FROM THE CHAIR

Prepare yourself for a bumper newsletter!

Apologies for the lack of a newsletter in March. I experienced ill health in the last few months of my pregnancy and was unable to conduct any business for the Association. However, I am now happy too announce, that Rosemary Kay was born on the 13th April and I am feeling considerably better.

February saw Meredith Prain, Project officer for the Mary Ward update, visit SA. Meredith managed to meet with a huge number of organisations, representatives, educational institutions, and deafblind people. She was some what overwhelmed by the time she flew out Friday evening, but certainly had a good picture of Deafblind issues here in SA.

The Executive has been meeting and organising the year. You will find our intended calendar for the Awareness Week and our AGM details further on in the newsletter. The Social Justice Policy Network in conjunction with DBASA have been investigating policy issues to do with services to deafblind people. A proposal has been adopted by the Network, following a report, and has gone to the Labor Party's Platform Committee for consideration, and also to Minister Weatherill. It still has a long way to go before being adopted as official Party policy, but at least it is a start!

MEMBERSHIP

Membership was due at the time of the AGM. If you have paid very recently, then you will be paid up until the 2005 AGM. If you're not sure, please contact us and we will let you know if your membership is paid until 2006. If you require a membership form please make contact and we will mail or email you a copy. ****************************************************************************

DEAFBLIND AWARENESS WEEK

DeafBlind Awareness Week (International Helen Keller) Week is again upon us. The week will run from June 26th - July 2nd. We have three main events planned: Information Night Monday 27th June 6.30pm - 8.00pm DeafSA Come and hear two deafblind people talk about their experiences. A light supper will be included. Tactile Fingerspelling Workshop Wednesday 29th June 4pm - 6pm DeafSA Come and learn tactile fingerspelling (DeafBlind Manual Alphabet). The session will close with the video of 'The Journey', the documentary on Billy Sinclair. Certificates of Attendance can be issued. (Education staff - use this toward your TND hours!) Trivia Evening Friday 1st July 7pm-late West Adelaide Footy Club 57 Milner Ave , Richmond Our quiz master extraordinaire, Allan Tindall, will take us through sets of challenging questions and games. The evening will be hosted at the West Adelaide Football Club, located at Richmond, on July 1st 2005. Doors open at 7.00 pm for a strict 7:30 pm start. Bar facilities and tea and coffee are available within the room. Cake, biscuits and other snacks are available at a small cost (profits to the association). BYO supper welcome. Raffles will be held throughout the night. The cost is $10 per head, with tables of ten available. While we aim for a full table, we ask for a minimum of eight. This is our main fundraiser for the year so come along and support us! Book early by phoning/sms Emma on 0402024316 or 8326 3369. Please phone/email/sms to confirm any details prior to the event if you are unsure. **If you require an interpreter for any of these events please let us know ASAP so we can book early** ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS It that time again! Buy your entertainment book now! The book is jammed full of vouchers that far outweigh the initial outlay of $60 (of which $12 goes to the Association). This years seems to be even better than usual, with even more vouchers and participating outlets than before. For those who haven't purchased a book before, it includes two-for-one meals/entry or 25% off at some great restaurants, cafes, eateries and tourist attractions and a Gold Card that gives discounts for fine dining restaurants and local, national and international accommodation. I personally get a book each year and my family certainly get our values worth. A few of our regular purchasers buy it only for the Kangaroo Island specials and apparently those discounts pay for the book alone. Ring or SMS 0402024316 or phone 83263369 or email dba-sa@ihug.com.au to order your book now. The vouchers and card are valid NOW until June 2006. **************************************************************************** A FUNDRAISER WITH A DIFFERENCE! Rebecca Walker, a long time supporter of DBASA and gifted leather worker is creating stunning handcrafted genuine leather Braille keyrings. Keyrings are created with up to three braille cells (six dot) to your specifications. Very suitable for initials This item is a perfect gift for vision impaired or blind person, or as a novelty gift for a sighted person. Keyrings are made from quality thick black leather measuring from 8 to 11 centimetres long (depending on how many cells are chosen) and 4 centimetres wide. Braille is formed using 8 millimetre wide metal rivets, either black or silver toned depending on your choice. Back is covered with black kid leather ensuring that the rivets which form the Braille can only be seen and felt on one side of the keyring. Attractive and sturdy! Important! Please note that that 8mm wide rivets are used to create Braille so cells and dots are larger than standard universal braille. Keys rings cost eight dollars with four dollars from each sale going directly to the Association. An order form is enclosed and can be sent with payment (money order or cheque) to the Association. Please feel free to let as many people as you want know about this great fundraiser! If you'd like to view a picture of a sample keyring, please email us and we can email you a picture. ** NB - At this stage this offer is only available through June to end of July to mark Helen Keller's birthday and DeafBlind Awareness Week. **************************************************************************** ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting will be held on the 2nd August at 7pm at DeafSA. Guest speaker and final details to be advised. We will let you know the final details as the evening draws closer! Please let us know early if you require an interpreter for the evening. **************************************************************************** The University of Adelaide's Psychology Department is conducting a study into Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP) to ascertain whether vision-impaired people have paranormal ability, and determine whether impairment is compensated by ESP. They are seeking volunteers who are unable to see a line drawing. They invite volunteers from the Adelaide metropolitan area and country districts. To make it easier for you, testing can be done in your home. All volunteers will receive a complimentary music voucher valued at $20. Volunteers will need to allocate approximately 30 to 40 minutes to one session only. All information about you is strictly confidential. If you would like to participate, or would like more information, please call Mikele Barrett-Woodbridge: Freecall 1800 633 088 or (08) 8303 5230, or Dr. Lance Storm: (08) 8443 5059. **************************************************************************** TTY USERS TAKE NOTE! We received this email through an email list: If you have the switch that enables you to set a lamp flashing when your TTY rings, please make sure that a monitor is not plugged into the same socket (via a power board). My $1000 flat panel monitor went dead yesterday after my TTY rang (luckily it is still under warranty). I found out today, through a friend at Harvey Normans that monitors can withstand the surging of a flashing lamp for some time but eventually blow. Even on a surge protected power board. By Sven *************************************************************************** The following article has been edited due to space constrictions) May 2nd 2005 Stop Press! Blind since the age of six and deaf since three, Graham G-Force Hicks, an ambassador for the charity Deaf Blind UK achieved a world record first, May 2nd 2005 by flying a Hov Pod 3-man hovercraft across the Solent and back, a stretch of water separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England. The Hov Pod is so easy to fly, that Graham learnt just the day before under the supervision of Hov Pod dealer Alex Emson of Hover the Wight. The Solent Crossing Challenge Graham Hicks can neither see nor hear. To enable Graham to drive the Hov Pod to complete the task, Alex communicated to Graham through touch communication hand signals. Alex Emson assisted Graham using only touch to guide Graham out over the beach before flying out through the surf into the sea. Starting from Ryde, a seaside town on the Isle of Wight, Graham flew with Alex, plus Grahams assistant Robert Hall, across The Solent to the UK mainland at Southsea. Graham landed close to the HoverTravel Terminal at Southsea from where the regular passenger hovercraft service operates using a AP1-88/100, capable of carrying 80 passengers. The crossing took just 18 minutes! Graham then flew Alex and Robert back across the Solent to the starting point in Ryde. About Graham G-Force Hicks Graham smashed his way into the record books in 2004 by setting a new Guinness quad bike world speed record of 133mph supported on that occasion by his pillion rider, Cambridgeshire Policeman, Brian Sharman. Graham's achievements also include fastest journey from England to Holland and back on a Jet Ski. Graham undertakes these amazing challenges to illustrate that a disability, even one as severe as deafblindness, is no barrier to achievement when given the right support. Graham also heads up the challenges department for national charity Deafblind UK, where he works to raise both the profile of the charity and vital funds In the UK today an estimated 24,000 people are deafblind or dual sensory impaired. This means they have sight and hearing loss to such a degree that it leads to problems with communication, mobility and accessing information. **************************************************************************** This information was received through an email list. We are not sure of its relevance or availability on Australia (dollars shown are US dollars). However we have include it for your interest: Window-Eyes Lease-to-Own Plan Launched (FORT WAYNE, IN) - GW Micro today announced the launch of their new Window-Eyes Lease-to-Own program. The program will allow customers to pay for Window-Eyes in monthly installments while they're using it. "This is definitely a first in the assistive technology market," said Dan Weirich, co-owner of GW Micro. "Our motto this year has been 'Think Window-Eyes First.' This is another first for GW Micro, which will ultimately benefit all users of screen readers." In the lease-to-own program, a customer can purchase a one-month LTO copy of Window-Eyes for $50. They then purchase additional license numbers for $100 per month for nine or 11 months. At the end of the payment schedule, the customer will receive a full-working version of Window-Eyes. GW Micro offers two different plans. LTO Plus includes a copy of Window-Eyes and a single upgrade for $950; LTO Premium includes a copy of Window-Eyes and a full Software Maintenance Agreement (three upgrades) for $1150. If a customer misses a payment, or decides they no longer want to participate, Window-Eyes will convert to a 30-minute demo version of the software, which will allow customers to renew it at a later date. Erik Deckers, Director of Sales and Marketing said, "This isn't a credit card or a finance plan. We won't send nasty letters or file credit reports. We wanted to make accessibility software itself more accessible. It's a great way for new screen reader users to try out Window-Eyes for more than 30 minutes, and for other existing users to switch screen readers without a big hit to their wallets." More information, including FAQ and policies, is available on the web at www.gwmicro.com/lto or by calling (260) 489-3671. The LTO discs have begun shipping, and are available for purchase from GW Micro and area dealers and distributors. GW Micro has been in business since 1990, and has produced the Window-Eyes screen reader since 1995. Window-Eyes supports speech and Braille output on a Windows PC so that a blind computer user can access websites, email, word processing, and use most computer functions available to the sighted user. For more information or a Window-Eyes press kit, contact: Erik Deckers, Director of Sales and Marketing 725 Airport North Office Park Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Ph. 260-489-3671 sales@gwmicro.com www.gwmicro.com ****************************************************************************This email was received through one of my many email lists and I thought some parents and carers may enjoy the humor: YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WHEN: · you view toys as "therapy" · You don't take a new day for granted. · You teach your child how to pull things out of the cupboard, off the bookcase, and that feeding the dog is fun. · The clothes your child wore last year fit her this year. · Everything is an educational opportunity instead of just having plain old fun. · You cheer instead of scold when they blow bubbles in their juice while sitting at the dinner table (that's speech therapy) · When they smear ketchup all over the high chair, that's occupational therapy. · You also don't mind if your child goes through the house tooting a tin whistle · You fired at least 3 pediatricians and can teach your GP a thing or two. · You can name at least 3 genes on chromosone 21. you have been told you are in denial by at least 3 medical professionals, this makes you laugh. · You have that incredible sinking feeling that you have forgotten something on days that you don't have some sort off appointment somewhere. · Your vocabulary consists of all the letters ot pt sp asd vsd ifsp etc, · You keep your appointment with the specialist even through tropical storm is raging because you just want to get it over with and you waited 8 months for it · Fighting and wrestling with siblings is considered physical therapy and speech therapy · When potty training is complete you take out a full page out in the newspaper. · When they know you by your first name at Drs/hospital etc. · You phone all your friends when your child sits up for the first time age two · Her medical file is two inches and growing. **************************************************************************** This is an amazing article!!!!!!!!!!! DEAF BLIND TRIPLET DAUGHTERS From Jamie Berke,Your Guide to Deafness / Hard of Hearing. Now That's a Parenting Challenge When I received an e-mail from Liz and George Hooker, parents of deafblind triplet daughters, I knew I just had to feature this family on About. As one of the parents put it: "As you know, deafblindness is a low incidence disability. I know of a set of seven year old blind triplets in California and a set of twenty year old deaf triplets in the Midwest, but I believe we have the only set of deafblind triplets." At the time this article was written, their deafblind triplet daughters were close to turning five years old. Stated Liz Hooker: "We're lucky that the girls don't have any cognitive impairments beyond developmental delay. We work very hard everyday to push them along. It is most overwhelming though, because I know I'm outnumbered to perform the task at hand. I still have big dreams for them though." About: How old were they when you found out about the RP? Do they have any sight at all? Liz and George: Emma, Sophie, and Zoe were born premature, at 25 weeks. Sophie weighed 1# 3oz, Zoe weighed 1 # 6 oz, and Emma weighed 1# 5 oz. All three became blind from complications related to Retinopathy of Prematurity (RP). By the time the girls were two months old, they had developed RP. I didn't know they were blind until they were almost six months old. Sophie is legally blind, she sees colors and shapes, she also has tunnel vision. Zoe sees enough light to find the windows. Emma sees nothing. About: How did they lose their hearing and how old were they? Liz and George: They lost their hearing due to vancomyacin and gentamicin antibiotics that were administered when throughout their time in the NICU. The drugs were used to treat suspected sepsis. The two drugs when used together increase the ototoxicicity of the other. They nearly completely lost their hearing when they were about 20 months old. It was a very difficult time for me because I didn't know what was wrong with them. The girls made significant progress their first year. They were about to start walking... they were saying cup and mama... then out of the blue they curled up on the floor in the fetal position. Everytime I drove them in the car they would throw up, my happy babies became angry and began to bang their heads on the floor. I took them to the doctor thinking that their stomachs hurt, I had no idea they were losing their hearing. The reason they were curled up on the floor is because ototoxic drugs damage the hair cells on the cochlea which in turn causes deafness, in addition they also destroy the vestibular hairs. Due to the vestibular damage, the girls were experiencing severe vertigo and could no longer hold their heads up. They also became mistrustful during this time. They all got real clingy and wouldn't roughhouse anymore. They would get scared when you picked them up off the floor, they always seemed to be on edge. It has taken three more years for them to recover and begin walking again. Most of the angry behavior is gone too. But the deafness was a huge setback for us. I hate to think of that time because I wonder if they thought I had just quit talking to them. When the triplets were two years old, they received cochlear implants. About: How much benefit are the girls getting from the implants at this time? Liz and George: Sophie is at a 22 month old level of language while Zoe and Emma are about 10 months in language development. They all have the Nucleus 24 cochlear implant. They hear most speech sounds. The reason Sophie is so much more advanced is that she is legally blind. Your vision helps give meaning to sound. For example if you hear a squeaking sound and then see a swinging door then you can associate the two. Say someone is talking while the door is squeaking, you can then determine that the door is unimportant and tune it out, and listen more to the person talking. In a room right now one might hear the ceiling fan, air conditioning vent, dryer, radio, cars outside, and still carry on a conversation. Through normal childhood development you learn to filter sounds and determine which sounds are important at different times. The challenge with Zoe and Emma is that they see through their fingers. So we must talk about whatever they are touching to help make sense of their world. To help them tune out the background noise we have to take them to the air conditioning vent and let them hear the noise as they feel the air coming from it, let them touch the dryer as it tumbles the clothes. These are all great exercises to help them distinguish sound. What makes it more difficult is when Zoe and Emma are touching different things. If I say "Zoe, your eggs are lumpy and hot," while Emma is eating ice cream, then Emma may associate lumpy and hot with ice cream. You can see how it gets more difficult from here. In summary, the expectation is that all the girls have the tools to talk we just have to help them sort out their world first. About: What educational approach is being used? Liz and George: They are being educated with an oral and sign approach. We sign and say everything within their routine. We hope to mainstream in the future but I believe the girls will always have some sort of interpreter in school. About: How do they play with other children? Liz and George: They don't really play with other children. Very rarely do they play with each other. Sophie will laugh and become excited when she sees her sisters trying something new, but that's about it. They eat off each other's plate, steal one another's cups and pillows... I mean they are definitely aware of one another but that's about it. About: What is life like with deafblind triplets? Liz and George: 24 hours of hard work. Blind kids don't sleep well, so I rarely get a full night's sleep. We are working on table manners but spills are frequent so we are constantly sweeping and mopping. Two of my triplets are not potty trained so we go through quite a lot of diapers. I'm constantly on watch to make sure they don't fall down the stairs, or run into something. They can't tell me if something hurts, how they're feeling, or if they need a cuddle. In those ways, it's a lot like having infants. I worry a lot about meeting all of their needs. It's quite a bit of guesswork. There's good parts too. Those first steps were like watching them win the marathon. They work so hard for every little gain. The highs are higher and the lows are bottomless. Having deafblind triplets is going to bed everynight and knowing that I didn't do enough. The odds are stacked against me. There is no way for me to give them everything they need. Sometimes I wish that if it was my fate to have three deafblind children that I could have them five years apart just so I could give each of them all they need in these developmental years. We're not quitters though and we are making slow but steady progress. I just pray that God will fill in the gaps where I couldn't. About: What is a typical day with your triplets like? Liz and George: I wake up about 7 a.m. and test their cochlear implants and put their batteries in their packs. Then I wake the girls by rubbing their backs. I help dress them and change their diapers. I walk them into the bathroom and help them brush their teeth and then fix their hair. I walk them downstairs one by one and put them at the kitchen table where they get breakfast. After breakfast, I give them their canes and walk them out the bus stop. They go to school Monday through Friday for most of the day. I have my own business that I do from our home while they are gone. The girls are in their own classroom and they have one teacher and two paraprofessionals. They take the girls through a routine that concentrates on routine. In the afternoon at home we have private therapists (OT, PT, ST) four days out of the week. We try to take them outside if the weather is nice. The younger kids in the neighborhood will often stop by and say hello. I try to have the house cleared out by 7 p.m. so we can eat like a family. We eat dinner hand over hand with the girls. They are pretty good at picking up the utensils they just tend to throw it down after taking a bite. Sophie will eat anything that you let her dip into ketchup. We take our time eating dinner. About 8:30 p.m. they take a bath together. They LOVE their bath, which is a good thing because they really need it after supper. We put them in their jammies and to bed about 9 p.m. Emma usually stays up until midnight and then Zoe wakes up until about 3:30 a.m. On weekends we will spend a lot of time outside. I have a small trampoline, and rocking horse. I'll get some playdoh out or some other toys. I then rotate their activities every hour like a circuit course. About: Does Sarah help? In what way? Liz and George: We call Sarah the invisible child. She stays away from the commotion most of the time. We encourage her to play with her sisters. When we take all of the kids somewhere she helps guide one of them. She fetches diapers, cups, and little things they need. She helps me watch them at the park. She likes to fix their hair too. About: Is it any easier to raise deafblind children today compared to Helen Keller's time? Compared to a decade ago? Liz and George: I thing the technology of hearing aids and cochlear implants definitely gives deafblind children more access to their environment. We also have school systems that legally have to put together some sort of education plan for disabled children, so they are guaranteed an education. But we don't have an Annie Sullivan, someone willing to devote their entire life to a deafblind person. I don't know that we'll find three special people like Ms. Sullivan in this day and age. Helen Keller's life proved that deafblind people can learn and contribute to society. That's made a huge difference in how the girls are educated. I think Helen Keller's success raised the bar. And that's a good thing. **************************************************************************** Have you got a funny anecdote, relating to your hearing or vision impairment? Or a really handy hint you are just busting to share to make life easier for someone with a hearing and/or vision impairment. Maybe you've seen a great website while surfing the net and read a terrific article. How about letting us know? We might include it in an upcoming edition of our newsletter. You might just want to share a thought or two. Contact details at the end of this newsletter! **************************************************************************** US Supermarket Chain tests Robotic Guide. A prototype robotic guide has been developed in the US that allows vision impaired people to find their way in airports and locate products in supermarkets completely unaided. The Robotic Guide uses a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader to locate objects attached to RFID tags; small disks containing information on an object, which can be attached to supermarket shelves or items. To avoid collisions, the device has a built-in "laser range finder" which detects objects up to 8 metres and 180 degrees in front of the user. "It's intended for airports and grocery stores where a guide dog is not going to be much help; a guide dog can't recognise different brands of toothpaste," said project team leader professor Vladimir Kulyukin from the department of computer science at Utah State University (http://www.cs.usu.edu/). "It is not a replacement guide dog," Kulyukin said. The prototype, the size of an upright vacuum cleaner, has been deployed in Lee's Marketplace (http://www.leesmarketplace.com/), a local Utah supermarket and is being tested by seven vision-impaired users. To find a particular supermarket item, users type a serial number into a Braille keyboard attached to the back of the robot. When a brand is located, the device sends an audible signal to the user. However, Kulyukin said since many vision-impaired people do not read Braille, other formats may be investigated. "If we're successful, then in [around] two years some grocery stores will have the device," Kulyukin said. Negotiations are currently underway on deployment of the device with a US supermarket chain and one airport. If deployed at airports, users could call the device and ask it to find them on arriving at an airport. The robot guide costs 14 to 15,000 dollars but the price could be halved if it was produced on a large scale Kulyukin said. "This robotic guide can give me more independence, for example, with shopping and the ability to find different offices within a business building without a sighted person's assistance," said one vision- impaired guide-tester. "In order to get this robotic guide perfected, we need the help of big shopping chains, for example Walmart, or airports to give us the opportunity to test it out in different environments, he said." ********************************************************************** A reminder that Perth is hosting the 2007 Deafblind International World Conference. Start saving those pennies for an opportunity that can't missed! ********************************************************************** SAD NEWS It was with great sadness we heard of the passing of Billy Sinclair. Billy died on 25th February in the late evening, just two weeks after his 87th birthday. Billy was an amazing man who lived a full and fascinating life. His love of travel was featured in an ABC documentary 'The Journey'. While I can say many things about this wonderful man, I think it is better left to those who knew him personally. Below are the many tributes and words that flooded in after his passing. These are reprinted with the permission of 'Rainbow News' the newsletter of the DeafBlind Association of NSW. Unfortunately, due to space constrictions I have had to edit some selections. Tony Hirst: "It was an extremely sad day on Friday 25th February, when we lost our very dear friend Billie Sinclair, just 2 weeks after his 87th birthday. I have known Billie since the beginning of the DeafBlind Social group in 1989, when he was one of our most enthusiastic members. I was immediately struck by his appearance, he was immaculately dressed, I was then to realise that this was just the outward appearance of a person who was just as particular with everything he did - he was a real gentleman in everything he said and did. Billie's trips are legendary, so are his wonderful baskets, which paid his way around the world. How many people with sight and hearing would have done the amount of reading that Billie did in Braille? How many would have set off to experience the places he read about? Billie came back with wonderful tales and photos of his tactile encounters with both objects and people. The 1988 ABC Film, 'The Journey', of his life and trip to Japan is a wonderful memorial to his endurance and love of life. Billie was always a great communicator, the people he met overseas were important to him, and he has relished talking to his friends at DBA over the years, as well as he has with all his friends, but the bond of deafblindness has been very strong. Everyone at DBA has loved and admired Billie, many for a lot longer than I have known him, and I know I speak for everyone who knew him, his passing leaves an enormous hole in our lives but he will never leave our hearts." BILLIE SINCLAIR'S PASSING by Tony Hirst The 3rd March 2005 was a very sad day for the hundred or so people who attended Billie's funeral. The service was held at 11AM at the Uniting Church in Bungarribee Road, Blacktown, next door to Mullauna Retirement Village where Billie lived for the last 11 years, prior to his move to the nursing home in September last year. The Minister spoke briefly of Billie, saying that while Billie had every right to be angry and bitter about being deaf and blind, instead he was one of nature's gentlemen who always had a positive disposition. He told us about the comfort we can find in God when we are grieving. Sue Atherton gave the Eulogy sharing some of Billie's history. He was born hearing and sighted in Scotland in 1918. At age 3 on the ship to Australia he contracted measles which left him Deaf and vision impaired. He attended Darlington School for the Deaf and at age 9 had an accident, which resulted in his total blindness. He continued his education learning Braille and Fingerspelling and developed a love of reading. He learned to play chess and scrabble and became a master at both. Among the gathering was Billie's niece, Helen Sinclair, his only direct family. Also the deaf community was well represented as was the DeafBlind Community. There were people who spoke of Billie when he was at school. He learned boot making and basket weaving. Everyone who told stories about Billie included anecdotes of how he was always seen in a collar and tie and shoes. Margaret told the story of how on a group overseas trip, Billie had been sleeping in the same room as 2 interpreters. When the hotel fire alarm was activated, of course they woke Billie first and told him to get downstairs and out of the building. Then they went to wake all the other deafies. Everyone assembled out on the street in their dressing gowns, PJs, slippers, bare feet, hair in curlers, etc. When they looked around, only one person was impeccably dressed including tie and proper shoes, Billie. Anyone who knew Billie will be saddened at his passing. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. He made the most of his life despite the limitations of DeafBlindness and he lived it to a ripe old age - he recently had his 87th birthday. On a personal note, whenever I visited him or took him on a HOH outing, as I was leaving he would always say "Thank you for coming." and pat me on the arm or the shoulder and make me feel that I had made a difference. Following 2 recent strokes, his ability to communicate was severely handicapped and I believe his passing at this time may have been a blessing for him. Billie was very special to many people. He was an important part of DeafBlind history. He may have been the last direct DeafBlind link to the Darlington School, which many people have learned about in Deaf History classes. He was one of the foundation blocks of DBA (NSW). He named the "Hand Over Hand Club" and also "Rainbow News". He will always live on through those 2 things. Ever the gentleman and the ladies' man, he was always seen with a collar and tie and proper shoes. He loved his Sinclair Tartan Tie and was proud of his Scottish heritage. His language was always correct. He did not approve of abbreviations. He fingerspelled every letter in every word. I always thought he talked very quickly. Then one day I saw him talking with some of his friends at Mullauna at maybe 4 times the speed he talked to me. I realised that he was Indulging me by talking so slowly for me. Billie was a very patient man. He loved to share a joke and he loved a hug. On 2 occasions when I visited him alone, he said, "Bring me some women to hug!" He was well read and well educated. He liked to keep abreast of what was happening in the world. He followed the cricket and the football. The times he found himself in a closed environment, like a hospital or nursing home where he could not be in touch with the outdoors he always asked what the weather was like. Billie showed us in every possible way that communication is at the very core of the human existence. He proved that "Man does not live by bread alone." Even in his demise he showed us this once again. Because of the frailty of age, it became necessary for him to be accommodated in a nursing home where his physical needs were met. But he simply wasted away from loneliness. You may find the medical report gives a physical cause of death, but I don't believe for one minute that the 25th of February 2005 would have been Billie Sinclair's day of reckoning if his communication needs and mental stimulation needs had been met. In this we all fell short of the mark. Billie, I want to say I am sorry and that I loved you and I'll miss you. BILLIE'S JOURNEY By Sharon Barrey Grassick, Western Australia. Billie Sinclair has been a very well known, and much loved, member of the Deafblind community for many, many years. His sense of adventure and lust for life always so evident, Billie rarely missed an outing or an opportunity to have some fun. For many years, Billie made baskets to finance his many travels abroad. He was a skilled artisan who loved his work, but he loved people and travelling even more. Billie was a regular at Deafblind Conferences - eager to chat with his many friends and always patient with those just learning to tactile fingerspell. I can still see the enormous smile on Billie's face as he skippered our boat on the Social Day during the 2000 Deafblind Conference in Perth. He sailed by the feel of the wind on his face and the pressure of water against the tiller - he proved a far better skipper than those of us with hearing and vision! Since then, I called him Cap'n Billie. Billie has been an inspiration to all who knew and loved him. Personally, Billie motivated me to expand my interest in teaching children, to include adults, particularly in the area of deafblind communication. I will forever be grateful to him for that insight. As a staff trainer, I have used the documentary film based on Billie's travels, The Journey, too many times to count. Billie experienced and shared his world through his fingertips; his courage and capabilities never fail to encourage and inspire. Cap'n Billie will be greatly missed; however, his memory will travel on. BILLIE SINCLAIR - MY MEMORIES by Rebecca Cramp I first met Billie in 1996 when I was 15 years old. I was a young school kid with dreams of becoming an interpreter one day. I had seen a movie about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan when I was just a child and thought that's where my life was taking me. And so, with only a few signs, I decided that when we had to do work experience at school, that I would go to the Deaf Society of NSW to find out what being an interpreter was all about. One of the Deaf Society workers took me to Mallauna and it was there that I met Billie. She told me to fingerspell to Billie and some of the other Deafblind residents' hands. "Fingerspell onto their hands?" I said, but it was too late. She had already given me Billie's hand and gone off to help someone else. It was Billie who taught me the basics of Deafblind fingerspelling, and off we went shopping. It was a skill that, at the time, I had not thought widely used. Years later I was to find that was not the case. After that day, I didn't see Billie for five years. In 2001, I began the interpreter course at TAFE, and through a fellow student I met another Deafblind man. My interest came back and I got involved in DBA (NSW). What do you know, Billie was also involved! The first time I saw him again, I went over to say hello, not expecting him to remember me. I said "Hello Billie, it's Rebecca Cramp. I met you many years ago, but if you don't remember me that's fine". Billie took my hand, and with his right hand reached up to touch me. He touched my shoulder, then my head, then my hair. He then spelt to me "You've grown and your hair has got longer". I was amazed! We talked for a long time. Since then, Billie and I have had many chats and great laughs and experiences. He used to tell me his stories from his life, and especially when he travelled overseas. One of my favourite stories is when he was telling me about how he went to China and walked on the Great Wall of China. I asked him what it was like, because it is a very famous and old icon that many people want to visit. Billie's only comment was "It was bumpy"! I remember him proudly telling me of the time he met Helen Keller when she came to Australia. He told me that she asked if she could "see him" and she put her hands on his face, and his on hers. Then she told him that he was a very handsome man. "Helen Keller told me I was handsome" he would repeat. As the years went by, Billie's hands got less sensitive so he couldn't receive fingerspelling if you used a light touch. He told me once "Rebecca, you need to shout, my hands are Deaf"! He always had a great way of saying things. Billie was an amazing basket-weaver. I have bought many of his cane baskets over the years for myself and for friends. They have always been greatly received. I remember a wonderful photo that used to hang in his room of Billie at a sewing machine at work. He was very talented with his hands. Billie was a very kind and loving man. He had a wonderful sense of humour and was always up for a chat. He loved crossword puzzles and reading and his vocabulary was enormous! He was also a great chess and scrabble player, and he was never seen without a tie, no matter what the occasion. I, for one, will miss Billie very much, as will everyone who knew him. He has touched so many people's lives and I feel so very privileged to have met him. There are so many memories of Billie that I can't put them all on paper, but I just wanted to share a few of them with you. For those of you who knew him well, I hope you can appreciate, if not remember, some of these events. For the others, I hope you feel you know him a little now. Billie Sinclair, you were a wonderful man. We love you very much and will miss you terribly. I hope you are giving them a hard time, wherever you are now! You will always be in our hearts and minds. **************************************************************************** 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 Guide Dogs SA & NT in allowing us access to their photocopying facilities. Thank you to Rebecca Walker for her assistance with editing this issue. 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 Email: dba-sa@ihug.com.au Phone: 8326 3369 SMS: 0402024316 >