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Well, it has certainly been a busy time. Deafblind Awareness Week was a great success, jam packed from beginning to end. I won’t say too much as the write up below will see to that.
I must reiterate a huge thank you to all those people who helped us in anyway. It would not have been made possible without all this assistance.
We look forward to the 2004 DeafBlind Awareness Week.
The AGM has been set for September the 2nd at 7:30 pm. It will be held in the Deaf Society, in the hall area. Barry Mackie from DeafSA will speak about interpreting services for deafblind people before we start the official business. We will also hold the draw for our raffle. A light supper will be provided. If you require interpreters for this event, please ensure you inform us by August the 25th to enable us time to organise this.
I urge everyone who receives this newsletter to become a paying member of the Association. It is very hard for us to gauge how much support we have when a large number of our newsletters are distributed by Sensability to their client base. Sensability respects your confidentiality and does not give us your details at all. Our membership fee is very nominal. Members receive all newsletters, special mail outs and voting rights. Members can also receive the newsletter in alternative formats such as tape or email. We love email memberships as this lowers our costs considerably. There are also many non deafblind people, organisations and professionals who receive this newsletter and your membership support would be appreciated.
Don’t forget that memberships are due at each AGM. We don’t send out individual reminders as the cost would be astronomical for us. Included in this newsletter is a membership/renewal form.
On a personal note, Craig and I are expecting our second child (Craig’s fourth) in mid August. I have attempted not to let this interfere with the running of the Association but I expect that at some stage it invariably may. I thank you in advance for patience with any late responses to mail or email. And of course, we will let you know all about the baby in the next newsletter!
Thankyou,DBASA is offering up for silent auction a Motorola T2288 mobile phone. The phone does not include SIM card or running costs. The phone is valued at approximately $250.
If you are interested in making a bid, send a piece of paper with your name, address, phone number and your bid. Closing date for all bids in September the 30th. The successful bidder will be notified and the phone delivered once payment is received.
A BIG THANK YOU TO MOTOROLA FOR DONATING THE PHONE
We are still running our raffle which we began during the awareness week. Prizes are as follow:
The raffle tickets are $1.00 each and books of ten are also available. We welcome purchase through mail, with payment in money order or cheque. No responsibility can be taken for cash sent through the mail. Please ensure any orders for raffle tickets are received by August 25th, to enable us to have time to send your tickets to you before the drawing date.
The raffle will be drawn on the evening of our AGM, the 2nd of August, 2003.
We would like to thank Motorola, Coca Cola Amatil Ltd, Birdwood Motor Museum, Greenhills Family Adventure Park, Maritime Museum Port Adelaide, Coles Myer, Bilo, Pizza Haven and Charlesworth Nuts for donating some absolutely fabulous prizes.
Two deafblind persons attended three senior secondary classes and spoke about their life and their experiences. These classes, involving students studying Community Health Industry Pathways, were all enthralled by the speakers. They asked many questions relating to deafblindness, blindness and deafness. The teachers expressed their thanks and admitted that even they had learnt a thing or two!
· Thanks to Steven Hellier and Craig Gordon for volunteering their time for these presentations.
· Thank you to Sensability for providing cab vouchers to assist with transport costs.
· Thank you to DeafSA for providing interpreters (and very good ones!) for these presentations.
· Thank you to RSB for donating a number of CD Rom 3VI education packs to distribute at schools.
· Thank you to CanDo4kids Townsend House for releasing Craig during work time to undertake the presentations.
A number of adults and children came together on this glorious day. The weather that had looked so ominous that morning turned into a beautiful sunny day. Several children enjoyed their time ‘on stage’ singing Karaoke style through microphones. The BBQ was very yummy! Left over meat, bread and condiments were sent on to Strathmont to use.
A few adults reminisced about the old ‘Townsend’ days, while another young lady learnt a thing or two about the current Townsend House and what it has to offer.
· Thank you to CanDo4kids Townsend House for use of their grounds.
· Thank you to Rotary Club Somerton Park and Robert Milton for a terrific BBQ trailer set up.
· Thank you to SAIL & Hearing Solutions staff for volunteering their time on a Sunday to assist with the setting up, packing up and general running if the day. You were all great!
· Thank you to COLES Noarlunga, for discounted sausages.
· Thank you to Tip Top for the donation of the loaves of bread.
· Thank you to the Banana Palm, Noarlunga for donating onions.
A number of adults attended the Monday evening session. The session had speakers from SAIL, Townsend House and Sensability. Much information on the role of these organisations and the services they provide was shared. The information shared on this evening will be distributed to further three hundred people who receive the DBA of SA’s newsletter.
· Thank you to Paul Creedon of Sensability, Jane Nelson of SAIL and Claire Cotton of CanDo4kids Townsend House for giving up their time on a cold Monday evening.
· Thank you to DeafSA for provision of interpreters and for the venue.
The trivia evening, planned purely as a fund rasing event and not as an awareness event, was a quiet success. The evening made a small profit for the Association and lots of fun was had by all in attendance.
A contingent of people who required AUSLAN interpreters were present. This in itself raised some awareness. Several people who are not involved in the sensory fields were intrigued by their presence and many questions were answered by the president of the DBASA that evening. This was a huge positive and definitely an unplanned bonus! Michelle Thredgold provided some entertainment before the show began and during the breaks. A mini raffle was run and raised a small sum for the Association.
· Thanks to Allan Tindall, the volunteer Quizmaster extraordinaire.
· Thanks to Kay Tindall, Allan’s assistant for the evening.
· Thanks to Tom Walker, the volunteer door person, money handler and general assistant.
· Thanks to Michelle Thredgold, vocalist and musician for providing the entertainment.
· Thank you to Ingoldby and Andrew Jarrett Wines for donation of wine as prizes.
· Thank you to Emma and Craig Gordon for donation of wine as prizes.
· Thank you to KFC for donating ten $5 vouchers for prizes. Also thanks to McDonalds and Pizza hut for donating two for one offer vouchers for use as prizes.
· Thank you to Tynte Street Flowers and Designer Direct for donating products or vouchers to be used as prizes in our mini raffle.
Pauline Locke, organised an excellent cake cutting ceremony at the Strathmont Centre to highlight World Helen Keller Day. Robyn Geraghty, the local MP for the Strathmont area, spoke briefly about deafblindness before cutting the cake. There was good turn out of people from various organisations in SA, given the terrible weather conditions outside. Pauline also organised an excellent display of equipment that some vision impaired people may use.
· Thanks to Pauline Locke for organising the afternoon so well.
· Thanks to other Strathmont staff who assisted Pauline with the setting up and packing up of the ceremony.
· Thanks to Robyn Geraghty for her presence and speech.
· Thanks to Strathmont for the venue.
The tactile Signing Workshop finished the week well. A small number of people attended, interested in learning or refining their skills in the deafblind finger alphabet. After some great discussion on the alphabet the group paired off and ‘gave it a go’. After a short break the group viewed the video ‘The Journey’, a documentary about a deafblind gentleman in Australia. The video was extremely well received.
· Thanks to Heather Loades for organising the afternoon.
· Thanks to the wonderful interpreters Barry, Jan and Kelly.
· Thanks to DeafSA for providing the interpreters and venue.
Three hundred posters were designed and printed by Association. Over two hundred were distributed nationally, to a huge number of sensory related organisations. This included all state and territories.
· Thank you to RSB for their initial assistance and direction.
· Thank you to Tom Walker (jnr) for his assistance with the design of the poster.
· Thank you to Becki Walker and Chris Walker who undertook the very time constrained mail out of all the posters.
Through out the planning process and the actual week a huge number of people gave their time and support in a variety of ways. We would like to thank all those people:
Kay Tindall, Allan Tindall, Andrew Daly (RSB), Paul Creedon (Sensability), Elisa Adams (Townsend House), Georgena Robertson Townsend House), Claire Cotton (Townsend House), Barry Mackie (DeafSA), Heather Loades (DeafSA), Tom Walker (snr), Tom Walker (jnr) Becki Walker, Christina Walker, Pauline Locke (Strathmont), Stephen Hellier, Rhonda Nelson
And these organisations:
Strathmont, Townsend House, IDSC, Guide Dogs SA & NT, DeafSA, Sensability, Royal Society for the Blind, Successful Adults in Life (SAIL).
And a special thank you to Jane Nelson (SAIL) who quietly put in an extraordinary effort to assist the working committee and support the awareness week events.
We hope we have not forgotten to thank anyone. There was such great support from so many people and we are thank to every one of those people.
On Sunday the 22 Of June i went to a family fun day.
When I got there there wasn't any other kids BUT my sister ALLYSON and my brother EDWARD and me AMANDA .
BUT we still had fun because ALLYSON and me were inside the hall singing on the stage.
For lunch we had a barbecue with meat patties, sausages, onion and vegetable patties and for drinks we had diet coke, coke, fanta and 7up .
THE END.
Have a happy family fun day .
By:AMANDA.GORDON.
By Simon Wong
17 July 2003
My wife Nhu and I had the pleasure of participating in a tactile signing workshop recently as part of Deafblind Awareness Week. We had a lot of fun learning the deafblind alphabet and trying to communicate with one another through tactile signing. I was delighted that for the first time, Barry and I (a Deaf man and a blind man) managed to communicate a little without the aid of an interpreter. We also learned about relay interpreters and how they work with people who are deafblind.
One particular highlight of the workshop was the showing of a documentary video - The Journey - a story of a deafblind man by the name of Billie Sinclair who lives in New South Wales. Being both profoundly deaf and totally blind, he communicated fluently and eloquently through hands-on finger spelling. Billie’s courage and insight enthralled us. We were inspired by his positive outlook and zest for life.
Nhu believes the documentary is a "must-see" video for anyone who can do with a little dose of encouragement. I believe the video is compulsory viewing for anyone who live or work with people with a disability. We thank the Deafblind Association and Deaf SA for this highly educational and stimulating workshop.
My name is Allyson and I am a 12 year old deafblind child. I attended the tactile workshop held in the deaf society on the 28th of June and I thought everyone learnt something new. We started with the tactile alphabet. Although I already knew it I still learnt a lot. After having a conversation to an interpreter we had a coffee & tea break. After the break we went upstairs to watch a video about a totally deafblind man, Billie Sinclair. I enjoyed the video a lot I learnt how Billie Sinclair travelled to different countries. I learnt that in Asia, instead of using tactile signing they use their knuckles as Braille dots! After the video the workshop ended.
Personally I really enjoyed the workshop and I think most other people that attended it enjoyed it as well. The interpreters were all really nice and even though we didn’t have too many people there it was still a good day. Hopefully there will be another deafblind awareness week next year. If so I am going to go to every event.
CHARGE syndrome refers to individuals born with a specific set of birth defects which include anomalies of the eyes, ears, face, heart, nasal passages, cranial nerves, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, genitals, urinary tract and kidneys. Due to the hearing and vision anomalies, many of these individuals will be diagnosed as deafblind. Some individuals with CHARGE will be unable to swallow, smell or taste. In addition, there can be other malformations such as cleft lip and palate, tracheo-esophageal fistula, poor muscle tone and/or poor immune response.
The cause of CHARGE syndrome is not yet known. The incidence is about 1 in 10,000-15,000 births. As infants, these children often spend weeks or even months in hospital, but their will to live is undeniable. With the proper diagnosis and early intervention these individuals can survive and become healthy, productive and happy people.
The Australasian CHARGE Syndrome Association was formed in 1988 as a parent support group, and has since grown to a membership of over 100 families and professionals. The Association (run by parents and professionals) is committed to improving the health and welfare of children and adults with CHARGE Syndrome. Conferences are held every two years (next conference: Sydney 1-3 October 2004) and workshops are being planned for each state and territory throughout Australia and New Zealand.
There is an overwhelming need to raise public awareness of CHARGE syndrome in the medical, educational and general public for this condition remains under diagnosed. Still today, there are physicians and paediatricians who are unfamiliar with the characteristics of CHARGE and unfortunately children are dying as a result. A (free) information package is provided to families of children with CHARGE syndrome and it includes: an information handbook, a 12 minute video and a copy of the current Australasian and American newsletters. If you would like to receive this information package, or if you would like to go on the mailing list for future conferences and workshops, please contact the Association direct (see details below).
The Association would like to encourage you to join with them in celebrating CHARGE Syndrome Awareness Week and in recognising the difficulties of children, youth and adults and their families living with CHARGE syndrome. Celebrate with these very special individuals who continue to defy the odds, overcome the obstacles presented by living with this syndrome and continue to lead productive and healthy lives.
If you would like more information on CHARGE Syndrome, or would like to receive our information package, please contact:
The Australasian CHARGE Syndrome Association
PO Box 91, Glenfield. NSW. 2167
Tel: (02) 9605 8475 Fax: (02) 9605 8759
Email: austcharge@hotmail.com
www.austcharge.com.au
Cell phone makers must soon offer handsets that work with hearing aids providing the growing number of people with hearing problems the benefits of wireless communication, regulators said Thursday.
Many digital wireless phones can emit electromagnetic energy that interferes with hearing aids and implants, turning amplified sounds into static and squeals.
The Federal Communications Commission voted 5-0 to require that by February 2008 half of the digital cell phones offered must emit lower energy levels that do not cause interference.
"This action will result in members of the hearing disabled community having dramatically increased access to digital wireless phones - access that will improve their lives and promote their safety," Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy said.
In the United States, about one in 10 people have some degree of hearing loss, the FCC said. That proportion is expected to rise as the population ages.
About 6 million people use hearing aids and more than 20,000 people have cochlear implants, which send auditory signals to the brain to restore hearing in people with certain types of hearing loss.
Hearing aids typically work with phones by either amplifying sound from a microphone or using a device called a telecoil, which receives magnetic fields directly from compatible telephones to produce clearer sound. About a quarter of hearing aids use telecoils, which are usually intended for people with severe hearing loss.
Federal rules require most telephones to be compatible with hearing aids, but until now cell phones have been exempt.
Under the new rules, most manufacturers and cellular providers must offer at least two handset models that emit reduced amounts of energy and won't interfere with hearing aids within two years. Within three years, the companies must offers two models with telecoils.
The 2008 deadline for half of all phones is the same as the expiration date for a government requirement that wireless carriers provide analog cellular service. Analog phones usually don't interfere with hearing aids.
The cell phone industry said the FCC decision does more harm than good.
"The wireless industry is committed to ensuring that our customers who wear hearing aids are able to use wireless services, and we will work with the hearing aid industry and consumer groups to achieve this goal," said Tom Wheeler, president of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. "Today's FCC mandates will unnecessarily complicate this cooperation and constrain innovative solutions."
He said the new standard should apply to hearing aids and not just cell phones.
Some cell phones already are compatible with hearing aids, but they are not widely advertised and can be hard to find, said Brenda Battat, public policy director for Self Help For Hard of Hearing People, a Bethesda, Md.-based consumer group.
"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Battat said. She said the new rules, which include a labeling requirement for compatible phones, are a step forward.
Sven Topp, Council Member
Hi All
It is my pleasure to announce that a new organisation has been formed
recently called the Australian Deafblind Interpreters Association
(ADbIA). Yes I am one of it's founding members too).
Our main aims at present are to advocate the needs of Deafblind people using Interpreters and the needs of the Interpreters themselves. Currently we have two Deafblind members, one Deaf Member and three Interpreters. We hope to expand eventually and include a Registry of Interpreters Australiawide.
Sharon Barrey-Grassick (ADBC Committee Member)
In response to requests to ADBC to support families of children and adults who are deafblind, ADBC is setting up a Parent & Family email list. The intention of this special email list is to provide a forum to enable parents and other family members to share their experiences and any concerns and to support each other. Members of this email list would be able to share and discuss issues and ideas online. The parent representative to the ADBC Committee, currently Gail Staggs, will be an active member of this Family list, and will provide a summary of issues to the ADBC Committee for inclusion on the ADBC agenda. Bringing major issues to the ADBC Committee enables members who are deafblind and professionals in the field to contribute additional information that may be useful, as members of the list cannot expect Gail or any other family member, to be an expert on all issues and able to answer all questions.
To subscribe send a blank email to: DBSupport-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
A number of people think it is time to find a logo to represent deafblindness. There has been a great deal of discussion about this on the dbaust list. A Starfish which is itself deafblind seems to be a popular choice. ADBC is asking for ideas of suitable logos so that a final decision can be made.
It has also been suggested that ADBC hold a competition to have the logo designed with the winner to be announced at the Conference in Melbourne next year.
Guide Dogs Queensland has begun trials of a laser-guided walking cane, and plans to soon test a prototype "Batcane" that uses sonar technology to warn the blind of obstacles.
Rehabilitation Services Manager Bashir Ebrahim said the Laser Cane and "Batcane'' would never replace guide dogs, but could help more than 100,000 Australians who are blind or visually impaired.
"These devices are not vision-substitution systems,'' he said. "But they can enhance someone's mobility.''
The Laser Cane, which is made in the United States and is expected to sell for $6000, can detect objects in front, behind and below a user. It communicates the position of obstacles with sounds and vibrations.
Guide Dogs Queensland is testing the cane, with a view to buying some for permanent loans to the visually impaired.
Another hand-held device called a Miniguide, which uses sound waves to reveal the position of objects up to four metres away, has already been accepted by Guide Dog groups around the country and is available for loan.
Among other innovations unveiled at an Electronic Travel Aids Mobility seminar on the Gold Coast today was a global positioning satellite system that tells users by voice or braille where they are anywhere in the world.
"This is an exciting time with developments around the world,'' said Ebrahim.
"But you'll always need guide dogs and the long cane,'' he said. "The electronic devices will only suit some people.''
Emma Gordon - President, Phil Vandepeer - Vice President, Craig Gordon - Secretary, John Crawford - Treasurer, Stephen Hellier, Ted Foote, Marilyn Gordon, Heather Loades (DeafSA).
The DeafBlind Association of SA does not necessarily endorse or support any of the articles that appear within this newsletter. We include articles that may be of interest to the deafblind and wider community. The Association thanks the continuing support of the Strathmont Centre in printing these newsletters at no cost. We also thank John and Pauline Locke for producing and mailing the newsletter. We support the blind community in providing easy to read, text only newsletters. We also provide this newsletter in alternative formats.
PO Box 196, Christies Beach SA 5165
dba-sa@ihug.com.au
Phone: 8326 3369
SMS: 0402024316
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