Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems mandated
The Australian Government will mandate Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) on electric vehicles. AVAS is a safety alert or sound, emitted when an electric vehicle is travelling at low speeds in car parks, intersections, and driveways.
The new Australian Design Rule (ADR) will require new electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars, trucks and buses to be fitted with an AVAS from November 2025. This is a huge win for the blind and low vision community who have campaigned strongly for the introduction of this technology, in order to make pedestrian safety a priority. You can read more here.
Reform of Disability Standards for Public Transport
The Federal Government has announced the reform to disability standards to help make public transport more accessible, including for people with low vision and blindness. Read the summary of decision here.
Help test the new Hailo app
The Hailo app is being trialled in NSW as part of the Transport for NSW Bus Boarding Assistant Innovation Challenge. Using the Hailo app, commuters can:
- Alert bus drivers in advance that they are waiting to be picked up.
- Communicate their accessibility requirements.
- Let drivers know where they want to be dropped off.
- Receive live status updates during their trip.
The information is sent to the driver via an alert, so commuters don’t have to worry about being left behind or dropped off at the incorrect stop, allowing them to use public transport more confidently.
Current bus routes using the Hailo App as part of the trial include:
- Sydney – B-Line service
- Queanbeyan – all services
- Tweed Heads – all services
- Canberra – all services operated by CDC Buses
If you are interested in helping make public transport accessible for everyone, sign up for the Hailo pilot.
For more information about Hailo, the pilot, or to get in contact, please visit www.hailo.co or email info@hailo.co.
Upcoming Conferences
CVI Conference: Building Meaningful Recognition, 23 June 2024, Boston. Presented by Perkins School for the Blind. Can’t get to Boston? You can pay for recordings of the plenary sessions (about 5 and a half hours of content). Read more about the conference here.
Australasian CHARGE Syndrome Conference, 23 – 25 August, 2024, Sydney Olympic Park. Visit the CHARGE Syndrome website for more information.
SPEVI conference, 13-15 January 2025, University of Southern Queensland, Brisbane. Conference delivery both online and in person. Check out the dedicated website to keep up to date with the conference program as it evolves and to submit your abstract. Abstracts will be accepted until 30 August 2024. If you’re not yet a member of SPEVI, join now and enjoy discounted registration fees to the conference and other SPEVI events and activities
2025 OMAA Conference, 14-15 March 2025, NextSense Macquarie University, Sydney. Early Bird Registration is now open and the Call for Papers has been announced! Check out the Conference webpage for more details.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
If you attended the ‘Me and Rick’ SPEVI symposium on 14 May 2024 you are eligible to receive 1 credit point. You simply need to email OMAA PDC (pdc@omaaustralasia.com) and provide evidence of attendance (from SPEVI) and then you will be issued with a certificate. Thank you to Ewa Borkowski from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT for this notification.
The third OMAA Community of Practice meeting for 2024 is titled ‘O&M in Far-Flung Places’ and is scheduled for Tuesday 30th July. Please visit the CoP webpage for more details.
If you missed the second 2024 CoP session ‘How to Write an Abstract and Present a Quality Conference Presentation’ presented by Dr Nicola McDowell, you can access the recording here. Use passcode 8n+x2DpP This session also featured an update from the Professional Standards Committee. Thank you to Alicia San Martin from Guide Dogs Victoria for providing this recording link.
You can find other PD opportunities at the OMAA website: https://www.omaaustralasia.com/resources/professional-development/
Are you hosting or attending an upcoming CPD event? Would you like to be able to earn points towards ACVREP recertification at the same time? Click here to find out how you can register your event.
Job Vacancies
Have you looked at the Job Vacancies page on the OMAA website recently? You’ll find position vacancies listed for various agencies and locations across Australasia so remember to check it out.
Other News
- UTS and Guide Dogs NSW/ACT develop future mobility tech.
- Could AI replace the Guide Dog?
- A new book “The Cane Kids: Everett and Willow’s Journey in Navigating Legal Blindness” is available. Order your copy here.
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