Communicate
A newsletter for the Victorian Deaf and hard of hearing community
2013
Issue 43
Sept / Oct
Inside
Page 5: Victorian College of the Deaf Scout troop
Page 7: Program for World Federation of the Deaf – Youth Section visit
Page 12: Brave Deaf athletes represent Australia with pride
Click here to view Auslan version
Two WFDYS Board Members
are coming to Melbourne
Two board members of the World Federation
of the Deaf – Youth Section (WFDYS) are visiting
Melbourne on 11–12 October.
During their visit Ana Navas Serna from Spain and Jannicke
Kvitvaer from Norway will meet the Victorian Deaf community
to share their experiences from their home countries and talk
about their work with WFDYS.
Ana and Jannicke will start their visit by attending the annual
Business Breakfast hosted by the Deaf Professionals Network
on the morning of Friday 11 October. They will speak about
their work at an international level and provide a snapshot
on how Deaf people can broaden the horizons of their career.
Everyone is welcome to attend. See page 3 for registration
details.
Ana and Jannicke will visit the Victorian Deaf Education Institute
and lead workshops for Deaf and hard of hearing school
students. In the evening there will be an official welcome event
hosted by Deaf Australia at the Tradeblock Café in Prahran,
followed by a social event for the Deaf community.
Jenny Nillson, WFDYS President with Colin Allen, WFD President.
Photo Source: World Federation of the Deaf
On Saturday 12 October Ana and Jannicke will explore
Melbourne and see some well-known sights. They will visit the
Matthew Veale Social Rooms at Hays Paddock in East Kew
and participate in a discussion about creating a Deaf Youth
Association in Australia. They will also enjoy a BBQ and watch
a game of Deaf cricket.
To view the program, see Page 7.
• •Mija Gwyn
World Federation of the Deaf – Youth Section Board. Ana is on the far left and Jannicke is on the far right.
Photo Source: World Federation of the Deaf – Youth Section
launch site in Barwon. We have
successfully registered to deliver the
following DisabilityCare Australia class
of supports in Barwon:
• Accommodation/tenancy assistance
• Assistive products for personal care
and safety
• Communication and information
equipment
• Assistive technology specialist
assessment, set up and training
• Interpreting and translation
Christine Mathieson
Report from
the CEO
Welcome to the spring season,
a gorgeous time of the year as
the days get longer and we are
able to enjoy the sunshine.
Since the last edition of Communicate,
there has been a lot happening at Vicdeaf
which I would like to update you on.
We established a new senior
management portfolio which will focus
on strategy and service development.
Andrew Lyall has been appointed to the
role and commenced in early August.
A key focus of the role is to ensure that
we are well prepared for the full rollout of
DisabilityCare Australia and that we have
relevant and responsive services under
the scheme. Over recent weeks, Vicdeaf
successfully registered as a service
provider to deliver supports and services
as part of the DisabilityCare Australia
• Therapeutic supports
• Specialised assessment of skills,
abilities and needs
• Assistance in coordinating or
managing life stages, transitions
and supports
• Development of daily living and
life skills
• Assistive products for hearing
• Other innovative supports.
We have recently prepared a progress
report on our achievements in 2012–13
against the Vicdeaf Strategic Plan.
A PDF and Auslan version of the report
is available on the Vicdeaf website at
www.vicdeaf.com.au.
Following the development of a proposal
to establish and administer a Baby Cry
Alarm Borrowing Scheme, the Victorian
Government’s Department of Human
Services has committed funds for Vicdeaf
to administer the scheme. This is a very
positive development and a great
outcome for Deaf or hard of hearing
parents and families.
We are also very proud of hearservice
which received its first five star Quality
Certification from Eartrak. Eartrak is the
company that we use to independently
survey our clients to measure the quality
of outcomes against several significant
benchmarks. We survey all clients
who have completed a program of
appointments leading to hearing aid
fitting and rehabilitation. Congratulations
to all the hearservice staff on achieving
this outcome which signifies the quality
of service they provide.
SLC VIC has announced a partnership
with Bradley Reporting to provide live
captioning services to our clients and
stakeholders. This will make SLC VIC a
‘one stop shop’, providing communication
solutions to Deaf and hard of hearing
Victorians including onsite interpreting,
video relay interpreting, Skype,
notetaking and now live captioning.
On 30 August we held a ‘Tea and Tour’
event at our East Melbourne office
for friends and supporters of Vicdeaf.
Individuals, organisations and
representatives from philanthropic
foundations and trusts were in
attendance. It was an opportunity
to showcase some of our work and
the services we provide while also
conducting a tour of our audiology
service, information centre, client
services, interpreting booking office
and video production studio. We
received very positive feedback and
you can read more about it in this
edition of Communicate on Page 10.
• •Christine Mathieson
Notice for Vicdeaf’s
Annual General Meeting
The President and Board of Directors of the Victorian Deaf
Society cordially invite you to attend the 129th Annual
General Meeting.
When: Tuesday 29 October, 2013
Time: 3.30 pm for afternoon tea, 4.00 pm for AGM start
Where: JML Community Centre
Level 3, 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne
This will be Auslan interpreted. Refreshments provided.
For further details, contact Vicdeaf (see p12 for contact details).
2
Vicdeaf President Mac Adam welcomes all at last year’s 128th Vicdeaf
Annual General Meeting. Photo Source: Vicdeaf
and looked at developing leadership
opportunities and goals. The
participants enjoyed the workshop.
Mija Gwyn
Editorial
Hello and welcome to the
September/October issue
of Communicate.
The football season may have ended,
but don’t be worried, there’s plenty
happening in the Deaf community in
the next few months to keep everyone
busy on the weekends!
On Sunday 15 September, Deaf
Professionals Network hosted a
workshop on Leadership Training.
The workshop was facilitated by Marnie
Kerridge. Marnie participated in the
Leadership Ballarat and Western
Region program, supported by Vicdeaf.
Over ten people participated in the
workshop and learnt the importance
of leadership and being a leader in the
Deaf community and the workforce.
The participants also examined the roles
and strategies of previous Deaf leaders
I’m sure that many of you are now
talking about the upcoming 2nd
International Conference of the World
Federation of the Deaf that is taking
place in Sydney on 16 – 18 October. Melbourne has its own exciting event
happening on 11 – 12 October, with
Ana Navas Serna and Jannicke
Kvitvaer visiting Melbourne, as you may
have already read about on our front
page. The Deaf Professionals Network
Business Breakfast will take place
on Friday 11 October and is promising
to be a fun and informative event.
The Melbourne Deaf Cricket Club
and Melbourne Deaf Football Club
will officially open the Matthew Veale
Social Rooms at Hays Paddock in
East Kew on the evening of Saturday
12 October. It is an open community
event so everyone is welcome to
attend. The social rooms present a
great opportunity for the Deaf community
to meet and to run their own events in
partnership with both clubs and the
City of Boroondara Council.
The Vicdeaf Christmas Rally will return
on Sunday 1 December. The rally
will be held at the beautiful location
of the Old Cheese Factory in Berwick.
There is a huge playground on the
site, and we are busy planning
activities, so both children and adults
will have plenty of fun things to do at
the Rally. See you all there!
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.
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
www.twitter.com/Vicdeaf
www.youtube.com/InfoVicdeaf
www.linkedin.com/company/vicdeaf
Submission
deadlines for 2013
Wednesday 13 November
SUBMISSIONS WELCOME
Email to [email protected]
• •Mija Gwyn
Deaf Professionals Network
Business Breakfast
When: Friday 11 October
Time: 7:45am – 10:00am
Where: Victoria University Convention
Centre, 300 Flinders Street, Melbourne,
Victoria
Cost: $50 (full) & $35 (concession)
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to
broaden the horizons of your career and
network with other Deaf professionals
and students! The program includes two
international speakers from the World
Federation of Deaf – Youth Section,
Ana Navas Serna from Spain and
Jannicke Kvitvaer from Norway. The
Business Breakfast will be held at Victoria
University Convention Centre on Flinders
Street, a few minutes walk from the
Flinders Street train station.
For more information and to register visit
www.vicdeaf.com.au
3
EVERYBODY
WELCOME!
Sunday
1st
December
Brought to you by:
Supported by:
4
OLD CHEESE FACTORY
34 Homestead Road, Berwick
11.00am - 3.00pm
Free sausage sizzle, soft drinks & water
Umbrellas, tables and chairs on site
BYO chairs and picnic
Visit from Santa for the kids!
Want to know more?
Visit: www.vicdeaf.com.au
Email: [email protected]
SLC VIC Live
Captioning Service
Sign Language Communications Victoria
(SLC VIC) and Bradley Reporting are
proud to announce a new partnership to
provide live captioning services for Deaf
and hard of hearing individuals and
organisations that work with Deaf and
hard of hearing people.
SLC VIC Manager, Brent Phillips, was
delighted to partner with Bradley
Reporting. “This partnership enables
SLC VIC to provide a full suite of
communication services to Deaf and
hard of hearing people. For many years,
we have delivered high quality professional
Auslan interpreting, Video Relay
interpreting, Skype interpreting and
notetaking, and we are now in a position
to deliver live captioning in partnership
with Bradley Reporting” he said.
“SLC VIC and Bradley Reporting’s
reputations, experience and client bases
complement each other and SLC VIC
looks forward to a successful partnership
with Bradley Reporting”.
Barnaby Lund, Account Manager of
Bradley Reporting is also enthusiastic
about this partnership. “We are very
happy to enter this partnership.
Partnering with Vicdeaf and SLC VIC
will make live captioning more accessible
to people who are Deaf and hard of
hearing including those who may not
have known captioning was available.
We congratulate Vicdeaf and SLC VIC for
this innovative thinking and look forward
to providing high quality live captioning
to Vicdeaf and SLC VIC clients”.
For more information and
rates, contact SLC VIC at
[email protected] or
(03) 9473 1117. Live captioning
is an eligible EAF service.
• •SLC VIC
Kirk at one of his classes. Photo Source: Lana Holien
Auslan Cooking Classes
cooks up a storm
Auslan Cooking Classes held its first class on Sunday 28 July. A full class was
in attendance to learn new skills and share delicious meals. Since July, there
has been a second class and there are plans for more classes in the future.
Auslan and cooking are two strong passions of Auslan Cooking Classes
founders Kirk Barnett and Lana Holien. After they spoke to people in the Deaf
community they discovered that were many people did not have the confidence
to cook and wanted to learn food preparation and cooking skills.
The aim of the Auslan Cooking Classes is to get more Deaf people cooking,
making healthy choices and enjoy cooking for family and friends.
Our team holds a wealth of knowledge and experience in cooking. Kirk Barnett
qualified as a chef in 1999 and later qualified as a professional Auslan interpreter
in 2011. During his time as an apprentice chef, Kirk won a gold medal in
the coveted ‘culinary salon culinaire’ competition. He also excelled in his other
profession of interpreting when he was awarded the Paraprofessional Interpreter
of the Year in 2008.
Lana Holien is experienced in the hospitality industry. She ran a small business
in cake decorating. There are plans for a cake decorating class.
Kirk and Lana would also like to introduce the latest member of the team,
James Hale. James has been recruited to the team for his amazing skills in the
kitchen; he has been working as a chef for 21 years and has close ties to the
Deaf community.
The cooking class involves learning many important skills, including knife skills,
food safety and hygiene. We cook three dishes on the day; entrée, main and
dessert. Everyone has a great time cooking and there is always time to have a
good chat with everyone when eating your meals!
If you are interested in learning more about cooking, or even just looking to have
some fun, come and join the next class! You will cook some amazing dishes,
learn some great techniques, eat a delicious meal and be able to go home and
cook the meals for your family and friends!
Email [email protected] for enquiries and dates
of classes.
• •Lana Holien
5
The Other
Film Festival at
United Nations
The Other Film Festival
was invited to screen a selected
program of films at United
Nation Headquarters (UN HQ)
in New York during the United
Nations’ Sixth Session of the
Conference of States Parties to
the Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities on
18 July 2013. The films screened
included Deaf Mugger, a film
directed by Deaf British film
maker William Mager.
The Other Film Festival Artistic Director,
Rick Randall, travelled to New York
to present the program. His attendance
at the UN HQ was supported by the
Australian Federation of Disability
Organisations.
The screening was attended by
150 delegates and invited guests,
including Frank Senior (JUST BE FRANK)
and Tommy Edison (www.blindfilmcritic.
com). It was the first time Frank Senior,
who is blind, has seen his own film with
audio description. Frank spoke movingly
about his first experience of racism
when his family objected to him playing
with a white friend, a friend whose
colour he could not see.
Frank Senior and Rick Randall at the post-screening discussion at the UN.
Photo Source: Ben Churchill http://blindfilmcritic.com
Randall says, “I was very proud to be
able to present this screening in the
UN to an audience of the world’s
most influential decision-makers and
advocates for the rights of people with
disabilities.”
“I always program Deaf Mugger first at
any screening event. It lets the audience
know that the screening won’t be
anything like they expected and that they
are in for a really good time. Even though
the UN is a very serious kind of place,
the audience soon forgot about the
political issues of the conference and
started laughing out loud at the absurdity
of the mugger and his reluctant
interpreter. There were Deaf and hard
of hearing people from several countries
at the screening. There were Australian
representatives from Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of
Families, Housing, Community Services
and Indigenous Affairs and the Australian
Mission to the UN attending the
screening as well. We provided American
Sign Language and International
interpreters as well as live captioning
so that everyone could enjoy the whole
evening. Of course all the films were
fully captioned or subtitled.”
The screening gave The Other Film
Festival valuable exposure on the
international political stage, and gained
further international acknowledgement
of their work to increase the profile of
cinema that portrays Deaf people and
other people with disabilities.
• •The Other Film Festival
Baby Cry Alarm Borrowing Scheme
now available in Victoria
New and expecting parents who are
Deaf or hard of hearing are now able to
apply to borrow a Bellman & Symfon
Baby Cry Alarm System from Vicdeaf.
For only $150 you will be able to borrow
a baby monitor, and your choice of the
flashing strobe light, or the pager (with
charger) for up to two years.
To buy these items would cost between
$600 to $800, so you will be saving a
lot of money by borrowing the system
from Vicdeaf.
6
When the borrowing period is finished,
the alarm system must be returned to
Vicdeaf. You will receive a $50 refund
if the kit is returned in good condition.
To learn more about this, please
email us at [email protected]. This is a partnership between Vicdeaf
and the Victorian Government’s
Department of Human Services.
hearservice – Hearing
Awareness Week 2013
Hearing Awareness Week is always a fantastic opportunity
for hearservice to engage with the general community about
hearing and communication. During Hearing Awareness Week
this year, hundreds of students (and some lecturers too) from
campuses all across Melbourne and Geelong have taken
advantage of hearservice’s free hearing checks. For many
people this is the first time they have had their hearing checked,
allowing our staff to provide valuable information about hearing
and how to protect it from noise damage.
• •Jason Ridgway
Jason Ridgway of hearservice has his hearing checked in the sound
studio at Victorian College of the Arts. The students were very interested
in knowing more about how they should protect their hearing. Particularly
the drummers! Photo Source: Jason Ridgway
Program – World Federation of the Deaf – Youth Section visit
DATE & TIME
EVENT
VENUE
Business Breakfast hosted by Deaf
Professionals Network
Victoria University Convention Centre
300 Flinders St
Melbourne
Friday 11 October
8:00 – 10:00am
Open event, everybody
welcome. Registration
required
Theme: International issues & advocacy
for Deaf people
For more information & to register
go to www.vicdeaf.com.au
11:00 – 2:30pm
This event is only for
school students only
Workshops for Deaf and hard of
hearing students 12–18 years old
Victorian Deaf Education Institute
597 St Kilda Rd
Melbourne
6:00 –7:30pm
Open event, everybody
welcome
Welcome Function with Deaf Australia
and the Deaf Community
Tradeblock Café
597 St Kilda Rd
Melbourne
8:00pm onwards
Open event, everybody
welcome
Social Event
Prahran Hotel
82 High St
Prahran
Youth guest speaker and discussion
about creating a Deaf Youth Association
Matthew Veale Social Rooms
Hays Paddock
Enter via Longstaff St
Kew East
Saturday 12 October
12:30 – 3:00pm
Open event aimed at
young Deaf people,
everybody welcome
7
Update from the office of Deaf Victoria
Q&A
We have recruited four new
interim board members, after
saying a sad goodbye to Ida
Rogers, Joshua Levitzke-Gray
and Paul Jacobs.
Andrew* is a truck driver with five
years of experience. He wants to
upgrade his current truck licence from
a Heavy Rigid Licence to a Heavy
Combination Licence and books into
a course. He asks them to provide
an Auslan Interpreter and they refuse,
telling him to pay for it himself or bring
his own. What can Andrew do?
Our newest board members are Marnie
Kerridge, Miranda Reardon, Vanessa
Ravlich and Ramas Rentelis. We
look forward to new ideas and great
representation from the new board
members. Deaf Victoria’s AGM will be
held on 22 October at JML Centre at
Vicdeaf, where a formal induction into
the board will take place.
Deaf Victoria is launching a new project
on ‘Auslan Interpreting in Hospitals in
Victoria’. See below article for more
information. Deaf Victoria is also on the
Advisory Committee of Alfred Health
Community to try to influence change
at that level. As always, Deaf Victoria is
about the community so we need your
feedback and stories.
‘Advocacy Toolbox’ is up to date with any
changes in the laws or policies. This will
assist me to deliver the best advocacy
service I can for you. I will organise some
workshops to share what I have learnt
and to empower you with the tools to
advocate for yourselves.
The Deaf Victoria board will work on a
new strategic plan. Now is the perfect
time to send in your feedback on what
is important to you and what you think
are the biggest issues facing the Deaf
and hard of hearing community. We are
happy to listen and have a chat with you.
Thanks to Vicdeaf for allocating us
this page. Let us know if you want
us to publish again in Communicate.
We have added a Q&A column.
You can submit your question to
[email protected] and
we will publish the answer in the next
newsletter. Send your question today!
• •Melissa Lowrie
I attended a number of workshops at the
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human
Rights Commission to ensure that our
Auslan Interpreting in Hospitals in Victoria
Deaf Victoria recently sent an open letter
to all interpreting agencies that provide
Auslan interpreting, Health Services and
all organisations in the Deaf and hard of
hearing sector to make them aware of
a project that Deaf Victoria is launching.
Working with ASLIA Vic, and the Victorian
Equal Opportunity and Human Rights
Commission, Deaf Victoria is investigating
the amount and nature of complaints
about interpreter provision in health
services in Victoria. It is hoped that at
the end of the project, we will be able
to make recommendations for changes
in the system to ensure that Auslan
interpreting provision in health services is
improved and less fragmented. Deaf and
hard of hearing patients in the health care
system are often at their most vulnerable
when they need interpreting access to
understand and make choices about
their health care.
8
If you are interested in telling us your
stories, positive or negative, it will be
completely confidential. We will set up
one on one interviews with the Deaf and
hard of hearing people in Victoria. We will
also set up a forum for discussion. We
have set up an open Facebook group
called ‘Auslan Interpreting in Hospitals
in Victoria’ and have launched an online
complaints form on our website. The link
for the form is http://www.deafvictoria.
org.au/index.php/interpreter-complaintsform, otherwise, please email or SMS me
with any complaints or stories you have.
Your information will be kept confidential
at all times. We will assist you to resolve
the issue and collect the data to identify
areas of change.
• •Melissa Lowrie
Under the new amendments to the
Equal Opportunities Act 2010, the
training provider has an obligation to
provide “reasonable adjustments to
the provision of goods and services”.
As they are providing a ‘service’
which is the truck licence course,
they have to provide a ‘reasonable
adjustment’ for Andrew which is to
provide an Auslan Interpreter. The
only way that the training provider
can get away with not providing the
interpreter is to prove in court that
they will experience “unjustifiable
hardship” (which means, for example,
paying for the interpreter would mean
the company could go broke).
The provider should pay for the
Auslan interpreter and Andrew should
let them know this. If they refuse,
Andrew could see Deaf Victoria
for advice, or the Victorian Equal
Opportunity and Human Rights
Commission to lodge a complaint.
*Name changed
Contact Us!
Deaf Victoria
Ground Floor, 340 Albert St,
East Melbourne
Open Monday – Thursday
9:30 – 4:00pm (appointments
preferred)
Email: [email protected]
Email for urgent advocacy
requests: melissa.lowrie@
deafvictoria.org.au
Voice/TTY: 03 9473 1145
SMS: 0431 476 721
Victorian College
of the Deaf
First Prahran
Scout Group
The mentors for the Auslan program. Photo Source: Hear For You
Hear for You
Mentoring
Programs 2013
Hear For You has had an
exciting year. Setting up the
first Auslan Program in
Melbourne and an Oral
Program in Brisbane, to
complement its existing Oral
programs in Melbourne and
Sydney, Hear For You is slowly
making its mark on young
Deaf and hard of hearing
adolescents from Years 7 to
12. NSW Oral Program
Mentor and Chairman of
Deafness Forum David Brady
came on board as CEO of
this not-for-profit organisation.
The Victorian Auslan and Oral
programs had twelve committed
Deaf and hard of hearing volunteers
mentoring over 18 adolescents in
each program. This came with the
support of Victorian Deaf Education
Institute and in-kind support from
Vicdeaf, ANZ, North Melbourne
Football Club and the Victorian
College of the Arts.
The program consisted of a Meet &
Greet session followed by three
workshops. Mentors discussed and
helped teenagers with self-esteem,
identity, communication, careers,
leadership and relationships. Parents
accompanied their teenagers at the
final workshop in both programs to
share the opportunity of meeting
inspiring guest speakers and mentors.
The speakers’ stories included a
hearing person’s perspective living with
two Deaf people, a hearing father’s
story about living with his wife and two
children who are all Deaf. This was
aided by special appearances during
the first two workshops by a strong
Deaf Human Rights advocate who
shared what is happening around the
world today as well as community
representatives showing what is
available for Deaf and hard of hearing
teenagers today.
Why do many people support Hear
For You? A high percentage of Deaf
adolescents today struggle with social
isolation, depression and self-esteem.
With an estimated 16,000 Deaf and
hard of hearing adolescents living in
Australia, Hear For You proactively
addresses these problems with mentors
who have first-hand experience and
ability to share advice with adolescents.
Hear For You continues improve its
evidence-based, low cost and high
quality mentoring service for Deaf
teenagers from Australia and New
Zealand for their benefit.
Visit www.hearforyou.com.au
for more information and contact
details.
A very special event occurred on
Thursday 1 August with the investiture
of the Victorian College of Deaf (VCD)
Scout troop. The first Prahran Deaf
Scout Group was originally formed in
1917, so the re-establishment of the
troop in 2013 is very significant! The
Year 9 and 10 Venturers welcomed
their family members as well as visiting
Scout members and dignitaries to the
official ceremony. Maureen Douglas,
Lisa Janssen and Ramas Rentelis were
commissioned as the leaders and this
was followed by the investing of all the
students. One of the students, Ian,
responded on behalf of the students
and accepted the framed presentation
of Scout emblems, which will take the
place of pride in the school. A celebratory
afternoon tea was held in the Tradeblock
Café where everyone enjoyed a special
cake made by students at Catholic
Regional College in Sydenham, where
the Scout Region Commissioner Brendan
Watson is Principal.
We are hoping to set up Deaf Cubs and
Scouts groups in the future. We would
also love to get more leaders who are
fluent in Auslan for the Cubs and Scouts
groups. If you are interested or know
anyone interested in becoming a leader,
please don’t hesitate to contact us!
All for Scouts!
Contact Venture Leaders
Lisa Janssen – Email:
[email protected]
Ramas Rentelis – Email:
[email protected]
• •Ramas Rentelis
• •HEAR FOR YOU
The VCD Scout Group pose with their Venture
leaders. Photo Source: Tony Nathan
9
Supporter Tea and Tour
On Friday 30 August, Vicdeaf hosted a
function to thank supporters for their interest
in our work and provide a tour of the offices
at East Melbourne. This is the first time Vicdeaf
has hosted an event like this and we hope
to hold them annually in the years to come.
Hosted by Vicdeaf Board Member, Dr. Therese Pierce and
Vicdeaf CEO Christine Mathieson, supporters had the
opportunity to learn from senior managers about their work
in achieving Vicdeaf’s vision of access and equity for Deaf
and hard of hearing people. Guests viewed the offices,
including the areas of Client Services, Communication and
Community Relations, Sign Language Video Productions,
SLC VIC, the Vicdeaf Information Centre and hearservice
Audiology and Rehabilitation.
Supporters enjoyed a presentation of the Vicdeaf services and programs.
Photo Source: Vicdeaf
One of the highlights of the day was the history table which
included items from Vicdeaf’s past, including a letter from
Helen Keller and original silverware from the old Flinders Street
Chapel dated 1893.
A very big thank you to all of our supporters who
make our work possible. Your support is as important
as ever as many Deaf and hard of hearing Victorians
may not receive support through DisabilityCare Australia.
While we believe it is important to thank our supporters,
we are also conscious of being good stewards of funds
entrusted to us. As such the event was kept small using
a minimum budget.
Some of the memorabilia on display at the function.
Photo Source: Vicdeaf
The function was received positively by our supporters and
by all accounts, a great morning was had by all. Did you
go to the Tea and Tour and would like to give feedback?
Please email your thoughts to [email protected].
• •Gill Victor
Our CEO with some Vicdeaf staff and guests of the function outside the
Vicdeaf building. Photo Source: Vicdeaf
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10
Regional
Resilience
Program
finds support
The Victorian Deaf Society
(Vicdeaf) is delighted to
announce that we will be able
to provide tailored independent
living skills support to clients
in the Geelong and Ballarat
regions over the next year,
thanks to the generous support
of Victorian philanthropist
Mr. C. H. (Roger) Brookes.
With a longstanding family connection
to the Geelong and Ballarat regions,
Mr. Brookes is continuing the
philanthropic tradition that his family has
undertaken in these areas over the years.
Mr. Brookes comes from a long line of
Australian philanthropists – his father
was Sir Wilfred Brookes, the grandson
of Alfred Deakin – the second Prime
Minister of Australia after whom Deakin
University is named. His grandparents
Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Brookes were noted
Australian philanthropists.
“Roger Brookes is a Life Member of the
Victorian Deaf Society, as was his late
father”, said Christine Mathieson, CEO
of Vicdeaf. “We are thrilled to have this
generous support for our Regional
Resilience Program”.
Focusing on providing one to one
support for Deaf people or people with
significant hearing loss combined with
Dr. Therese Pierce (left) and Christine Mathieson (right) thanks Mr. Roger Brookes (centre) for his
support towards Vicdeaf’s Regional Resilience Program. Photo Source: Vicdeaf
other disabilities, Vicdeaf’s Regional
Resilience Program will help people to
develop the skills necessary to carry
out daily activities independently. This
program is tailored to individual needs
and may include learning on how to use
public transport independently, how to
use mobile phones, prepare budgets,
cook and understand nutrition, obtain
medical support where possible and
access work opportunities. The program
is personalised and may enable clients to
access vocational classes or enrol in
education programs in areas of choice.
Some clients may need assistance to
learn to use new technologies which
enhance their ability to communicate with
family and friends in their daily life, as well
as connect with like-minded people who
use the same form of communication, i.e.
Auslan (Australian Sign Language), which
is the primary form of communication for
Deaf Australians.
“This funding means that many of
Vicdeaf’s clients in the Geelong and
Ballarat regions will be able to access
much-needed support and training to be
able to participate more independently in
their personal and community life”, said
Christine Mathieson. “This funding is an
enormous support to our vision for access
and equity for people who are Deaf and
hard of hearing, and we thank Roger
Brookes for sharing this vision with us”.
• •Gill Victor
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• •Michael Parremore
It’s that easy!
11
Brave Deaf athletes represent Australia with pride
As soon as Gavin Balharrie
was handed the reins as the
Chef de Mission for the 2013
Australian Deaflympic Team,
he had a huge task on his
hands. Gavin managed a team
of 37 people including four
tennis players, two athletes,
nine basketballers, four
swimmers (including two
15 year olds), two cyclists, four
ten pin bowlers, seven team
officials/coaches, two Auslan
interpreters and two medical
staff. In addition, Gavin was
responsible for the logistics
including booking airfares
and accommodation.
Gavin takes up the story stating that
“Deaf Sports Australia recognised that it
would be a difficult journey towards the
Deaflympics especially with the lack of
organisation from the Sofia Deaflympic
Games Organising Commitee. The
Games were originally planned to be
at Athens, however due to internal
problems and funding with the Greek
Government, it was cancelled and an
alternative venue was sought, for which
Sofia put their hand up. With only nine
months of planning, it was expected to
be a fracas, however the Sofia
Opening Ceremony performers.
Source: Deaf Sports Australia.
Stephen Swann and Glen Flindell after their
doubles match. Source: Deaf Sports Australia.
Shane Crick on the defensive on the basketball
court. Source: Deaf Sports Australia.
Deaflympic Games Organisers and
International Committee of Sports for
the Deaf pulled together and did a good
job considering these circumstances.
Glen Flindell was yet another medal
contender who came so close but was
not able to bring home a medal in tennis.
Glen played consistently throughout the
event coming fourth in the Men’s Singles
and Doubles (with Stephen Swann)
respectively. His world ranking has
improved as a result.
Team performances were admirable and
courageous given the tight timeframe we
had. The team finished with a 1-1-1
medal result, all in athletics. In addition,
the basketball team was very young with
five players under 19 years old, and we
had two 15 year old swimmers. Deaf
Sports Australia believes they will be very
good in the future if they keep up with
their training in the meantime.
One of the highlights was Amy-Lea Mill’s
gold medal win in Javelin. Amy was
initially placed fourth however, leading up
to her final throw, she summoned all her
strength and mind power to throw three
metres more than her previous personal
best. As a result she vaulted herself up
into first place! Imagine the shock of the
other placegetters to see her doing that!
Naturally the Australian contingent in the
crowd was in raptures.
The other medal winner was Melinda
Vernon who captured silver and bronze
medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m
races respectively. These events were run
in oppressive 37 degree heat in which
Melinda managed to overcome and finish
on the podium.
The Deaflympic Games were attended
by over 70 countries and more than
4,000 participants.
We are proud to have competed at these
Games especially at such short notice.
It is important that our Deaf and hard
of hearing athletes have the opportunity
to represent their country to the best of
their abilities.
The next Deaflympic Games will be held
in Ankara, Turkey in 2017 which gives us
plenty of time to plan and prepare.
This article was developed using Gavin
Balharrie’s (Chef de Mission) report to the
Deaf Sports Australia Board.
Results of the AUS team at the Games
can be viewed at www.deafsports.org.
au/games-results
Want to know who represented
Australia? Check out the Australian
Deaflympic Team profiles at
www.deafsports.org.au/team-profile
• •Deaf Sports Australia
www.vicdeaf.com.au
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.
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Vicdeaf office hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
Regional offices: Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Sale and Wangaratta.
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Patrons: Alex Chernov AC QC and Mrs. Elizabeth Chernov.
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