Stuart Henry (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to speak tonight of a remarkable and inspirational young man who is a constituent of the Hasluck electorate, a resident of High Wycombe. Scott Hollier received his doctorate in philosophy at Curtin University last week on 15 February. In so doing, he joined only a handful of severely vision impaired Australians to earn a PhD. Scott has retinitis pigmentosa, which means that, at best, he has very narrow, or tunnel, vision and loses all his sight in poor lighting or at night. His thesis ‘The Disability Divide’ deals with how internet technologies can provide opportunities for people who are blind or vision impaired. Dr Hollier is a Principal Consultant for Corporate Development and Innovation at the Association for the Blind of Western Australia, where he hopes to change society’s perception of people who are blind or vision impaired.

In Australia, one in four people have some form of permanent disability. Of the general population, 66 per cent have access to a computer whilst only 48 per cent of those with a disability have access. Fifty-three per cent of the general population have internet access but only 39 per cent of those with a disability do. This is a statistic that is in our power to change. I am disappointed that those in the community who stand to benefit the most have so little access. The internet has been a welcome resource for many people but, for people who are blind or vision impaired, the internet has opened up so many more opportunities for them. Internet access provides independent access to information—more so in the case of those who would otherwise rely upon the help of others, as blind or visually impaired people have had to.

With vast reading libraries now available through the internet, the independence that gives to people who are blind or vision impaired has helped to remove barriers and give access to literature, information and knowledge that they would otherwise have to wait for or simply miss out on. These days, using new technologies such as zoom text or voice software packages, people are able to access that same information immediately, providing much greater opportunity for education and for employment. New technologies now open a window to the entire world. Instead of relying upon braille or audio copies, any text can be accessed straightaway using simple technologies available on home computers. It has also assisted visually-impaired people to participate in online support groups, in exactly the same way that other groups do.

I turn now to the issue of faster access to news and world events. Blind or visually-impaired people are able to gain information more quickly from the internet than from any other source. As early as 1973 the United States government enacted legislation under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requiring that any information technology sold to or on behalf of the government must adhere to specific accessibility criteria for people with disabilities. This then led to companies such as Apple computer building into their computers as standard features programs such as voice software packages and an excellent zoom option to enlarge text.

In Australia people with disabilities, and in particular people who are blind or vision impaired, are not benefiting from computing and information technologies as much as other Australians through a lack of access. As such, Standards Australia have identified a need to provide a standard for Australia and have established a working party—which includes Dr Hollier—to assist in the development of an appropriate standard. Dr Scott Hollier discovered that the digital divide is caused not by a lack of ability, will or interest among people who are blind or vision impaired but rather a lack of opportunity.

There are many assistive technologies available that can help people who are blind or vision impaired to use computers in much the same way as those with full sight. It is unbelievable in this day and age that 68 per cent of people who are blind or vision impaired are unemployed, and of those who do have jobs many are significantly underemployed. I applaud Dr Scott Hollier not only for the inspirational way in which he gets on with life but also for his hard work and focus on ensuring that people who are blind or vision impaired will find life easier in the future by ensuring that appropriate legislation is enacted in Australia to enable those with a disability to access the internet and to utilise computer technology. Therein lies the true meaning of life: helping one another.