News from VCOD:

• EOC Forum
• Deaf Film Night
• Disability Law --- Have your say
• National Youth Camp
• Deaf Deaf World Workshop
• Annual Deaf Party
• Note from VCOD Fundraising Committee
• Videos for Hire
• Bookkeeper

Other news:

• Hearing Awareness Week
• 500 Days to Go Countdown Celebration
• Courses at NMIT
• Courses at Kangan Batman TAFE (Auslan & Deaf Studies Centre)
• Latrobe University Open Day
• Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf Conference 2003
• Australasian Deaf Studies Research Symposium II
• VSDC Pocket Dictionaries
• Domestic Violence & Incest Resource Centre
• Information Day at the Deaf Society of NSW
• KODA Youth Group
• Here to Hear (H2h) Activities
• Melbourne Museum Auslan Tours
• Signed Sunday Mass
• Interpreted Theatres

-          Metamorphoses

-          Vietnam – A Psychic Guide

-          Muckheap

• Melbourne Marching Girls – Hot August Night 4
• Deaf Gay Lesbian Association AGM
• Newspaper Articles

-          Deaf Torquay Surfer Crowned Australian Champ

-          Nasty buzz in his ear (UK)

• Website Links

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There are some staff changes yet again – Rachelle (Shel) Stevens and Kathy Fitzmaurice who took Grant Roberts and Melanie Wells’ place while they were on leave have completed their short-term contracts at VCOD.  Grant Roberts is back in the office and Melanie will resume from the 1^st September.  Apologies for the delay in organising this fortnight’s E-News – we have added more information to make up for the delay.

Happy reading and if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Grant at VCOD.

Brent Phillips from the Equal Opportunity Commission of Victoria (EOC) will present a FREE forum in the FJ Rose Auditorium (VSDC – 597 St Kilda Road, Melbourne) on Friday 15 August at 5pm.  It will go for approximately 90 minutes, including Question and Answer time.  It is an opportunity for those who are unsure of their rights and responsibilities to seek clarification or to ask any questions.

There will be a BBQ dinner after the forum for any one – sausages are available at $2, however please advise VCOD if vegetarian.

Australian Association of the Deaf (AAD) will present at Film Night on Friday 15 August in the FJ Rose Auditorium (VSDC – 597 St Kilda Road, Melbourne) at 7.30pm.  The event will screen movies/TV programs made by Deaf people / involving Deaf people from all over Australia and UK (see list below).  The Film night costs $8 for VCOD members and $10 for non-members.

**All proceeds go to AAD.**

List of films/TV programs that will be shown on the night:

Hear No Evil (UK) 2002 - 10 mins
A comedy about love, suicide and a relationship between a Deaf lady and
a hearing man.
Skye (UK) 2002 - 13 mins
A Deaf lady attends a 70's fancy dress party for the first time since
her mother's death.  She meets a stranger who changes her life (Paula
Thornton appears in a cameo in this film)
Clip from "Diamond Necklace" (AUS) 1968 - 4 mins
A classic black and white film by the Deaf Film Society in Victoria
I Love U (AUS) 2002 - 15 mins
A woman's obsession with the man she loves (A Melbourne Deaf Cast
featured in this film!)
News Programs (Various) 8 mins
Clips of various news and magazine programs from all over the world
including South Africa, UK and USA
Deaf TV (Aus) 2002 - 12 mins
Melbourne Deaf TV (Channel 31)
Australia's first-ever information and entertainment program for Deaf
Melburnians.  Created entirely by Deaf Volunteers.
Switch (UK) 2002 - 8 mins
Switch is BBC's first drama/soap aimed at the British Deaf community.
Broadcast as part of See Hear, the BBC flagship programme for the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing, Switch was screened over nine weeks.
Fast moving, contemporary and cross cultura, Switch is set in London and
brings together an intriguing mix of Deaf and hearing actors in a drama
which deals with relationships at home, at work, and in both the Deaf
and hearing communities.

Department of Human Services has approached VCOD to conduct three forums in Victoria.  They will be held in Sale (21^st Aug 2pm to 4pm), Geelong (Friday 22^nd August 7.30pm to 9pm) and Melbourne (27^th August 1pm to 3pm).  The purpose of the forum is to get YOUR views on the two current laws applying to disability in Victoria.  They the Intellectually Disabled Person’s Act 1986 and the Disability Services Act 1991.  These acts in many parts conflict with each other and also with what the Department is trying to do with the State 10 year plan.  So for more information on these forums, please go to the vcod web at www.vcod.com.au/whatnews or email Grant at info@vcod.com.au

A note from Philip Waters:

Please contact VCOD if you would like an application package and letter inviting you to apply for the 1st National Deaf Youth Leadership Camp, organised by the Australian Association of the Deaf (AAD), held in the Blue Mountains, NSW between 25 – 28 September.

I strongly encourage you to consider applying. Please contact VCOD as soon as possible, ideally before Friday 15th August.

This camp is FREE and for deaf people aged 18 to 30 and representatives from Victoria will meet up with representatives from other states and will go through an AMAZING set of workshops and activities!! I cannot reveal much more.

The conditions is that you will be involved in organising a camp for young Deaf people aged 12-17 in April 2004 as leaders. Who is willing to be an active participants of youth in Victoria for the next 12months?

Please do not hesitate to contact VCOD if you have any questions.

The next Deaf Deaf World Workshop for the general public will be held in the FJ Rose Auditorium on Friday 26 September at 9.30am.  Please contact VCOD if you know people/organisations that would be interested in being involved.  Please note these is a cost involved

JPC in conjunction with VCOD are organising the third Annual Deaf Party to be held at Astoria Reception Centre, 1062 Dandenong Road, Carnegie on Friday 19 September.  It starts at 7pm and tickets are $40 per head (which has to be paid by 30 August).

“Outstanding 3-course meal” – BYO (wine and beer) – free soft drinks

Dancing Exhibition

Individual and Group Bookings (tables of 10 or 12)

Silent Auction (Sporting Memorabilia and valuable items)

Lucky Door Prize and Trivia Quiz

Please contact Ticket Secretary, Nola Harrison at novinla@bigpond.com or fax 9525 1191 or TTY 9525 1337 to purchase tickets *REMEMBER payment must be made by 30 August*

VCOD is organising a cake and slice drive to raise some money for some much needed equipment in the office.

Please see below the list of cakes and slices that are part of the fundraiser – slices are freshly baked and hygienically sealed in a re-usable fridge/freezer containers and can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and can be frozen.

Apricot Slice 400g                $7

Rocky Road 350g                 $7

Hedgehog Slice 450g          $7

Cherry Slice 425g                 $7

Peppermint Slice  400g       $7

Lemon Slice  450g               $7

Caramel Slice 425g             $7

Fruit Mince Slice  425g        $7

White Christmas  300g        $7

Coconut Slice  400g             $7

Please email Kathy Fitzmaurice at admin@vcod.com.au with your order and we will notify you when payment is needed and when the order has arrived.

*******Please support VCOD – your support will be much appreciated.

There are numerous videos in the VCOD office that are available for hire at $2 per week.  The videos vary from captioned movies to deaf related issues and documentaries.  Pop into the office if you are looking for something to assist you with your research or if you are interested in a particular thing – we may have the right video for you!

Please contact Grant at info@vcod.com.au if you have or know someone with bookkeeping skills and experience (knowledge of Quicken is handy.)

Hearing Awareness Week is from 24 – 30 August 2003 with the theme of “Hearing Aids Help You”.  It is an annual event held in the last week of August and provides an opportunity to raise community awareness of hearing impairment and ways to protect your hearing.  Hearing Awareness Week also provides an opportunity for the 22 percent of Australians aged 15 years and over who have a hearing impairment to share their experience and knowledge and to help to create a greater understanding of their needs and aspirations. 

For more information of activities held throughout Australia during Hearing Awareness Week, please log onto: www.hearingawarenessweek.org.au/deafnessforum.htm

500 Days to GO Countdown Celebration will take place on Friday 22 August at the Federation Square from 12.30-1.30pm.

Click on www.vcod.com.au/events to see the flyer for this event!

Please spread the word and participate in the celebration.

Are you thinking of studying in 2004?  NMIT will be offering a range of courses in 2004, including English and Computers – the courses are popular and there is a waiting list so please contact NMIT to put your name down on the waiting list.

All enrolments for the English and Numeracy classes require an interview with the teacher – to organise an interview for study in 2003/2004, please contact Tamara at tamarap-acc@nmit.vic.edu.au or 9269 8354 TTY or 9269 8315 Fax

Note from Kangan Batman TAFE:
Do you remember “Barton”?  Do you remember “Chisholm”?  Well, we have changed our name again!  After a fight to stay central and easily accessible for the Deaf community, our courses are now under          “KANGAN BATMAN TAFE 

The Auslan & Deaf Studies Centre is still the major provider of Nationally Accredited Auslan courses, both part-time and full-time.
Discounted fees available for Austudy and some Health Care Card recipients. Two intakes per year (Feb and July).  Please register with the Department.
NOTE:  We will be moving in 2004. Courses will be held at Kangan Batman’s Richmond Campus, just 5 minutes from Richmond Station.
Deaf people are welcome to participate in any of the courses provided at the TAFE – please contact us at the following details for more information;

Auslan and Deaf Studies Centre
Kangan Batman TAFE
Private Bag 299
Somerton 3062
TTY:  9529 4208
Fax:  9529 5705
Voice:  9529 7922
Email: lhertan@kangan.edu.au
Website: http://auslan.alphalink.com.au

Latrobe University Open Day will be held on Sunday 24 August from 10am – 4pm.  Interpreters will be present on the day.

A one-day conference for visiting teachers and other professionals supporting students who are deaf and hearing impaired in mainstream settings.  Sessions address a range of topics in the areas of:

Social/Emotional Issues

Deaf Education

Audiology

General Educational

The conference is being held on Friday 5 September from 8.30am – 3.30pm at Renwick College, North Rocks NSW.
Contact Colleen Smith or Christine Grimmer on TTY 02 9872 0302 Fax 02 9873 1614 or email Colleen at: colleen.smith@ridbc.org.au for more information or to RSVP.

A three-day symposium with the aim of providing an opportunity for researchers, academics and other professionals to present and discuss findings of research projects in the area of Deaf Studies including:

Deaf culture,

Deaf history,

signed language research,

signed language dictionaries,

signed language interpreting and

Deaf Studies in education

Joseph Murray from University of Iowa will be the Keynote speaker at the three-day conference.   The conference is from 27 – 29 September 2003 at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.   Contact Colleen Smith at colleen.smith@ridbc.org.au or TTY 02 9872 0207 or Fax 02 9873 1614 for more information or to RSVP.

A note from Lyn Wilson, Team Leader and psychologist at VSDC:- 

I would like to take this opportunity to publicize my second pocket dictionary.  (The first booklet was for little kids, and it was all about animals.)  The new second book has all the words for the family and relations, names of parts of the body, words for emotions and feelings, and words for illness.  It has been produced with parents in mind, to provide the vocabulary that parents need so that they can give their children a good, healthy grounding in relationships, emotions, and sex education.  This booklet should also prove to be a good resource for schools with deaf children in attendance.  It could be useful for teaching SOSE, Health, and Human Relations.  The book is available now from the shop at VSDC, and costs a mere $10.  Other similar books are in the pipeline, and we are beginning to work on the second edition of The VSDC Dictionary of Auslan, in colour, just like these little booklets.  For more information about the pocket dictionaries, contact Lyn Wilson at: lynwilson@vsdc.org.au however, please contact Walid Masri at the VSDC shop at walidmasri@vsdc.org.au if you are interested in placing an order.

Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre (DVIRC) will be running a messenger service for people who have difficulty accessing or who cannot access information and support via the telephone between the dates of Wednesday 30 July and Friday 19 September. If you have a hotmail email account and want to get information/referral about domestic violence and sexual assault – you can add dvircvictoria@hotmail.com

Or dvircvictoria@yahoo.com.au if you have yahoo email account on your messenger list and someone will be able to answer any questions or concerns you may have on Wednesday and Fridays from 9.30am – 1pm and 1.30 – 4.30pm.  

This is for victims/survivors of violence and their friends and families. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Lauren at dvirc@dvirc.org.au

Deaf Society of NSW and Albury/Wodonga District Deaf Support are having an information day in the Robert Brown Room, Albury City Council Buildings, Kiewa Street on Friday 15 August.

There will be four sessions on the day with the first session commencing at 10.30am and the fourth session completing at 6.30pm.  Sessions are as follows: Service Providers, About the Workplace, Education Issues and Open Community Forum with several mini-sessions in between. Any one is welcome to participate in any of the sessions.

A note from Julie Judd:

Koda Youth Group 2003   (hearing kids who have one or more deaf parents)

RSVP for any of these events to

Julie Judd 0407568869 (sms or voice)   Email: jjudd@vicdeaf.com.au

Get togethers for 2003!     Make a note on your calendar!

Friday 12th September 8 pm – 10.30 pm
Ice Skating/Disco    1080 Centre Road   Oakleigh South
$12.00 per person including skate hire
$41.00 family pass (for 4)

Sunday 26th October 11 am

Luna Park    Lower Esplanade Stt Kilda   Free Entry.

Ride Prices :- Unlimited Rides Tickets :    13+ years $32.95, 4 – 12 years $22.95.
Single Tickets :                      13+ years $6.50 each, 4 – 12 years $5.00 each,

                                                1-3 years $3.00 each.
Family Packs:                        25 coupons $49.00

                                                50 coupons $79.00

13+ years  :                            3 coupons per ride

4 – 12 years :             2 coupons per ride

1 – 3 years :                           1 coupon per ride

Here to Hear (H2h) Support and Social Group calendar for the remainder of 2003:-

Melbourne Museum visits are now FREE for concession cardholders and children.  Other adults have been reduced to just $6.  Melbourne Museum organises Auslan tours on a regular basis – contact Melbourne Museum to find out when the next Auslan tour and take your family and friends!

The next signed Sunday Mass is on 17 August (Ephpheta Mass) at St Francis Xavier in Prahran commencing at 11am.  31 August will be held at St Andrew’s in Werribee at 11am.  Every second Sunday St Mary’s Dandenong has interpreted Mass.  For more information, please contact JPC.

          Metamorphoses

Tuesday 26th August @ 6:30pm

  Victorian College of the Arts

 28 Dodd Street, Southbank


Interpreted by: Mark Quinn and Angela MacLean  (standing in a swimming pool!!)

Tickets: $32.50

  EASE Ticket Service:

 TTY: 9699 7636

 FAX: 9699 8868


EMAIL: ease@artsaccess.com.au

-          Muckheap

Muckheap is a colorful show full of delightful puppetry. Funny,

 fast and fantastically messy, Muckheap is a tale of two people trying to

 
clean out their shed. In the process they find everything that they

 thought was junk is too interesting, useful or too full of memories to

 throw away. When memories and characters take over, the audience is


swept up with the junk into fabulous storytelling frenzy. While

 attempting to sort through the shed, they find themselves telling the story of


Jacky and the Beanstalk - with a twist.

 In the end, all good intentions are joyfully discarded in favour


of a rich and exciting life. Junk will never look the same. Slipping from

 throwing out junk to creating characters with consummate ease, this show


displays the awesome power of the puppeteer. It also invites children to

 become their own story makers and encourages imaginative play through whatever you have at hand.


 

Friday 5 September @ 10.30am CROMWELL STREET THEATRE South Yarra

FFor more information on bookings, call VSDC

  VOICE: 9510 9961

 TTY: 9510 7143


EMAIL: petefolan@vsdc.org.au

Thursday 11 September @ 9.30am

Guthrie Street Primary School – Shepparton Focus for Years Prep – 6    $5 Per Student
Goes for approximately 45 minutes   Auslan Interpreted Performance   To book tickets – contact Sharon Hensgen-Smith at Guthrie Street Primary School on 5821 1944

-     Vietnam – A Psychic Guide

(From DAN)

Nhu stories presents

  VIETNAM- A PSYCHIC GUIDE

Michelle travels to Vietnam where she is both an outsider and an

 insider.  She uncovers the story beneath the surface and the layers of her


own identity

  A new concept in visual theatre, this performance features

 Vietnamese and Australian actors performing in Vietnamese and English. Using physical theatre, and mime and text they interact with a multi media


digital set.

  Featuring Jodee Mundy (CODA), who has been in London for the


last year studying Classical Mime, is back to do this major production

 using mime with a combination of sign...this promises to be a must see for the Deaf community!!

Vietnamese actors: Tham Phan and Chi Vu

  Written by Chi Vu

  Directed by Sandra Long (Director of Happy 1000..1000 Bahagia)

Auslan Interpreted 28th August  7:30pm sharp by Lynn Gordon!

North Melbourne Arts House @

 North Melbourne Town Hall

 Corner Errol and Queensberry Street

North Melbourne

Tickets: $15/$20

Bookings:

 VOICE: 9689 5677  FAX: 9362 8866 attention: David

 EMAIL: theatre@fcarts.org.au

From DAN

Melbourne Marching Girls present

  "Hot August Night 4 - Wild Women"

 Saturday, 30th August


Prahran Town Hall

  7:30pm till late

 Tickets: $45 (including food)


Email genco@optusnet.com.au to order tickets.

  You saw Hot August Night 3 on DeafTV.  Now come along and join


the fun. Grab your jungle gear and be prepared to get wild!  Performances all


night long!   Interpreters provided on the night.

DGLA will be holding their Annual General Meeting on Friday 15 August at 7pm in the Lucy Lewis room (VSDC – 597 St Kilda Road, Melbourne).  Please let Wayne Kean or Cheryl Rankine know if you are interested in being on the committee by email: dglavic@yahoo.com or Fax 9799 6407 (Cheryl) or 9521 4062 (Wayne).

 -          Deaf Torquay Surfer Crowned Australian Champ

Congratulations to Susan Ashley for being crowned the Australian open women’s surf champion – the first Victorian to win the title in 23 years.
The newspaper article was published on Monday 28 July 2003 on page 3. For more information about the newspaper article, check out the Geelong Advertiser website at: www.geelongadvertiser.com.au

 -          Nasty buzz in his ear (UK)

London – A high-pitched hum generated by feedback in a pensioner’s hearing aid attracted a swarm of angry wasps.
Ron Packer, 82, was in his garden in Stroud, England, when he disturbed the wasps’ nest and was stung on his hands.
He moved away to examine the stings when a swarm of wasps clustered around his 30-year-old hearing aid, stinging him eight times.
“They stung me at the front and back of my hearing aid area and really homed in on it” he said.  “I was badly stung and was left with a boxer’s cauliflower ear.  I couldn’t wear the hearing aid for a few days or sleep on that side”.

A few website links for you to check out:

A press release on increased broadcast television captioning as an outcome
of the forum conducted by HREOC in this area, together with an associated
temporary exemption decision, are now available on www.humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights

Cricket Information:

http://www.cricketvictoria.com.au/default.asp?i=news&n=8665
 
http://www14.brinkster.com/ecainc/home.asp

www.deafbiz.com - Judy Gunter, designer of Deaf Resource Centre – Your Gateway to Deaf Sites – she has the project of collecting all deaf-related websites and adding them to the deafbiz.com website and also aims for the website to be ranked in the top 10 – it is currently ranked at number 53.  Feel free to contact her and supply any deaf-related websites to add to her collection.

Deafness and Genetics Forum UK (NDCS)

www.deafgene.info/index.htm

Human Genome Project: www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/

BDA Genetics Policy Statement: www.britishdeafassociation.org.uk/policy/index.php?page=Genetics

Essentially Yours:  The Protection of Human Genetic Information in Australia www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/alrc/publications/reports/96

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Please do not hesitate to email VCOD at admin@vcod.com.au if you have any news to add in our next fortnight’s E-News.

Have a good fortnight!

From the team at VCOD

597 St Kilda Road,

Melbourne 3004

Postal:  PO Box 6186,

St Kilda Road Central,

Melbourne 8008

03 9521 2466 (TTY/V)

03 9525 2595 (Fax)