Michael Small, formerly of the Australian Human Rights Commission, was a joint winner of the Minister’s Award for Excellence in Disability Reform. During his time at the commission, Small was instrumental in achieving significant improvements in access to television, cinema and DVDs through increased levels of captioning.
The joint winners of the Excellence in Improving Social Participation Award were the Australian Communications Exchange (ACE) and the Captioning Studio. ACE was commended for its video relay service, captioned phone service and phone apps including OpenMi (formerly called Smart Auslan) which was launched last year and provides visitors to museums and other venues with guided tours with captions and Auslan on their smartphones.
The Captioning Studio was recognised for its work promoting and providing access for the Deaf and hearing impaired through its captioning for theatre and live events, and innovative use of technology.
Senator the Hon Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and Carers, presented the winners with their awards. The full list of finalists and winners is available on the International Day of People with Disability website.
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