WEBVTT 00:04.120 --> 00:04.920 Ellie: Hi everyone, 00:04.920 --> 00:10.120 I'm APM Ambassador Ellie Cole and today we will be discussing visual impairment 00:10.120 --> 00:14.840 and the vital role of accessibility in both in employment and in everyday life. 00:15.480 --> 00:20.280 I'm so delighted to introduce you to today's guest Ayesha and her beautiful 00:20.280 --> 00:25.200 seeing eye dog, Princess, and together we're going to explore the unique barriers 00:25.200 --> 00:29.040 faced by individuals with visual impairments in the workplace and discuss 00:29.040 --> 00:33.040 practical steps that employers can take to create more inclusive environments. 00:33.440 --> 00:36.840 We'll also touch on the importance of community support and awareness 00:36.840 --> 00:39.840 in making public spaces accessible for everyone. 00:39.880 --> 00:41.640 Ayesha, thank you so much for joining us today 00:41.640 --> 00:44.640 and bringing along a very special guest as well. 00:44.800 --> 00:48.040 Princess, who is still awake but I don't think will be by the end, 00:48.040 --> 00:50.080 not because of the content of the conversation, 00:50.080 --> 00:52.440 because it's a very relaxing environment to be in. 00:52.440 --> 00:56.680 Are you able to introduce your name, your age and your role at APM? 00:56.880 --> 00:58.480 Ayesha: So my name is Ayesha Patterson. 00:58.480 --> 01:01.040 I'm 32 and I'm a LAC Community 01:01.040 --> 01:03.640 Capacity Builder at APM Communities. 01:04.040 --> 01:07.040 Ellie: Now tell us about where you grew up. 01:07.320 --> 01:10.880 Ayesha: I grew up in Mandurah, which is south of Perth. 01:11.840 --> 01:14.840 Lived there my whole life and I still live there. 01:14.880 --> 01:17.560 It's great because you can be close to Perth 01:17.560 --> 01:20.560 to get to and from, but you're not in the city. 01:20.560 --> 01:22.720 Ellie: Yeah. And what was it like growing up there? 01:22.720 --> 01:24.440 Ayesha: Everyone knows everyone so, 01:24.440 --> 01:26.360 and you kind of have that environment now, 01:26.360 --> 01:32.480 with my work, people come in and are like “hi, Ayesha” and they go, “how do you know that person?” 01:32.480 --> 01:37.760 I'm like, “oh, you know went to high school with them or, did some community work with them.” 01:38.200 --> 01:38.960 Which is kind of cool. 01:38.960 --> 01:42.200 Ellie: And, tell me about what it was like going to school in Mandurah. 01:42.200 --> 01:46.480 Did you go to a school that helped you 01:46.480 --> 01:49.560 with your vision impairment or what was your schooling like? 01:49.560 --> 01:52.560 Ayesha: My schooling, I went to a private school. 01:52.920 --> 01:57.520 But I didn't advertise that I had disability. 01:58.680 --> 02:03.560 I had very good vision at the time that I thought, 02:03.560 --> 02:06.040 but even though I could hardly see anything, 02:07.520 --> 02:12.960 and I just wasn't accepting of the disability, it took me a while to accept. 02:12.960 --> 02:16.680 So I wore magnifying glasses because glasses were cool. 02:18.080 --> 02:19.560 Ellie: Glasses were cool? 02:19.560 --> 02:20.160 Ayesha: Yeah. 02:20.160 --> 02:21.880 Ellie: That's a bit backwards from what I grew up with. 02:21.880 --> 02:23.160 Ayesha: I know. 02:23.440 --> 02:26.920 And I would borrow my friend's notes 02:26.920 --> 02:30.440 and everything just so I could still do school and 02:31.680 --> 02:34.680 I learned how to listen a lot. 02:35.360 --> 02:36.960 Yeah, I didn't use any equipment 02:36.960 --> 02:39.960 or anything until after high school. 02:40.080 --> 02:44.280 Ellie: So it sounds like when you were growing up, even with a disability, you really learned 02:44.280 --> 02:48.360 how to adapt to your surroundings very, very quickly and just to make things work. 02:48.720 --> 02:49.800 Ayesha: Yeah. 02:49.800 --> 02:53.600 Ellie: Yeah, I think it’s a really amazing skill to have, 02:53.600 --> 02:57.280 and I think a lot of people in the communities are really starting 02:57.280 --> 03:00.280 to identify a lot of the strengths that people with disabilities have. 03:00.280 --> 03:06.080 And, you know, there's so many stories like yours where you have difficulty 03:06.080 --> 03:09.880 navigating some things in everyday life, but you just happen to find a way around it. 03:09.880 --> 03:12.880 And it sounds like you had friends there that helping you with your notes. 03:13.000 --> 03:15.240 Ayesha: Yeah, they did, but that was my stubborn stage. 03:15.240 --> 03:17.680 Ellie: Yeah. You mentioned before, it was a little better when you were younger? 03:17.680 --> 03:21.440 Ayesha: Yeah. So my vision has been getting worse as I've gotten older. 03:22.760 --> 03:25.760 It will lead to complete blindness. 03:25.840 --> 03:29.960 So the condition I have, the cells in my retina are dying. 03:30.480 --> 03:34.800 So all the ones that are in charge of your peripheral vision, 03:34.800 --> 03:37.800 night vision, color, depth. 03:38.000 --> 03:41.000 And then I have cataracts over the top as well. 03:41.080 --> 03:42.240 So that makes life interesting. 03:42.240 --> 03:43.400 Ellie: I bet it does. 03:43.400 --> 03:49.320 Do you have memory, when you were younger, of ever being able to see clearly, or is it 03:49.320 --> 03:55.320 something that has been degrading since you were a young child? 03:56.720 --> 04:02.560 Ayesha: Before I was four so one of those random circumstances, I was bitten by a Redback (spider) 04:02.640 --> 04:05.680 and I didn't get the anti-venom, and it caused the eye condition. 04:07.160 --> 04:12.000 So before that, yeah, I can remember seeing stuff. 04:12.000 --> 04:16.960 Ellie: What was it like for you to grow up and go to school with a disability? 04:17.000 --> 04:18.280 You said that you were very good 04:18.280 --> 04:21.720 at camouflaging it for a while, but I'm sure the penny dropped eventually. 04:21.960 --> 04:22.600 Ayesha: Oh, yes. 04:24.240 --> 04:27.080 The penny did drop with a lot of people. 04:27.080 --> 04:30.960 But I've just met up recently with a school reunion, and 04:31.320 --> 04:36.200 I turned up there with my seeing eye dog, and they're like, really? You're blind? What? 04:36.200 --> 04:38.000 We had no idea. 04:38.000 --> 04:41.600 And then other people, like, yeah, we knew. 04:41.600 --> 04:46.840 But yeah, it wasn't until after I left high school that I would, I actually, 04:47.760 --> 04:52.320 you know, accepted my disability and said, stuff it, I don't care what people think. 04:52.320 --> 04:54.640 And it was the best thing I ever did. 04:54.640 --> 04:56.160 Ellie: Yeah, absolutely. 04:56.160 --> 04:59.160 I think, it's really empowering to get to that point as well. 05:00.040 --> 05:02.880 And I heard you mentioned before that 05:02.880 --> 05:06.080 it took you a while to accept having a disability yourself. 05:06.920 --> 05:10.760 Let alone sharing that information with the rest of the world, which, 05:10.960 --> 05:15.280 you know, you should only do so if you feel like you're in a comfortable 05:15.280 --> 05:17.040 and safe environment to be able to do that. 05:17.040 --> 05:19.640 So what was it like for you to, 05:19.640 --> 05:23.600 take the time and digest that information and come to terms with the fact 05:23.600 --> 05:26.280 that you did have a disability and come to terms 05:26.280 --> 05:28.880 with accepting that part of yourself as well. 05:28.880 --> 05:30.240 Ayesha: It was the best thing I ever did. 05:31.840 --> 05:34.960 And, you know, accepting that, 05:36.000 --> 05:38.040 because now, like, everything 05:38.040 --> 05:41.040 that's happened in my life is, 05:41.160 --> 05:44.480 mainly because of I have a disability, which is great. 05:45.400 --> 05:47.160 It's led to lots of opportunities, 05:47.160 --> 05:52.440 and being able to share and empower and advocate for others has been great. 05:52.440 --> 05:55.080 And also for myself. 05:55.080 --> 05:58.400 Ellie: What kind of opportunities are you speaking to you when you say that 05:58.400 --> 06:01.440 having a disability has led to a lot of opportunities in your life? 06:02.160 --> 06:06.080 Ayesha: So it led to me to be able to travel around Australia 06:06.080 --> 06:09.320 a lot, because I got to represent WA with sport. 06:10.000 --> 06:11.680 Ellie: Really? You're an athlete? 06:11.680 --> 06:14.760 Ayesha: Past. I’m injured, so I don’t do sport now. 06:14.760 --> 06:17.760 Ellie: I can't believe you've waited 15 minutes to tell me you're an athlete. 06:19.520 --> 06:22.360 Ayesha: Yeah, so I used to do goalball and then tenpin bowling. 06:22.360 --> 06:24.520 Ellie: So how did you become involved in the goalball team? 06:24.520 --> 06:26.120 I know quite a few of the girls. 06:26.600 --> 06:30.680 Ayesha: I was looking for something to do, 06:30.680 --> 06:33.560 and a sport, something to keep me busy. 06:33.560 --> 06:41.560 And this youth person, who’s in Blind Sports Australia, WA here. 06:41.560 --> 06:42.640 Was like, we've got this sport, 06:42.640 --> 06:44.280 we're looking for female people, 06:44.280 --> 06:47.240 do you want to come and have a go? 06:47.240 --> 06:50.760 And I went up to Perth and watched it 06:50.760 --> 06:53.440 and I was hooked like straight away. 06:54.720 --> 06:58.080 And then competed and represented WA 06:58.080 --> 07:02.640 and all that from 2012 to 2015. 07:03.080 --> 07:05.600 Ellie: Incredible. Did you ever make the Australian team? 07:05.600 --> 07:07.560 Ayesha: No, almost. 07:07.560 --> 07:08.880 Ellie: And then you became injured? 07:08.880 --> 07:09.000 Ayesha: Yeah. 07:09.000 --> 07:11.280 Ellie: I'm not surprised to hear that you became injured because 07:11.280 --> 07:15.120 from my experience playing goalball and from what I've seen, it is brutal. 07:15.360 --> 07:18.120 Ayesha: It is. Ellie: Absolutely brutal on your body. 07:18.120 --> 07:18.360 Ayesha: Yeah. 07:18.360 --> 07:22.400 At the time, there was only 4 or 5 women, so we were competing 07:22.400 --> 07:26.280 against the guys every training session, which was very chaotic. 07:26.760 --> 07:31.520 And then yeah, took up tenpin bowling from 2016 to 2020. 07:31.680 --> 07:36.800 Ellie: As someone who had joined an inclusive sporting team in terms of goalball 07:36.800 --> 07:40.280 as well as your tenpin bowling, what was like that like for you 07:40.280 --> 07:44.200 to be able to step into a whole new community there based on sports? 07:44.760 --> 07:47.480 Ayesha: It was amazing to people 07:47.480 --> 07:51.080 to not think about disability because we all had different disabilities. 07:52.080 --> 07:53.440 A lot of people would forget 07:53.440 --> 07:56.600 they actually had a disability, which is awesome. 07:57.880 --> 08:01.400 And then having the confidence in your coach to be able to say 08:01.400 --> 08:05.240 you can compete against other people, it was really cool. 08:06.000 --> 08:07.280 I found it really interesting. 08:07.280 --> 08:10.920 Ellie: Just then when you said a lot of people forget that they had a disability, 08:10.920 --> 08:13.920 because in my experience, I forget all the time. 08:14.080 --> 08:17.600 It's it's fascinating to have a difference or impairment, 08:17.600 --> 08:20.960 and it's almost like you yourself 08:20.960 --> 08:23.960 don't feel any differently until someone else tells you that you are. 08:24.080 --> 08:24.840 Ayesha: Yeah. 08:24.840 --> 08:28.800 Ellie: And so when you step into a team or a place that's really inclusive, 08:29.560 --> 08:31.680 no one's telling you that you are different. 08:31.680 --> 08:33.400 And it can be really empowering. Don’t you think? 08:33.480 --> 08:34.920 Ayesha: It’s so empowering, yeah. 08:34.920 --> 08:37.960 I find that with my role at APM as well, 08:39.160 --> 08:43.480 being capacity builder, I'm making sure that the community is accessible 08:43.480 --> 08:47.440 and also people with disabilities, they feel empowered and 08:48.480 --> 08:52.800 I had someone come up to me last week, they had a full conversation with me, 08:53.240 --> 08:58.240 and they never did that before, you know, 12 months ago, which was amazing. 08:58.240 --> 09:01.000 Ellie: Yeah, that's really nice to hear. 09:01.000 --> 09:03.640 Now I see that you've brought Princess along here today. 09:03.640 --> 09:06.640 You have a seeing eye dog. 09:07.000 --> 09:10.800 What role does Princess play in your day-to-day life? 09:11.280 --> 09:13.320 Ayesha: What doesn’t she do? 09:13.320 --> 09:14.280 She's my sidekick. 09:14.280 --> 09:16.480 Ellie: She guided you in pretty well today. 09:16.480 --> 09:19.480 Ayesha: Yeah. She's my eyes. Literally. 09:19.760 --> 09:22.760 If I didn't have her, I would be banging into stuff and, 09:24.320 --> 09:27.320 she gives me a lot of independence to be able to get out and about. 09:27.320 --> 09:30.720 Ellie: What was your life like before Princess came into your life? 09:30.720 --> 09:32.640 What is it like now that she's in your life? 09:33.760 --> 09:36.240 Ayesha: So there was a gap between 09:36.240 --> 09:39.000 the two dogs because she's my second dog, 09:39.000 --> 09:42.000 and I was on a waitlist for four years. 09:42.320 --> 09:46.680 Between the two dogs and going from full independence, 09:47.040 --> 09:50.000 having a dog to going back to my cane, 09:50.000 --> 09:53.000 and having to relearn how to use a cane, 09:53.040 --> 09:55.560 and then also having my eyesight, 09:55.560 --> 09:58.560 you know, go down quite a lot in that space. 09:59.600 --> 10:04.720 I noticed that I wasn't doing a lot of stuff, what I used to do. 10:05.040 --> 10:10.440 I would rely heavily on friends and support just to be able to go out and about. 10:10.480 --> 10:14.800 Ellie: Yeah. Ayesha: But now I can get on the bus and go to the shopping centre 10:14.800 --> 10:17.800 and meet up with a friend for a coffee, or 10:17.960 --> 10:20.760 go up to Perth for a favourite activity, 10:20.760 --> 10:23.040 me or my friends would go to Fringe Festival. 10:23.040 --> 10:26.120 So, you know, this year I was actually able to meet her at a 10:27.000 --> 10:29.400 really nice place and go to the theatre which was great. 10:29.400 --> 10:32.400 Ellie: Walking throughout your community, accessing the communities, 10:32.400 --> 10:36.360 what’s some of the biggest challenges that you face, just in day-to-day living? 10:36.840 --> 10:39.840 Ayesha: A lot of people try and pat her while I'm 10:39.880 --> 10:43.520 giving commands or walking, which can distract her and me. 10:43.880 --> 10:46.560 I call them ninja patters, because they just quickly put their 10:46.560 --> 10:50.000 hand down and try and pat, and then they walk off. 10:50.000 --> 10:52.640 So yeah, me, my friends, we call them ninja patters. 10:52.800 --> 10:57.480 And then the other issues I have a lot is taxis and Ubers. 10:57.520 --> 11:00.520 Unfortunately, a lot of them refuse. 11:01.320 --> 11:05.560 I've had some try and put the dog in the boot of the car, 11:05.560 --> 11:08.560 or they see the dog and they drive past, 11:09.240 --> 11:11.480 which is it's always an ongoing 11:11.480 --> 11:14.480 issue all over Australia, unfortunately, 11:14.720 --> 11:16.880 refusals for taxis and Ubers. 11:16.880 --> 11:19.880 Ellie: I've heard of a lot of experiences and, and I've read a lot of, 11:19.920 --> 11:21.920 I've seen a lot of media about that as well. 11:22.400 --> 11:26.880 About people that use seeing eye dogs trying to access any kind of transport, 11:26.880 --> 11:29.320 and the difficulties that they face with that, 11:29.320 --> 11:32.040 and that can be really challenging and a huge barrier for people to be able 11:32.040 --> 11:33.320 to access communities as well. 11:33.320 --> 11:34.600 Ayesha: Yes, totally. 11:34.600 --> 11:38.200 But buses and trains, they’re great, you know. 11:38.320 --> 11:38.560 Ellie: Yeah. 11:38.560 --> 11:44.200 Ayesha: Or you find a really good taxi driver like I have at home, and he picks me up for work, 11:44.200 --> 11:45.720 drops me off at home. 11:45.720 --> 11:48.000 Ellie: What about some of the challenges that you face day-to-day 11:48.000 --> 11:49.600 just living with a vision impairment? 11:53.680 --> 11:56.680 Ayesha: I try and not look at it as challenges, 11:57.200 --> 11:59.600 or limitations, like limits. 11:59.600 --> 12:03.840 But I try to come away with solutions. 12:05.040 --> 12:11.120 But the most frustrating thing is trying to find the right top or the right pair of shoes. 12:12.000 --> 12:17.440 Normally I wear, multi-colored flats, Mary Jane shoes, 12:17.440 --> 12:21.840 and the other day, my friend goes, you realise you're wearing 12:21.840 --> 12:26.760 the two different shoes, and I'm like, oh, oopsies. 12:27.040 --> 12:28.320 Ellie: I'm sure she understands. 12:28.320 --> 12:31.160 Ayesha: Yeah, so we've run back into the house and, you know, 12:31.160 --> 12:34.000 we found the other shoe, but it's just hilarious. 12:34.000 --> 12:35.640 Ellie: You know what? 12:35.640 --> 12:38.040 I've actually done that quite a few times myself 12:38.040 --> 12:39.600 because I don't have a vision impairment, 12:39.600 --> 12:43.360 but when I go to bed, I leave a shoe on my prosthetic. 12:43.360 --> 12:45.400 And then when I was an athlete, I used to wake up 12:45.400 --> 12:47.520 in the middle of the night almost to go to swimming training. 12:47.520 --> 12:50.400 So I would get change in the dark. So I guess it is similar. 12:50.400 --> 12:53.560 And because I already had a shoe on my foot, I would just grab 12:53.680 --> 12:56.320 what I thought would be the right shoe, and the amount of times 12:56.320 --> 12:58.120 I went to training with two different shoes on 12:58.120 --> 12:59.960 because I couldn't feel the difference in the shoes either, 12:59.960 --> 13:04.360 one of my feet was plastic, so it's quite common. 13:04.360 --> 13:04.680 Ayesha: Yeah. 13:07.160 --> 13:12.120 Ellie: What are the assumptions that people make about vision impairments that’s the most common, 13:12.120 --> 13:15.120 the most common things that you see people make assumptions about? 13:15.120 --> 13:18.000 Ayesha: I think the biggest assumption is that they think that everyone 13:18.000 --> 13:21.000 with vision impairment can read Braille, and I don't, 13:21.560 --> 13:24.640 and a lot of people in the community actually don't read Braille. 13:24.640 --> 13:27.400 Some a lot of people do, but not everyone. 13:27.400 --> 13:32.320 Ellie: When you were growing up, what was it like for you to be able to access employment? 13:32.320 --> 13:35.880 Ayesha: Because I know in my community where I grew up in Victoria, 13:36.280 --> 13:39.200 everybody wanted a job at the age of 14. 13:39.200 --> 13:40.560 And, you know, it was 13:40.560 --> 13:44.000 pretty difficult for me to even get a job with a physical impairment. 13:44.080 --> 13:47.480 Ellie: For you, what was it like trying to gain employment 13:47.480 --> 13:49.400 when you were able to enter the workforce? 13:49.400 --> 13:55.360 Ayesha: It was so challenging. Yeah. It took me forever to get jobs. 13:55.360 --> 14:00.240 And then I would have to go to TAFE, do all the qualifications, 14:00.800 --> 14:08.280 and then you go and try to find a job, you put the interview in, 14:08.960 --> 14:12.680 and then the biggest barrier was, do you have a driver's license? 14:12.680 --> 14:15.440 So I'm like, no, why would I have a driver's license? 14:15.440 --> 14:17.800 You don't want me driving? 14:17.800 --> 14:23.800 And then as soon as you'd tick no, that would be it, you know? 14:24.320 --> 14:28.040 And before APM I was working, 14:28.920 --> 14:32.240 I was able to find casual employment for non-for-profits, 14:32.880 --> 14:39.000 but a lot of the mainstream, event management work, 14:39.000 --> 14:45.520 as soon as you turned up to the interview with a cane or seeing eye dog, 14:45.520 --> 14:49.000 they would go nope, sorry, we've already filled the position or, 14:49.320 --> 14:50.920 you know, you didn't have a driver's license, 14:50.920 --> 14:54.240 so we've given it to the other person, even though we've done 14:54.240 --> 14:57.840 the qualifications together, just really, really sad. 14:58.360 --> 15:00.160 And having that knockback, it, 15:01.480 --> 15:03.160 quite affected my mental health. 15:03.160 --> 15:06.040 And it's also affected other people's mental health with, 15:06.040 --> 15:08.640 you know, the whole applying for jobs. 15:08.640 --> 15:11.360 But, I was lucky I managed to get a job 15:11.360 --> 15:14.480 at APM Communities, through volunteering 15:14.480 --> 15:17.520 and then customised employment, which has been great, 15:17.520 --> 15:20.240 that the customised employment, 15:20.240 --> 15:21.640 has come about. 15:21.640 --> 15:24.640 There's a lot of people now with disabilities can actually get a job. 15:24.640 --> 15:27.120 Ellie: And these types of people that you're speaking about 15:27.120 --> 15:28.960 that have been able to secure employment 15:28.960 --> 15:32.160 through the customised employment that APM do. 15:33.200 --> 15:36.200 They're the people that you were speaking about before, who you know, 15:36.240 --> 15:39.240 were being knocked back for jobs and it was affecting their mental health. 15:39.920 --> 15:42.920 Ayesha: Yeah, well, I was able to get the job through customised employment. 15:43.200 --> 15:46.120 And I've met two other people, 15:46.120 --> 15:51.800 who have managed to get customised employment not just through APM, but other organisations. 15:51.800 --> 15:52.760 It's been great. 15:52.760 --> 15:56.120 Ellie: So what was that process like for you to find APM 15:56.120 --> 15:59.120 and then to go through the customised employment to be able to secure a job. 15:59.120 --> 16:01.200 What was that process like, walk me through? 16:01.200 --> 16:04.360 How you found it, what it was like for you to go 16:04.360 --> 16:07.520 through that process, how you felt going through that process? 16:07.520 --> 16:11.040 Ayesha: It was very exciting but daunting at the same time. 16:11.800 --> 16:14.800 So I was volunteering on a project, 16:15.240 --> 16:16.640 that runs 16:16.640 --> 16:20.840 they wanted people with disabilities, to help run this project, 16:21.320 --> 16:25.440 which I ended up overtaking and running it completely, which was amazing. 16:26.800 --> 16:31.520 But so came into volunteering and then the community 16:31.520 --> 16:36.160 capacity builder at the time, APM manager was like, are you looking? 16:36.640 --> 16:40.280 I was talking to him and he said, oh, you're looking for a job? 16:40.280 --> 16:43.440 And I said, yes, because the casual employment that I had, 16:44.120 --> 16:45.960 you know, the grant had just run out. 16:45.960 --> 16:48.320 He goes, oh, send me for your résumé and, 16:49.360 --> 16:51.360 a list of your skills and experiences 16:51.360 --> 16:56.520 and I sent him through, like, a three page, word document. 16:56.520 --> 16:58.680 And he goes “how have you done all that in your whole life?” 16:58.680 --> 17:00.040 And I was like, yeah. 17:00.040 --> 17:03.400 Cause, you know, you volunteer and keep yourself busy. 17:05.640 --> 17:07.240 He goes, oh, okay, I'll send it through 17:07.240 --> 17:10.240 to some people and see if they're looking for anyone. 17:10.600 --> 17:13.600 And the next minute I got a phone call from, 17:14.440 --> 17:17.520 lovely lady Penny and Kerri. 17:17.880 --> 17:22.120 Ellie: How did that moment feel when, if you think back to a few years ago, 17:22.160 --> 17:25.160 fast forward to receiving that phone call 17:25.160 --> 17:28.160 two months after your interview and then being offered that role. 17:28.920 --> 17:30.800 Did that feel like so liberating for you? 17:30.800 --> 17:34.640 Ayesha: Oh yeah, after I got the phone call I hung up and, 17:34.640 --> 17:39.680 I did a little dance on the spot and it was full on wooing 17:40.040 --> 17:44.880 and rang my mum straight away at work and she's like, I'm currently at work. 17:44.880 --> 17:49.120 I'm like, “I got a job, I got a job”, but she's like, okay. 17:50.640 --> 17:54.680 And you know, we went out and celebrated because it was the first time, 17:54.680 --> 17:56.520 you know, someone had looked at 17:56.520 --> 17:59.880 skills and experiences and created a job, which is amazing. 17:59.880 --> 18:01.920 Ellie: Yeah. It's incredible. 18:01.920 --> 18:04.440 When you just explained that you had done a little dance 18:04.440 --> 18:07.520 and that you were so excited, like I could just see in your body, then just 18:07.520 --> 18:10.800 how excited you were that feeling that you had. 18:11.160 --> 18:14.200 It must reinforce just how important it is for you 18:14.200 --> 18:17.480 to be able to provide that for other people through APM, right? Yes. 18:17.480 --> 18:21.560 Ayesha: Yeah, I, I'm very excited with what I do at APM, 18:21.560 --> 18:22.920 and every day is different. 18:22.920 --> 18:25.880 Probably the biggest achievement was last year. 18:25.880 --> 18:29.040 City of Mandurah won the accessibility awards 18:29.040 --> 18:33.400 and I was able to help them win those awards, which was amazing. 18:33.400 --> 18:37.680 With all the work done to, with other people with disabilities, 18:38.640 --> 18:42.000 to make the town and city more accessible. 18:42.560 --> 18:44.280 It's incredibly empowering. 18:44.280 --> 18:46.920 Ellie: What kind of accommodations 18:46.920 --> 18:50.000 did APM make to the workplace in order for you 18:50.000 --> 18:53.000 to be able to flourish at work, if any? 18:53.120 --> 18:56.640 Ayesha: So the biggest accommodation is that they made sure 18:57.040 --> 19:00.040 I had enough desk space for me and Princess. 19:00.120 --> 19:01.520 So we have a corner desk. 19:01.520 --> 19:04.520 So I have one side of the desk and she has the other side. 19:05.240 --> 19:08.320 So we're not running over her paws or banging into her. 19:08.960 --> 19:13.200 Gave me a tour of the whole office, so I knew where everything was. 19:13.840 --> 19:16.800 And then, so like if there's anything 19:16.800 --> 19:19.800 you need, or we need to make more accessible. 19:20.520 --> 19:24.040 So I put tactile markings on the microwave, so. 19:24.720 --> 19:27.600 And the tea and the sugar and the coffee. 19:27.600 --> 19:31.000 So that was really good that they let me just go in and tactile 19:31.000 --> 19:34.000 the on and off power buttons for the microwave and, 19:35.520 --> 19:39.720 made sure that I had a space where I can toilet Princess. 19:39.720 --> 19:41.520 So I've got a screen reader, JAWS, 19:41.520 --> 19:44.040 I had to learn how to use JAWS on my computer. 19:44.040 --> 19:44.920 Ellie: JAWS? 19:44.920 --> 19:46.160 Ayesha: Yeah. Ellie: What is that? 19:46.160 --> 19:48.480 Ayesha: Job Access with Speech. 19:48.480 --> 19:50.640 Ayesha: It's a screen reader. 19:50.640 --> 19:55.600 So if you opened up my work laptop, it would start talking to you straight away. 19:56.120 --> 20:01.200 Ellie: You've mentioned before, the independence that Princess has given you to your life. 20:01.200 --> 20:03.840 But how has employment changed your life? 20:05.200 --> 20:06.800 Ayesha: Gives me a purpose to 20:06.800 --> 20:11.760 get up and have a schedule instead of just lazing around and doing nothing, 20:11.760 --> 20:16.280 or going. “Oh, I might do this today,” but actually, 20:16.400 --> 20:19.400 I've got work, you know, three days a week. 20:19.840 --> 20:22.480 It's been great to be able to also have the money 20:22.480 --> 20:25.480 aspect as well, which has been great. 20:25.560 --> 20:30.480 But yeah, having that set schedule and having a work 20:31.120 --> 20:32.760 life balance has been amazing. 20:32.760 --> 20:37.320 Ellie: If a workplace, an organisation, a company want to make their place 20:37.320 --> 20:40.360 more inclusive for people with vision impairments, what are the 20:40.360 --> 20:43.360 the things that they need to be considering? 20:44.960 --> 20:48.200 Ayesha: So one of the easiest things would be, you know, 20:48.200 --> 20:51.880 if someone walks into your workplace, actually introduce yourself instead of 20:53.040 --> 20:54.960 just assuming that they know what they're doing 20:54.960 --> 20:57.400 or if they are actually in the right building. 20:57.400 --> 21:00.960 And there's been a few times where I've gone, is this the right building? 21:02.400 --> 21:03.560 And saying 21:03.560 --> 21:06.560 a person like, you know, hello, I'm so-and-so. 21:06.960 --> 21:09.880 Instead of just started talking automatically. 21:09.880 --> 21:12.880 So I've been a few times where someone will come up to me. 21:13.320 --> 21:16.520 I have no idea who they are, but I've just continued talking. 21:17.920 --> 21:19.720 And then my friend goes, do you know who I am? 21:19.720 --> 21:22.560 I have no idea. 21:22.560 --> 21:26.560 And just voicing directions, 21:26.720 --> 21:30.720 a lot of people gesture or say, oh, this way, that way. 21:31.080 --> 21:35.640 But I think having specific directions and 21:36.840 --> 21:39.840 allowing the person to get lost if they need to, 21:40.640 --> 21:44.760 sometimes getting lost is the best way to find your way unfortunately. 21:45.440 --> 21:47.600 Ellie: It's also a great metaphor for life. 21:49.800 --> 21:54.320 Ayesha: And yeah, just don't assume like, a person might walk in with vision impairment, 21:54.400 --> 21:57.720 but they might be having a good day and they might be able to see you or, 21:58.160 --> 21:59.760 they might be having a bad day. 22:00.840 --> 22:03.680 Or they might have different fields of vision. 22:03.680 --> 22:07.000 So they might be looking away from you, but they're actually seeing you. 22:08.440 --> 22:11.640 Ellie: So if you were to live in a perfect world where it was completely accessible 22:11.640 --> 22:13.000 for you, 22:13.000 --> 22:15.560 I'm thinking about what communities can do better to support 22:15.560 --> 22:16.760 others with vision impairments. 22:16.760 --> 22:19.720