1945.

Goal 1:  Blind people live in an accessible, equitable and inclusive society.

• We will advocate on the grounds of human rights and equity to those whose laws, regulations, operations, activities, attitudes or products create barriers to our full participation in society.  

Goal 2:  The community’s response to blindness is reflected in affirmative actions and attitudes.

• We will create greater community awareness and education around the abilities and capabilities of blind people to participate fully in society;
• We will always portray blind people in a positive light. 

Goal 3:  Blind people advocate on both a personal and systemic level.

• We will provide and support advocacy training;
• We will demonstrate through collective action, how blind people can improve their life, and the lives of others.

Goal 4:  Blind people receive the services they need to approach everyday life with independence, confidence and dignity.

• We will assess blindness and disability services to ensure they are meeting the needs and expectations of blind people;
• We will advocate for a better experience for blind people using publicly available services;
• We will advocate for improvement in both quantity and quality of service where there is evidence of unmet need.

Goal 5: Blind Citizens NZ is recognised for its leadership in the blind community, and as a leading Disabled People’s Organisation.

• We will work with Government and our disability sector partners (including the Disabled People’s Organisations Coalition) to translate the rights conferred under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Disability Strategy and the Disability Action Plan into tangible and practical outcomes;
• We will actively support like-minded international organisations that advance the cause of blind people throughout the world (including the World Blind Union).

Goal 6:  Blind Citizens NZ is a listening, receptive and responsive organisation that encourages people to belong.

• We will maintain a consistent flow of information to the blind community, and seek every opportunity to engage with them about the impact of blindness on their lives;
• We will promote and provide a safe and welcoming environment within our branches and networks for activities that encourage social interaction, peer support and the sharing of information and advice.

Goal 7:  Blind Citizens NZ is recognised for what it adds to the blind community and society.

• We will actively promote the benefits of joining our organisation to the blind community;
• We will demonstrate that we are a dynamic and constructive Disabled People’s Organisation worthy of everyone’s support.

Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income (December 2022)

Income Generation Efforts

Blind Citizens NZ has both Charitable and Donee status. This is important for anyone thinking about the mutually beneficial outcomes of payroll giving and making us your charity of choice. Making Blind Citizens NZ the recipient of a bequest or legacy, is another way you can support us. 

Making a Bequest: Through our efforts and your financial support, we are working on the removal of barriers faced by blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision impaired people. Blind Citizens NZ has been extremely fortunate to benefit from legacies, and we take this opportunity to recognise generically, the generosity of those people and their families. Your Will can make a lasting gift and Blind Citizens NZ would be extremely grateful for any contribution. If you choose to leave a gift to Blind Citizens NZ, we suggest the following will assist your legal advisor…

“I give and bequeath to the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Incorporated (CC41040):

• $ (a specific dollar amount); or
• A specific percentage of my estate; or 
• The whole or a specific percentage of the residue of my estate.

Free from all duties and charges, as a contribution to the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc to be applied for general purposes only, for which the receipt of the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc shall be sufficient discharge to my trustees.”

To find out how we inform those who have pledged their support to us, if you have questions, or you wish to make a contribution contact: 

• Rose Wilkinson 021 222 6940 / 0800 222 694 
• Email: bequest-info-blindcitizensnz@groups.io 

Cyril White Memorial Fund – Applications

Closing Date for Applications – 1 February 2023

The Cyril White Memorial Fund facilitates funding opportunities that encourage and cultivate leadership skills and qualities among blind, and vision impaired people. Blind Citizens NZ, together with Blind Low Vision NZ, is responsible for publicising these opportunities. The next round for applications closes 4pm, 1 February 2023.

To provide some context about the fund, Cyril White was a pioneer in the blindness advocacy movement. His passion and legacy led to the establishment of the Cyril White Memorial Fund following his death in 1984.

Eligibility of applicants is primarily for those people who meet the requirements for full registration with Blind Low Vision NZ. In addition, projects that are likely to be of direct benefit or interest to blind and vision-impaired people are eligible for consideration.

If you have a project or activity and want to find out whether this meets the fund criteria, do not hesitate to contact us for full details. Then if you do make an application you can be confident you have ticked all the required boxes. Most of all, that eligibility criteria are met.

Applications to the Cyril White Memorial Fund must be received by 4pm, Wednesday 1 February 2023. These should be for the attention of: Cyril White Fund, C/ Blind Citizens NZ, PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242. 

Alternatively, by email to admin@blindcitizensnz.org.nz including in the subject line, Cyril White Fund application.

Awhina House Lessons Not Learned

by Mary Schnackenberg

Editor’s note: Mary Schnackenberg is a long-serving member of Blind citizens NZ and secretary of Auckland Branch. She takes us through the history of Awhina House, Blind Low Vision NZ’s main Auckland premises for the past 26 years or so. Awhina House is set to be demolished and, as you’ll read, disappointingly little has been communicated about its replacement.

As I write, Awhina House may still be standing. I don’t know because communications to members about it and its replacement are next to non-existent. So why am I feeling so devastated? Why should I care?

From about April 1996 until the end of September 2022, Awhina House was the head office of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. 

The RNZFB is now trading as Blind Low Vision NZ so I will refer to them as BLVNZ in this article. But first, a little pre-Awhina House background.

Prior to 1964, the BLVNZ head office and the school for blind students were located in the Jubilee Building at 545 Parnell Road. In 1964, the school moved out to Homai. Adjacent to the Jubilee Building was the gymnasium which in 1976 was knocked down and replaced by a social hall. For many years, these buildings provided spaces for what we often refer to as peer support, blind people helping each other to live full and independent lives.

During the early 1990s, plans were made for what became known as Awhina House. At the time Awhina House was designed and built, I was Manager Library Services, and I followed the process closely. It took place prior to the UN Disability Convention, the New Zealand Disability Strategy and the creation of the RNZFB Constitution that upholds the principle of self-determination (Tino Rangatiratanga) of blind people. But in formulating the design of Awhina House, I remember exemplary engagement and consultation with management, staff and consumer organisations.

“Nothing about us without us” was in action. The entity responsible for property in those days, the Bledisloe Estate Trust (now Foundation Properties Ltd) went offshore to look at some blindness facilities and produced a report, available in all formats, that discussed design considerations and features. I even remember being part of the team who selected the architect from the companies who pitched for the chance to design the new building.

The design of Awhina House was to be in two separate and distinct parts. In one, there was space for the Library, Equipment Services, the computer department, rehabilitation and administration, and shared bookable meeting rooms. Several blindness consumer organisations, including Kāpō Māori Aotearoa (previously Ngāti Kāpo O Aotearoa) and Blind Citizens NZ, also had space.

In the other part of the building, the Recreation (Rec) Centre and the Cafeteria served as social and recreation areas. These spaces were perceived from the outset as common areas available for use by staff and consumer organisations, large and small. They were a place where people could meet, including their families and sighted supporters when appropriate. The gym, previously on the top floor of the sheltered workshops was relocated into purpose designed space in Awhina House where it was used by staff as well as members and clients.

One group, the blind indoor bowlers, wanted recreational space. Surely, it was argued, there were suitable facilities around Auckland to accommodate them. Senior management went on the hunt and could not find anywhere close to public transport that blind bowlers could congregate in, play their bowls, store their equipment, access kitchen facilities, and feel safe and included. So, their needs were respected and formed the basis of the size of the Rec Centre with lockable storage cupboards along one wall.

Other sports groups recognised just how close the Parnell site is to the Auckland Domain and asked to be able to congregate, store their gear, and be able to access the domain for outdoor sport if necessary. Later Goalball was introduced and the space designed for the bowlers was used for goalball training and games. A whole range of social activities took place after hours and at weekends, not disturbing working staff.

There was a store room in the basement, known to some as The Boys’ Room or the bunker. Inside, down a six-inch step designed to catch any sighted person who did not switch on the light quickly, was a massive refrigerator that held all kinds of bottles and cans of this and that with two door locks to secure the contents owned by the two major clubs who needed this storage.

From the outset, Awhina House was designed to be an appropriate building for accommodating staff and delivering services, as well as providing club rooms for current and future blindness groups to easily be able to run their activities. The two functions did not impact on each other, as simple security cards would let people go only where they were allowed to go.

That design proved to be fantastically successful. Blindness groups, run largely by blind people on our own, could continue to function much as we have done on the Parnell site as far back as people could remember. We could run regular events knowing that the gear we needed would be safely in a lockable storeroom or cupboard and we would not have to worry about transporting stuff in and out. Blind people volunteering for these roles could get on with running the activities without having to jump lots of hurdles which we would have faced if we were using community facilities. BLVNZ clients could also become familiar with the building so could come and go and use building facilities with a maximum of independence.

The whole design process meant everyone knew what was coming. There were models and diagrams openly available. The groups were so excited to see what was created that a number of them made significant donations to buy tables, chairs and so on. The Auckland Branch of Blind Citizens NZ put up $5,000 in cash which paid for one third of the PA system in the Cafeteria and Rec Centre. A couple of us as consumers worked with the senior audio technician in the library to choose what we felt would be a great PA system for that facility.

So why am I devastated about what has happened?

In September 2018, the RNZFB Board announced that BLVNZ premises would be moving to the retirement village complex. Awhina House would be pulled down, and BLVNZ would move to the ground floor of the first building with its frontage on Parnell Road. 

In November 2020, BLVNZ management agreed to several requests made by Auckland consumer organisations and we were promised ongoing engagement as design progressed. There was a sense of optimism that although the needs of our groups were changing, we could expect great things from the new facility. We were also promised Awhina House would not close until the new building was ready for us to move into. These promises have not been honoured and we have told this to the RNZFB Board.

Even while Awhina House remained standing, the Auckland Branch of Blind Citizens NZ has in recent times faced restrictions carrying on our meetings and regular activities. In 2020, COVID-19 government restrictions caused BLVNZ management to withdraw our security card access to Awhina House. That was reasonable at the time, but our access has still not been reinstated even though Government relaxed those measures in February this year.

We were also confined to using the Rec Centre and banned from the Cafeteria, which had previously been a common area. That was said to be so staff could have a secure social space because COVID-19 was still in the community, even though there was already plenty of secure space elsewhere in the building for staff to use.

We thought the security guards that were originally employed to check vaccine passes would no longer be needed, but they remained, now to keep an eye on us when carrying out our normal group activities. No evidence has been produced to show blind people are in some kind of danger if not supervised. If our meetings lasted more than four hours, we had to pay for the guards’ time at $50.00 per hour over and above the four hours. At least that decision was overturned by the RNZFB Board. New Zealand employers who are being urged to employ blind and low vision people should be safe in the knowledge that BLVNZ management does not trust us to manage our own behaviours and security as we have done for many years.

In the 90s, such care went into designing Awhina House for its diverse groups of users. Now, while its replacement is being established, our Branch has seen none of that. The lack of consultation and information is appalling. I fear the learnings from the collaborative process that stood Awhina House in good stead all these years won’t be carried through.

I’m the Branch Secretary and about this time, I have in previous years known and booked the dates of our general meetings. I like to be organised and take pride in keeping Branch members up to date. But I haven’t a clue when the new facilities will be open next year. We’ve been told it’s February.

Will the facilities be suitable? Will they support all our activities? Will we have simple secure access like we used to? Will we have storage so we don’t have to taxi stuff in and out for each event? Will we be scrutinised by security guards? Can we have a quiet drink after our meetings as we used to? When I find out, I’ll be able to let our Auckland Branch members know.

Note: Focus approached the BLVNZ Chief Executive John Mulka to give Management an opportunity to comment on the points raised in the article about a lack of engagement and consultation regarding the new premises and restrictions the Auckland Branch has faced in its activities.

John Mulka responded as follows:

“It would be unfair and inappropriate for me to comment on all the noted items without first having dialogue with the groups in Auckland so at this point I cannot comment in some detail. What I will share is that Awhina House was decommissioned on 1 October and the structure is due to be demolished so many of the items you noted are now not relevant, and do not apply to new spaces going forward. Further the presence of a third party on site during usage of all Blind Low Vision NZ facilities across the country is at the full expense of the organisation and has no linkage to the former Covid mandates and restrictions, but has everything to do with the health, safety and wellbeing of the groups who use our buildings in non-business hours.”

The response also conveyed excitement about multiple new facilities and renovations throughout the Auckland region, including regarding the Parnell site: “we are excited by the new modern, fit for purpose space that we will move our offices into in the early part of 2023.”

Call for applications | expressions of interest in Blind Citizens (December 2022)

World Blind Union Country Delegate Positions
Rose Wilkinson, Chief Executive

Blind Citizens NZ is New Zealand’s country member to the World Blind Union (WBU). The number of delegates (representatives) assigned to country members is based on the country’s population. As New Zealand’s country member to the WBU, Blind Citizens NZ holds two delegate (representative) positions. While each of these positions differs in terms of the status given to them, it is important to recognise the work these two delegates carry out is complementary and requires them to work together. Each of the two positions must be held by an Ordinary Member (voting | financial) of Blind Citizens NZ.

The Board is calling for applications for the primary Delegate | Representative position and expressions of interest in the secondary Delegate | Representative position. The status of these two positions is explained below. The closing date for both positions is 9am Friday 10 February 2023. You can apply for one or both positions. However, if applying for both positions you are required to submit separately for each position.

At its February meeting, the Board will finalise its approach and timeline towards addressing each of the two delegate positions. This will be conveyed to those who have submitted applications and | or expressions of interest. The Board will also determine the term of office for each of the two positions i.e. one to three years.

Applications – Primary WBU Representative | Delegate Position

Applicants must be aware the successful person appointed to the ‘primary’ position, if they are not already on the Board of Blind Citizens NZ as an elected member in their own right, that they will be co-opted to the Board. This is a constitutional requirement which in turn means the successful person becomes a Board Member and is obliged to attend Board meetings etc. The point of reference for this constitutional provision is Rule 6.3 “Co-opting Additional Board Members”. 

Applicants should be certain to request in the first instance, the position description. It is also advisable to obtain a copy of the position description for Board Members. Each of these documents set out the respective skills, requirements and attributes the Board believes necessary for the person in this role. Applicants shortlisted for this position will be interviewed by a sub-committee of the Board of Blind Citizens NZ. 

Expressions of Interest, Secondary WBU Representative | Delegate Position

When submitting an expression of interest in the secondary position, please be certain to request the position description from our National Office. This sets out skills, requirements and attributes the Board believes necessary for the person in this role and should be aligned to your expression of interest. As set out in the position description there are reporting requirements to the Board of Blind Citizens NZ. However, there are no governance implications – these apply only to the primary position. Interviews are not a requirement of those people submitting an expression of interest in the secondary position.

Where to send applications and expressions of interest: these are to be submitted to Blind Citizens NZ’s National Office via either of the following two options:

• Email to: admin@blindcitizensnz.org.nz
• Post to: PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242

Membership Subscription Review (Dec 2022)

Blind Citizens NZ Board

At this year’s Annual General Meeting and Conference, attendees considered a paper from the Board of Blind Citizens NZ about Blind Citizens NZ’s membership.

In its paper, the Board was very clear that bringing the topic to the AGM and Conference for discussion was an initial step in its process. That initial discussion supported the approach offered in the discussion paper. This enabled the Board to firm up next steps during its November 2022 meeting.

Here now is how the Board is progressing its discussion paper and related proposal:

• publicising the discussion paper | proposal in this December Focus Issue;
• seeking feedback from members, Branches and Networks by 9am 16 March 2023;
• the Board will consider all feedback at its meeting on 26-27 March 2023;
• in the event the Board receives feedback from individual members, Branches and | Networks who feel the proposal cannot be supported without significant alteration, the Board will call a Special Meeting of Members sometime from April 2023 to June 2023 (this will enable further discussion and perhaps a decision to occur);
• if feedback from everyone is consistently supportive, the Board will release a final policy statement before the end of June 2023 that clarifies its collective obligations and expectations, without the need to hold a Special Meeting of Members.

All feedback to the discussion paper | proposal must be received at Blind Citizens NZ’s National Office no later than 9am, 16 March 2023. Feedback can be provided via the following options:

• Phone: 0800 222 694;
• Email to: admin@blindcitizensnz.org.nz;
• Post to: PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242

Here now is the discussion paper and proposal…

Introduction

In recent years there has been criticism about the number of people from our community of blind, deafblind, vision-impaired and low vision (referred to as blind), that Blind Citizens NZ can claim to represent. No matter how we state that all blind people can benefit from our work, this can be misinterpreted to mean that we speak for all blind people.

Our membership numbers are low in terms of our long and proud history of promoting the interests of blind people. Only Ordinary Members (those who are financial) are included in our elections. However, in pretty much all other aspects, we reach out to a wider membership base. We do send Focus to people whose membership is not current; we do not check people’s membership for participation on our email lists and we definitely do not discount the aspirations or lived experiences of anyone in our community because they haven’t paid a subscription.

Our organisational work is bound to be improved if we can state with confidence that we do have a larger number of blind people showing commitment to our cause. The more active our membership is in determining our organisational positions through discussion of issues at branch and network meetings, the more authority we can assert on behalf of our community.

There are numerous reasons why people do not retain membership of any organisation. The reduction in face to face events in recent years and the reduction in the use of cash and cheques means some people are finding it difficult to retain membership even when they do want to stay financial.

Changes introduced during 2020 means it now proves difficult to gain access to the entire pool of RNZFB members and / or Blind Low Vision NZ (BLVNZ) clients. This is not a new problem, but the current management at BLVNZ, having introduced the changes, have done little to help resolve what has become a longstanding issue. We are therefore somewhat reliant on our own ability to attract new members to our organisation.

This paper sets out a proposal which has a financial impact on Branches, Networks, and National Office.

The proposal is put forward in the hope that the cost is also seen as a sensible investment in the long-term sustainability of Branches and Networks.

The proposal

In order to get more members onto our database, the Board believes we should offer free membership to anyone who has not yet joined Blind Citizens NZ, or whose membership has lapsed for more than five years.

We propose that anyone coming to Blind Citizens NZ after 1 July 2023 who meets the simple criteria above, be given that financial year (i.e. to 30 June 2024) and one more following that (i.e. to 30 June 2025) without having to pay a subscription in order to become linked with their local Branch or Network.

Such a person would not have rights to participate in our elections, but would be able to participate in every other respect as if they were a member who had not yet paid this year’s subscriptions. They couldn’t be a Committee Member at a Branch either.

Our hope is that by reading Focus and being a part of a network or branch, these people will want to more fully participate in our organisation’s future.

Discussion and implementation

This paper is being presented to the 2022 AGM so that it can be discussed. There will be a further period within which the Board will receive feedback on the proposal. The dates for this will be determined by the Board at its November 2022 meeting if the initial discussion leads to sufficient support to proceed.

If the Board receives feedback from Branches, Networks or individual members who feel that the proposal cannot be supported without significant alteration, then the Board will call a Special Meeting of Members sometime from April 2023 to June 2023 so that further discussion and perhaps a decision can occur.

If, however, feedback from everyone is consistently supportive, the Board will release a final policy statement before the end of June 2023. This will clarify our collective obligations and expectations, without the need to hold a Special Meeting of Members.

What is partnership?

Jonathan Godfrey, National President

Editor’s note: In this column, Jonathan Godfrey reflects on the essence of successful partnerships, when applied in particular to Government working with Disabled People’s Organisations.

When two people decide they are going to form a partnership, they generally do so as equals. They won’t be totally equal of course; each of them will have their own strengths and weaknesses to bring to the relationship. 

A successful partnership takes advantage of the strengths, and often uses them to overcome the weaknesses. In short, they work as a team. There aren’t many partnerships that work well where one party is completely dominated by the other.

The same is true in many of the relationships Blind Citizens NZ has with Government agencies, our DPO Coalition colleagues, and our partners in the Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM). We benefit in our collective work that promotes the rights of disabled people because we each bring our strengths to the table, we respect each other, and we get the job done, often with a lot of pleasure thrown in for good measure.

Disabled people have chosen their representatives in these settings. We have an election for the Board of Blind Citizens NZ, and the National President. I might have been elected unopposed, but I’m sure if there was sufficient feeling to replace me, the members of this Disable People’s Organisation (DPO) would let their feelings be known through the ballot box.

A healthy DPO also invites constructive criticism and dialogue about the performance of its leadership, and rightly so. In recent times, we’ve managed to have a number of sessions on Zoom for members to share their views on topics which can influence the Board in its deliberations, help members to speak up for themselves, but ultimately to make sure the view put forward by Blind Citizens NZ as a DPO reflects the broad spectrum of member aspirations and lived experiences. We also have our AGM and Conference where the voice of individuals gets a good airing in our effort to find a consensus-based outcome.

Our organisational motto of “Blind people speaking for ourselves” existed well before the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Disability Convention). 

But the Disability Convention and the General Comment statements issued by the UN Committee from time to time, all speak of the right for disabled people to be heard as individuals and in particular “through their representative organisations.” But let’s tease that out a bit…

In the preamble to the Disability Convention which describes the background principles, there is a statement that reads, “Considering that persons with disabilities should have the opportunity to be actively involved in decision-making processes about policies and programmes, including those directly concerning them,” The Disability Convention then goes on to say how the Government must work towards achieving the long list of principles using clearly articulated obligations in numbered articles.

The way we work with and for our members is what gives life to Article 4.3 of the Disability Convention. It is here that the word “consult” first appears in the text. Article 4.3 says: “In the development and implementation of legislation and policies to implement the present Disability Convention, and in other decision-making processes concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities, States Parties shall closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, through their representative organizations.”

To make my point that this article is about DPOs, not individuals, let’s remove the words relating to children; it would then oblige close consultation with and active involvement of “persons with disabilities through their representative organizations.” This does not exclude the Government from needing to work with individuals, disabled or non-disabled, but it explicitly obliges the Government to work with DPOs.

So, the Disability Convention explicitly empowers DPOs, and does so ahead of individuals. 

The second reference to DPOs appears in Article 29 on Participation in political and public life; the third is in Article 32 on International cooperation; and the last reference is Article 33 on National implementation and monitoring.

We must look to the General Comments issued by the UN Committee to see how disabled individuals are to be empowered by Governments. In every reference to individuals I’ve found, the reference also mentions DPOs. In contrast, there are specific statements about DPOs. For instance, paragraph 1 of General Comment 7 says: “The effective and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, is thus at the heart of the Convention.”

General Comment 7 is crucial for us as a DPO because it is about DPOs. I like paragraph 56 which states, “States parties should ensure that the participation of organizations of persons with disabilities in monitoring processes, through independent monitoring frameworks, is based on clear procedures, proper time frames and previous dissemination of relevant information. Monitoring and evaluation systems should examine the level of engagement of organizations of persons with disabilities in all policies and programmes and ensure that the views of such persons are given priority. To fulfil their primary responsibility for service provision, States parties should explore partnerships with organizations of persons with disabilities to gain inputs from the users of services themselves.”

“Given priority”! That’s massive. It rather suggests the views of DPOs should trump those of our Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) partners. That said, I would say that the IMM is strong because we do work collaboratively as equal partners. In addition, the ability we have in NZ to play an active role in our IMM is unusual and seems to be viewed with some scepticism by other countries whose disabled people are less actively involved in their IMMs. I’m proud of the partnership we have with the IMM; it is working well for the disabled people of NZ.

It’s hard to find any references to the idea of partnership in the Disability Convention or in any of the General Comments, at least not in the context of disabled people working with Government. Article 4.3 didn’t suggest partnership, so every time we hear the word “partnership” in this context, we really need to stop and ask what sort of partnership is meant.

Partnership in the context of DPOs is about representing the views of disabled people, and doing so on the basis of collectivism over individualism; that means I must, as your National President, reflect the collective views of blind, deafblind, vision-impaired and low-vision people, not my personal opinion. Individuals don’t have that responsibility, and they aren’t answerable for their actions either.

Government wants to have a partnership with disabled people. Partnership is not about contracting or employment of disabled people. It is about having disabled people speaking for ourselves on issues that affect our lives. Individuals get jobs as individuals and we do need more disabled people taking up employment across Government. Giving contracts to organisations run by disabled people is laudable, but only if those organisations are capable of delivering on the contract.

In the New Zealand context, the word “partnership” is often used to describe the relationship between Tangata Whenua and the Government. There’s plenty of active debate outside disability circles on this particular topic, but one point I hear in that debate rings out very strongly for me. Tangata Whenua claim the right to choose their representatives, not to have them chosen by the Government. There might be a lesson we can learn in disability circles from that debate, and make sure that Government continues to consistently partner with DPOs, and not get too committed to a strategy of choosing which disabled people it will work with.

The logistics of reading a book of your choice

Áine Kelly-Costello, Focus Editor

As another turbulent year winds down, I hope that you can spend time with good friends or loved ones and enjoy some time to recharge. If you want to, I hope you can curl up with an excellent book and get lost inside. What you choose to read should be up to you, which is why having equitable access to books for our blind community is crucial. Here are some anecdotal reflections on where we’re at on that front, where we may be going backwards, and a sampling of the large variety of blind-friendly reading access options internationally.

Setting the scene

I’m 27 years old and blind from birth. I’ve lived pretty much all my adult life, and some of my childhood, with an extensive collection of books in an accessible format to me available for my perusal on demand. This is largely because I’m a smartphone native, and came of age just as e-books, and some years later audiobooks, went from a niche that blind people especially pushed for and relied on, to a mainstream option. I’m comfortable downloading and using a variety of apps and reading catalogues so the chances I’ll find my book of choice *somewhere* are high. I’ve also been able to read Braille from a young age, opening up access to reading by touch, in my own time. But we know this ready book access reality I’m describing doesn’t currently apply for many folks in the blind community in Aotearoa.

What’s happening with the BLVNZ Library?

Dating back to the early 1900s, what is now the Blind Low vision NZ (BLVNZ) library has been a mainstay of book, magazine and newspaper access for our community. This has been predominantly through audio narration but also includes hard-copy Braille, large print, twin vision (print and Braille side by side) and e-books.

Efforts are made to include books relevant here in Aotearoa, and the library also has a growing collection of books in te reo Māori, including some to help with learning the language.

While the book selection is impressive and continues to expand, it’s not much use if accessing it is difficult. For those who aren’t as at home as I am on a smartphone, BLVNZ’s is now providing library users with an Amazon Echo smart speaker and strongly encouraging reading via its Blind Low Vision NZ Alexa Skill. But Blind Citizens NZ has repeatedly heard from members that they’re not finding Alexa to be the easiest reading partner to get on with, that the Echo isn’t a portable reading solution, and that they’d like the previously widely-used DAISY players back. BLVNZ, however, says that receiving USB sticks with books for use in DAISY players is only an option to people who don’t have internet access. This excludes everyone who is online but currently struggling with Alexa.

The organisation is aware more options are needed. At the BLVNZ AGM on 2 December, the Board advised that trials of a battery and solar-powered talking book player, known as the Envoy Connect, would be starting here early next year. Many libraries now also connect to another portable and WIFI-enabled book player manufactured by Humanware, called the Victor Reader Stream. The Stream lets you read e-books and audiobooks, listen to podcasts and music, and even record. I know quite a few of us in Aotearoa already own one and it would be great if the BLVNZ library was added so that we could also download its books onto the Stream.

Once you have registered with the BLVNZ Library, other options for accessing its contents include:

• Requesting hard-copy books, including Braille, by emailing library@blindlowvision.org.nz
• Finding and listening to books online at https://apps.blindfoundation.org.nz/booklink/web/#/  and
• Using the EasyReader app on iOS, Android or Windows.

Outside of BLVNZ’s offerings, there are numerous other reading access options, both regarding what devices you read on and also where you source books. Like the BLVNZ library, many book sources give you quite a bit of choice about which device you use as well. Here’s a selection of examples.

Bookshare

Bookshare is the largest and most established international online library for people with a print disability. There’s a flat annual subscription fee of $50USD which once paid, opens up access to its entire selection which, according to its *about* page, currently comes in at 1,168,867 books. The reading options are extensive and most books are available for download in multiple formats including Word, BRF (Braille Ready Format–good for Braille notetaker users), DAISY and more. Unlike the BLVNZ library which focuses on audiobooks, Bookshare’s primary offering is e-books.

You can read the books on a computer (either online or downloaded), on a smartphone, using a Braille notetaker, or with any book reader which supports DAISY books including the Victor Reader Stream. Bookshare also has an Alexa Skill, but so far, Bookshare says that’s only available to amazon.com customers based in the US. 

Global Book Service

Aotearoa has signed up to an international agreement called the Marrakesh Treaty which makes it easier to produce books in accessible formats without being blocked by copyright restrictions. As part of this, the Accessible Books Consortium hosts the Global Book Service, through which you can access an expanding catalogue of e-books, audiobooks and Braille music scores from participating libraries, which includes BLVNZ. This collection is a good bet for international titles including thousands in French, Spanish and other languages.

The registration process is done online and requires BLVNZ to certify that you’re a member of its library. Sign up at https://www.abcglobalbooks.org/create/account/request

Kindle, Audible, and other mainstream options

While I’m loath to recommend giving your money to the corporate monopoly which is Amazon, it’s a key mainstream provider of books which does mean it gives you instantaneous access to that latest best seller or to a first-time author self-publishing on Kindle. There are a range of accessible options for reading its e-books and audiobooks alike on a PC, a smartphone, via Alexa, or on Amazon’s own products including a Kindle and Fire tablet – both of which make use of Amazon’s built-in screen reader VoiceView. Both Kindle (e-books) and Audible (audiobooks) also have various pricing options, from single book purchases to subscriptions.

Apple Books and Google Play Books are similar to Amazon’s e-book and audiobook offerings, though they focus more on purchasing books outright. In addition to using their respective smartphone apps, Google’s audiobooks are accessible via a Google Nest Speaker.

Another mainstream option, which for screen reader users I’d recommend predominantly for its very good international audiobook offering, is Scribd. This is a subscription service available online or via its smartphone apps, which also gets you access to e-books, magazines, sheet music and more. On the iOS app, I find myself using it only for its audio content.

Read e-books and audiobooks from your local public library

If you have a smartphone or PC and are up for getting a slightly more complex, but ultimately fairly usable application set up, you can access an extensive range of e-books and audiobooks free through your city’s public library. 

This takes a bit of setting up, but has the advantage of providing a better selection of Aotearoa-specific as well as international books, including a lot of very recent ones, for free.

To get set up, you’ll first need to join your library to get a library card. Depending on the library, that may be doable online, or you may need to visit in person and bring some ID. Next, download an app called Libby, on your smartphone or PC. Alternatively, you can read a book in your web browser directly by Googling “Overdrive” and the name of your library. Either way, you’ll then use your Library card barcode number to join.

The system then functions as a lending library, in that you can borrow a certain number of books, usually for up to four weeks, and when that period expires, the e-books or audiobooks will disappear off your device and return themselves to the virtual library.

Another accessible app with e-books and audiobooks available through the library system is called BorrowBox. It’s got a smaller selection than Libby, at least through Auckland Libraries, but it has a lot of Australian content and some from Aotearoa too, which in my experience can be challenging to locate elsewhere.

Calibre Audio

Calibre Audio is an online audiobook library based out of the UK but available worldwide to anyone with a print disability. It’s accessed at calibreaudio.org.uk/. You can download or stream from its collection of over 14,000 audiobooks, either on a PC or via third-party applications like Dolphin Easy Reader or Libby. This is a library service where you can borrow four or five books for three or four weeks (the details vary depending on how you listen). Its website says overseas members pay a fee (£3 per month or £30 per year), though at least some people in Aotearoa with accounts, including me, are able to stream and borrow books without issue and have thus far not been prompted for payment. 

Incidentally, as with the Global Book Service, it’s thanks to Aotearoa having signed up to the Marrakesh Treaty that we can access this library.

A library of friends

Booklovers, sighted or not, have borrowed books off of each other since time immemorial. When it comes to swapping anything digital, which after all is often the only way we as blind people have access to a book, the topic is a bit taboo in the public arena. Many authors are understandably wary of its effect on their hard-won income.

Helping authors, especially lesser-known ones, to earn a living from their craft matters, yes, but so does pushing back against accessibility and cost barriers that limit our community’s informal access to great books, in ways that sighted people passing around their dog-eared hard copy versions couldn’t–and wouldn’t–ever be penalised for.

This summer, hopefully a spot of leisure reading is on the agenda. If you’re struggling to figure out how you can connect with books again, or can’t figure out how to access that exact book you’re after, another Blind Citizens NZ member or a blind friend might just be able to help you out. Let’s hope that blind people’s equitable and convenient access to books, and indeed to magazines, news media and the rest, only increases from here.

In this edition (December 2022)

Áine Kelly-Costello – Focus editor

Welcome to the final edition of Focus for 2022. I hope you have time to relax and connect with loved ones over the holiday period. I start off this edition with some reflections on the logistics behind doing what should theoretically be simple but often isn’t: tracking down a book of our choice in a format of our choice and diving in. The National President’s column reflects on what makes a good partnership. Also look out for thoughtful reflections from Mary Schnackenberg on what the original design of the Awhina House Blind Low Vision NZ site got right in Auckland–namely, good practices which are missing in action as the new facility gets designed now.

Between the September edition of Focus and this one, Blind citizens NZ’s Annual General Meeting and Conference took place in Invercargill. I couldn’t be there but many members sent in their appreciation for a Conference well-run. If you were unable to join in and you’d more information about the AGM and Conference, contact Blind Citizens NZ’s National Office (contact details at the end of this Focus issue).

As always, your ideas for topics to be covered in focus and your contributions are most welcome. 

Email me at focus.abcnz@gmail.com, or get in touch with the full Focus committee (Board Member Paula Waby, Chief Executive Rose Wilkinson and me) by emailingfocus@abcnz.org.nz  

Pitches for the March edition are due by 13 February 2023. 

Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income

Blind Citizens NZ has both Charitable and Donee status. This is important for anyone thinking about the mutually beneficial outcomes of payroll giving and making us your charity of choice. 

Income received through donations, bequests and payroll giving for example, go a long way towards supporting the many facets of our work i.e. our advocacy, promotional campaigns, and communication and community education. Making Blind Citizens NZ the recipient of a bequest or legacy, is another way you can support us. 

Making a Bequest: Through our efforts and your financial support, we are working on the removal of barriers faced by blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision impaired people. Blind Citizens NZ has been extremely fortunate to benefit from legacies, and we take this opportunity to recognise generically, the generosity of those people and their families. Your Will can make a lasting gift and Blind Citizens NZ would be extremely grateful for any contribution. If you choose to leave a gift to Blind Citizens NZ, we suggest the following will assist your legal advisor…

“I give and bequeath to the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Incorporated (CC41040):

• $ (a specific dollar amount); or
• A specific percentage of my estate; or 
• The whole or a specific percentage of the residue of my estate.

Free from all duties and charges, as a contribution to the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc to be applied for general purposes only, for which the receipt of the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc shall be sufficient discharge to my trustees.”

To find out how we inform those who have pledged their support to us, if you have questions, or you wish to make a contribution contact: 

• Rose Wilkinson 021 222 6940 | 0800 222 694;or
• Email: bequest-info-blindcitizensnz@groups.io 

Acknowledgement of financial support

Blind Citizens NZ is appreciative of donations received from our members and supporters, and for funding from the Lotteries Grants Board, and Blind Low Vision NZ

Stats NZ Census update to disability sector

Note to readers: the information that follows is provided by Stats NZ. Blind Citizens NZ is pleased to acknowledge we have been actively involved offering information and advice to Stats NZ since the 2018 Census…

We are pleased to report that over 4 million people have now completed and returned their Census Individual Form. Most people are completing the Census online (83 percent), while 17 percent of the returns have been on a paper form.

We have had positive feedback about the performance and accessibility of the online Census form and the range of formats that have been made available to help disabled people take part.

There is still time to complete the Census

We are currently working on updating the information we have available in alternate formats to let disabled people know what to do now that Census Day has passed.

Census Day was Tuesday 7 March 2023 but you can still complete the census after this date. When people complete their census forms, they just fill them out for where they were on 7 March. 

Census collectors are visiting households to follow up with people who have not yet completed their census forms and to offer support. Collectors will be in the field until 3 May in most areas, and 1 June in cyclone-affected areas.

People do not need to wait for a census collector to visit. They can complete the census online using any access code provided to their household, or by requesting a new access code through the website www.census.govt.nz.

Alternatively, people can call 0800 CENSUS (0800 236 787) for help or to request information in Audio, Braille, Large Print or Easy Read. The Census Helpline is open from 8am to 5pm, 7 days a week until 30 June. 

NZSL videos with captions in English can be viewed online here: https://www.census.govt.nz/new-zealand-sign-language/

Reminder letters

A second reminder letter will be mailed to some households this week. Some people may have already completed their census forms by the time the letter arrives. If they have already done the census, they do not need to do anything else and can ignore the letter.

Cyclone affected areas

For people in areas impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, there will be more time and support to do the census. We are working together with iwi leaders and community groups to help people to take part in the census when they are ready.

This means:

• communities will be involved in planning the census approach in their area;
• there will be more community locations and events that people can go to for help;
• people will have guidance on how to fill out their census forms if they have had to leave their homes;
• census collectors will be in affected areas offering help until 1 June 2023;
• we will revise the prosecution process for people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle who have been unable to complete the census. 

Feedback received from disabled people

Some people have told us they are worried about being prosecuted or fined for not doing their Census by 7 March. 

Fines are sometimes given to people who do not fill in their census, because it is a legal requirement. But this is the last thing we want to do. We want everyone to be counted in the 2023 Census and are working hard to provide the support and assurance that they need. 

We have noted some general feedback from disabled people about the confusing language used in the Census. Concerns that neurodiversity is not represented have also been raised. These concerns have been shared with the relevant teams at Stats NZ. 

Thank you

Thank you all for your continued support for the 2023 Census. We would like to acknowledge the support received from Disabled People’s Organisations, particularly Deaf Aotearoa, Blind Citizens NZ, and People First who have contributed to the development of our accessibility approach.

Appointment of Blind Citizens NZ World Blind Union Country Delegates

The Board made appointments to each of the Primary and Secondary WBU Country Delegate positions during its March 2023 meeting. 

In the interim, National President Jonathan Godfrey is appointed as Blind Citizens NZ’s Primary Delegate. 

The Board will review this decision during its November 2023 Annual Planning Meeting. Congratulations go to Thomas Bryan on his re-appointment as Secondary WBU Delegate. 

The Board also extends its thanks to Paula Waby. Paula’s representation of Blind Citizens NZ at international WBU events, and contributions during her time as Blind Citizens NZ’s WBU Delegate and more recently as Primary WBU Delegate are recognised. Paula’s term as Primary WBU Delegate concluded on 31 March 2023.

Blind Citizens NZ 2023 Scheduled Election

From Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

This year’s Blind Citizens NZ Board election is for two Member at Large positions. In alphabetical order by surname, individuals whose terms conclude at the end of this year’s Annual General Meeting and Conference (13-14 October) are Andrea Courtney and Paula Waby.

Call for nominations

Rule 10 Elections, clause 10.1, directs Blind Citizens NZ in its election procedures. In publicising this year’s scheduled election and the call for nominations, members are advised that:

• people currently in these positions are eligible for re-election;
• the term of office for both positions is three years;
• successful candidates will commence their term immediately following the conclusion of this year’s Annual General Meeting and Conference (13-14 October);
• the election for the two positions happens at the same time, by a ballot of all eligible Ordinary (voting) Members;
• nomination forms and | or email nomination procedures are available upon request from National Office.

Anyone standing for election is encouraged to take the time to ask for, and become familiar with, the duties and responsibilities of Blind Citizens NZ’s Board Members. This information identifies the skills, experience and knowledge needed as a Board Member. In addition, there are details that will identify specific skills and expertise required of candidates in this year’s election. This information will be available by early May and can be obtained from Blind Citizens NZ’s National Office. Details will also be published in our June Focus Issue. Contact details for National Office are at the end of this Focus issue.

Here are the details about timelines and procedure for the election of all positions.

To be eligible for nomination for any position, you must:

a. live in New Zealand; and

b. for at least 24 months of the past five years up to and including 24 August 2023, have been a (financial) Ordinary Member of Blind Citizens NZ.

Nominations require two people to support you i.e. move and second your nomination. There are two ways nominations can be completed and submitted. You can use a paper form, or the email process. If using the paper form, signatures of all three members involved in the nomination are required. Email procedures similarly require the same people to confirm their respective role in the nomination process. If you choose the email procedure, you are required to contact the Returning Officer at National Office prior to commencing this process. This is important, as there are instructions unique to the email procedure that must be followed. The email procedure mirrors requirements for the paper-based option as closely as possible.

Ordinary Members, financial as at 24 August 2023, are eligible to stand for election to these two positions. 

The closing date for nominations is 4pm Thursday 24 August 2023. Candidates are required to provide their CV at the same time as their nomination is submitted to the Returning Officer. Nominations and CVs should be sent to the Returning Officer at one of the following:

• Post: Blind Citizens NZ, PO Box 7144, Newtown, Wellington 6242;
• Fax: 04-389-0030;
• Email: election@blindcitizensnz.org.nz

Once nominations close, ifthe maximum number of nominations for the two positions is received, no election will be needed. Candidates will be declared elected unopposed. Should nominations exceed the number of positions being elected, an election will then be held. Voting in the election

Ballot material (names of people standing for election, information they have provided about themselves etc.), will be sent to all Ordinary Members recorded as financial on the member database at National Office as at 4pm, Thursday 24 August 2023. No later than Thursday 14 September 2023, ballot material will be distributed in the voting member’s preferred format.

When does voting close? Completed ballots (votes cast by voting members) must be received at National Office no later than 4.00 pm, Tuesday 3 October 2023. Vote counting will take place no later than Wednesday 11 October 2023.

Ways to cast your vote in Blind Citizens NZ’s election: there are several options available for members to participate in the election process. Election (ballot) material about candidates standing for election is available in large print, audio, Braille, by email, and via our National Feedback Line bulletin on TellMe. If you are in any doubt about what your preferred communication option is to receive information and vote in Blind Citizens NZ’s election, please contact our National Office to check.

You choose your preferred voting option: When voting in Blind Citizens NZ elections, you can choose one of three options. It is important to remember that the way you vote, can be different from the way you choose to receive your election (ballot) material. 

You can cast your vote using the large print form, the Braille-card option, or TellMe. For many reasons we encourage members to try TellMe. This offers a truly independent, confidential, and empowering voting experience. Using TellMe means you can independently do all the things you need to do in an election – you hear about the candidates standing for election, and you can cast your vote. 

Casting your vote by TellMe means you are in control. This includes certainty that your vote will be received by the due date and time. There is no worrying about whether a postal ballot will reach its destination in time to be counted. 

Postal votes offer less certainty that your vote will arrive by the close of voting. If you would like to know more about using TellMe and casting your vote using this option, please contact our National Office.

In this edition

Áine Kelly-Costello – Focus Editor

Welcome to the first edition of Focus for 2023.

In this edition, my editorial reflects on Blind Low Vision NZ’s organisational culture and values. Jonathan Godfrey’s President’s column asks a philosophical but central life question: How do I know. A contribution from accessibility advocate Thomas Bryan brings us up to speed with the state of play in the accessible (or not) home appliances area. I report on some of the impacts of January and February’s extreme weather. And we have updates on the upcoming Blind Citizens NZ election, membership criteria review, World Blind Union delegates and more. Enjoy!

As always, your ideas for topics to be covered in Focus and your contributions are most welcome.

Email me at focus.abcnz@gmail.com, or get in touch with the full Focus committee (Board Member Paula Waby, Chief Executive Rose Wilkinson and me) by emailingfocus@blindcitizensnz.org.nz

Pitches for the June edition are due by 15 May 2023.