VCOD email news for 2003

Friday, 13 June 2003

 

 

This week’s topics

 

 

VCOD’s news

 

  • Staff changes for next three months
  • Farewell to Melissa Scacco
  • VCOD to stay at VSDC
  • TXT Radio update

 

Other news

  • Deaf TV AGM
  • Things For Sale as person moving overseas
  • Teachers of the Deaf shortage
  • Jolimont Building approval cut in half
  • Medical Access Denied
  • Theatre Are they discriminating against Deaf
  • Bone phone for Hearing impaired
  • H2H next event
  • Web Link
  • Other events

 

 

Staff Changes at VCOD

 

There will be some staff on leave for a number of week and a staff member will be leaving VCOD at the end of June to travel overseas. See below for more details

 

·                Grant Roberts on leave till 1st August

·                Melanie Wells on leave till 1st September

·                Melissa Scacco (Bookkeeper) has resigned

·                Fiona Goldab continuing as Auslan Co-ordinater

 

New Temp Staff

Kathy Fitzmaurice  Thursday and Fridays

Shelly Stevens Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays

Eleni Annitsakis— (Bookkeeper) 3 hours per week.

 

 

 

Farewell to Melissa Scacco

 

VCOD would like to take this opportunity in thanking Melissa for her excellent work as Bookkeeper and will be badly missed by VCOD.  Her ability to assist VCOD with finance matters has been a help to all staff.

Melissa is travelling overseas in July for a while so we wish her a safe journey.

Eleni Annitsakis will be replacing Melissa and will start next week.

 

VCOD is staying at VSDC

 

VCOD has decided to stay at VSDC in St Kilda Rd. VCOD is now located in the Bluestone Building near the

reception at VSDC. The decision to stay at VSDC was made by the Board and staff after reviewing offers from Vicdeaf and VSDC. VCOD would like to express its sincere thanks to Vicdeaf for its association over a number of years.  VCOD will continue to work with Vicdeaf as usual.

VCOD however is excited by a number of new ventures coming up with VSDC and looks forward to a long term relationship. with VSDC

 

Telephone numbers: 

TTY: 03 9521 2466

Address: 597 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne (Physical)

Mail address: PO Box 6186 St Kilda Rd Melbourne 3002

 

TxT Radio update

 

If you join before 30th June, you have a chance to win a mobile phone.  All you have to do is pay $52 for 6 months and you enter the draw.  TxT radio is a world first and is an accessible way to get information about what happening around the world at your finger tips.  Also check out the information at www.vcod.com.au/whatsnews and click on the left column called TxT Radio.  Come on what are you waiting for.

 

 

 

 

Deaf TV AGM

 

9th July is the date for the AGM of Deaf TV at VSDC from 6pm for drinks and 7pm when the AGM starts.  Please email deaftv at deaf_tv@yahoo.com.au if you are going.

 

Things for Sale

 

A person is wanting to sell their car and couch as person going overseas.  If you are interested please go to www.lyndonborrow.com/other/couch4sale/ (For couch) and www.lyndonborrow.com/other/car4sale (for car)

 

Teachers of the Deaf shortage

From the Herald Sun

 

State mute on teacher shortage

Author: IAN ROYALL
Publisher: News Ltd
Publication: Herald Sun , Page 026 (Tue 6 May 2003)

A FAMILY has taken their child out of school because of a shortage of teachers for hearing impaired students.

Henny and Pam Sudmeyer fear other parents will also remove their children after they withdrew their son Callum, 12. Callum is now being taught at his Warrnambool home.

He is one of 49 school-age children in southwest Victoria who no longer have a teaching specialist for the hearing impaired. Every other region in the state has staff to help the children learn in regular schools.

Mr and Mrs Sudmeyer said they had no option but to take Callum out of school. ``We don't blame the school. It's the system that let Callum down,'' Mr Sudmeyer said.

``We're not stirrers. We, like any parent, just want the best for our kids. It borders on discrimination because it's the law that says no child should be discriminated against.''

Callum, who left Woodford Primary almost two years ago, is now being taught at home through the Distance Education Centre.

A report last year into the provision of deaf education in the region, partially funded by the State Government last year, recommended teaching specialists be appointed.

The parents have since won a commitment to fund a teacher for the rest of the year.

Deaf advocacy group, Victorian Services for Deaf Children, said a long-term commitment needed to be made. VSDC chief executive Damian Lacey said: ``You are not going to attract someone if it is only a short-term contract.''

The report also recommended a scholarship scheme to overcome the shortage in teachers of the deaf.

Parents of hearing impaired children set up the South West Hearing Support Group to campaign for help. But group president Greg Lee said that after almost two years of fruitless lobbying, frustrations were reaching boiling point.

``What is happening in this region is a significant human rights abuse,'' Mr Lee said.

``Many of these kids will never recover from the neglect this current system has imposed on them. We have had a serious gutful of the political bulls--t delivered to us over the past two years.''

Twelve years ago, the region had four specialists to help deaf or hearing impaired children. Staffing levels were slowly reduced to just one person who was made redundant in 2001.

South-West Coast MP Denis Napthine called on the Government to implement the recommendations of its own report. ``The kids are going backwards while we wait for the Government.''

Tim Mitchell, spokesman for Labor Education Services Minister Jacinta Allan, said the ***review of the southwest services has prompted a statewide study of services.

``We need to look at a statewide approach, not just one region,'' he said.

Mr Lacey said children needed help now. ``All these musings in Spring St are not helping.''

 

Demand for equal access to medical services

Media Release

8 April 2003

Demand for equal access to medical services

Australia’s health service is under fire for failing to provide equal access to medical services for deaf consumers.

A complaint against the Health Insurance Commission for its refusal to provide a deaf consumer with access to Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreters at medical appointments has been lodged with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

The complainant, a deaf man, was forced to pay for an Auslan interpreter for several medical consultations for a potentially life-threatening situation. He subsequently wrote to Medicare asking for reimbursement.

His request was denied on the basis that the Health Insurance Act (Cth) 1973 did not define an interpreter to be a “clinically relevant service…necessary for the appropriate treatment of the patient”.

Robert Adam, Australian Association of the Deaf President, points out that access to health care is considered a basic human right.

“It is interesting to note that there is a free interpreting service for medical practitioners to help them communicate with patients from non-English speaking backgrounds via the Commonwealth’s Translating and Interpreting Services,” Adam said. 

“Yet Deaf people cannot access this service even though Auslan is recognised by the Commonwealth as a non-English community language,” he said.

“It is unfair to expect Deaf people to pay an additional cost for an interpreter to access services that other members of the community can access at no additional cost.”

The Deaf Society of NSW has also lodged a complaint with HREOC against the Commonwealth and the Health Insurance Commission regarding lack of access to Auslan interpreters for medical appointments.

Society President Peter Brownlee points out that one of Medicare’s objectives is to provide all Australians with access to health care services.

“Equality of access to medical services and health care is a fundamental right under international human rights law,” Brownlee said.

“The Deaf Society therefore requests that HREOC investigate this matter by conducting a public inquiry into this complaint,” he said.

About AAD:

The Australian Association of the Deaf is a national consumer organisation founded in 1986. It provides an advocacy service for Deaf people who use Auslan with the aim of working towards equal access in all areas of life for the Deaf community.

Further information:

Australian Association of the Deaf: www.aad.org.au

 

Discrimination at Theatre/ Arts

 

 

"Access Barriers for Deaf & Hard of Hearing people at Arts & Cultural Events"

 

Does this means that Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing people going to watch theatre performances, films, art gallery & museum guided tours, ballets & operas and many more, have problems with access.

 

Access problems are like for example:

 

- the hearing loop is not working in a theatre

- people sitting in the wrong view of the interpreters

- interpreter not skilled or prepared at the guided tours

- no captioning available at the cinema or opera

- limited access to any public events like a festival

- no access to information on access issues at arts & cultural events

 

are all very frustrating for the enjoyment of being a Deaf or Hard of Hearing audience member. It creates an exclusion of these people.

 

Arts Access, Deaf Arts Network and Better Hearing Australia are working together on this problem. They are sending surveys out to Deaf and Hard of Hearing people to fill them out.

 

The surveys will therefore be anaylsed, hopefully to achieve results which will prove there is a need for a better & improved access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people as audience members.

 

If you are happy to do this survey, your feedback will be very supportive - you do not need to write your name down.

 

So fill it in at http://www.artsaccess.com.au/news/index.cfm?id=225

IT IS DUE BY 20th JUNE.

 

1. You can post your survey to:

 

Clare Keating

Effective Change Pty Ltd

PO Box 184

East Brunswick Vic 3057

 

OR you can fax it to Ross or Fiona at Arts Access on 03 9699 8868

 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR FILLING IN THE SURVEY - YOUR FEEDBACK IS VERY IMPORTANT.

http://www.artsaccess.com.au/news/index.cfm?id=225

 

Bone phone for Hearing Impaired

 

We are a phone manufacturer in Hong Kong who has designed a bone phone system for the hearing impaired people. The bone phone will transmit sound wave by bone conduction utilizing the bone vibration technology. Hearing impaired people can still use the phone even if their sound transmission organ is damaged, they can move the bone phone handset so that the bone conduction transducer rests on the cheek bone and they can pick up the sound through bone vibration to the sound sense organ. The sound wave through bone vibration will bypass the outer ear and middle ear and go directly to the inner ear. For details please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you.

 

Best regards,

Richard Ng

Richard@samsontelecom.com

Tel: (852) 2728-2276

Fax: (852) 2729-0111

 

 

H2H next event


June Saturday 14th

7.00pm DVD Night
28 Burgess Drive Langwarrin

 

Student seeking person to develop Auslan further


A VCE student doing Auslan wants to find someone to practice Auslan with as the student is keen to became a Teacher of the Deaf. The person lives in Broadmeadows area and you can email the Visiting Teacher at riolobos.margarita.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

Looking for someone to share house in Malvern

 

 

Mother and 18yr old hearing impaired daughter looking for deaf person or some
body in the deaf community to share house in Malvern.  We are currently learn
ing Auslan.  Prefer 18-25yrold.  Rent $110perwk or $160 for couple plus bond.
Large room.  We have tty, vco. and teletext tv.  Ph Irene 98244276 or email
millymoo85@hotmail.com

Web links

 

Most Australians who have a disability and participate in the open workforce do so at full award rates of pay. However, there are some people who are unable to obtain and/or maintain employment at full award rates due to the effects of a disability on their workplace productivity.   For more information about this go to the link below

http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/aboutfacs/programs/disability-supported_wages_system.htm

Simon Glass has set up a clothing business and you can check out the web at www.zidnight.com

 

That’s the ways the news is for this week.

Please feel free to add any news you have by emailing to Grant at info@vcod.com.au

From Melanie, Fiona, Melissa and Grant VCOD Staff