Vision Australia is sending its policies directly to Federal election candidates and asking them to demonstrate their commitment to enabling people who are blind or have low vision to live the lives they choose.

Chief Executive Officer Gerard Menses said that it was vital to ensure the voices of more than 300,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision are heard.

“The number of people who are blind or have low vision in Australia is set to double to 600,000 by the year 2020,” said Mr Menses.

“Vision Australia is passionate about ensuring that this growing number of people will be able to access any part of life they choose. So, we are writing, calling and tweeting leaders and candidates of major parties to ask them to sign up to our public policies on employment, access to information, braille and human rights,” he said.

The move by Vision Australia comes as:

• Phone voting will be introduced to ensure that for the first-time Australians who are blind or low vision will be able to cast a secret vote.
• More than 63% of Australians who are blind or low vision and are looking for work are unable to find meaningful employment. (For every dollar invested in disability employment, $8.58 of social value is created.)
• Less than 5% of printed material and 20% of internet content is accessible to people with print disabilities.
• People with a disability face increased barriers to immigration. (For example immigrants assessed to be legally blind under the current health regulations are automatically denied an immigration visa no matter their talent).

Vision Australia is providing Federal party and political leaders, Ministers and Shadows, social and media commentators and journalists the opportunity to state their positions and see those of others.

Join Vision Australia’s Federal election campaign conversation by:

• Reading Vision Australia’s Federal Election Campaign policies
• Joining the discussion on Facebook
• Sending a message on Twitter
• Emailing VisionAustraliaElectionCampaign@visionaustralia.org

Related information

• Voting in the Federal Election 2010 (overview)

Original post can be found at: http://www.rvib.org.au/info.aspx?page=823&news=1783