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Community & KidsDisability

Carers Allowance & 2018 Federal Budget

by Bronwyn Orsatti
written by Bronwyn Orsatti
Mother aiding child climbing

From September 2018 the Australian Government is introducing means-testing as an additional elgibility requirement to the  Carer Allowance and the Carer Allowance (child) Health Care Card..  In addition to current eligibility requirements this this will be increased to include a family incomes of $250,000.

Who is impacted by the changes to the Carer’s Allowance?

The change is expected to affect 6500 recipients whose family income is above the new threshold, meaning they will no longer be eligible for the Carer Allowance and the children’s Carer Allowance Health Care Card.

These changes were approved by Parliament on 28th June and savings from the test will fund reforms in carer services, with carers able to access new tailored and targeted services from September 20.

What does this mean in practice?

Carer Allowance is either:

  • for a child with higher needs – $127.10 every fortnight and a Health Care Card for the child
  • for a child with lower needs – a Health Care Card for the child

The Health Care Card enables card holders to acccess cheaper health care services and medicines. Benefits can include:

  • bulk billing for doctor’s appointments, as decided by your doctor
  • more refunds for medical expenses through the Medicare Safety Net
  • discounted mail redirection through Australia Post

Some State and territory governments and local councils also offer additional concessions for costs such as:

  • energy and electricity
  • healthcare, including ambulance, dental and eye care
  • public transport
  • rates

Thoughts?

In practice I am not a fan of removing of support for carers. I do not see a benefit in adding income testing and removing support from people while the NDIS is transitioning in and people are still struggling with unpredictable levels of supports.  In pracitce what it will do is make it more difficult for people with disabilities to get access to Medical services and this can’t be a good thing.

Photo by 99Club

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Digital ScrapbookingStorytelling & Memory Keeping

Digital Scrapbooking Freebies are out there – Persnickety Prints

by Bronwyn Orsatti
written by Bronwyn Orsatti
Persnickety Prints Freebie - Adventure

Persnickety Prints Freebie - Anna Aspenes

Quality Digital Scrapbooking freebies are out there and here is one of the great spots to find them – Persnickety Prints. Persnickety Prints is a quality photography printing serviced based out of Utah, US.  I have been using Persnickety Prints for years and I have always been happy with the quality of their work … and even with the distance to Australia I have found them to be reasonable in price (especially if you take advantage of their sales).

But in addition to being great printers they also have some freebies for subscribers of their newsletter. Win …  Check out the complete collection here and sign up to their newsletter.

Persnickety Prints Freebie - Father's Day Cards Persnickety Prints Freebie - Mothers Day Cards Persnickety Prints Freebie - Quote CardsPersnickety Prints Freebie - Back to School Persnickety Prints Freebie - Life Story Stamp

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Disability

Social Model Of Disability And Why It Is Important

by Bronwyn Orsatti
written by Bronwyn Orsatti

The social model of disability proposes that what makes someone disabled is not their medical, psychological or development condition, but the attitudes and structures of society.

Medical Model of Disability

The medical model of disability says people are disabled by their impairments or differences. Under the medical model, these impairments or differences should be ‘fixed’ or changed by medical and other treatments, even when the impairment or difference does not cause pain or illness.

The medical model looks at what is ‘wrong’ with the person and not what the person needs. It onus is placed on the individual to overcoming these ‘flaws’ and creates low expectations and leads to people losing independence, choice and control in their own lives.

In this model it can be simply put as

Person + Disability = Less Ability

Social Model of Disability

Disabled people developed the social model of disability because the traditional medical model did not explain their personal experience of disability or help to develop more inclusive ways of living. The social model of disability, by contrast, distinguishes between impairment and disability, identifying the latter as a disadvantage that stems from a lack of fit between a person and their social environment. It looks at ways of removing barriers that restrict life choices for disabled people. When barriers are removed, disabled people can be independent and equal in society, with choice and control over their own lives. It is a civil rights approach to disability

In this model it can be simply put as

Ability + Barrier = Disability

Some of the key ways people are disabled by society are:

  • prejudice, opinions and attitudes
  • labelling
  • exclusion
  • restricted access
  • ignorance
  • lack of financial independence
  • not having information in formats which are accessible to them.

Why is it important to use a social model of disability?

Using the social model of disability instead of the medical model can change people’s outlooks on what other people can achieve, and how organisations and our environments should be structured. People who follow this way of thinking will be able to see past the outdated ways of doing things that can be a barrier to people with disabilities leading full and active lives.

The social model of disability enables us as a society to look past the capabilities of all individuals and towards the barriers that are created that block accessibility, independence and opportunities for all.  Using a universal design approach and being inclusive of everyone, it enables us to create a world for for people of all abilities, aptitudes, and attitudes.

I strongly believe in the social model of disability model and our responsibility of individuals to create a world that is more inclusive. This is a core belief for WildheartParenting and will underpin all that will be written here. It is the reason why it is our first dedicated post.

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Storytelling & Memory Keeping

2017 Project 365 – Preparations and Lessons Learnt

by Bronwyn Orsatti
written by Bronwyn Orsatti

Last time I attempted and successfully completedProject 365 was in 2010.  This was my first time in attempting it and I think I got alot out of it. I did it then as my youngest ‘Little Miss’ was only a few months old and I thought it would be fun to capture her first year. That year ended up being a very big year for us as a family .. including the death of my father, the death of our family cat (after a long battle with cancer) and the diagnosis for ‘Little Man’ with Autism and commencement of intensive ABA therapy.

I have since tried and been unsuccessful in attempting to complete Project 365. So I thought that before I started was to reflect on lessons learnt and to get together

Lessons learnt

  1. Don’t make it too hard for yourself – Last time I did it I put additional rules on myself. I wanted to get at least 1 photo of each of my kids a day plus another one if possible.
  2. Take part in challenges. This for me was one of the keys. Look for challenges that can inspire you and give you ideas of topics for photos.  I am still a fan of Fat Mum Slim and recommend also getting her app.
  3. Get involved with communities of people also doing Project 365. They exist in Instagram, Facebook and loads of other places. Get involved. Share your work and be inspired by others.
  4.  Get a photo light tent – trust me .. especially in winter you will find there are just some days when you need to take photos after dark and one of my go-to ideas when I am stuck is to take pictures of everyday items that you use (remember what you use today might not be the same thing … or even type of thing that you will in 12, 24 or 48 months).
  5. Use this as an opportunity to explore your photography. One of the things that I loved about the project was that I was taking so many more photos and just started to experiment more with the settings, light and composure.
  6. Do courses that inspire you to try new things. A couple I would recommend are
    1. Be Your own beloved – I did the Beloved Beginnings Course last year and really enjoyed it. I plan on revisiting that again this year and maybe doing another course. I love this course as to me it doesn’t feel narcissistic but it is more about exploring and feeling more comfortable in your own photos. I am sure that many of you are like me in that you take alot of photos but find that you are not in almost all of them. It is about taking self-portraits in the same way you would a loved one. Highly recommend.
    2. Ali Edwards – Well it is a well known fact I am a AE addict. I love her work and especially her courses.  Courses of hers I would recommend
      1. Lens of Joy. This course runs once a year. I did it in 2016 and really enjoyed it. This is a great course to take if you want to focus more of your photos from storytelling mindset.
      2. Storytelling with Project Life – Project Life can be a great way to share your pictures. I am planning on using either (or both) the Project Life App or Digital Project Life to record my P365 photos.
      3. 31 things (and 31 more things) – I bought this course when it was on sale last year but haven’t done it yet. These are self-paced workshop includes a collection of 31 prompts that invite you to document some”thing” about your life right now via a single photo and words. Some of the topics include: jewellery, conversation, technology, shoes, think, chores, and smell. I am sure that this will provide some great inspiration for days ahead.
      4. Story Kits (Monthly) – I am a subscriber of AE’s monthly kits. I find that each month I get alot of inspiration from the themes and I am sure that they will both help provide inspiration for photos and a great way to record them.
      5. Week in the Life/Day in the Life – There are courses that go with both of these or you can just do them on your own (and get inspiration from Ali’s blog.
  7. Don’t forget to also tell your story with some of the photos. Project 365 can be a fantastic resource for those of you that like memory keeping or scrapbooking or Project 52. Just remember that while pictures do tell 100o words .. this only multiplies when you have some written context surrounding them.
  8. Share your photos and build it into a schedule. If you get into the habit of sharing your work and turn it into a habit. This will make it easier to remember when you get busy during the year.
  9. BIG LESSONS – Forgive yourself if you miss a day or 2. The best thing about this project is it as a whole. There are going to be days you will miss but don’t use them as an excuse not to move forward.

Preparations

So to get myself ready I have

  1. My favourite camera – OMD-5
  2. Small Waterproof camera – Waterproof cameras are just great to have in your handbag. They are waterproof, dustproof, kids proof and extremely handy to just have in all situations
  3. Phone – I will be getting a new phone in the new year. I am either going to get a iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. Not sure which just yet. Some of the apps I will use will include
    1. Instagram
    2. Project Life
    3. Prisma – my favourite photo effects app
    4. Letterglow – great for importing your own digital stamps
    5. Dropbox
  4. Adobe Photography Subscription – I use everyday Photoshop, Lightroom and Adobe Bridge (for my scrapbooking bits and PSD files)
  5. RADLab – This would have to be my favourite photo-effects set. I learnt about this during the AE Lens of Joy class.
  6. Challenge lists – Fat Mum Slim to start with.
  7. Last minute list (will post about later) … for those times when it is late at night and I don’t want to miss a day .. trust me you will have those days.
  8. Photo Light tent
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DisabilityTechnology

iOS Guided Access – How to help focus children with Autism

by Bronwyn Orsatti
written by Bronwyn Orsatti

Last year with the launch of iOS 6 Apple launched a number of key features that included Guided Access, which was described as an accessibility aid that could also open up iOS Devices like including iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads to be used in a whole range of new ways.

What is Guided Access?

Guided Access allows users to selectively disable portions of a device’s screen from use, disable hardware buttons (including the home and volume buttons) and even disable certain portions of apps. When first presented at the keynote address, the use case example given was to aid in teaching children with disabilities, specifically Autism. This really hit home for me. I know that my children love using the iOS Devices (or iDevices as I generally call them) but can be easily distracted or use the device inappropriately … predominantly stimming (self-stimulatory behaviour), watching the same piece of video over … and over … and over again.

How can you use Guided Access today?

  • Let a child use a iPhone Touch or iPad as an ACC  (Augmentative and alternative communication device) and not be distracted by other applications
  • Let a child watch a movie/tv show but not let them have control over the fast-forward, rewind play/pause or volume buttons
  • Let a child play a game, but the child can’t exit the game to do anything else (like mess up settings, etc)
  • When you’re playing a game keep you from
    • accidentally tapping the Home button and leaving the game
    • having notifications get in your way
    • pull down the notifications area by accident
  • Set up a device as a demo or kiosk showing an app or movie or slideshow

How do I set up Guided Access?

Tap Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access to set up Guided Access. From there you can:

  • Turn Guided Access on or off
  • Set a passcode that controls the use of Guided Access and prevents someone from leaving an active session
  • Set whether the device can go to sleep during a session

Start a Guided Access session

  • Open the app you want to run.
  • Triple-click the Home button.
  • Adjust settings for the session, then click Start.

Disable app controls and areas of the app screen

  • Circle any part of the screen you want to disable.
  • Use the handles to adjust the area.

Ignore all screen touches

  • Turn off Touch.

Keep iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from switching from portrait to landscape or from responding to any other motions

  • Turn off Motion.

End a Guided Access session

  • Triple-click the Home button.
  • Enter the Guided Access passcode.
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Community & Kids

Pool Safety … Is Your Pool Ready For Summer?

by Bronwyn Orsatti
written by Bronwyn Orsatti
A child is swimming with their face down in the water. It is unclear if they are swimming or floating unconscious

With the warm weather and summer approaching I thought that it would be a good time to talk about pools and pool safety. Who doesn’t love a swim … well I know that I do and so do my kids. Swimming in backyard pools just seems to be one of those things that is linked with summer and Australia … but is your pool safe? Does it comply with the current regulations?

Did you know

  • Drowning is the greatest cause of accidental death in children under five in Australia.
  • Every year over 35 Australian children under the age of five drown.
  • According to a report earlier this year by Royal Life Savings Society up to 85 per cent of home pools are not compliant with pool safety standards (Reported in SMH).

In 1991 mandatory pool fencing legislation was introduced. Since that time there has been a decrease in preschool drowning. However each year many children under 5 continue to drown in backyard pools. Most of these deaths can be attributed to the fact that the pool fencing did not comply with legislation.While each State and Territory’s laws may differ, if you are a pool owner it is your responsibility to make sure that your pool complies with the state government pool fencing legislation

3 Girls standing on the side of a pool smiling and laughing
Group Of Girls Playing In Outdoor Swimming Pool

And this is not just an issue for people who have kids. If you have a pool you could be held responsible and charged with manslaughter if someone dies and you haven’t maintained your pool or fencing that  complies with the regulations. Seriously … this year a man was charged with manslaughter in NSW when a neighbours child drowned in the pool because he failed to keep his fencing in a proper state. Could this happen to you?

There are several things you can do to prevent drowning:

  1. Fence the pool/spa with a four sided fence in accordance with government guidelines This means that access to the pool/spa is via a self-closing, self-latching gate, not the house.
  2. Ensure that you have signage around your pool giving instructions on how to perform CPR.
  3. Any equipment not related to the function of the pool/spa must be securely stored outside the pool area. The gate to the pool/spa should never be propped open.
  4. Regularly inspect your fence (a quick check once a month) using the Home Pool Safety Checklist (downloadable from www.homepoolsafety.com.au) to ensure your fence and gate are in good working order.
  5. Get your pool inspected at least every 2 years by a professional to ensure that you are keeping your pool safe.

Great Resources on Pool Safety

Image courtesy of 99club

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Digital ScrapbookingPhotographyProject Life and Project 365Storytelling & Memory Keeping

Digital Project Life – How to get started?

by Bronwyn Orsatti
written by Bronwyn Orsatti

Have you heard about the Project Life back-to-basic style of scrapbooking but either prefer digital scrapbooking. I love scrapbooking but I am a tend to be more of a digital scapper or hybrid. Sometimes I find that it is just too hard to do traditional scrapbooking because of a number of reasons including

  • space – just not having the space where I can work (and look after the kids at the same time) and not having a space where I can stop and leave my work without having to pack it up … so you have to unpack … scrap … then pack up again. This also means to have to have dedicated scrapping time when you know you have time to complete that whole process.
  • paper-product brain freeze – I find that I tend to get a scrapping brain freeze when I am working with traditional papers. I think it is because you can’t undo something when you have made your cut. I love with digital scrapbooking that I can experiment and try different things and know that it is not going to cost me a bom in paper or other products.
  • expense – I find that doing paper-based scrapping is alot more expensive. I find that the kits are cheaper when you get them digital … and I love the fact that you can buy a kit once and use it once or a million times  and it doesn’t cost any more. Plus  I don’t print everything so in the end I save a heap of money.
  • easier to share and be social with other scrappers – I find that as they are already digital that it is quicker and easier to share your creation with other scrappers. Join a site like DigiShopTalk and you can be chatting with scrappers around the world 24/7.
pl-mamma-sample

What do I need?

But how can you get the benefits of the Project Life system of scrapbooking … but digitally. That is easy … you just need to get a couple of products and of course a photo editing software (like Photoshop Elements). I will cover in a later post the options and requirements for printing .. if you want to make a phsyical version of your creations. projectlife-preview
  1. Project Life Style Templates – You can get templates either from
    • JessicaSprague.com – These are the official digital templates are you can get them in all of the styles just like the physical Project Life. You can buy either the complete template set (US$11.99) or each of them individually (you can get designs A-G here US$1.99 each)
    • Unoffical Ones – You can find some unofficial Project Life templates like those by Valorie Wibbens – Pockets No.03 The Basics. (US$4.99) These are alittle different but look cool and should work with most Project Life elements (maybe with some small modifications .. but hey that is easy with Photoshop Elements).
  2. Project Life Elements and Papers

How do I get started?

This video by Jessica Sprague is a great introduction on how to get up and running quickly with Photoshop Elements with the official templates and kits. Even if you aren’t using them they are project heaps of information that would be relevant to the unofficial templates and kits too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?=lAQ8y8Pq95k

Are you doing digital project life? Want to share your creations … put a link in the comments. Have some tips … please also share.

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