Consultant Appointed to Write Telecommunications Discussion Paper
The Commission is pleased to announce that it has chosen William (Bill) Jolley to write a discussion paper on access to telecommunications for people with a disability. This follows a previous call for expressions of interest.
Bill has extensive knowledge and experience of both the telecommunications and disability sectors. He worked for ten years as a research mathematician with Telstra, and then for six years as Executive Officer of Blind Citizens Australia (BCA). While at BCA, Bill conceived and supervised the development of the Telecommunications and Disability Consumer Representation (TEDICORE) project, and he became well-known as an articulate and strategic consumer advocate. Most recently, Bill worked as Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium, where he was involved in development of the international standard and implementation strategies for the production, exchange and use of digital talking books in both developed and developing countries.
Bill has written extensively and given many national and international presentations on a wide range of issues affecting people with a disability, including telecommunications. The discussion paper that he is writing for the Commission will involve a comprehensive review of current and emerging developments in the area of telecommunications both in Australia and overseas, as well as extensive consultations with various groups of stakeholders. It will be published in April 2003, and will provide a framework for the Commission's further activities in the area of access to telecommunications.
For further information about the Access to Telecommunications project,
please contact:
Bruce Maguire
Policy Officer
Disability Rights Unit
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Telephone: 02 9284 9613
Email: brucemaguire@humanrights.gov.au
