Vision Australia Radio (VAR) and the Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival celebrated another successful collaboration in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of our partnership. The festival, held in the western suburbs of Melbourne, welcomed our disability radio network's involvement, enhancing accessibility and community engagement for individuals living with blindness, low vision, or print disability.
Jason Gipps, Vision Australia Radio's Community Engagement Coordinator, expressed satisfaction with the media partnership, stating, "We are incredibly happy with our media partnership. Partnering with the festival gave us the ability to better connect with Vision Australia's clients and audio consumers in the west of Melbourne." He emphasised the significance of their involvement in making the festival more accessible to a wider audience, particularly those with diverse needs.
The collaboration between VAR and the Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival exemplifies a commitment to inclusivity and diversity within the community. By providing tailored content across radio and podcast, VAR ensured that individuals living with print disability could participate in and fully enjoy the literary festivities.
VAR and the Vision Australia Library also collaborated by presenting an immersive experience of different ways of writing and reading for people who are blind or have low vision. ‘Read My Way’,which was held at the Sunshine Library (Vic) on March 22, took the audience on a journey through audio, braille and tactile literacy and learning.
The panel included library members along with a writer with lived experience who discussed the creation of accessible formats, the challenges of finding alternatives in a print-saturated world and the impact for people who have a print disability. Those that couldn’t attend in person were able to listen later via a special encore presentation on Easter Sunday, via the VAR network or via podcast (see link below).
The partnership between VAR and the Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival underscores the importance of accessibility in cultural events and highlights the potential for collaboration between community radio stations and community organizations. By working together, they can amplify the voices of marginalised groups and promote greater inclusivity in public spaces.
Vision Australia Radio again thanks the staff of Brimbank City Council and organisers of the festival for being so supportive, professional and passionate about accessibility and inclusion at their popular event.
