Announcement: Save the AGM 2024

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Hello, I'm Debra Swann, Chair of Deaf Australia.

This video is to announce ... SAVE THE DATE!. Deaf Australia will be having its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday 3rd December 2024.  It'll start at 7.30pm in Victoria and NSW; 7pm in South Australia; 6.30pm Queensland; 4.30pm in Western Australia.

Please put the date in your calendar. More information will be coming soon. 

Interim CEO Update (17 October 2024)

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Transcript:
 
Hello, I’m *gives name sign* Shirley. My role here is that of a temporary CEO here at Deaf Australia. I wanted to create a quick video to share with you all, the deaf community, to thank you, members and the deaf community, for your support over the last few months and your patience too, knowing that Deaf Australia is experiencing a challenging period with the reduction in staffing and funding cuts (as previously reported). Thank you for your patience while we try to keep going. Now that I’m back, meaning that I will make sure that Deaf Australia continues to function and continue with our work in systemic advocacy.
 
We are aware of changes to the NDIS and with the paucity of information released. There were also gaps in information released about the response to the recommendations in the Disability Royal Commission reports, as well as the Disability Strategy Plan. While we are much reduced in staffing, we are determined to continue to release information so keep an eye out for that. Also, make sure you watch our postings about upcoming events; we will also have alternative opportunities to join Deaf Australia. I am excited about collaborating with you all again. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns relating to systemic advocacy, regardless of whether it’s national or state based. We will work to support however we can. I’m looking forward to sharing more information soon; keep watch on us! Thank you and bye!
 
VD: Shirley has black hair tied up and she is wearing a maroon cable jumper. She is standing in front of a creamy background and is communicating the above in Auslan.

DA Awards 2024 – Nomination Opens Now

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Hello. I’m Debra Swann, Chair of Deaf Australia

This is an announcement for nominations for 2024 Deaf Australian and Deaf Youth of the Year Awards which is now now open!

You can nominate a person who:

  • Works tirelessly
  • Passionate
  • Actively engages with the community
  • and supports the Deaf community.

The person can be either  volunteer or employed. What’s important is that we nominate someone who is genuinely involved, passionate and supportive. 

For more information including criteria is available on our website. 

A range of achievements we can look at as well:

  • Wonderful advocate for the Deaf community.
  • Supports effective language development.
  • Involved with events, creating social opportunities.
  • Introduces new technology to make access easier.
  • Development of program to enhance the skills of Deaf people.

There are examples to help you to think of someone to nominate.

Remember, there are two categories open for nominations!

  1. Deaf Australian of the Year
  2. Deaf Youth of the Year

Nominations close on 11th November 2024. Once when nominations have been received,  we have received the nomination, the panel will assess them. Winners will be announced at our AGM on 3rd December 2024.

Get your nominations in!

CJA Lecture 2024 Announcement

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Hello everyone!

I'm Debra Swann, Chair of Deaf Australia. 

First, I'd like to apologise for the error in my last video, where I incorrectly stated the date. My apologies. 

We'd like to announce that this year's Colin Allen AM Lecture will be on Thursday 31st October 2024 at 7pm Melbourne time.

Who is this year's presenter?

Ashton Jean-Pierre will be presenting on his topic on this night.

More information including topic will come soon.

Save this date and keep your eye out for tickets!

Thank you!

NDIS Update – 2 April 2024

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Transcript: 

This is the NDIS update. This is a hot topic within the Deaf community, especially for those who use the NDIS in different ways. Deaf Australia has continued working with the NDIA in different ways, we regularly attend forums, meetings and discussions. Deaf Australia has also been contributing to working groups on topics such as the planning process, and providing feedback from a Deaf perspective. We also have had meetings regarding issues that we see occurring in the NDIS space that affect the Deaf community. This includes insufficient interpreter funds being allocated, the rejection of Auslan training in plans, or insufficient funds for Auslan. Also supporting people to appeal the NDIA’s decision and supporting cases at the AAT that relate to interpreter funding, Auslan training and other Deaf specific requests.

The Deaf community must have their choice and control with the NDIS. We have been doing lots of work in this space.

I also acknowledge there have been a lot of changes and reforms to the NDIS, however, this information hasn’t been shared with the Deaf Community well. We will create a page on our website to explain these changes. Recently there was a bill introduced in Parliament to ensure that the NDIS stays within its original vision. This means that Deaf Australia along with other Disability Representation organisations can work with the NDIA to ensure a better outcome and experience for the Deaf and wider disability community when accessing the NDIS.
There have also been changes in policies to crack down on fraud and strengthen fraud prevention, this will be released soon.

Changes such as an extra day in processing payment for services, changing from 2 to 3 business days to ensure appropriate oversight.

Check-in with your plan or plan managers to understand these changes and to make sure they don’t impact any of your services. We are trying to get more visual and accessible information about these changes so you can understand how to best use your plan in alignment with the changing NDIS space.

If you have any concerns about your NDIS plans please contact us and we can point you in the right direction to have this resolved.

Thank you

Visual description

Shirley is wearing a black t-shirt standing in plain cream background.

She is signing in a friendly and concise manner towards the camera.

DRC Update – 2 April 2024

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Transcript: 

Hello, this video is an update about the Disability Royal Commission. As you know the DRC finished its commission and handed down volumes of its recommendations. This means the Australian Government needs to consider its response to each of the many recommendations. Originally the plan was for the response to be released this month, however, they have extended this until mid-July. That means we must wait a little longer until the Government releases its responses for us to begin our collaborative work with the other Disability Representation groups to provide our feedback. No one knows our needs like we do, so it’s important to ensure the response from the Government is appropriate and that nothing is missed.

There was a recent progress update, which covered other Disability related themes unfortunately none of which were related to the Deaf and Auslan community. Only some information regarding general accessibility, which I want to acknowledge. We will wait until mid-July for the full response from the Government and we will provide you updates about that when it happens, as well as what impacts may occur in the community.

We also acknowledge that there isn’t a lot of information available in Auslan, we aim to create a page on our website dedicated to the DRC, its aim, and its impact across all the various areas. This will help understand Deaf Australia’s role in responding to the Government’s response. We hope to have this information up in a few months.

Thank you for watching.

Visual description

Shirley is wearing a black t-shirt standing in plain cream background.

She is signing in a friendly and concise manner towards the camera.

NRS Update – 2 April 2024

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Transcript: 

Hello, this video is an update about the NRS. You may remember the previous video we posted about the NRS and the concerns around the tender process for service delivery.
The tender application has now closed. We acknowledge the limited consultation with the community and the gaps that exist in the current form.

We have been contacted by the relevant Government department to discuss the areas we have identified and they expressed they are happy and willing to have further discussions on how the service can be improved once the tender has closed.
We will share more updates when they happen.

Also, we have been working closely with ACCAN who are experts in the area of Communication, they have assisted us in how best to lead this, with foresight for the next tender process to avoid what happened in the recent tender.

The process will take some time with negotiations to ensure its successful. We want to ensure issues raised are resolved, so we don’t have to deal with the same types of issues in future tender cycles. We will share further updates when we have them.

Also, for any issues identified or brought to Deaf Australia’s attention, we will be approaching the Minister of Communications to inform them and have thorough conversations on how these can be addressed. We hope to begin this approach shortly.

Lastly, we have spoken with ACCAN about ‘Triple-0’ emergency calls. They are eager to explore how this can be improved. You may be aware that the 3G network will be shutting down this year. Different Telecommunication businesses such as Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have announced when they will turn off their 3G networks. Please check with your phone provider to make sure you won’t be affected with this change.
ACCAN told me about the various levels of 000, some being the State’s responsibility and others being the Federal Government’s responsibility. They’re happy to work with us to help address the issue of Deaf people being unable to access 000 in the time of an emergency, and the changes needed to amend this. We’ve been involved with a committee of other stakeholders and the Government which has given us a great opportunity to inform them about this so they can also advocate for us.

Once we know more about how to best approach State-based 000 providers, and approval from the board, we will let you know and consult with the community to move this issue forward.

Thank you for watching this update.

Visual description

Shirley is wearing a black t-shirt standing in plain cream background.

She is signing in a friendly and concise manner towards the camera.

Acting CEO Shirley Update – April 2024

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Transcript:

Hello! In this update, I’ll be sharing an update on all the work we’ve been doing at Deaf Australia. There has been a lot happening across different sectors, it would be impossible to fit everything into one video. Instead of one lengthy video, I’ve decided to break it up into smaller videos depending on the topic of the update, so I can go into more detail in each video. I will email Deaf Australia’s members with the different videos, as well as post these on social media in the next week or two for you to watch.

I encourage you to become a Deaf Australia Member so you can have quick access to our updates too via our mailing lists.

If you’re not yet a member, that’s fine. We are still amending our member forms on our website to make joining and payment easier with our new payment option. By using My CRM, our central management system we can see all details in one handy location.

This also will align with the recent changes from our last AGM, regarding membership structure. We will provide further updates on this soon.

Another exciting date coming up soon is Auslan Day, on April 13th! We are excited! If you don’t already know we’re having a video competition with prizes to be won. For more information, please check out our website. We will be releasing a promo video soon, so please keep a look out!

Now for all the things we’ve been working on at Deaf Australia. There’s been lots! As you know we’re a small organisation, but that doesn’t stop us from tirelessly advocating for systemic change. We’ve had lots of meetings with the Government, and lots of things have been happening. Of course, it is a slow process, but we know that eventually, the impact will be a positive change.
Unfortunately, nothing can change overnight, so we keep advocating.

Three things I’d like to provide an update on are the Disability Royal Commission and NDIS Review as well as the NRS update. Three big topics!

Please watch the separate videos for further information.

Deaf Australia has also been busy reviewing and writing position papers, which are released after working closely with Deaf Australia’s board for approval. We have plenty of position papers available on our website, with more to be added soon.

We have provided submissions to the Government for their different reviews to help inform better policy decisions and reform to influence the rest of Australia’s states and territories.

I know that was a lot of information for one video, I hope you have a good week and enjoyed the break over the recent long weekend.

I look forward to working with you more soon.

Visual description

Shirley is wearing a black t-shirt standing in plain cream background.

She is signing in a friendly and concise manner towards the camera.

CEO Update (Part 2: WFD 2027 Congress in UAE) – 23 Oct 2023

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Thirdly, earlier this year, we attended the WFD Congress in South Korea. During the congress, there was a General Assembly where we receive updates and vote on things, including the location of the next Congress.

The process is that countries put in their bids, two WFD board
and one WFDYS board member travel to these countries and inspect the sites and interview the nominees, before approving.

This year they also made the decision to provide a recommendation.

This year, three countries bidded – Nigeria in Africa, Norway in Europe and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Middle East.
In the congress, WFD Board recommended UAE. The UAE won the bid.

However, there were questions about human rights, particularly regarding the 2SLGBTIQA+SB community, commonly referred to as 'Queer.'
21 countries (19 signatories), including Australia, wrote a motion for a request for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to ask questions about the bidding process and to ask all three bidders to answer questions on human rights.

WFD accepted and an EGM was held on Saturday, from 9pm – 2.30am Melbourne time, which was a long night. Our intention was never to have a re-vote, but to clarify things, however we did write the word ‘vote’ in the motion – but it is important to remember that English is a second, third, fourth language for the majority of people in the world.

During this process, the agenda was around topics such as accepting the voting procedures and more.
1. Should the WFD Board be responsible for deciding whether bids meet human rights and then deciding whether they can be approved for voting by the members?
2. Which country would win the next Congress location?

So, that's the summary up to this point.
I had two Board members come to my home to watch together. Two of us voted while one observed. Sherrie Beaver, the vice-chairperson, and Karthik Vijayanandam as an observer joined me for the EGM. The three of us were together all night, and we asked questions.

I would like to bring up a personal comment: there have been a lot of comments and fear about women in UAE, stuff like can women go to UAE? Do they have to attend with a man? Is it safe to go? Can women present? I believe this is Islamophobia. I think this is directly related to a fear or inappropriate beliefs about religion, Muslim, and Islam. This needs to stop. Don't aim to burden women; however, there are a few extremists. Please conduct some research before making public claims and statements about this. That's what I wanted to share with you all.

Let's return to the Extraordinary General Meeting procedure from last Saturday. Three hours prior to the EGM, WFD released an open letter which I will attach. responding to some allegations from Norway in their magazines about the process of the bids and votes in Korea. WFD had tried to respond to them and get them to print a retraction, but apparently were not listened to, which is why they released the open letter.
On the night, Nigeria withdrew their bid, saying that there was
a fair democratic process where the UAE won in Korea. Norway removed their bid because of this open letter from the WFD. This meant UAE was the only country in the running.

Please remember that the Board agreed that we don't want to hold a re-vote. We wanted to ask questions for clarification before accepting that the UAE has won the bid.

So, we voted on two main issues during this process: the WFD and the country's bid. We all agreed that we don't want WFD to accept bids from countries with poor human rights records. We, as members, want to be the ones making this decision, not the WFD. That covers the first part. As for the second part, the country's bid.

We are not allowed and won’t ask for another EGM to happen again. We accept that a democratic process has happened. That is what happened. Does this mean I will ignore any of your objections? No, I welcome your feedback and also continue to relay this to WFD to ensure that the next Congress is successful. Thank you.

CEO Update (Part 1) – 23 Oct 2023

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Hello. This is Jen Blyth, CEO of Deaf Australia. I am making this video on Wurundjeri country of the Kulin Nation - Melbourne.

I have a CEO update. I'll try to keep it brief, but it's rather lengthy. Just a heads up in advance.

1. Services Australia (Centrelink) - Part 1
2. NDIS guidelines - Part 1
3. WFD 2027 Congress in UAE - Part 2

Services Australia
A Deaf community member reached out to us to ask us
to help advocate for the removal of the requirement to have interpreters be a nominee for Deaf people when making calls to Centrelink. We agreed this was an important advocacy issue, and we have successfully advocated for this removal. Service Australia have changed their policies and procedures which will be updated on their website soon. They will remove this requirement for nominees, instead changing the process to ask identifying questions from the interpreter, such as what their NAATI number is. This is a great win.

NDIS would we fund it guidelines
The NDIS has developed some guidelines to cover Deaf-specific requirements, such as Auslan at home for families and interpreting being covered. On their website, they will soon post about topics such as Auslan in the home for families, Auslan for adults, and interpreting services. Unfortunately, they don't share the hours or the costs, but the funds will be covered. This is a positive step that benefits everyone.

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