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Category: Deaf Australia News
Roundtable with Karen Peltz Strauss
The day before the M-Enabling Conference, Phil Harper organised, and Australian Communication Exchange sponsored, a roundtable meeting of invited people to meet with Karen Peltz Strauss who was one of the keynote presenters at the conference. Here’s a summary of what was discussed.
Abbott Government Silences Deaf Voice
Tony Abbott shocked the nation on Monday when he announced his new cabinet; eliminating key ministerial portfolios, including Disability, Women, and Mental Health. Deaf Australia has condemned the move, saying it will take Australia backwards.
“With this decision, Tony has already broken his promise made in his victory speech, saying there would be “no surprises, no excuses’,” said Deaf Australia Acting President Todd Wright today. “He has shown his true colours by further marginalising one of the most vulnerable minority groups in Australian society.”
“Cutting the Disability Ministry and Parliamentary Secretary for Disability role proves Abbott is out of touch with Australian people and wants to make sure we have no way to communicate our needs to the government,” said Mr Wright, “It is easy to ignore the needs of vulnerable people when there is no-one responsible for ensuring their wellbeing.”
This is the latest in a series of anti-disability decisions Abbott hoped would go unnoticed. Deaf Australia has been told that the Coalition’s last-minute policy costings, released the day before the election, appear to show plans to pay for election promises by axing 50% of the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF); an already pitifully small fund that covers vital interpreting, captioning and notetaking services, and workplace modifications for Deaf people in employment.
The EAF is an essential tool used by potential Deaf employees to gain access to job interviews, to secure a job, and to develop a meaningful career, by removing barriers in the workplace.
“If the EAF is cut, many Deaf people will be at risk of losing their jobs, as their employers will not be able to afford to pay for interpreters and other requirements that they need,” explained Mr Wright, “Forcing Deaf people back onto the dole is irresponsible and old-fashioned and will cost the government much more in the long run.”
Many Deaf employees find the current EAF funding level inadequate for their career development needs, so any cuts will be a huge step backward.
“Abbott is washing his hands from disability issues by removing critical ministry and parliamentary secretary roles in his cabinet,” explained Mr Wright, “He is out of touch with what the disability sector needs and will drag down long-term productivity gains in the workforce contradicting key Liberal policy.”
Deaf Australia is calling for the Abbott government to immediately reinstate the Disability Ministry and to clarify their commitment to the Employment Assistance Fund.
[content_box style=”green-2″ title=”What does this mean to you?”]
- We used to have a Minister for Disability in the Australian government, but not anymore
- Disability is now part of the Minister of Social Services as are many other areas
- Deaf Australia is worried this means the Australian government will lose focus on our disability issues
- The Australian government may be cutting the EAF (Employment Assistance Fund) to save money, this is not confirmed yet
- Deaf Australia is worried this means Deaf people will not get support in their workplace like interpreters, captioning, notetaking
- We want the Australian government to tell us what will happen to the EAF program
National Week of Deaf People 2013!
National Week of Deaf People (NWDP) is a weeklong celebration of Deaf people and the Australian Deaf community.
It is an opportunity for Deaf people to:
- Celebrate Deaf community, language, culture and history
- Make the public aware of their local, state and national Deaf communities
- Recognise their achievements
It is also an opportunity for organisations involved with the Deaf Community to:
- Showcase their services and/or products
- Build/maintain relationships with Deaf people
- Be recognised for giving Deaf people a fair go
This year, NWDP will be held from 19-25 October 2013
National Day of Deaf People (NDDP) will be on Sunday 20 October 2013.
The theme for this year is the same theme as the World Federation of the Deaf International Week of Deaf People for 2013:
“Equality for Deaf People”.
Be creative and start thinking about how you can celebrate Deaf culture!
The types of things you could organise for NWDP are:
- Deaf Festival Day/Expo
- Information pamphlets/posters
- Workshops/forums
- Deaf Comedy/Quiz/Theatre/Debate
- Film nights
- Open days
You will need to register your event with Deaf Australia to make sure it is a part of the official NWDP program. Registration also means your event will be listed on Deaf Australia’s website and will be promoted along with all the other official NWDP events, so people know what is happening all over Australia during that week.
To register, read the Terms of Reference on the Deaf Australia website, then fill out the registration form and send it with your flyer and any other promotional materials to your Deaf Australia state branch for them to collate and send to head office. ACT, NT and Tasmania can send their registrations direct to Deaf Australia.
You must register with your state branch by Friday 13 September 2013 in order for everything to arrive at Deaf Australia on time.
When promoting your event, there is some information you must include:
- Title of event
- Date/time
- Venue
- Organisation name
- Contact person
- Contact details (email, phone TTY, fax etc)
- RSVP details (if needed)
- Official NWDP logo
Remember you must include the Deaf Australia NWDP logo on all promotional materials, such as flyers, posters and DVDs etc. It is very important to use the logo so that that everyone will know your event is part of the official NWDP program.
If you are promoting your event verbally or using Auslan (eg on radio or TV), you need to be clear that NWDP is Deaf Australia’s national week for celebrating Deaf culture. For example, you could say: “As part of Deaf Australia’s NWDP, I have great pleasure in running this event…”.
Please download the registration information and start thinking about how you can get creative about celebrating Deaf people and culture during National Week of Deaf People!
[button url=”https://deafaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/NWDP-collateral.zip” class=”button” size=”jumbo” color=”green-2″ target=”_self” lightbox_content=”” lightbox_description=””] Download all the NWDP documents (.zip 4.5MB) [/button]
This file contains, the guidelines, registration form, NWDP logos (as PDF, EPS, JPEG and PNG files) and the logo usage guide.
[button url=”https://deafaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/NWDP-Guidelines-2013.pdf” class=”button” size=”jumbo” color=”cool-blue” target=”_self” lightbox_content=”” lightbox_description=””] Download the NWDP guidelines only (PDF 444KB) [/button]
[button url=”https://deafaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Event-Rego-for-NWDP-2013.doc” class=”button” size=”jumbo” color=”lime-green” target=”_self” lightbox_content=”” lightbox_description=””] Download the NWDP registration form only (.doc 256KB) [/button]
Aussie elected to International Disability Alliance board
Sydney-sider Mr Colin Allen, currently World Federation of the Deaf President, was elected to the position of Second Vice-Chair of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) Board in July this year, and will be part of the organisation’s work in promoting human rights internationally.
“We are proud to congratulate Mr Allen on this appointment,” said Deaf Australia President Ann Darwin, “He does excellent work in promoting Deaf rights with WFD and it is great to see an Australian Deaf person in another pivotal role on the world stage.”
The IDA, established in 1999, is a network of global and regional disabled people’s organisations (DPOs). It aims to promote the human rights of persons with disabilities as a united organisation of persons with disabilities utilising the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other human rights instruments. The IDA participates as representatives of representative organisations of persons with disabilities at the national, regional and international levels.
The IDA, along with member organisations around the world, provides a voice to people living with a disability. There are many Disabled People’s Organisations worldwide, and although they represent over one billion people, they are the most frequently overlooked minority group.
The United Nations system both in New York and Geneva acknowledges the IDA’s unique composition as a network of the foremost international disability rights organisations and as the most authoritative representative voice of persons with disabilities.
What you said: Deaf Education Summit video released
As part of the Deaf Education Summit, Deaf Australia encouraged delegates and presenters to tell us their hopes, frustrations, goals and dreams related to their experiences with the deaf education and early intervention systems.
We were overwhelmed with parents, Deaf community members, Deaf educators and summit participants who wanted to tell their story on camera.
Please watch this video and share it with your colleagues, friends, schools, service providers and whoever else you think needs to know more about the real life experiences of people who use the system.
National Disability Awards – Nominations close soon!
Do you know someone who should be recognised for their outstanding work to improve the lives of people with disability?
Nominations are now open for the 2013 National Disability Awards.
The Awards are held each year as part of the International Day of People with Disability celebrations. They honour and recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals, teams and organisations that have improved the lives of people with disability, and contribute to increased recognition of equality and human rights for all Australians.
There are nine Award categories:
- Lifetime Achievement Award in Disability
- Emerging Leaders Award in Disability
- Excellence in Accessible Communities Award
- Excellence in Improving Social Participation Award
- Excellence in Advocacy & Rights Promotion Award
- Excellence in Improving Employment Opportunities Award
- Excellence in Improving Personal and Community Support Award
- Excellence in Improving Education Outcomes Award
- Excellence in Improving Health Outcomes Award.
Please spread the word among your own networks, and nominate a person or organisation you think has done a great job in improving conditions for Deaf people in Australia.
Nominations close 5PM AEST Friday 28 June 2013. Nominate now!
For more information or assistance, please visit www.idpwd.com.au, email [email protected] or phone 1800 672 682 (TTY users please phone 1800 555 677 and ask for 1800 672 682).
Deaf woman sues government for her right to serve on a jury
After being unwillingly excluded from jury duty in 2012, Queensland resident Gaye Lyons has brought a discrimination case against the Queensland government to fight for her right to serve as a juror.
Plaintiff, Ms Gaye Lyons
Ms Lyons was refused the opportunity for jury selection because she is deaf and needs an Auslan interpreter in the selection process, in court proceedings and in the jury room.
A State Government barrister told the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal that the Jury Act prevented Ms Lyons from effectively serving as a juror.
The State Government claims the Act does not allow an Auslan interpreter – a 13th person – in a jury room when jurors are deliberating, but this is disputed by Ms Lyons’ lawyer Phillip French.
In February last year, Ms Lyons received an email from Ipswich District Court deputy registrar Katrina Britton telling her she was excluded from jury selection under the Act.
Ms Lyons is alleging that this was direct and indirect discrimination.
The tribunal was told no deaf person has ever served on a jury in Australia and interpreters are not allowed in jury rooms anywhere in the country.
However, deaf people have served on juries in the United States and a deaf person has been a juror in a New Zealand tax fraud case.
He said Ms Lyons had been deprived of her opportunity to perform an important civic duty and had been unjustly characterised as incompetent.
“We say she is capable of performing the function of a juror,” Mr French said.
Barrister Kerri Mellifont SC, for the State Government, said the decision to exclude Ms Lyons from jury selection was not based on her impairment.
She said the Jury Act said a person could not do jury service if they could not perform the functions of a juror and Ms Lyons could not do that without an interpreter.
Ms Mellifont said jury deliberations could not be disclosed to anyone other than another juror and that would exclude Auslan interpreters from the jury room.
“Many people are not aware of the strict code of ethics that Auslan Interpreters must abide by,” said Deaf Australia Executive Officer Karen Lloyd, “Interpreters will only interpret what is being said; they will not add or exclude information, offer their own opinions or advice, or discuss what they have heard with anyone.”
“Having an interpreter in the jury room should not compromise the process in any way.”
Professor Jemina Napier also gave evidence via phone from Scotland about a study resulting from mock trials of hearing and deaf jurors.
She said it found deaf people did not seem disadvantaged by having interpreters at court, but more research was needed.
Report of the National Summit on early intervention and education released!
Deaf Australia is excited to announce that the report of the National Summit on early intervention and education for Deaf and hard of hearing children is now ready for public release.
Deaf Australia held a national summit on early intervention and education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Canberra on 29 and 30 November 2012 to give the community an opportunity to be heard on these vital issues.
While politicians, academics and educators made an important contribution and provided informative presentations, the primary purpose was to hear from people at the coal face, on the lived experience of early intervention and school education. We asked participants to consider four basic questions:
- What has worked for you?
- What has not worked?
- What needs to change?
- What can we do to help make this change happen?
Strategic planning company Grant Thornton agreed to work with Deaf Australia pro bono to attend the summit and write a report with a recommended strategy for Deaf Australia on these issues.
This report has been sent to the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
We are pleased to now be able to release the report publicly to all who attended the summit, to members and supporters and others who might be interested. Please feel free to share this report with others whom you believe have a stake in these issues or might be interested.
Deaf Australia will be following up on the strategy recommended in the report. If you would like to collaborate with us on the strategy we would be keen to hear from you – please contact Deaf Australia Executive Officer Karen Lloyd at [email protected].
Our thanks to our Summit sponsors:
- Ai Media
- Deaf Children Australia
- Media Access Australia
- Victorian Deaf Education Institute
- National Relay Service
- Deafness Forum of Australia
- Grant Thornton
- Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
- DeafCanDo
- Hills Sound, Vision & Lighting Group
- Communication Replublic
- NABS
cap that! Back in 2013
Now in its third year, the annual cap that! campaign is focused on asking teachers all around Australia to turn on captions in schools to improve literacy and learning benefits for all students.
Captions are of great assistance for many Deaf and hearing impaired students.
Research has shown that captions can improve comprehension for students who use a language other than English as their first language, for struggling readers and for children with learning difficulties.
Captions are already available on many DVDs, online videos and TV programs, but many people are not aware that they are now being used in classrooms as a new way of teaching students with diverse learning needs.
cap that! are currently looking for teachers to become Captions Champions for 2013. Captions Champions receive a pack containing information to assist them start using captions in the classroom immediately and also to encourage their teaching colleagues to do the same. To complement the pack, the cap that! website provides lesson plan ideas and other resources. The lesson plans are designed around the Australian Curriculum subjects of maths, science, history and English and cater for Kindy through to Year 10. Each resource has a captioned element to it and most link directly to free captioned videos.
Captions Champions are kept up-to-date on the availability of new, captioned multimedia via a free newsletter and through the cap that! website content.
Captions Champion at St Clare of Assisi, ACT, Tiffany Reedy said, “Captions provide me with another teaching method I can use to improve learning outcomes around literacy. It’s something I hadn’t thought much about previously but since being a Captions Champion I’ve started to seek out educational videos with captions, and in doing so I’ve seen benefits for every student in the class.”
Visit www.capthat.com.au for your free Captions Champion pack and to access a range of resources for teachers, schools and parents.
cap that! is sponsored by the Australian Communication Exchange and proudly supported by National Literacy and Numeracy Week.
International Week of the Deaf: September 2013
Equality for Deaf People
It is again that time of the year when Deaf people around the world gather together with the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) to celebrate International Week of the Deaf.
International Week of the Deaf is celebrated annually by Deaf people worldwide during the last full week of September. 133 national associations of the Deaf worldwide organise events, marches, debates, campaigns and meetings to highlight specific human rights topics that merit attention by local and national governmental authorities, including decision makers, general public and media.
International Week of the Deaf is about gathering together, becoming united, and showing that unity to the rest of the world. The International Week of Deaf also increases solidarity among Deaf people and allies and is used as a way to stimulate greater efforts to promote the rights of Deaf people. The activities also welcome the involvement of parents and families of Deaf people, interpreters, professionals who work with Deaf people and government officials.
For last several years the WFD identified yearly themes for International Week of the Deaf celebrations:
- 2009 Deaf people’s cultural achievements
- 2010 Deaf education
- 2011 Accessibility to information and communications
- 2012 Sign Bilingualism is a Human Right!
- 2013 Equality for Deaf People
This year’s theme focuses on equality for Deaf people, amongst Deaf people and promoted by Deaf people. Equality for Deaf People recognises contributions by Deaf people to global prosperity, human rights of all Deaf people, and preparation of Deaf communities worldwide for future challenges.
Equality for Deaf People celebrates the linguistic, artistic, social, political and cultural contributions and accomplishments of Deaf people. This theme also focuses on recognition of sign languages around the world. Focus on Equality for Deaf People also prepares us to look towards the future with a clear vision with renewed energies for creating positive change in local communities worldwide.
International Week of the Deaf provides an excellent opportunity to share and discuss ways to promote collaboration on equality for Deaf people based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The WFD has asked national members to choose one, two or more issues that are related to this year’s theme in observing International Week of the Deaf. This could involve issues related to language recognition, educational rights, attitudes towards a sign bilingual society or awareness raising within the Deaf community about their rights as bilingual citizens.
Also, the WFD is encouraging national associations of the Deaf to host fundraising activities or events to support the WFD and its human rights efforts across the globe.
The WFD Secretariat will update its Facebook page to include the activities undertaken by national associations of the Deaf.
Please share your International Week of the Deaf photos and stories with [mailto][email protected][/mailto] Interested persons can join WFD as an individual member and support WFD’s work.