The Hunter Branch hosted the TADNSW Annual Conference in Newcastle. Under the theme “One Organisation One Future” over fifty delegates representing Branches, Interest Groups, and Sydney Metro groups met over three days at the Bimet Lodge.

Lord Mayor of Newcastle Cr John Tate with TADNSW CEO Joy Barrett at the Bimet Executive Lodge

Vision Australia's Mark Walters demonstrating voice-activated software.

The Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor John Tate was introduced to the delegates by the Chairman of the Hunter Branch, John Simpson. The Mayor welcomed the Conference delegates and acknowledged the work of TAD in the Newcastle area.

Mayor Tate said “TAD should be proud of its achievements, and volunteers should be congratulated for their dedication and commitment to the needs of people with a disability.”

Specialist speakers covered a range of subjects, including a session on Adaptive Technology presented by Wendy Katalnic from The Northcott Society, and Mark Walters from Vision Australia. Lynda Kings from the Sydney Childrens Hospital hosted a session on “Dealing with Difficult People ”.

The POSH Chair was the centre piece for the “Take A Seat” presentation from Winsome Baker. The chair, which had been in development for a few years, will provide new seating options for schools based on the standard Hob Nob or Postura chairs. These chairs are often not suitable for children with physical disabilities. The POSH chair attracted the attention of Newcastle’s NBN 3 News, and the story was featured in their 6pm News coverage.

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