DEAFBLIND ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

JUNE 2004

GENERAL NEWS

The Association has had a rather quiet year while the committee has plotted away on our future directions. We must apologise for the lack of a newsletter in March and we will make up for it by a bumper issue this time round! Instead of DeafBlind Awareness Week celebrations we have also expanded this issue.

The Association have held some interesting discussions with various parties in recent months and we look forward to sharing some exciting news with everyone very soon.

Thank you to the Southern Rockhounds who 'passed the hat around' and raised a donation of $33 to assist Emma & Craig to attend the 7th National DeafBlind Conference. Thank you to all other donors who wished to remain anonymous who have donated money to assist Emma and Craig Gordon, Steven Hellier and Arnold Cielens to attend the conference. Hopefully our SA delegates will report back and perhaps speak about the conference at a future information evening.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM will be held on the 7th of September at 7:30 pm. The guest speaker and venue are still to be advised. We will do an additional mail out when we have this information. We will advise all members now that anyone wants any items included on the agenda or who intends to put forth a motion must inform the chairperson by the 7th of August, 2004. Any items presented on the evening without this notification will NOT be accepted.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership is due at the time of the AGM. If you have not received a membership form with this newsletter then you have already paid and do not need to pay again until the 2005 AGM. A big welcome to Guide Dogs of SA who have recently become an organisational member.

SURVEY

We are planning many changes within the DBASA and want your input. We want to know how we should change, what you want to see happen and what you want us to provide. Your input is invaluable. Even if you are not a member!

If you could take some time to fill in the short survey enclosed with this newsletter it would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to pass this on to other family members, colleagues and so forth. We would really appreciate it if all organisations and education providers could pass a copy of this survey to all staff. You are also welcome to respond via email (dba-sa@ihug.com.au). If you would like to receive this survey as a text file please make contact via email and we will provide it.

DB AWARENESS WEEK

Victoria is launching DeafBlind Awareness Week this year. The week will run the week after Helen Keller's Birthday and in the lead up to the conference. This means a quiet week for SA. Craig and I leave half way through this week for the conference as do many other deafblind people, interpreters and professionals in SA. As such, it would be difficult to organise events through out the whole week and they would most likely be poorly attended.

We have decided that a Helen Keller Day will not be held. While Helen Keller was a very important person who achieved much in her life as a deafblind person, the association believes that the money spent on such event could be more useful elsewhere. Likewise, there are many deafblind Australians of all ages who have achieved greatly in their life and perhaps we should celebrate these people. DO you know a great deafblind person? Then let us know - we will consider a profile or interview in upcoming newsletters.

Next year is a non conference year and not as busy. We look forward to presenting a week full of activities and celebrating deafblindness in 2005.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS

The Association will once again be selling these terrific books, which are filled with amazing vouchers for dining out, movies and other amusements. The books cost $60 each and are available by contacting the Association and the inclusion of a cheque or money order. (credit card facilities are not available). For each book sold the Association keeps $12. Please note that the vouchers in these books are redeemable from the 1st of June., 2004.

CanDoNet INTERNET ACCESS

Raaising money to help the kids!

CanDo4Kids - Townsend House have launched CanDoNet - Australia's first community-based Internet Service Provider. Since CanDoNet is fully owned by CanDo4Kids-Townsend House, all proceeds from our Internet services go to supporting the kids! The service includes one of the high service qualities available so that your internet access connections will provide you with speed and reliability. This premium internet service is accompanied by responsive customer support, and best of all, by joining up with CanDoNet you are making a conscious decision to help the kids! CanDoNet offers a variety of packages to suit the home user to the high need business corporate, with dial-up or ADSL (broadband) connections and plenty of choice when it comes to type of service and download limits. Customers will also be able track their usage through a centralised and user-friendly on-line account area on our web site.

Other community organizations can also benefit from this business model by becoming an eCommunity. Interested parties are welcome to contact us.

To find out more or join simply call 1300 88 66 40 or visit the website www.candonet.com.au It is that easy! So if you are looking for fast and reliable Internet access with no hidden 'extras', check out CanDoNet today, and help us continue to provide community services to sensory impaired children

RETIREMENT VILLAGE VISIT

The following letter was received from Jocelyn Thomas, co-convenor of the Low Vision Support Group in the Lutheran Home retirement Village inn Hope Valley.

'On behalf of our group, thank you for addressing us this morning on the various problems associated with the use of aids to hearing and how to resolve these problems. Particularly helpful were the resolutions you put forward to assist with TV sound, telephones and fire alarms. The members of the group enjoyed your talk and will find the displayed equipment useful in their everyday lives. Thank you once again for coming and giving us your time and expertise'

The above session was requested by Jocelyn after a suggestion by long time member of DBASA, Betty Blessing. Jenny Callender from Hearing Solutions spoke at length about the various services they can provide and displayed some relevant equipment. A big thank you to Jenny Callender for her hard work, time and expertise!

2007 DEAFBLIND INTERNATIONAL WORLD CONFERENCE

A reminder that Perth is hosting the 2007 Deafblind International World Conference. Start saving those pennies for an opportunity that can't missed!

A NEW SYMBOL FOR DEAFBLINDNESS IN AUSTRALIA?

The committee of the Australian DeafBlind Council (ADBC) has agreed that the starfish should become the symbol for deafblindness in Australia. Here are some of the reasons why the starfish was selected as the symbol:

The starfish makes contact through vibrations and sensations with no vision or hearing as such. A "star" shape is a positive symbol. Five "fingers" that could symbolize the hand and touch, which are so vital for most people with deafblindness (two starfish together would symbolise contact and touch). It's simple shape is conducive to lots of possibilities. Starfish are the most popular creatures -- especially among the younger crowd. How often have you seen kids so excited when they find a starfish while beachcombing. Starfish merchandise would attractive to a wider audience - so there is potential to distribute some wonderful products during DBAW in association with a designer and major supermarket or dept store eg starfish pens, badges, brooches, rub on tattoo, beach bags or mini backpacks with starfish on, bumper stickers, t-shirts, hats etc Starfish can move their arms so have a human-like appearance. Many delightful themes for events (beach, water, underwater) can be attached to the starfish.

The following article was taken from an email list.

Thumbs down as traditional signs for deaf are deemed offensive

By Renee Mickelburgh, Rajeev Syal London, March 25, 2004

Political correctness has caught up with sign language for the deaf. Gestures used to depict ethnic and religious minorities and homosexuals are being dropped because they are now deemed offensive. The abandoned signs include "Jewish", in which a hand mimes a hooked nose; the sign for "gay", a flick of a limp wrist; and "Chinese", in which the index fingertips pull the eyes into a slant. Another dropped sign is that for "Indian", which is a finger pointing to an imaginary spot in the middle of a forehead. The signs have been declared off-limits by the makers of Vee-TV, Britain's Channel 4 program for the deaf, for fear of being accused of racism and homophobia. Caroline O'Neill, a researcher at Vee-TV, explained: "We have a sign language monitor on the channel who checks that what we are doing is culturally appropriate." Critics say it is silly, and that the producers are interfering with deaf culture. Polly Smith, the acting chairwoman of the British Council for Disabled People, said the changes were a form of discrimination. "The program makers at Channel 4 are interfering with deaf people's language, culture and view of society, and that is a form of discrimination," she said. But Ms O'Neill defended the move. She said that the program, which launched its fourth series yesterday, used modern alternative signs that were not offensive. "Before, the sign for Jewish was connected to a stereotypical Jewish nose, but now it's a hand sign that mimics the shape of the menorah, a ceremonial candlestick used in Judaism," she said. The sign for "Indian" is now a mime of the triangular shape of the subcontinent, "Chinese" is the right hand travelling from the signer's heart across his chest horizontally, then down towards his hip, mimicking the tunic worn in China, and the sign for "gay" is an upright thumb on one hand in the palm of the other, wobbling from side to side.

Producers on the BBC's program for the deaf, See Hear, have also dropped signs seen as politically incorrect.

The following article was sent in by Steven Hellier. Thanks Steven!

Out of the Darkness

Camp provides fun and friendship for deaf-blind

By LAURIE SMITH ANDERSON

Advocate staff writer

PINEVILLE -- The lights go down, the music swells and 54 hands rise in unison to trace circles in the air. Signing lyrics to a song they can't hear and copying movements of a dancer they can't see, 27 deaf-blind people follow their interpreters' leads to experience the song, "I Can Only Imagine."

The deaf-blind sit face-to-face with interpreters, hands joined to follow the dancer's movements and knees clasped around balloons to feel the rhythmic vibrations. As the song ends, there are tears, a few shouts and hands waving on high to signal hearty applause.

"I was born hearing and seeing," said Cathy Guillory, who has Usher's syndrome, type III. Most people with the genetic disease are born deaf and lose their vision gradually later in life. Guillory started losing her vision first and learned to rely on her hearing. "When I started losing my hearing too, I was terrified. I didn't think it was possible to exist in the world without seeing or hearing."

Though she lives in Lake Charles, Guillory is currently attending classes at the Louisiana Career Development Center in Baton Rouge to adjust to her disabilities. She was one of 27 deaf-blind people to attend a four-day camp this month at Maryhill Renewal Center.

The seventh annual camp, which featured games, crafts, storytelling, field trips, parties and a dance, is sponsored by LCDC. The center provides career training and support, and recreational opportunities to deaf and deaf-blind individuals.

Most who receive services from LCDC and go to camp have Usher's syndrome, which is more common among south Louisiana residents with Cajun ancestry. Some have limited tunnel vision and a few, like Guillory, have some residual hearing. A handful of campers attend every year and some come with other family members, either as campers or as interpreters.

A whole new world.

"I had never lived in the deaf world before," said Guillory, who wears hearing aids and is still able to communicate verbally.

"When I came to camp last year, I was just learning to sign, and I left in tears. I couldn't understand anything, and I felt so isolated. This year, I can understand. I'm thrilled. I have hope. And I've made lifetime friends with people who know what I'm going through."

That's what camp is about, signed Jackie Broussard, LCDC's deaf-blind program manager who also has Usher's. Camp is the legacy of the late Floyd Pitre, a deaf-blind Louisiana man who attended a similar program in Seattle, Wash., years ago. He came back and got the Lions Club to underwrite camp here. Seven years ago, LCDC picked up the program. "It's a lot of work, but it's worth it ... to see what it means to the campers," Broussard signed. "Many live lonely, isolated lives in their homes and communities. Camp is the one time each year where they can have fun, fellowship and interaction with other deaf-blind people."

Scheduled on Halloween weekend this year, the four-day gathering featured a haunted house, costume party and ghoulish games. During "Spooky Feel It," campers shoved their hands into plastic bags to identify "body parts from an autopsy." Alternately disgusted and amused, they played with slimy concoctions to identify dismembered eyes, ears, veins and tongues. "What is this -- 'Fear Factor'?" someone asked. Certain rules were imposed. Campers who still had some vision wore blindfolds as they navigated a maze. Sign language was prohibited during charades. And there was a lot of "deaf whispering" (covert signs hidden behind their backs) in Trivia to prevent cheating by the opposing team.

Campers Betty Babin and Mary Pippins and interpreter Ethel Alleman were in high school together at the Louisiana State School for the Deaf in the late '40s and early '50s. They enjoy their annual camp reunions. Babin's son and Pippins' son were also classmates.

While some of the camp's official sessions had speaking interpreters, most of the communication took place by tactile, hands-on signing into the palms of deaf-blind campers. Campers and interpreters signed American Sign Language among themselves with only occasional laughter punctuating the silence.

Some of the interpreters were deaf, but sighted, so they could see speakers' signs and communicate to deaf-blind campers by tactile signing. Seventeen of the 48 interpreters were students and instructors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's deaf interpretation program. Ably sighted and hearing, they nonetheless signed their way through most of camp.

Two interpreters were assigned to each camper because tactile signing is intense and exhausting. One camper, who never learned to sign, had to have each word spelled out to him.

Girl Scout Jamie Shows, who helped in the kitchen, knew only a few basic signs. "I don't understand much of what's going on around me most of the time," she said. "I feel kind of left out, but that's probably how many of these campers feel living in our world most of the time."

Maureen McCaffrey's first time to work with deaf-blind.

"It's really a life-altering experience. You learn to see the world in a new way because you have to interpret not only what is said but the environment around you," she said.

As she led camper Mary Pippins through a corn "maize," they stooped to feel corn growing in various stages and stepped over raised rows and an irrigation canal. She informed Pippins each time they came to a juncture and encouraged her to choose the direction to find their way out.

"I'm sure we got lost at least three times," Pippins signed, wiping sweat from her brow as they emerged 45 minutes later. "I probably lost 10 pounds. I felt like I was walking back to Arkansas."

Making people understand

Camper Jill Meaux lives in a group home and works at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, where she's been employed in food service since 1995. There are no other deaf and/or blind people either place. Her roommates and co-workers communicate with her on a rudimentary level through a few signs and written messages. (Meaux has some limited tunnel vision.) "Nobody needs to tell me what to do," Meaux signed through her interpreter, Donna Sue Sullivan. "I'm an expert in food service. I wash dishes. I rinse. I clean. I serve food. But it's frustrating not to be able to just talk. I can't always make people understand me. And I don't get to see my family very often. They live in Abbeville, and I miss them."

One of the youngest and most animated campers, Meaux wins the award for "Best Smile" each year. She and Sullivan were inseparable for the long weekend. "I guess you could say we've adopted each other," Sullivan said, wrapping her long arms around Meaux.

"We try to make this weekend special so that the campers can experience the world like we do every day," said LCDC Director Carole Lockwood. "As interpreters, we have a weighty responsibility to the deaf-blind. We are like instruments. Our job is to interpret and report on what is around us but not to make choices or decisions for them."

Camper Cathy Guillory, who has a master's degree in psychology, echoed that sentiment. "Just because we are disabled in sight and hearing doesn't mean we are brain disabled." "Most people are afraid of us because they don't know how to approach us," she said. "We just want to be treated with respect. If I'm going into a doctor's office and look like I need help, don't ignore me or push me through the door. Offer me your arm so that I have a choice."

At the end of each day, Guillory and the other campers parted from their interpreters and walked back to their cabins by running their hands along guide ropes set up for navigation. Some used canes to count bunks until they found their space. Moving in the silent familiarity of bedtime rituals, they prepared for bed and closed their eyes.

The following article was taken from an email list:

Deaf-blind woman deafer than deaf-blind man

Dutch researcher Ronald Pennings has found new clinical and genetic characteristics for two different inherited syndromes that cause deaf-blindness. One of the two syndromes appears to cause more hearing impairment in women than in men.

Pennings investigated Wolfram syndrome and Usher syndrome. These are two inherited syndromes that cause both deafness and blindness. Female patients with Wolfram syndrome were found to have significantly worse hearing than male patients.

Usher syndrome causes about fifty percent of deaf-blindness cases. This syndrome is characterised by hearing impairment and a retinal disorder. Patients develop tunnel vision and can even become blind.

Various forms of Usher syndrome exist. USH2a and USH1b are the most prevalent variants in the Netherlands. Pennings discovered that the hearing of USH2a patients gradually deteriorates. Each year these patients hear about half a decibel less. Up until now clinicians thought that USH2a patients had a stable hearing loss, which only worsened due to ageing. However, the increase in the hearing loss now appears to be greater. The researcher also discovered that the onset of the deterioration in vision probably occurs later in USH2a patients than USH1b patients. Eventually, between the ages of 40 and 50 years, the vision of the patients will be the same for both variants, due to a greater decrease in the vision of USH2a patients, and in subsequent years an increasing number of patients will become blind.

Wolfram syndrome is a rare condition of the nervous tissue. Patients with the syndrome suffer, for example, from diabetes and a deterioration of the optic nerve that results in blindness at a young age. Disorders of the urine-concentrating mechanism and a progressive loss of hearing also occur.

Physicians can use the results from this study to provide patients and their families with more detailed and accurate information about the condition. It will also enable physicians to establish a more accurate diagnosis and on the basis of this to offer patients the possibility of DNA diagnostics.

The following article was taken from an email list:

Roddy - the First Ever Dual Purpose Dog

Two assistance dog charities, Hearing Dogs and Guide Dogs, have worked very closely together over the past year to train the first-ever dual purpose dog. Roddy, a beautiful Labrador cross golden retriever, has been trained as both a hearing dog and a guide dog for Angela Hassall who lives in Crewe in Cheshire.

Angela has been severely deaf since she was eight, and applied for her first hearing dog over 12 years ago, and since that time she has had two hearing dogs, mongrels Buster and Darvo. In 1999 Angela began to lose her sight, and even though she still went out and about with her hearing dog, she was becoming anxious and frightened. In desperation she rang Hearing Dogs to say she did not think she could cope with Darvo any more as her vision was becoming so poor, and asked Claire Guest, operations director at Hearing Dogs, whether there was any possibility of a dog being trained as both a hearing dog and a guide dog.

Claire immediately contacted Guide Dogs and a series of meetings and conversations ensued between the two charities to determine whether indeed it was possible to train a dual purpose dog. Agreement was reached that Hearing Dogs and Guide Dogs would work very closely together to try and help Angela, and then followed the all-important search for the right dog. This was the first dilemma as Guide Dogs look for dogs that are calm and not reactive to noise, whereas Hearing Dogs look for dogs that are inquisitive and alert with a definite interest in sounds!

However, Roddy was chosen by both teams of trainers as being the perfect candidate, and he began his early guide dog training last year under the eye of trainer Richard Whormsley, who described him as being sound and willing from the start. Having successfully completed this part of the project, Roddy then came under the experienced wing of Jackie Boyle, a trainer at Hearing Dogs' northern centre in Selby. During this time he learned to alert to several household sounds including the alarm clock, doorbell, telephone and smoke alarm. Jackie is full of praise for Roddy and enthuses that he is one of the best hearing dogs she has ever trained. She had to adapt his training to take into account that on bad days Angela had barely any sight at all, so Roddy had to learn extra skills when alerting to sounds.

Three months later Roddy went back to finish his guide dog training with Guide Dog mobility instructor Tony Cook, who was also deeply impressed - not only with Roddy's capabilities but also with Angela's eagerness to learn. "She was so forward-thinking, and prepared to take on all the challenges that face guide dog owners, even though she has the added problem of a severe hearing loss," he explains. During this period, Roddy's hearing dog training was also kept up, with Tony and Jackie working closely together to ensure his sound work and guide work ran in tandem. Roddy became a fully qualified guide dog in July of this year, and four months later he achieved fully trained hearing dog status.

Both Hearing Dogs' and Guide Dogs' staff are delighted with the outcome of this trial project, and anticipate training more dual purpose dogs in the future. Lee Stanway, Guide Dogs' district team manager for Cheshire and North Wales, said: "Training Roddy has been a real challenge which has involved a great deal of teamwork and co-operation between Guide Dogs and Hearing Dogs. I don't think we could have dreamed of a better outcome - Roddy has proved to be a very special dog and he and Angela really have formed an extraordinary partnership." Hearing Dogs' operations director, Claire Guest, agrees with Lee. "Angela's unswerving belief that it was possible to train a dog to take on both roles gave us the determination to meet that challenge. Roddy's understanding and ability to alert Angela to different situations, whether they be obstacles outside or sounds in the home, is truly humbling. Staff at Hearing Dogs are delighted that the close collaboration with Guide Dogs has resulted in such a wonderful bond between dog and owner."

Roddy is indeed a unique dog that has completely transformed Angela's life. From feeling frightened of going out of the house once her sight deteriorated, she now says she is hardly ever in. "When I first approached Claire about the possibility of a hearing and guide dog," she says, "this is what I hoped for, and it is exactly what I have got. I know how much Roddy means to me - he is a very special dog."

The following article is reprinted with the permission of the author:

LEARNING FROM CHILDREN WHO ARE DEAFBLIND

'THROW AWAY THE TOYS'

Sharon Barrey Grassick

The following article was written in reflection of a recent experience that made such an impact on me, as an educator, that I felt it must be shared:

Toys can be fun. Some toys are better than others. Some toys are great for particular educational purposes. And sometimes toys should be left in the cupboard…

Many children who are deafblind or have multiple disabilities are not yet able, or perhaps have not been given the opportunity, to choose toys or activities for themselves…so toys are generally recommended to parents by therapists and educators. If a child was free to choose whatever toy he or she most preferred, it would be a pretty sure bet that they would choose you - the 'human toy'.

We need to ask ourselves the following question: Is time best spent trying to teach a child to use a particular toy, or is it better spent interacting on a personal, conversational level with a child - using voice and body language, especially hands, to share experiences and acknowledge the child's behaviour as communication?

So often we forget the two things that are most important to children - especially to children with sensory impairments - effective human contact and interaction. Too often we are busy searching for toys, or connecting toys to switches, when we could be spending that valuable time interacting and connecting with the child.

Some people reading this article may start getting a bit nervous and defensive at this point…"but toys are good…skills can be taught with toys!" And there would be much agreement from many quarters (including from myself). However, considerable time is being spent in homes and classrooms, particularly with children who have severe physical disabilities, focusing on the use of switches. The suggestion here is simply that we may be spending too much time 'teaching' children how to use toys and switches by directing and controlling their hands, and not spending enough time interacting with children using human contact to achieve the same kinds of skill development. For example, what better way of learning cause and effect than playing a preferred turn-taking game, pausing the activity and waiting for the child to indicate that the game should continue? Eg. 'When Daddy stops swinging me, if I move my leg, Daddy starts swinging me again!' 'If Mummy stops bouncing me and I move my arms up and down, Mummy starts bouncing me again!'

Rather than manipulating a child's hands to teach him or her how to use a toy, offering ourselves as human toys and making our hands available for the child to control, can achieve remarkable conversations.

Human cause and effect A great deal of money and time can be spent looking for effective 'cause and effect' toys - bright colours, shiny, good contrast, interesting sounds, stimulating textures, motivating…motivating and interesting to who? Too often, these toys are far more attractive to an adult than to a child!

How to motivate…that's the real challenge!
Question: What is motivating for most children who are deafblind?
Answer: PEOPLE - Human contact and interaction

So, why not look at 'cause and effect', using people instead of toys? (And it's heaps cheaper!)

Consider the following alternatives to commercial 'cause and effect' toys:

Instead of pushing a button and a toy pops up…push against Dad's arm and his arm pops up (in a specific and predictable pattern every time). Instead of touching a switch and a light goes on…touch Mum's face and her eyes and mouth open wide then shut again. (Brightly coloured lipstick and/or eye shadow can help here! Sorry Mum…) Instead of touching a toy and it starts to move…touch Mum's hand and she starts to move it in a particular way. (Brightly coloured nail polish may add interest…)

Depending upon the interests and abilities of an individual child, many variations to the above can be used. Be creative and have fun!

We don't always have the luxury of one-on-one time to spend with children; however, when we do, the most valuable activities are those that involve personal interaction - turn taking, imitation, conversations and general enjoyment of being 'connected' with another human being. In other words, if the child does something, the adult communication partner acknowledges and responds in a particular, meaningful way - keeping it fun and interactive.

The following is a little scenario that has confirmed for me, what this concept is all about: C would not accept her hearing aid. As soon as it was inserted, she would use her excellent fine motor skills to pull it out! A special toy was being saved especially for periods when C's hearing aid was being used. This toy was apparently visually stimulating and motivating to the adult who suggested it, but offered no auditory stimulation or interest to C.)

Having observed the wonderful bond that Mum and Dad have with C, a different tack was suggested - using the parents themselves as the motivation for acceptance of the hearing aid, rather than a toy, as follows:

Show hearing aid to C then offer it under her hand for her to feel. Give a touch cue (circle her ear lobe) before inserting the aid (make sure aid is turned off before inserting). Insert aid and turn it on as soon as it is in place. Immediately use your voice to greet C in an interesting 'singsong' fashion, making sure that you say her name, and your name, eg. "Helllllllooooo CCCC, It's Mummmy here" using a natural intensity, but with lots of inflection and intonation. Ideally, if Daddy (or other significant person) is available, take turns talking and singing to C. Take turns back and forth using voice and waiting for C to locate the direction the voice is coming from - continuing to use good intonation or singing, eg. 'Hello C, come to Mummy…(wait for Mummy to hug and kiss). Then, "Hello C come to Daddy…there you are!" etc. If C starts to move her hand towards the aid in an attempt to remove it, gently intercept and redirect her hand, with your hand under hers, and divert her attention by offering an interesting game involving her hands, voice and movement. Avoid physically taking her hand away. (You may need to be quick and develop this skill!)

In the scenario above, the first time this turn-taking game was tried it was maintained for over 10 minutes, with lots of smiling from C (and Mum and Dad!) and no attempts whatsoever to remove the hearing aid. When C then turned her head away, this was acknowledged and interpreted as her needing a break or time to process the information. The hearing aid touch cue was given, the aid quickly turned off and removed before she had the opportunity to remove it herself.

[Note: This wee girl is now wearing her hearing aid most of the day! Well done, Mum and Dad!]

Acknowledge behaviour, such as turning away or diversion of eyes, as communicating the need for a break, or time for processing or self-regulation. These cues can often be very subtle, but it is most important that we observe carefully and learn to recognise these behaviours and respect the need for these breaks. Unfortunately, these behaviours can be misinterpreted as noncompliance or disinterest in the person or activity. Only by taking the time to develop a trusting relationship and bond with a child can we effectively interpret when these breaks for processing are required.

Just imagine the energy that is required by a child who is deafblind to try to use what little vision or hearing they may have…then add to this the additional disabilities and complex medical conditions that many children who are deafblind have, particularly children with CHARGE . Many children have physical disabilities or balance problems, which also require huge amounts of energy. The need for breaks must be recognised and respected.

In situations similar to C above, initially keep sessions short and acknowledge the need for breaks. Remove aid(s) before the child finds an opportunity to do so. As much as we like to give a child control over communication and interaction, it is advisable for the adult to take control over hearing aid use, so that the child learns that it is not their job to remove the aids! When the child engages again, repeat the procedure, but remember, 'baby steps'. Increase hearing aid use in small increments - keep it short, sweet and positive. Gradually increase time so that hearing aids are used all day.

Maintain conversations using fingerplays and singing songs with specific patterns. Remember to pause and allow for anticipation of what follows. Give time for the child to initiate and respond. Significant people may have a special song or rhyme that they sing every time they greet a child. This can become a type of 'song signature'.

'Chin to chin' is another technique that can be very effective, talking or singing with your chin in contact with the child's chin, allowing the child to feel vibrations from the vocal chords and breath flow.

Allow the child to have access to your face, especially to your mouth. If a child's hand or fingers make contact with your face, immediately respond by vocalising, talking or singing.

Using parents as the motivating 'human toys' empowers parents. What better way to motivate a child than to have a parent who responds to their child's actions and behaviours in a positive and meaningful way, eg? 'When I do this, Mum does that" …"When I do that, Dad does this"…and "When I do it again, the same thing happens"…consistency, routine, predictability and understanding - and never forget the FUN part!

In summary, please don't throw away all the toys! There is definitely a time and place for some toys! However, stop and think before offering a toy… maybe there's another way - a better way - using yourself as the 'human toy'.

DB BIBLE STUDY LIST

We have been informed of a new bible study/discussion email list for deafblind people. To subscribe send an email to the following address: db-biblestudy-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

We have received information that members have been complaining to our volunteers or associated parties regarding our newsletter and Association. I would like to remind you that any queries, issues or complaints should be directed to the chairperson only, on the contact details given below. Our volunteers are hard working dedicated people who should not be subject to this sort of behaviour. We know this is a minute minority and thank the rest of you for your support, patience and recognition that the committee are all also hard working volunteers with careers and families, dedicated to improving the lives of deafblind and dual sensory impaired South Australians.

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.

CONTACT DETAILS:

PO Box 196, Christies Beach SA 5165
dba-sa@ihug.com.au
Phone: 8326 3369
SMS: 0402024316

You can download the membership and/or survey forms and fill them in and either post the print out to our mailling address above or email them to us to the addresses shown above in this newsletter. There are two downloads per form one is the archived zip file which you can click on and download to a folder on your pc and if you have a program like Winzip you can extract it to a folder on your computer. If you don't have a program such as winzip you can download the executable file which once downloaded you can click on it and it will extract to your "my documents" folder. Remember to scan your downloaded files before you do anything as we cannot guarantee that its free from viruses or any such melicious code.