1 June 2020

Deaf Australia and the members of the Deaf Community in Australia wish to express sincere appreciation for the Australian government (both state/ territory and Federal) providing Auslan interpreters during COVID-19 briefings and announcements.

Having accurate knowledge ensures Deaf people can make informed decisions and take appropriate action to protect themselves, their family and the community. Deaf people as citizens, have helped to flatten the curve and been part of assisting to get Australia back on its feet.

This is not the time for Government to become complacent regarding the provision of Auslan interpreters during important briefing to all citizens of Australia. As restrictions are slowly being eased, everyone, including Deaf people, need to know what is happening. When an Auslan interpreter is not provided, the Government is perceived as being discriminatory to Deaf citizens.

Governments have the responsibility to ensure every citizen in Australia is informed, including Deaf people. This occurs through media conferences and briefings. Information delivered to all Australian citizens takes place on a number of important topics in addition to updates on the COVID-19 pandemic.

On behalf of the Deaf citizens in Australia we request that the government consider the communication needs of Deaf people in a proactive manner, not as an afterthought. This provision requires planning and processes that are clear and mandated. This provision of services needs to be imbedded into each government’s communication strategy.

Broadcasters share the responsibility for ensuring interpreters are displayed appropriately. Broadcasters are returning to their pre-COVID-19 processes where Auslan interpreters (when present) are cut out of the footage displayed on the TV screen, on social media postings and the internet, leaving deaf people without access to Auslan interpreted briefings. This needs to be addressed urgently. The current situation in many cases is that broadcasters are actively discriminating against Deaf people.

Deaf Australia calls on the Australian and state/territory Governments to ensure all media briefings and announcements are accessible to all citizens which requires the inclusion of Auslan interpreters and captions.

Deaf Australia calls on Broadcasters to ensure that the Auslan interpreters are included in all media footage and are able to be viewed clearly at all times.  This requires at least 1/3 of the TV screen displaying the Auslan interpreter and is unobstructed from all network banners and captioning displays.

We request these changes in good faith and recognise that in order to regulate this service, legislation may need to be introduced to ensure compliance. We request this be investigated and actioned to ensure the rights to media access are afforded to Deaf citizens as is the case for all others.

On behalf of Deaf citizens, Deaf Australia request an urgent common-sense approach to this issue that ensures Deaf people are afforded dignity. Deaf Australia believes that all levels of government are responsible to provide duty of care to all citizens of this great country.

Download Open Letter

References:

• Broadcasting of Auslan Interpreter on Broadcast and Digital Networks
• Provisioning of Accessible Emergency Announcement and Disaster Support

Since the Bushfires last year, Deaf Australia sent letters to Premiers and Prime Minister reminding them their obligations to provide interpreters on TV, obligation outlined in the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.

This has been supported by a research conducted by Curtin University where they demonstrated that live captioning is riddled with errors. This presents Deaf Australia with tangible evidence for the need of Auslan interpreter in these announcements.

Since then, most briefings from Prime Minister’s Office and Premier’s Offices include interpreters in these announcements. They are to be congratulated for their commitment to ensure Auslan users are receiving information in natural language.

This is only one part of overall picture. The provisioning of interpreting falls under the government’s responsibility.

The second part is the delivery of interpreters on televisions which falls under broadcaster’s responsibility.

Deaf Australia need to work intermediately between two parties, the government and the broadcasters. 

Deaf Australia and many members of the deaf community have often expressed concerns about the delivery of interpreter when there are too many obstacles such as banners and captioning overlapping the interpreter during its broadcast.

Deaf Australia has raised this with FreeTV who provide policy support for Channel 7, 9 and 10 and they have responded that they do not see a problem with these issues.

Deaf community around Australia have been providing regular updates on Auslan Media Access Facebook page and Deaf Australia has been monitoring this page to provide us with evidences to discuss with relevant authorities to improve the delivery of interpreter on television.

Deaf Australia has developed guidelines for broadcasters to appropriately use interpreter on the screen. In this guideline, we requested that interpreter is shown as 1/3 of the screen and not 1/8 of the screen. This guideline has not been followed by the industry.

Deaf Australia as member of Disability Support Services Committee which comprised with several Government agencies and many peak disability organisations, I have specifically raised issue with the Government agencies and their communication team and wished to discuss this as an opportunity to improve the delivery of interpreting on television.

I have provided them with samples of images and outlined issue of each image as problems and also provided them with sample of non-interpreted sessions that broadcaster can easily do 1/3 screen.

Channel 10 has improved their delivery and we wish to congratulate Channel 10 for taking our advice.

The other channels haven’t taken the advice and yesterday, I sent another correspondence and provided them with additional images to Communication Team to remind them that this is an ongoing issue that needs to be resolved.

We are seeing some improvements, but there is more work to do.

I wish to say thank you to Deaf Community for their continuing support and providing evidences in Auslan Media Access as they are useful for our advocacy work.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Deaf Australia has launched a ‘Deaf Bushfires Appeal’ to raise fund to provide financial assistance for deaf and hard of hearing families whose homes and property have been destroyed by this unprecedented bushfires.

The Daily Moth (an online deaf news delivered in American Sign Language (ASL)) has produced a video blog on this story. You can find this story here.

The fund will be used to provide communication supports and purchase of communication equipments if they are not eligible for other supports. This will enable the family to remain safe and in touch with their communities. Families who receives National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) should contact NDIS immediately.

We understand that communication is vital for deaf and hard of hearing people and without these supports, it would have been extremely difficult to be informed as the bushfires are currently ongoing when there is little, or no communication supports.

It is believed that there are dozen of deaf and hard of hearing families whose houses have been destroyed by the bushfires across Australia.

The target of the Deaf Bushfires Appeal is $25,000. 50% of the funding will be communication supports, 30% for communication equipment and 20% for ongoing work for Deaf Australia to lobby government to legislate the use of interpreter during emergency broadcasts. Families who are affected by the bushfires should contact Deaf Australia at [email protected].

Deaf Australia is a registered charity organisation and uses an approved fundraising donation platform (GiveNow). All donations received are tax deductible.

today to Deaf Bushfires Appeal

We acknowledge and respect the members of the Deaf Community in Australia, who preserve their rich heritage, culture and our language; Auslan (Australian Sign Language).  We also acknowledge our custodians of Auslan, promoting awareness, equality and access through our sign language.  Through Auslan, we inspire future leaders in our deaf community to continue our legacy and heritage.

The Deaf Community in Australia has sought to gain recognition and acknowledgement for their key role in the community for preserving, promoting and inspiring the culture, language and identities of deaf people.

Deaf people are present in every culture and society including Indigenous Australians who had well-developed sign systems before the European Settlement. The first recorded deaf European-born migrant in Australia is Elizabeth (Betty) Steel who arrived on the Second Fleet as a convict in 1790.

Since then, there have been many Australians, including Aboriginals and migrants, who have contributed in every fabric of the Australian society, making Australia one of the most diverse nations in the world.   

Through deaf people, many businesses prospered and reaped financially and economically. Through deaf people, many services sought and lobbied by and for deaf people also benefited the rest of the Australian community and more. Through deaf people, they have raised awareness of the value of their community, their sense of belonging and identity, and their quest for life, pursuing opportunities, self-determination and appealing for a “fair-go” in the wider community and between themselves.

‘The statement acknowledges and respects the past and present members of the deaf community who have and will, in many ways, endures the legacy of the Deaf Community and marks the importance of dignity, self-worth and identity’, said Mr Todd Wright, Chairperson of Deaf Australia.  

The members of the Deaf Community formally endorsed this Deaf Acknowledgement statement at the Annual General Meeting for Deaf Australia in 2018.

• END

SYDNEY, Australia — March 7, 2019

Huawei, a leader in global technology, has today announced the launch of StorySign app in Australia, which uses the power of AI to enrich story time for deaf and hard of hearing children and their parents by creating an authentic reading experience. 

Officially announced last year and now available in Auslan, the sign language of Australia’s deaf community, Huawei’s StorySign app harnesses the power of AI to open the world of books to deaf children and their families. Featuring popular children’s book ‘Where’s Spot?’ and using the help of StorySign’s friendly avatar Star, the app uses AI to translate popular children’s books into perfect sign language page by page, delivering a seamless user experience.  

To mark the Australian launch of Huawei’s StorySign app, Emma ‘Yellow Wiggle’ Watkins has partnered as an ambassador. As a passionate advocate for sign language and well recognised child entertainer, Emma is committed to supporting young children in the deaf community. 

“Empowering deaf children is a cause close to my heart and it’s wonderful to see the power of technology used to make such a positive impact. I have found signing is a compelling way to connect with our young audience, so I’m delighted to take this connection further and be an ambassador of Huawei’s app; helping young deaf children participate in story-time.”  

In Australia, around 400 children are born deaf each year*. With no written form for sign, children that are hard of hearing often struggle to connect sign language with the written word; posing reading challenges and ultimately impacting their literacy levels. The StorySign app, in conjunction with a smartphone and a physical book, delivers the best story time experience for both parent and child. 

 “With StorySign, Huawei is using the power of its AI and innovative technology in a meaningful way,” comments Lisa Connors, Huawei Australia Corporate Responsibility Manager. “We’re delighted to make this incredible StorySign app accessible to our local deaf community in Australia.”

Optimised for Huawei AI, features including Image Recognition and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) will create the best possible reading experience. The Image Recognition allows children to position the phone at an angle from the book and the app will still recognise the words perfectly, whilst the OCR permits the app to function with greater accuracy. The AI performance will also power the speed at which pages from the book can load in the app, meaning that children won’t be left waiting too long to find out what happens next in the story. 

To raise awareness of deaf literacy, Huawei Australia continues its partnership with national charity organisation, Deaf Australia, to encourage support and donation for those affected with hard of hearing. 

“The deaf community often struggles with content to address children’s literacy development needs. With the StorySign app now compatible with Auslan, Huawei is making digital tools accessible to Australian children. We are proud to continue our work with Huawei on the StorySign project as it unfolds in Australia.” said Kyle Miers, CEO of Deaf Australia. 

As a sign of ongoing commitment to the StorySign initiative, Huawei is investing in local research to support a wider conversation about ensuring equality in every aspect of their lives for people in the deaf community.  

StorySign is available on Android smartphones can be downloaded for free from Google Play Store. To watch the film and learn how you can help, visit www.storysign.com. Donations can be made via the StorySign campaign hub on the Huawei website, as well as through the ‘about’ section on the StorySign app. All money raised will support deaf child literacy projects in Australia, including more books for StorySign.

*https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/parents/needs/hearinglossfacts.pdf

– ENDS – 

Stay connected with us:

• Website:  https://consumer.huawei.com/au
• @HuaweiMobileAU (Facebook)
• @HuaweiMobileAU (Instagram)
• HuaweiMobileAustralia (YouTube)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

In addition to the above spokespeople, select case studies are available for interview. For more information, please contact:

Francesca Di Stefano

BCW Global

E: [email protected]

ABOUT HUAWEI CONSUMER BUSINESS GROUP

Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries and are used by a third of the world’s population. Fifteen R&D centers have been set up in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China. Huawei Consumer BG is one of Huawei’s three business units and covers smartphones, PC and tablets, wearables and cloud services, etc. Huawei’s global network is built on almost 30 years of expertise in the telecom industry and is dedicated to delivering the latest technological advances to consumers around the world.

ABOUT DEAF AUSTRALIA

Deaf Australia is the deaf-led peak organisation representing deaf people in Australia. We promote the advancement of human rights and equality for deaf people by collaborating with our members and stakeholders in implementing the United Nations Conventions and the National Disability Strategy. Deaf Australia is for all deaf, hard of hearing and non-deaf people and organisations (not-for-profit, for profit or government) that use and/or accept and respect Auslan (Australian Sign Language). 

HUAWEI LAUNCHES STORYSIGN A UNIQUE AI-POWERED APP FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN

Huawei uses thepower of AI to help deaf children and their parents learn and enjoy readingtogether

Sydney – Australia 

Huawei Aurtralia has today announced the launch of StorySign, an AI-powered app that helps enriching story time for deaf and hard of hearing children and their parents. This follows the global announcement earlier this month. There are approximately 32 millions deaf children globally and around 250-400 deaf children are born in Australia each year*. Many struggled to learn to read, often due to lack of options that help bridge sign language learning and reading. StorySign uses the power of Huawei’s AI (Artifical Intelligence) to create an authenthic reading experience, helping to open the world of books to deaf children and their families. 

Pioneered by Huawei and available in Australia from February 2018. StorySign will feature the popular children’s book, Where’s Spot at launch. With the help of StorySign’s friendly avatar Star and using the power of Huawei AI, the app translates the featre book into perfect sign language page by page delivering a seamless, happy and rewarding experience. 

“At Huawei, we believe in the power of AI and that technology can make a positive difference in the world,’ comments Lisa Connors, Huawei Australia Corporate Responsibility Manager. “we created StorySign to help make it possible for families with deaf children to enjoy the truly magical moments of story time. Created with experts and charaties from the Deaf community. StorySign was developed to ensure its use as a genuinely useful tool for families with deaf and hard of hearing children.”

Huawei Australia has entered a six-month partnership with local charity organisation, Deaf Australia, to encourage support and donation for those affected. Through this partnership, Huawei will offer the StorySign app to the Australian Deaf Commuinty and aim to raise awareness of deaf literacy more broadly. 

“Deaf children don’t learn to read in the same way as hearing children. Many struggle to learn how to read because they can’t match words with sounds. The deaf communityis in need of accessible content to address children’s literacy development needs and digital tools like StorySign is addressing this neccesity. For this reason, we are priviledged to be working with Huawei on the StorySign project and how, through the use of AI and innovative technology, it could enrich the lives of Australian deaf children and their families in a meaningful ways.’ comments Kyle Miers, Chief Executive of Deaf Australia. 

“We are very hopeful that it will make a significant impact in the deaf community, helping more deaf children learn how to read at the same level as hearing children. We also hope the launch of StorySign will support a wider conversation about ensuring equality in every aspect of their lives for deaf people.” says Mark Wheatley, Executive Director of European Union of Deaf. 

Sign has no written form as there is no direct English word-for-word translation, which poses a huge challenge to deaf children when learning to read. Huawei’s StorySign app, in conjunction with smartphone and physical book, delivers a magical story time experience for both parent and child. 

Created with experts and charities from the deaf community across Europe and Australia, StorySign uses Huawei AI powerful Image Recognition and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to provide greater accuracy even when the child or parent positions the phone at an angle from the book. The AI further optimises the speed at which pages from othe book loads in the app meaning that children won’t be left waiting too long to find out what happens next in the story. 

StorySign launches in Australia with a film by Academy Award winner director Chris Overton and starring seven year-old actress Maisie Sly, both of whom worked on Oscar- winning short film The Silent Child. The StorySign film sees a young girl struggling to read with her father on Christmas Eve. Later that night, when she sneaks downstairs to peek at her present, she is stunned to see Santa who hands her a book for a gift. Upon realising that the little girl is deaf, Santa begin to sign the book and in that moment, she is the happiest little girl in the world, as he helps her enjoy the magic of story time. 

Partners involved in the app development include Deaf Australia, European Union of the Deaf and its local charities across Western Europe, publishing partner Penguin and the acclaimed animation specialists of Wallace & Grommit fame, Aardman. 

“When creating Star, the character for StorySign, we first had to immerse outselves in the world of sign lamguage,’ comments Neil Pymer, Interactive Creative Director, Aardman. “The complexity we found is overwhelming, so we needed to make sure that we created a character that not only resonated with the audience but also fulfilled it main job of teaching children to read. For example, we learned that facial expression play a critical role in sign language, so we created a character to embody that expressivity. At the same time, Star was designed to seem like an older sibling, somebody who will guide you through the book. Seeing the reactions of children when realising that Star signs the words in the book is something very special indeed.”

StorySign can be downloaded for free from Google Play and the Huawei AppGallery in 10 markets across Western Europe. It will be made available in Australia from February 2019 with compatibility with Auslan.

To watch film and learn how you can help, visit www.storysign.com. Donations can be made through via StorySign campaign hub on the Huawei website. All monies raised will support deaf children literacy projects across Europe and in Australia. including more books for StorySigm. 

-ENDS-

30 November 2018

Fenton Hall, Deaf Children Australia 

597 St Kilda Road, Melbourne Victoria 3004

 
The Board of Directors would like to invite you to attend the following:

• Meet the Board of Directors and Chief Executive (10 am – 6pm)

Talk about your ideas, issues or challenges. Or learn about what Deaf Australia do.

• 32nd Annual General Meeting (6.00 pm – 7.oo pm)

Annual report, financial report and member’s vote on Deaf Acknowledgement.

• Presentation of Awards (7.00 pm – 8.00 pm)
  • Deaf Youth Australian of the Year
  • Deaf Australian of the Year
  • Fair-Go Award
  • Community Award (inaugural)

Additional information: 

1. 1. 32nd Annual General Meeting Agenda 
   2. Deaf Acknowledgement Poll (close 24 November)
   3. Apology/ Proxy (for members) (due on 24 November)
   4. Please RSVP your attendance by 28 November 2018 at [email protected]

FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2018 at 6.00 PM

DEAF CHILDREN AUSTRALIA (FENTON HALL)

597 ST KILDA ROAD – MELBOURNE – VICTORIA

 Deaf Australia regrets to advise that the planned Annual General Meeting on 27 October 2018 in Canberra has been rescheduled to 30 November 2018 due to lack of required number of attendees for proceeding of the Business.
It will now hold on Friday 30 November 2018 at Fenton Hall at Deaf Children Australia, at 6pm at 597 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004.  
Important Information:

1. The Nomination for Board of Directors has closed and will not be accepting any nominations;
2. There will be no new item for General Business;
3. Survey on Deaf Acknowledgement is still open, please submit your vote by 24 November 2018. (To submit your vote, press here – thank you if you submitted your vote).
4. If you are not attending, please submit your apology (here); or
5. Submit your apology and proxy here (due 24 November 2018).
6. Workshop will be held on 30 November and 1 December 2018 (all day) – further information will be provided shortly.

As advised on 16 November 2018 (via email):
Two (2) nominations was received, and there are three (3) Board of Director vacancies, two of which will be a full term (2018-2021), and one will remain vacant to AGM 2019.
Two nominations received were proposed, seconded and accepted:

1. Rodney Adams (New South Wales)
2. Debbie Kennewell (South Australia)

Therefore, I declare that Rodney Adams and Debbie Kennewell have been duly selected to the position of Board of Director (2018-2021).
The Board of Directors:

• Todd Wright (NSW) – elected for 2017/20 term.
• Debbie Kennewell (SA) – elected for 2015/18 term, available to re-elect
• Adrian Doyle (Vic) – elected for 2017/20 term.
• Rodney Adams (NSW) – co-opt member, available for nominate.

Annual Awards:
Nominations for Annual Awards is open (please click below to enter nomination).

• Deaf Australian Youth of the Year
• Deaf Australian of the Year
• Fair Go Award

SUMMARY OF TIMELINE:

1. Submit Apology/ Proxy Form by Saturday, 24 November 2018;
2. Submit your ballot vote (Deaf Acknowledgement) by Saturday, 24 November 2018.
3. Nomination for Awards by Friday 16 November 2018.

Please send all items to the Deaf Australia at PO Box 1348, Blackburn North, Victoria 3130; or fax to 03 8691 1324; or email to [email protected]. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
 
Kyle Miers
Chief Executive/ Company Secretary

Deaf Australia Inc. will hold its Thirty-Second (32^nd) Annual General Meeting on Saturday, 10.30am on 27 October 2018 at Grant Cameron Community Centre at 27 Mulley Street, Hawker ACT 2611. 
Deaf Australia’s Constitution that was amended on 22 November 2014 states that:
Election of Board Directors:

1. Nomination shall be in writing addressed to the secretary and shall be signed by the nominee, proposer and seconder, all whom must be financial Ordinary Individual Member of Deaf Australia, please use Nomination Form attached;
2. Nomination must be lodged 21 days prior to Annual General Meeting (nomination must be received by 5 October 2018);
3. If we receive 5 or more nominations, we will send you a ballot on 12 October 2018, and ballot must be received by 24 October 2018 (a ballot can be in form of electronic ballot);
4. Only Ordinary Individual Members[i] are entitled to vote for board members. We will send you information on ballot voting once we receive nominations; and

The current Board Directors:

• Todd Wright (NSW) – Continue to 2020.
• Debbie Kennewell (SA) – Term expires, available to re-election
• Adrian Doyle (Vic) – Continue to 2020
• Rodney Adams (NSW) – co-opt member, end of term, available for nomination.

The constitution dictates the following:

1. Maximum (two) 2 Board of Directors can be elected from same state/ territory;
2. Up to 4 board directors (minimum 2) can be elected at 2018 AGM (only one from NSW and Victoria can be elected);
3. After the AGM, the elected directors will determine its terms and positions.

Please complete Nomination Form below by 5 October 2018.
 Agenda:

• All members (ordinary and associate) are entitled to put items (things you want to talk about) on the agenda for the Annual General Meeting.
• Written notice of items for the agenda must reach the Secretary by 5 October 2018.  Agenda, minutes and other papers will be sent to you later.

Voting at the Annual General Meeting:

• If you are an Ordinary Individual Member or an Ordinary Organisation Member[ii] you are entitled to vote at Deaf Australia general meetings
• If you are not coming to the meeting on 27 October 2018, you may appoint another member as your proxy to vote for you (proxy form is attached/ or use electronic form).

Please complete Proxy and Apology Form below by 19 October 2018.
NB:        The person you choose as your proxy must be a member of Deaf Australia who is entitled to vote

• If you are an Associate Individual Member[iii] or an Associate Organisation Member[iv] of Deaf Australia you are not entitled to vote at Deaf Australia general meetings. However, you are very welcome to attend the meeting – the meeting is open to all members and other interested people who are not members.

SUMMARY OF TIMELINE:

1. Submit board nomination forms by Friday, 5 October 2018;
2. Propose your meeting agenda item/s by Friday, 5 October 2018;
3. Submit Apology/ Proxy Form by Friday, 19 October 2018;
4. Submit your ballot vote by Wednesday, 24 October 2018.

Please send all items to the Deaf Australia at PO Box 1348, Blackburn North, Victoria 3130; or fax to 03 8691 1324; or email to [email protected]. Thank you.
[i]   An Ordinary individual is Deaf or Hard of Hearing Person.
[ii]   An Ordinary organisation member is a national organisation where more than 50% of its board members are deaf or hard of hearing.
[iii]  An Associate individual member is a person who is not deaf or hard of hearing.
[iv]  An Associate organisation member is any organisation that is not a national organisation/ and or where less than 50% of board members are deaf and hard of hearing.
Kyle Miers
Chief Executive/ Company Secretary
ONLINE FORMS: 
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Media Release – Hearing Health Priority not Supported – 17 Aug 2018
The Australian Government has responded to and do not support a recommendation from the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport’s Report in making Hearing Health as National Health Priority. However, the Australian Government recognised there are number of issues of national importance.
3.9 million of Australians have some form of deafness in varying degrees. This large number is a significant concern where there are insufficient infrastructure and transparency of providers comes into the equation costing hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars over the last decade.
Deaf Australia acknowledge the needs for a more cohesive and mainstream system that calls for better accountability and fairness for everyone. However, Deaf Australia is extremely disappointed that the Committee’s view of Auslan (Sign Language) is consigned to interpreting support and not as a language or communication mode that will enhance a persons’ wellbeing whilst reinforcing deafness as medical model of disability.
The Committee’s lack of understanding of the social model is reflected in the language and recommendations.

• The focus on deafness as a hearing deficit rather than, as it for members of Deaf Australia, an essential part of linguistic and cultural identity;
• The Committee’s use of ‘Development Delay’ refers the development of speech and listening’ rather than overall development;
• The lack of reference to cognitive delay and social delay caused by lack of exposure to accessible language (e.g. signed language); and
• There is no recommendation for deaf people aged over 65, who cannot access NDIS and therefore have extremely limited access to sign language interpreting and therefore to participation in the broader community.

In addition, the Australian Government supports the Committee’s recommendation that listening and speech language therapy, and speech pathology be included in the Medicare Benefits.
Deaf Australia fails to understand why these services be included in the Medicare Benefits as they do not eliminate, reduce or minimise person’s hearing loss. Like Auslan, these services are communication tools and strategies that enables the individual to effectively communicate with others and does not necessarily improve the person’s hearing health or wellbeing, therefore, these services are not medical services. For this reason, Deaf Australia request the Australian Government to reverts its support.
Australian hearing system is already very much focused on supporting parents of deaf children to learn to speak and listen, yet where is the informed decision making for parents of deaf children, when even this Committee fails to recognised the social model of disability and the inherent benefits of sign language for deaf people?
“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which Australia is a signatory, gives deaf people the right to sign language, the right to participate in the community, the right to access information in our sign language – yet our Government, despite the implementation of the NDIS, is still stuck in a 1950s- era understanding of disability,” said Mr Kyle Miers, Chief Executive of Deaf Australia. “Australia’s commitment to ‘hearing health’ simply cannot be considered fair or equitable when deaf adults, and deaf children and their parents, are subject to a purely medical model of disability, which privileges hearing and speech over access to sign language.”
Deaf Australia is calling the Australian Government to ensure that all deaf adults, and all deaf children and their parents, have access to Auslan, have access to health information in Auslan, and are provided with objective and impartial information about deafness and the deaf community, based on social model of disability.
Reports:
Australian Government Response to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport
Supplementary Information: Appendix 1