Communicate

Communicate
A newsletter for the Victorian Deaf and hard of hearing community
2015
Issue 54
July / August
Inside
Page 4: Work Experience at Vicdeaf - in Ian Cleasby’s words
Page 7: Vicdeaf launches new Strategic Plan for 2015-2020
Page 12: Update about the World Deaf Tennis Championships
Vicdeaf Heroes
raise nearly
$18,000
On Sunday 26 July, Vicdeaf participated in
Run Melbourne, raising an incredible $17,661
for Vicdeaf’s work!
More than that, we had 15 deaf, hard of hearing and hearing
runners from the community, the general public, our staff as
well as our board members.
Above (left to right): Wendy Devlin, Alana Young and Jaqueline Mellington
bravely took on the Brooks Half-Marathon, running for 21.1 kilometres to
fundraise. All photos sourced from Vicdeaf.
This helped to raise much-needed awareness and funds
for our work and the needs and rights of deaf and hard of
hearing people.
Thank you to all of our incredible Vicdeaf Heroes and their
supporters!
• •GILL VICTOR
GENERAL MANAGER - MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT
Below (left to right): Michael Parremore, Sarah
Linssen, Paul Pritchard, Bridget Andritsos and
Demetrio Zema
Right: the great
Vicdeaf Hero team at
the Run Melbourne
event.
VICDEAF HEROES
SAY THANK YOU!
As many of you know, Colin Allen is the
WFD President and pleasingly he was
re-elected for another term which is an
excellent outcome for Colin and great for
Australia. Congratulations Colin.
Christine Mathieson
Report from
the CEO
Welcome to this edition of
Communicate and to the start
of spring and hopefully some
warmer weather.
In July I was very lucky to travel to
Istanbul, Turkey to attend the 17th World
Federation of the Deaf (WFD) World
Congress held between 28 July and 2
August. In total, five staff members from
Vicdeaf attended as well as Hilary Fisher, a
Vicdeaf Board Director. There were almost
60 people from Australia at the Congress
which is a fantastic number given how far
we had to travel.
There were many interesting presentations
by deaf people around the world. For
example, I attended sessions with
presenters from South Africa, Brazil,
Kenya, Philippines, Hungary, Finland,
New Zealand and Japan. Congratulations
to Tracy Steiner and Linda D’Ornay from
Vicdeaf for an excellent presentation
attended by around 500 people
and to Stephen Nicholson who did
an outstanding job interpreting the
presentation into International Sign.
Congratulations to Melissa Lowrie from
Deaf Victoria who also delivered a very
interesting presentation.
While there were many things I learnt
during the Congress, one of the most
significant was being surrounded by
hundreds and hundreds of deaf people for
a week and me being a hearing person in
the minority. It was a fabulous experience
and I am very grateful to have had the
opportunity and learn so much about deaf
culture, language and the importance of
inclusive communication. Thanks to Deaf
Australia and Deaf Services Queensland
for hosting a fantastic event with some
members of the WFD Board including
Honorary Presidents Dr Liisa Kauppinen
and Dr Markku Jokinen both from Finland.
It was also a great pleasure to meet and
chat with the Australian Ambassador to
Turkey, Mr James Larsen.
Prior to the Congress, I visited the Deaf
Village in Dublin, Ireland with Rebecca
Ladd a Board Director at Deaf Children
Australia (DCA). This was an excellent visit
and we gained so much information and
lessons learned from their experience in
establishing the ‘Village’ which will be very
valuable information as we work together
with DCA as part of our plans to co locate
and establish a Deaf Centre in Victoria.
Turning now to more local matters here
at Vicdeaf, we finalised and released our
new Strategic Plan 2015-2020. Thank
you to so many of you who provided input
and ideas into the development of our
Plan. I encourage you to have a look at
our website to view the Auslan version of
the Plan or contact us to get a copy.
Finally, a huge thank you to all the Vicdeaf
supporters, staff and Board members
who participated in Run Melbourne,
raising almost $18,000 for Vicdeaf. Well
done - a fantastic event and result.
Until next time,
• •CHRISTINE MATHIESON
Above (left to right): Brent Phillips and Christine Mathieson met Australian
Ambassador to Turkey, James Larsen and WFD President, Colin Allen.
Photo source: Vicdeaf.
2
Editorial Policy
Communicate is published six
times a year. Reader contributions are greatly welcomed.
Articles must relate to Deaf
and hard of hearing issues.
All contribution, once submitted, becomes
the property of Communicate.
The editor reserves the right not to
publish, or to edit, any article submitted
for publication. All editing shall strive to
remain true to the spirit of the original
article.
Sophie Li
Editorial
Not only we had the XVII World Congress
of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD)
as well as the World Association of Sign
Language Interpreters (WASLI) 2015
Conference both in Turkey, we also had
Hearing Awareness Week in Australia.
What a big month for us all!
I also had the opportunity to visit Japan.
I met many deaf Japanese people and it
was incredible to learn about their culture
and language. I also thoroughly enjoyed
the food experience at the famous deaf
restaurant in Tokyo and watching deaf
theatre and films. I will definitely visit again!
If you are new to employment and want
to improve communication between your
staff and employer, we can offer Deaf
Awareness Training and Basic Auslan
(DATBA) at your workplace. Make sure to
apply for Employment Assistance Fund
(EAF) to cover this cost.
Opinions expressed (except in articles
that are signed in an official capacity) are
those of the author/s and not necessarily
endorsed by the editor or by Vicdeaf.
www.facebook.com/VicdeafInfo
Sunday, 6th December 2015
11:00am - 3:00pm
Venue: Hay’s Paddock – South Oval,
Longstaff Street, East Kew, VIC. 3102
• Free sausage sizzle, soft drinks
and water bottles
• Limited outdoor umbrellas, tables
and chairs available on site
• BYO picnic
• Visit from Santa for the children
• Activities for the children
www.twitter.com/Vicdeaf
www.youtube.com/InfoVicdeaf
www.linkedin.com/company/vicdeaf
www.instagram.com/vicdeaf_goes_visual
Submission
deadlines for 2015
Wed 30 September
Mon 16 November
More info at www.vicdeaf.com.au
or email [email protected]
Interpreter provided by Auslan Connections
SUBMISSIONS WELCOME
Email to [email protected]
• •SOPHIE LI
World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section (WFDYS)
Congratulations to Shirley Liu of Deaf Youth Australia (DYA)
on becoming a member of the WFDYS Board! All the board
members are from various countries across the world including
Europe and Africa and will serve on the board for the next four
years, 2015-2019.
In addition, Deaf Youth Australia won the bid to host the WFDYS
Junior Camp 2017 in Phillip Island, Australia. This camp is for
ages between 13-17 years of age - save the date in your diary!
This is your chance to meet many other deaf teenagers coming
from all over the world.
Want to watch the Auslan video? Scan this
QR code to watch! http://bit.ly/1XnDpuR
Note: no English subtitles available.
• •SOPHIE LI
Left ((left to right): The new WFDYS
Board Members are Cecilia
Hanhikoski of Finland, Laith Foad
Fathulla of Sweden, Simon Herdman,
of UK, Alejandra Galione of Uruguay,
Benjamin Bokoe of Ghana, Shirley
Liu of Australia and Mark Berry of
New Zealand! Photo source: Deaf
Youth Australia.
3
Work Experience At Vicdeaf – in Ian Cleasby’s words
The last time I did work experience, it was
at Deaf Children Australia (DCA) which
focused on children who are under the
age of 18. This time I worked for Vicdeaf
from 20 July to 24 July which looks after
deaf and hard of hearing adults, a different
system of working compared to DCA.
Working with five different staff in the
Community and Languages Services
Department, I learned a lot about each
staff’s role and their work. Some staff
focused on updating or fixing social
media, information on internet design, look
for information to update on the Vicdeaf
website. Other staff had responsibilities
such as organising Auslan classes for
the general community, so I helped with
organising weekly class booklets to be
sent to deaf teachers to give in classes.
It was interesting to learn more about
different areas of work and I mostly
enjoyed two things: going to a meeting
with Yarra Trams and Deaf Awareness
Training. Yarra Trams asked Vicdeaf to
assist in ensuring their transport service
is accessible for deaf and hard of hearing
people on nine different types of trams.
I was able to contribute insight into
deaf issues so Yarra Trams can improve
access in the future. I found this meeting
great to be involved in. The other area I
enjoyed working at Vicdeaf was going to
Melbourne University with David Peters,
to provide a Deaf Awareness Training
presentation.
In addition, I also scanned historical
documents about deaf people in Victoria
to be uploaded online and helped publish
communication technology. Best of all,
the information is available in Auslan!
Subscribe now to be one of the first to
receive:
Keeping
up
with
communication
technology options is now even easier and in Auslan!
Launching in September, Techfinder is
the new go-to online information portal
designed to help you navigate your way
through all the online information about
• Product summaries and reviews
• How-To guides in Auslan
• Hints, tips and stories
www.techfinder.org.au
Techfinder is powered by Conexu. Conexu
is the go-to in communication technology
for people who are Deaf, or have a hearing
loss or speech impairment.
Above right: Look out for Mai and Zara’s story
as they share their experience with Conexu
on communication technology. Zara (8) deaf
since age 4, with mother Mai are excited for the
potential of Techfinder by Conexu.
Below right: People enjoying the free app,
OpenAccessTours. Photo source: Conexu
Foundation
Auslan Tours in your pocket – at the zoo,
sports museum, or town hall!
Technology is opening access at an
incredible rate for new experiences every
day. When we switch off from our week,
we might look to watching a tv show,
doing some gardening or watching a
weekend movie with friends.
Arts experiences are another option.
Now, Conexu has developed a free app
called OpenAccess Tours – tours in Auslan,
with captions and other languages! Since
4
2011, you can take your smartphone and
the app to participating venues to receive
Auslan content for each display.
Check out these local venues in
September with your family and friends:
• Werribee Open Range Zoo
• Sovereign Hill Mine Tour
• Collingwood Town Hall
To find out more about the latest
accessible venues around Australia
go
to
Conexu’s
website
here:
www.conexu.com.au/tours
for Run Melbourne by designing and
organising new badges and decorations.
On the last day, Uber visited with icecream to promote their deaf drivers.
• •IAN CLEASBY
YEAR 12
VICTORIAN COLLEGE FOR THE DEAF
Ian works with the Marketing and Development
Department, making badges for the Vicdeaf
Hero Run Melbourne event.
Photo source: Vicdeaf.
Changing Gears - Learn to Drive Program
The Changing Gears Program is a pre-learner driver education
program. The Independent Living skills team has enjoyed
organising the course for four consecutive years.
The course runs for a full week and the final day is the ‘Learner
Permit’ test day at VicRoads.
The Changing Gears Program, developed by Mission Australia,
is a pre-learner driver education program designed for people
from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who may
find reading and writing difficult.
• •VICTORIA TANNER-DENCH
Delivered by Rob Regester of Mission Australia, Vicdeaf facilitates
the Changing Gears program to Deaf learners, ensuring Auslan
interpreters are provided at all workshops.
For further information or to lodge an expression of interest
contact:
PROGRAM MANAGER
CLIENT SERVICES
Email: [email protected]
Voice or SMS: 0402 304 188
Vicdeaf hosts the course in the JML Hall and provides Client
Support workers who are all bilingual in English and Auslan for
additional support to the students.
Using a variety of interactive media, Ignition presents the Victorian
road rules and key safe driving messages, in a fun, accessible
and easy to understand way. The program also helps to improve
participants’ vocabulary and literacy skills.
Above: Rob Regester teaches road rules and Kim Saxton interprets.
Photo source: Vicdeaf.
Interview with the Australian Deaf Men’s Basketball Team
Mark Bilyj shares with Sophie Li his hopes for the Australian
Deaf Men’s Basketball Team - the Goannas - for Asia Pacific
Games. Photo source: Vicdeaf.
Above: Sophie Li interviews Bryn Davies about plans with
Deaf Basketball Australia. Photo source: Vicdeaf.
Scan the QR code
here if you want
to see full Auslan
interview.
Mark: Oh, it was a nice win. We have a good system of working
on teamwork, improving offence, defence work to work and
prepare for Asia Pacific Games soon in six weeks flying from
Melbourne to Taiwan.
Bryn: Well, for the past one year, I have been focused on the
World Championships and Asia Pacific Deaf Games. Recently,
we had World Championships in July the men’s team, Goannas,
went there and become 9th (in the world) so it was a good result the best ever. Now that the match has finished, they are preparing
for Asia Pacific Deaf Games. So it’s really exciting, hope they can
win gold at the Asia Pacific... we have a few ways where people
can support the team to go to Asia Pacific. gofundme - a website
where it can accept donations to support the team so will put in
the link. We also have t-shirts for sale for $30 - have a look.
Sophie: That’s exciting; do you hope to win at the Asia Pacific
Games?
Sophie: Looks great. So $30 in full goes to you to support for
the Asia Pacific?
Mark: We hope to become favourites to win a medal at the Asia
Pacific Games. It is a serious tournament against Taiwanese,
Japanese, and Philippines - that one is interesting. It is a new
team set up, so we’ll see. It’ll be interesting. Hopefully we can
win - a hard win.
Bryn: Really because it’s two tournaments this year so it’s a
lot of money that they are paying for themselves to play. The
government or sponsorships - we don’t have any. So we have to
see how we can support the players. The t-shirts, the website for
online donations - to hopefully encourage this so that the same
team - who competed in the last tournament - can hopefully go
again. It’s good, exciting times.
Sophie Li met with Mark Bilyj and Bryn Davies
for a small chat about their big plans for deaf
basketball in Australia.
Sophie: I am here with Mark, the Captain of the Goannas
basketball team. So how are you going?
Sophie: I’m now here with Bryn. He is the President of Deaf
Basketball Australia... Bryn, what a big year, wow! What have
you been doing?
• •SOPHIE LI
5
Deaf Women Victoria
The Deaf Women’s Guild (previously known
as the ‘Deaf Women’s Friendly Society’) was
formed on 28th May 1901. Mrs. Luke (hearing),
was the first President and Miss Daisy Damman
(who became Mrs. J. E Muir) was the first Hon.
Secretary. The name of the group subsquently
changed from “Deaf Women’s Friendly Society”
to “Deaf Women’s Guild” in 1909.
- Thank you to Melissa Anderson for providing the extract
from her Masters Research Essay, “Daisy Muir - A Remarkable
Influence in the Deaf Community”.
A very significant milestone in the history of the Deaf Women’s
Guild would have to be the one that took place on 3rd August
1911. At this meeting, Daisy Muir suggested that her Educational
Classes and Mrs. Wilson’s Bible Classes be discontinued. The
purpose of this was in order to give the women the opportunity
of reading more papers. After a long discussion, the women
decided to hold the Bible Classes on some nights only and
further discussion on the Educational Classes was to take place
at the next meeting. Daisy stipulated that if these classes were
to continue then it would need to be done in rotation amongst
the members.
Upon Jane’s move to Melbourne, she was surprised that there
was no DWG in operation. When Carmel approached Jane with
the idea of re-establishing the Victorian Deaf Women’s Guild,
she jumped at the opportunity to support Carmel in resurrecting
this group. Both understand it is an important program for
deaf women in Victoria, for socio-cultural purposes. Following
discussions with a number of deaf women in this state, it has
led us to investigate as to why we do not have a Deaf Women’s
Guild in Victoria, as many of these women were very keen to get
the Victorian Guild back up and running once again.
We conducted our first meeting on Saturday 11 July, at the
JML Hall from 11am to 4pm, with 30 women attending. See
photo below of the happy women after a most enjoyable day!
Deaf women got together on Saturday 11 July. Carmel and Jane are
sitting on the floor in the middle. Photo source: Jane Taylor.
After a brainstorming session, it was unanimously agreed to
meet on the second Saturday of each month at the JML Hall
at Vicdeaf if the room is available, or otherwise at JPC or DCA.
Keep an eye on the Vicdeaf website’s events page for upcoming
sessions.
After much debate, without being disrespectful, it was decided
to change the name from DWG to Deaf Women Victoria (DWV)
as we felt the name ‘Guild’ was a bit outdated.
Deaf Women’s Guild’s 35th Anniversary celebration in September 1936
at Jolimont Square. The then President of the DWG, Mrs. Daisy Muir is
cutting the cake. Photo source: Jane Taylor.
Deaf Women’s Guild (DWG) was renamed ‘Victorian Deaf Social
Group’ in July 2003 and ultimately closed down in July 2005.
Carmel Phillips’ deaf mother-in-law, who lived at her family home
at the time, would return home after DWG gatherings in a happy
mood, reminiscing on the day’s activities. On a recent trip to
Perth, Carmel was invited to a meeting of the Western Australian
DWG, and was surprised to find out that it had been active since
1971.
Throughout her childhood, Jane Taylor had fond memories
attending the DWG in Sydney with her deaf mother, aunties
and sister. She loved all the women who attended the gathering
so much that she called them ‘my aunties’, forming life-long
friendships with all of them.
Carmel and Jane were informed that the South Australian DWG
has been in operation since 1899 and the NSW DWG which
started in 1923 is still going strong.
6
It was also agreed that the work load will be shared around
by different ladies each month, and we will have various
types of activities/games each month, including workshops/
presentations by guest speakers on various topics.
We played a couple of ‘oldie but goodie games’ and enjoyed a
delicious spread of home-baked goodies for afternoon tea. A
good time was had by all.
Future meeting dates are listed below, and will be held from
11am – 4pm. Bring your own lunch. Afternoon tea will be
provided.
Saturday 10 October 2015
DCA FJ Rose Room, 597 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Saturday 14 November 2015
JML Vicdeaf, Level 3, 340 Albert St, East Melbourne
Saturday 12 December 2015
TBA Christmas Luncheon or End of Year Celebration
C’mon ladies, we hope to see you at our future gatherings!
• •CARMEL PHILLIPS & JANE TAYLOR
7
News and Events from the Community
Auslan Interpreted First Aid Course
Join experienced St John First Aid trainers and Auslan
interpreters to learn a broad range of First Aid techniques in
just one day.
Course: Provide First Aid (HLTAID003)
When: Session 2 - Monday 21 September 2015 at 8:30am
Where: Room 5, Level 6, 310 King Street, Melbourne
- Includes CPR Certification
- Nationally Recognised Training
- Recommended by WorkSafe
To book, visit stjohnvic.com.au, call 1300 ST JOHN or email
[email protected].
RTO 88041
Sir John Sulman Prize 2015 - Deaf Finalist
Deaf Artist Stefan Kater is a 2015 finalist in a national art
competition called the Sir John Sulman Prize. This prize is
for the best subject/genre painting or mural projects. Kater’s
artwork, ‘A black diamond’ is an acrylic on board piece.
Congratulations Stefan!
On his latest artwork Stefan Kater said,
“I visualised this painting, A black diamond, in my head,
memorising all the finer details in the hope that it would be a
bold, immersive work, which viewers would be drawn to and
enjoy. It celebrates the modern art and fashion of South Africa.
I painted carefully, using dark colours and tried to ensure
the best quality of light in order to make it stand out boldly.
I particularly like using black, white and yellow and enjoyed
painting with those three colours again.”
Congratulations to Peter Searle
On Saturday 25 July, Peter Searle won another Building
Designer Association of Victoria (BDAV) Award for Residential
Design: New Houses – Best Small Lot Design. Peter runs
his own architectural firm, Peter Searle Design, and was also
the 2011 BDAV Award Winner for Multi Residential, Dual
Occupancy.
Scan the QR code here if you would like to see
Stefan’s artwork and the Auslan version about this
particular piece of art.
Congratulations Peter!
• •SOPHIE LI
Above: Irena Farinacci teaches deaf and hard of hearing kids to play
basketball. Photo source: Deaf Sports Australia.
Aussie Deaf Kids Program - come and join!
The Active Deaf Kids (ADK) program encourages awareness
among deaf and hard of hearing students, teachers, parents,
coaches and the general public of the health and social
benefits of participating in sports.
The ADK program has been delivered to all schools that cater
for deaf and hard of hearing students around Australia since
2011. The program includes Multi Sports Day clinics, meeting
role models and coaches as well as meeting new friends.
Check out the ADK website at www.activedeafkids.org.au
• •IRENA FARINACCI
Above: Peter’s winning kitchen design for Urban Oasis Townhouse.
Photo source: Building Designer Association of Victoria (BDAV).
SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
OFFICER
8 Did you know? You can keep up to date with what is happening around Victoria by visiting our website www.vicdeaf.com.au and
click on “Your Community” to see the latest news, noticeboard and events.
News and Events from the Community
To all teenagers from Year 7 - 12 in Victoria
Deaf Mental Health Conference
Deaf Victoria in partnership with Deakin University and
Mental Health Australia have now set up a website for
the upcoming conference on 16-17 November 2015.
The website link is: www.deafmentalhealth.com.au
Location
Deakin University, Level 2, Building BC, 221 Burwood
Highway, Burwood VIC 3125
Exciting news! The Hear for You Auslan Program is now open
for this year’s workshops! We have amazing new mentors, some
who have travelled the world, worked in different countries,
represented Australia in sport, from New Zealand, are chefs and
one who recently came back from the World congress of the
World Federation of the Deaf.
All these mentors were in teenage shoes once and are here to
share their experiences so that you one day can achieve even
greater things.
Registration
$85.00
Consumers/Carers (Conference only)
Consumers/Carers (Concession, Conference only) $50.00
Mental Health Professionals (Conference only)
$200.00
$70.00
Conference Dinner
All in Australia are welcome to attend this conference,
especially if your interest is in deaf mental health area.
• •MELISSA LOWRIE
MANAGER
Enrol today at www.hearforyou.com.au/program/vic/vic-auslan
Workshops
Sunday 18 of October 10am-4pm
Sunday 1 of November 10am-4pm
Sunday 29 of November 10am-4pm
Contact the Program Coordinator Sam Cartledge:
Email: [email protected]
SMS: 0433 209 641
• •SAM CARTLEDGE
VICTORIAN PROGRAMS COORDINATOR
Australian Deaf Games - have you bought
your tickets yet?
The 2016 Australian Deaf Games will be in Adelaide, South
Australia from 9-16 January 2016. It promises to be “the best
Games ever”!
Sports to watch include athletics, beach volleyball, cricket,
eight ball, golf, mixed netball, squash, table tennis and touch
football. Come with family, friends and meet new people.
The registration cost includes Opening and Closing
Ceremonies, Games Hub Entry, Deaf Community Expo Entry,
entry to all sports, entry to social/cultural events and a Games
Registration Pack.
The Great Amazing Race - let’s have fun
Regarded as Melbourne’s ultimate urban adventure race, the
2015 Great Amazing Race will be raising funds to proudly support
the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. This year Uplift Events
is very excited to announce that the event will be deaf accessible.
Gather your partner, a friend, a family member or a work colleague
and form a team of 2 and race around Melbourne visiting famous
landmarks and locations while completing fun activities along the
way. Ge10% discount by using the promo code: GARAUSLAN.
It is guaranteed you’ll do more fun, diverse and crazy stuff in a
single day than in any other event, while supporting a great cause!
Vicdeaf is a proud sponsor of this event.
Register NOW on this website: www.greatamazingrace.com.au
• •THE GREAT AMAZING RACE TEAM
FEES
STANDARD
ADULS
$175
CONCESSION
$150
(Senior, Centrelink, Student)
YOUTH $130
(13-17 years old)
CHILD FREE
(12 years old and under)
FAMILY 2
$480
(2 adults & 2 youths)
FAMILY 1 $305 (1 adult and 2 youths)
LATE (1 Nov – 5 Jan)
$210
$185
$165
FREE
$585
$375
To contact to find out more about registration:
http://austdeafgames.org.au/Registering-for-the-Games
[email protected] or 0401 538 552.
9
Marketing and Development update
Why support Vicdeaf?
Five tips for looking after your ears...you only
get one pair!
Sometimes we are asked why people should support Vicdeaf why Vicdeaf has to ask for support.
Nothing smaller than your elbow!
Clean your ears with extra care. Wipe the outer ear with a
washcloth or tissue. Don’t put anything into your ear smaller
than your elbow. Don’t use cotton buds, bobby pins or sharp
pointed objects to clean your ears. These objects may injure the
ear canal or eardrum.
Funding is becoming less every day. As much as we don’t like
it, without funding we can’t do the work we do.
With more pressure on not-for-profit organisations to do more
work with fewer resources; and with more pressure on the
public to support not-for-profit organisations, the question is a
real one.
Blow don’t sniff! Don’t put your ears under pressure!
Reduce the risk of ear infections by treating upper respiratory
(ears, nose, and throat) infections promptly; blow don’t sniff to
avoid blocking your Eustachian tubes.
So let’s turn the question over to you, your friends and the
community:
•
Why should we do the work we do?
•
Why should people support Vicdeaf?
If you scuba dive, learn and practice proper underwater
techniques to avoid potentially damaging changes in pressure
inside your ears.
Send your answers to [email protected] or publish your
answers on social media and link to us – we’d love to hear your
stories about why people should support the work we do.
Listen to your ears
Some illnesses and medical conditions can affect your hearing.
If you experience sudden hearing loss or have constant noise in
your ears or head, see an ear doctor promptly.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Vicdeaf
Twitter: twitter.com/vicdeaf
Drainage from the ear is not normal and usually suggests
infection. See your doctor as soon as possible.
Use the hashtag #whysupportvicdeaf
Some medications can affect hearing. Take medications only
as directed, and consult your doctor if you experience unusual
hearing, balance problems, or ringing in the ears.
2
X
Save your cells
If you are exposed to loud music, loud power tools or machinery
wear ear plugs to protect yourself from noise damage. You can
purchase disposable plugs from the chemist or see your hearing
care professional for more options.
Put a lid on it
Always wear a helmet when you participate in any activity that
puts you at risk for head and ear injuries. for example: boxing,
cycling, ski-in, horse - riding, rollerblading, bungee jumping.
Why
• •GILL VICTOR
GENERAL MANAGER – MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT
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10
Editor,
Level
4,
340
Albert
St,
East
Melbourne
VIC
3002
Hearing Awareness Week
Hearing Awareness Week has just gone by,
and hearservice attended events all around
Melbourne.
We were part of a huge event at Federation Square on 24 and
25 August, and promoted hearing awareness at a music charity
event in Collingwood, the Victorian College of the Arts, ACMI
at Federation Square, the Louis Joel Centre in Altona and the
Australian Taxation Office.
Hearservice also provided information about hearing loss and
hearing conservation to increase public awareness about the
need to protect hearing from noise damage.
Hearservice recognises that communication in the workplace
can be difficult for some people with hearing loss. If you want
to communicate better at work and want to help your manager
and work colleagues better understand the challenges of
hearing impairment in the workplace, your employer can apply
for government assistance to support you. As part of this
support, hearservice provides Hearing Awareness Training at
your workplace, as well as a range of assistive listening devices.
Contact us to find out more:
Email: [email protected]
If you are deaf or have a speech impairment, you can contact us
through any of these options below:
TTY users: phone 133 677 and ask for 1300 30 20 31
Speak & Listen (speech-to-speech) users: phone 1300 555 727
and ask for 1300 30 20 31
Internet Relay users: connect to NRS on
www.relayservice.com.au and ask for 1300 30 20 31
• •JASON RIDGEWAY
PROGRAM MANAGER,
REHABILITATION
Above: Steve McKean from hearservice with ‘Max’ to help promote
awareness about safe listening levels. Photo source: hearservice.
Contact the SensWide Employment team
National Relay Service (NRS)
Visit the NRS website
www.relayservice.gov.au
Call us on 03 8620 7155
Skype chat in Auslan
Add us to your
Skype account:
senswide.employment
Phone: 03 8620 7155
Online Enquiry
Visit www.senswide.com.au
and submit an enquiry form
to have us contact you
Website: www.senswide.com.au
11
Update about the World Deaf Tennis Championships
Above (left to right): Stephen Swann, Jamie Zafir, John Lui and Glen Flindell with tennis players from Austria. Photo source: John Lui.
After two years of training, the Australian Deaf
Men’s Tennis team, John Lui, Stephen Swann,
Jamie Zafir and Glen Flindell were off to the
World Deaf Tennis Championships (20 - 27
July 2015), in England, hosted by the Tennis
Foundation and UK Deaf Sport.
Fast forward 21 hours on a plane and a 45 minute car ride to our
arrival in Nottingham. It’s always great to catch up with players
and old friends arriving from all over the world e.g. America, Asia,
and Europe. It was also a reminder that we were here to win, not
just to have a good time. Once the Opening Ceremony was over
and the draw came out, everyone got serious. No more fun and
games.
As the week progressed, Glen and I ended up in the 3rd/4th
playoff in Men’s Doubles against the Americans. After a tight first
set, we played some of our best tennis, increasing the pressure
by serving well and hitting some tough returns.
We ended up winning 6-3, 6-0 for the Bronze Medal. In other
results, Stephen and Jamie reached the doubles quarterfinals
and Glen made the quarterfinals in singles.
It was a fantastic tournament, compared to the 2006 British Deaf
Open, the level of organisation at the Championships did not
disappoint. The overall quality of the venue, accommodation,
food, volunteers, transport, was the best we have experienced
at the international deaf tennis level.
We all look forward to the 2017 Deaflympics!
• •JOHN LUI
Find out more information about the Australian Deaf Men’s
Tennis team on Deaf Sports Australia website:
www.deafsports.org.au
www.vicdeaf.com.au
/VicdeafInfo
Victorian Deaf Society Level 4, 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne,
VIC 3002. TTY: (03) 9473 1199; Voice: (03) 9473 1111; Fax: (03) 9473 1122;
Email: [email protected]. Toll-free for country people: TTY: 1300 780 235;
Voice: 1300 780 225.
/Vicdeaf
Vicdeaf office hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
Regional offices: Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Sale and Wangaratta.
/company/vicdeaf
/InfoVicdeaf
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