ECCV to Conduct New Research On Disability From Cald Communities
ECCV has been contracted by the Victorian Government Office for Disability to undertake a research project aimed at understanding the experiences of people with disability from CALD communities in accessing support services, including disability advocacy, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ECCV will be consulting with people with disability from CALD backgrounds, their carers and families as well as disability advocacy organisations and other specialists to help inform the forthcoming State Disability Plan. For more information, or if you're interested in participating in our consultations, contact ECCV Policy and Practice Advisor Riccardo Armillei.
New Raise Our Voices Project Lead
ECCV welcomes Youssif Assafiri to the role of Disability Advocacy Project Officer, leading the Raise our Voices project. Since joining ECCV in November 2019, Youssif has gone through extensive professional development as a Disability Advocate and has worked on ECCV's National Community Connector Program and Disability Advocacy COVID project. ECCV is proud to be an organisation that offers people with lived experience of disability opportunities to lead on behalf of our communities. ECCV Speak My Language Traveller, Serap Filiz, will be joining the Disability Advocacy project as a Disability Advocate.
ECCV Disability and COVID Study
ECCV and Melbourne University are looking for people with disability from migrant and refugee backgrounds to speak about how they have received COVID-19 related information during the pandemic, and how they use this information to access services and supports. Participants in this study will receive a $50 gift voucher. An interpreter can be provided if needed.
- To register your interest, contact ECCV Policy Officer James Houghton by email or call 0408 997 097
Multilingual Health App Evaluation
We are looking for bilingual people to help evaluate a new multilingual health app, Talk to Me, by participating in a one-hour online focus group. If you're over 25, a confident English speaker and speak Arabic, Cantonese, Croatian, Hakka, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Mandarin, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish or Vietnamese, you are invited to join small focus groups being conducted during October by St Vincent’s Hospital, City of Melbourne and ECCV.
Speak My Language
ECCV has recruited five new 'Travellers' to interview people with lived experience of disability, and guest speakers in Spanish, Sinhala, Marathi, Hindi and Arabic languages for the Speak My Language program.
The national program is producing podcasts featuring people from First Nations and CALD communities sharing their experiences and tips about living well with disability. Another five Victorian 'Travellers' are currently training with ECCV to produce podcasts in Greek, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin and Turkish.
2021 Victorian Disability Awards
Congratulations to Margherita Coppolino, National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) President, on being inducted into the Victorian Disability Awards Lifetime achievement honour roll. Margherita is the Chair of ECCV’s recently-formed Statewide Disability Network for culturally diverse communities. We congratulate all the winners and inductees of the 2021 Victorian Disability Awards, which celebrate the achievements of Victorians making a difference for people with disability.
NDIS support payments for COVID-19 vaccinations
New payments for providers supporting NDIS participants to attend COVID-19 vaccination appointments were announced on 1 September. Support coordinators and providers are now eligible to directly claim up to $150 to cover the costs of supporting NDIS participants to receive COVID-19 vaccine offsite.
For more information, visit the NDIS website or call the Disability Gateway on 1800 643 787. To speak to someone in your language, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.
COVID-19 support for meal preparation and delivery
The NDIA has introduced a temporary COVID-19 support measure to allow participants in lockdown areas to use their funding to pay for alternative meal preparation and delivery services. The new measure, which will lower participant’s risk of exposure to COVID-19, will be in place until 1 December 2021.
Feedback on proposed NDIS legislation changes | open until midnight 7 October 2021
The Department of Social Services (DSS) is inviting submissions on proposed changes to the NDIS Act. Feedback on the new draft of the Act, released 9 September. Go to the DSS website for more information and to make a submission. You can find an Easy Read version of the ‘Changing the NDIS Act and Rule’.
Feedback on Victorian Disability Act 2006 review | submissions closing 20 October 2021
The Victorian Government has released the Review of the Disability Act 2006 consultation paper online, after public consultations held earlier in the year and work by the Disability Act Review Advisory Group.
- For more information and to have your say, go to the Engage Victoria website.
- Further consultations on the Disability Act Review are now open.
DRC report highlights COVID-19 vaccine rollout deficiencies
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability draft report looks into the Federal Government's COVID-19 vaccine strategy and roll-out for people with disability.
The report, published on 27 September, highlighted deficiencies in the rollout, including the lack of sector consultation by the Department of Health, lack of transparency in decision-making, especially around the deprioritisation of vaccines for people in residential disability accommodation, and lack of accessible information.
Royal Commissions Amendment passes
The Australian Parliament passed the Royal Commissions Amendment (Protection of Information) Bill 2021 on 30 August. The amendments to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 protect confidential information given to a Royal Commission both during and after the inquiry.
Submissions to the Disability Royal Commission are still open and can be made online, over the phone on 1800 517 199 or via email. For information in your language about making a submission, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask to be connected to 07 3734 1900.
NDIA COVID-19 information sessions
The NDIA invites Victorian and Tasmanian participants, their families and support networks to join them on 5 October at 12pm for an online information session about COVID-19.
The session will cover the NDIS supports available for participants and providers during the pandemic and how to use these supports to access COVID-19 vaccines.
If you’re unable to attend the Victorian session, the national session can be joined on 14 October at 6pm.
COVID-19 information session with Northern Health | 12 October 2021 | 7pm
ECCV invites residents in Melbourne’s outer north to join us for an online information session to learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19.
ECCV is proud to present this session with Northern Health as part of our COVID-19 Multicultural Outreach Project. If you would like to organise an information session for your community group, please contact us.
National Carers Week | 10-16 October 2021
National Carers Week 2021, themed ‘Millions of Reasons to Care’, will run with a variety of events and activities taking place around Australia. National Carers Week is an opportunity to recognise, celebrate, and raise awareness about the diversity of Australia's 2.65 million carers and their caring roles. To learn more or find events near you, visit the Carers Week website.
Paid opportunity: CYDA focus groups
Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) are hosting paid ‘LivedX’ consultation focus groups for young people with disability aged 15-25 to hear what an ideal future looks like for them. Expressions of interest are open for the September and October focus groups. Participants will receive a $75 gift card for their time.
Free small business start-up workshops | running until 20 October 2021
The IgniteAbility® Small Business Start-Ups program supports people living with disability to explore, start or grow a small business in Australia. The free two-day online workshops will help entrepreneurs with disability consolidate their ideas to build a strong, sustainable business.
'Long COVID' translated factsheets
CEH has translated a fact sheet about Long COVID into nine in-language written resources and five in-language audio recordings. The Long COVID project focuses on priority CALD communities particularly impacted by COVID-19 in 2020.
Multilingual Resources online library
Health Translations is an online library that helps health practitioners and those working with CALD communities find translated health information. Their September newsletter includes multilingual resources on COVID-19 vaccines, disability, mental health and more. If you're looking for specific in-language health information, or have a multilingual resource to add to the library, contact the Health Translations coordinator Anni Tillack-Benton.
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Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria (ECCV)
Address: Suite 101, 398 Sydney Road, Coburg Vic 3058
Tel: (03) 9354 9555
Email: ndis@eccv.org.au
Website: www.eccv.org.au