Disability Coordination Office ACT - Negotiating the Maze

Expressions of Interest for organisations to develop and deliver the courses will be advertised in newspapers in July 2007.
A public call for teacher applications is expected in August 2007. 

The Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) will run the first Summer School for Teachers program in January 2008.  This fully funded, 10-day residential program will provide high quality knowledge and skills in Literacy and Numeracy, English, Mathematics, Science and Australian History.

On 28 June 2007, the Australian Government announced a $1.8 billion package of assistance for people with disabilities, their families and carers.

A Disability Assistance Inquiry Line has been set to help answer any questions you may have. The contact number is 1800 101 888. The line is open between 8am - 9pm weekdays and 9am - 5pm on weekends.

Excerpts from Minister for Disability and Community Services Media Release 5 June 2007

The ACT Government will provide an additional $15.8 million dollars over four years to provide further assistance for Canberrans with disabilities.

The new funding will enable people with disabilities to access much needed accommodation and increased carer support, access to respite and improved community access programs.

The funding will be allocated through a combination of individual support packages, as well as directly to community agencies to assist them to meet the needs of people with a disability.

The funding will also respond to the priority needs of young people leaving school at the end of 2007, who will be seeking places with local community access and respite services.

Enquiries: Angie Drake, 6205 0139 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

NSW Department of Ageing Disabilty and Home Care (DADHC) has released "Epilepsy Policy and Procedures 2006".

This document sets out policy regarding the support of clients with epilepsy and applies to DADHC operated and funded accommodation support and respite services.

The main changes to policy include:

Tumut based Information on Disability - Equipment Access Services (IDEAS) Inc. and the Disability Information & Referral Centre NSW (DIRC NSW) have joined forces to provide a NSW-wide information and referral service for people with a disability and their families.  The operation has offices and staff in Sydney and Tumut.

The service captures information with specialist expertise, experience, community and/or industry knowledge and contacts and then filters, interprets and disseminates it on request, through a variety of proactive methods. They can also provide "soft" information that is not specifically about a service but can assist people with a disability make informed choices about their daily living.

The service also provides holiday travel assistance information for adults with a disability. You can obtain travel information for not only NSW but also many other parts of Australia and beyond.

For more information about IDEAS and DIRC NSW, visit their websites at:

www.ideas.org.au/   

www.dirc.asn.au/ 

Source: IDEAS Inc E-News Issue 7, 2007. 15 May 2007