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Overwatch 2 players demand Arcane crossover and it might just workLA Auto Show offers a look at classics and EV advancements all in one placeIf you use the Newcastle Interchange, you may have seen Rob in his wheelchair, engaging with people as he sold The Big Issue magazine . Login or signup to continue reading But up until 2021, when the Stockton Centre closed, Rob had been in high-need care for 50 years, cut off from society, with the nursing staff attending to his needs. Rob was placed there at an early age because of his intellectual disability. This recent transformation of Rob's life has been supported by the work of Hunter Circles , which, through an innovative and inclusive pilot project, seeks to link people with an intellectual disability to a trained volunteer - a 'social connector' who shares similar interests. The social connector may expand the person's social network by getting them involved in community activities like art, sports, music, and cultural events. Each social connector is part of a larger team that forms a Circle of Support around each person with intellectual disability. This includes volunteer circle members who, together with the social connector, work to help the individual achieve their goals by creating opportunities for inclusion. A training program is provided to equip volunteers with the skills and knowledge needed for the role. The volunteering roles are flexible and tailored to the needs and aspirations of each person. Following the closure of the Stockton Centre, Rob was moved to a group home but wanted something other than this living arrangement. He was able to move into a unit in Wickham near the Newcastle tramline. With the aid of his wheelchair, life started to open for him. He could use his wheelchair and the tram to move around the CBD. Rob could do a certain amount with a smartphone, including seeking help, switching on lights, and opening doors. Through his electronic communication board, Rob says, "It felt great to be independent and be the king of my castle". However, he was still socially isolated until he connected with Hunter Circles. Rob now has a 'circle of support' - a group of family and friends who meet monthly to make plans with him and then implement them. Rob says, "My circle is very important to me because it believes in me and helps me". The circle helps Rob try new things and identifies and reduces risks. For instance, selling the Big Issue in Wickham has made Rob many new friends, including Darren, the owner of a nearby Foodworks shop. As his life continues to expand, Rob has ambitions to start a business. He now describes himself as "a man of ideas, ambition, love, and humour". Rob has been set free from institutional care and is living his best life with the support of Hunter Circles. Hunter Circles is looking for volunteers who are good at connecting with people and happy to share their local networks, think creatively, take the initiative, and are excited about creating a more inclusive community in the Hunter. Dan Galazowski, a Hunter Circles volunteer, said: "Being a social connector is an extremely rewarding experience. It has made my life so much richer". This Community for Everyone, a two-year pilot project, is being launched in Ryde and Parramatta with Side-By-Side Advocacy and in the Hunter region with Hunter Circles. These areas were chosen because many people with intellectual disabilities have transitioned in recent years from large institutions such as the Stockton Centre to group homes. The Disability Royal Commission found a particular need to build bridges for people with intellectual disabilities who do not have informal networks . Despite the wide coverage of the NDIS program, Hunter Circles believes more than money is needed for the intellectual disability group. "Money can't buy you belonging. Those freely given relationships make all the difference in the world. Relationships are everything. People do better in life when they have friendship and belonging," the executive officer of Hunter Circles, Jen Cush, says. If you would like to join the Hunter Circles pilot program as a volunteer email info@huntercircles.org or huntercircles.org DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. 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By David Shepardson, Nora Eckert (Reuters) -General Motors said on Tuesday it will stop funding and exit robotaxi development at its majority-owned Cruise business, a blow to the automaker that had made the advanced technology unit a top priority. GM said it would no longer fund work on the robotaxis “given the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market.” The automaker has invested more than $10 billion in Cruise. GM shares rose 3.2% in extended trading on Tuesday. In 2023, GM CEO Mary Barra said the Cruise business could generate $50 billion in annual revenue by 2030. “This is the latest in the series of decisions that GM has announced which underscore our focus on having the right technology for the future of our company and the industry and reflects our commitment to execute with speed and efficiency,” she said on Tuesday. Barra declined to say how many Cruise employees could be moved over to GM. Some of GM’s competitors have already stopped funding autonomous driving businesses, citing the costs and difficulties involved in developing such sophisticated technology. In October 2022, Ford Motor shifted spending away from its Argo AI operation, winding down the venture that was also funded by Volkswagen. Ford is still working on advanced driver assistance systems in-house different from the fully autonomous ones being developed at Argo AI. Last month, Cruise admitted to submitting a false report to influence a federal investigation and agreed to pay a $500,000 criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. The Justice Department said Cruise failed to disclose key details of an October 2023 crash to federal regulators in which one of its robotaxis in San Francisco struck and seriously injured a pedestrian. GM expects the restructuring will lower spending by more than $1 billion annually after the plan is completed by the end of June. GM, which owns about 90% of Cruise, has agreements with other shareholders that will raise its ownership to more than 97% and will pursue the acquisition of the remaining shares. GM in July said it would halt development of a planned robotaxi that would not have a steering wheel or other human controls. In 2022, GM filed a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving Origin vehicles annually without human controls such as brake pedals or mirrors. The agency has not acted on the request and GM cited the regulatory risk for its decision. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Nora Eckert in Detroit and Manya Saini in BengaluruEditing by Chizu Nomiyama, Ben Klayman and Matthew Lewis) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );AI safety is hard to steer with science in flux, US official says
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