Communicate 05

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National Week of Deaf People 2006November/December 2006 The newsletter for Victoria’s Deaf and hard of hearing people

ISSUE

Top: Self-portrait by Selwyn HoffmanPhoto Source: VCOD

Right: The Great Debate: Facilitator Brian Bernal with the debate team Dr Breda Carty, Kim Beasley, Irene Holub and Heather Mills

Photo Source: VCOD

National Week of Deaf People was held from 14 to 20 October, 2006 and this year’s theme was

‘Celebrating the Deaf Australian Community’. The Deaf community had a week-long national celebration of Deaf individuals and the Deaf Australian community. The week was an opportunity for Deaf members to showcase their work, recognise collective issues, build relationships and recognise services for giving Deaf people a fair go. Victorian Council of Deaf People (VCOD) organised the week, starting with a Deaf Arts Show on 14 October, 2006. This was a popular event with over 100 people viewing arts and crafts by artists of all ages. Short films by Deaf film makers were screened at the Arts Show. Trudy Fraser’s film “Pieces” premiered at this event.Other events that were held during the week included: • a presentation by Dr Breda Carty on

the subject of ‘The Changing Role of Deaf Societies: Do they meet the needs of Deaf professionals today?’ Some thought-provoking issues were raised.

• The Great Debate ‘Is there a Deaf Culture? Yes or no?’ unofficially resulted in a vote that there IS a Deaf Culture.

• The fourth annual Business Breakfast with guest speakers, Trudy Fraser and Kate O’Neil, filmmakers who celebrate the Deaf community through films. Jodie Ahrens, producer of “Source/Sauce” also spoke about her involvement with Deaf and Deafblind actors.

Left: VCOD Staff and Board: Pam Dethridge - Treasurer; Kyle Miers - Interim Manager; Medina Sumovic - Administrative Officer; Anne Darwin - PresidentPhoto Source: Vicdeaf

• The week ended with a captioned movie screening of ‘Talladega Nights – the Ballad of Ricky Bobby’.

Vicdeaf was proud to be a supporter of the National Week of Deaf People.Enquiries about the National Week of Deaf People can be directed to Kyle Miers, Interim Manager at VCOD on TTY: 03 9521 2466, Voice: 133677 and quote 03 9521 2466, Fax: 03 9525 2595 or email: [email protected]

VicDeaf Newsletter 5.indd 1 1/11/06 3:40:14 PM

EditorialThis is the last issue for 2006. I am sure you will agree that the year has flown by and good things have happened to this newsletter. We increased the number of pages from six to eight; changed the layout and introduced a wide range of topics as well as regular features in Communicate.We plan more exciting things for Communicate in 2007. I will share these plans with you in the February/March 2007 issue.Your input to Communicate isimportant. Please email, or talk to me about ideas you may have for this newsletter. I will be at Vicdeaf’s Xmas Rally on 10 December, so come and see me with your ideas.I would like to take this opportunity to thank our readers and contributors to Communicate– your input has made this newsletter what it is today. I hope you enjoyed Communicatein 2006 and have a safe and happy festive season.

Natalie SandonEditor

President’s ReportMac Adam

Welcome to another edition of Communicate! We hope that you had an enjoyable week with National Week of Deaf People and all the events that have been taking place.

We congratulate VCOD on an excellent range of events and Vicdeaf was proud to sponsor the Business Breakfast, the Great Debate and the VCOD Movie Night.Vicdeaf was pleased to welcome Dr Breda Carty from Sydney. We had a lively discussion following her presentation “The changing role of Deaf Societies: Do they meet the needs of Deaf professionals today?”. Breda’s presentation made many people, including some of the Board members, think hard about Vicdeaf’s future and where the organisation will head in future. I am happy to say that some of Breda’s recommendations are already included in Vicdeaf’s strategic plan “Towards 2010” that will unfold over the next 4 years.On 24 October we held the 122nd AGM at Vicdeaf. Members voted in favour to changes in Vicdeaf’s constitution which will update it and help us keep track of our members

Calling all people of migrant background with hearing lossVicdeaf is running a project looking at deafness/hearing loss among migrants in Victoria. We would love to talk with migrants who have difficulty hearing and their friends and families.We want to know how you communicate, problems you have and whether you currently use services for people with hearing difficulties. All information is confidential and we can also refer you to a variety of deafness services.If you would like to participate, please contact Louisa Willoughby at Vicdeaf on Monday or Wednesday via email [email protected] or on one of the contact numbers at the back of this newsletter.

Signing on with Australiaʼs first Deaf blogger In an Australian first, Deaf blogger Susan Shannon is featured on Telstra’s nowwearetalking website. The blog demonstrates a great way new technology enables the Deaf community to communicate and help other people better understand Deaf culture.In her blog on Telstra’s www.nowwearetalking.com.au,Susan provides an insight into life as a Deaf person and shares tips for communicating with the Deaf. She also picks up on some of the technology and telecommunications issues affecting the Deaf Community.http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/Home/PageBlog.aspx?mid=259

with a $10 fee per year and the introduction of both a President and a Chairperson role on the Board. If you are a member of Vicdeaf and you have not told us you have moved, please let us know!As many of you will have heard, CEO John Paton departed Vicdeaf at the end of September after four and a half years of diligent work. John led Vicdeaf successfully through a major period of change and the Board will now begin a search for a new CEO who will be able to lead us through our next phase, as we move with excitement towards our vision of 2010.In closing, we look forward to seeing you at our Christmas Rally at Jells Park on Sunday 10 December. Last year’s Christmas Rally was enjoyed by over 400 Deaf people coming from all over Victoria and we welcome you to come again and join the celebrations as part of the festive season, to celebrate the Deaf community, culture and history together.


Kylie Scott is an Auslan interpreter who recently moved to the Northern Territory to work with the National Auslan Interpreter Booking and Payment Service (NABS). Here she shares her life, work and the Deaf community in Darwin with us.

The Vicdeaf Quiz:Kylie Scott

recently moved to the Northern Territory to work with the National Auslan Interpreter

Can you tell us a bit about the project you are doing? I have been employed by NABS to work as a full-time interpreter in the Northern Territory for an initial period of 12 months. The aim is to provide an interpreting service for medical and health care appointments and assist with developing a local pool of interpreters.

What has been the most challenging part about working in Darwin? The most challenging thing so far, aside from the heat, is trying to get the information out to the Deaf people. The Northern Territory is very large and there are Deaf people who live quite isolated lives due to that distance. Another challenge is gaining access to the remote Aboriginal communities and finding out information about the deaf people in those communities.

What do you miss the most about Melbourne?Living 30 seconds from a café and my friends.

What is the most fun aspect of Darwin?Darwin is truly a lovely city. The weather is great, at least in the dry season, and there is always plenty to do. The markets here are fantastic. And I like that I can go from my home, in the suburbs, to the city in 15 minutes and find a three-hour car park.

Tell us about the interpreting situation in the NT?At the moment there is a great demand for interpreters. By this I mean that I am the only full time interpreter working in Darwin and there is an interpreter based in Alice Springs.

There has beenvery little access available to the Deaf community via interpreters so they’ve had to make do with other means of communication and are now learning how to use interpreter services.

Have you worked with Indigenous Deaf clients?I have met several Aboriginal Deaf people here, who have gone to school in Darwin. They are familiar with Auslan or Signed English. I have not met an Aboriginal deaf person from a remote community who use their own community’s sign language.

What is the furthest you have had to travel for a job?I have travelled 10 hours from Darwin for my job – not for interpreting but to gather information. What is the weather like?Well the dry season is fantastic – 30 degrees everyday. The ‘build-up’ is starting now – it is part of the wet season and it’s becoming humid and sticky.Kylie works closely with Debb Lovett, President of the Deaf Association of the Northern Territory (DANT). Here, Debb shares some information about the Deaf community with us.What is the size of the Deaf Community in Darwin?In Darwin there are approximately 40 Deaf people. This number does not include Aboriginal Deaf people who live in remote communities.

What services does DANT provide?DANT has one staff member – a part time office assistant and we receive a small amount of funds from the Department of Health and Community Services.DANT is funded as an information referral service and runs Auslan classes one night a week during school terms. We also work with Deaf people in the Northern Territory to attend National/International sports events.

Top: Kylie ScottPhoto Source: Kylie Scott

Bottom: Debb LovettPhoto Source: Debb Lovett

NABS is pleased to announce to the Deaf community that free interpreting services are now available for Naturopaths, Iridology, Remedial Massage and Acupuncture. Bookings for interpreters for these appointments are made in the same way as for all medical appointments.


Megan Louise

On Friday October 13, 2006 I was fortunate to attend the Signs of Change, Mental Health and the Deaf Community Workshops held at Vicdeaf. One workshop in particular interested me: “Where interpreting and Psychoanalytic Praxis Meet & the Implications for both” by Marianne Bridge and Helen Kennedy. While it is important to understand that they are not “co- therapists”, Helen and Marianne work together bringing their skills and knowledge from their own fields to facilitate a counselling process for the patient.Helen is an analyst who works within a Lacanian orientation and Marianne is a professional interpreter. Helen and Marianne described the challenges faced by a language based analyst working with the Deaf community.

Marianne explained that when working with Helen, she is not interpreting in the usual sense. Marianne informs Helen of linguistic features such as slips of hand, the use of signing space in the representation of people or relationships and non-manual language markers such as facial expression, lip patterns and others.At times if the client is not “making sense” or the utterance is not grammatical the signed sequence is voiced to Helen as it appeared. It is not changed – it is not polished or made sense of in any way. Marianne described herself as a “linguistic informer”.Helen spoke about the importance for her of understanding the interpreting process and the differences between

Auslan and English. She has now changed her interactive style to include responses that are brief and can be easily translated into Auslan. She has learnt to try to imbed a context into her responses to the patient.Psychoanalysis is a method of therapy

that aims to provide an opportunity for a person to know something about themselves that they did not know before.Helen and Marianne talked about the

importance of the interpreter recognising the challenges of the therapeutic situation and dealing with personal reactions that may influence the therapeutic process.Megan Louise is a Communication Coordinator in the Information team at Vicdeaf. Megan looks after Vicdeaf’s website and e-news.

Video Relay Interpreting ServiceVicdeaf has established a Video Relay Interpreting service (VRI) to enable deaf people who use Auslan to quickly access an interpreter. Many times it is difficult to find a sign language interpreter to quickly assist deaf people in their workplace, meetings with government such as Centrelink or Job Networks, education services and using health services including GP’s, hospitals, mental health services, Community Health Centres and so on. VRI is an excellent alternative back-up system. Long waiting times or not having access to an Auslan interpreter can lead to stress, misunderstanding and dissatisfaction with services. VRI services have been and still are used successfully to support the workforce, government and health professions in the USA.

Vicdeaf’s videoconferencing suite has access to high-speed broadband (512/512), where a sign language interpreter can be available from a remote location in East Melbourne. If a workplace or health service has videoconferencing access to high-speed broadband (minimum of 384 kbps), then a video connection can be made between the health service and the VRI suite. Bookings are essential to ensure an Auslan interpreter is available on short notice. For more information including VRI IP address, costs and bookings, please contact Marc Curtis, Manager of Vicdeaf Victorian Auslan Interpreting Services on the contact numbers at the back of this newsletter.

The Mental Health & Deaf Community Workshop is supported by the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Deaf and hearing consumers Interpreter

It was a very interesting insight into a particular type of therapy.

Photo Source: Vicdeaf


Signing Space, Sign Groups and Types of Manual signs

Space is used extensively as a grammatical tool in Auslan to give meaning. There are two basic forms of space; one is called ‘Signing space’ and the other is ‘Neutral space’.

Signing Space is the area immediately in front of the signer from the waist level to just above the head.It is like having a square picture frame surrounding the top half of your body. Signs used in this type of space may include: pregnant, bald, shower, etc.In Neutral Space signs are made in front of the body at chest level, e.g. bread, play, communicate, next, etc.Next we have Sign Groups. Auslan signs can be found in three different categories: Manual signs, Non-manual signs and Multi-channel signs.1) Manual signs are any sign that we

make with our hands, e.g. Mother, dog, lunch, etc.

2) Non–manual signs are signs such as don’t-know, yeah, want, etc., which will also include the use of a specific head movement (e.g. head nod, head shake), facial expression or mouth pattern.

3) Multi-channel signs include the use of a particular mouth pattern and facial expression relevant to that chosen sign:

‘not-my-responsibility’ = head slightly turned, protruding lips and blowing out air

‘close-shave’ = slightly lowered eyebrows, eyes wide, sucking in air

‘good-riddance’ = blowing out a short burst of air with protruding lips

‘succumb’ = tilt head slightly down then quickly back up again, show tip of your tongue.Research by Trevor Johnston showed that manual signs are used most frequently of the three groups followed by non-manual signs.Having discussed the three sign groups, let’s take a closer look at Auslan’s manual signs and how it is further dissected. Now we have Types of Manual Signs. Research shows three different types of manual signs namely: one-handed signs, two-handed signs and double-handed signs.1) One-handed signs use one hand

only, e.g. know, fluent, laugh2) Two-handed signs use two hands,

both using different handshapes, e.g. strict, run-out, question

3) Double-handed signs use two hands, both using the same handshapes, e.g. organise, coconut, opposite, other

It is very important to know and understand when to use one hand and when to use two hands when signing, especially in formal situations. Formal situations can include academic lectures, board meetings, conferences, etc. Informal signing may occur when with family and friends or at parties/social gatherings. Many people do not realise that there are two different styles of signing, e.g. Formal signing uses:1) Signs that are more clear

and complete2) slower paced3) larger signing space4) two handed signs which are variants

of one handed signs, e.g. GOOD, BAD. Using two hands for both GOOD and BAD are acceptable but using two hands for LOVELY is not appropriate.

Informal signing will show:1) the non dominant hand may

be ‘missing’, e.g. RUN-OUT2) the use of one handed variants

instead of the proper two handed signs, e.g. HOW-ARE-YOU, WHERE

3) signs that contact the temple in formal signing can be made near the cheek or in neutral space, e.g. KNOW, REMEMBER, DON’T-KNOW

4) non-manual features without the use of a sign, e.g. NOT-YET displaying a head shake and the relevant mouth pattern ‘SH’ when responding to a question.

5) More colloquial language, e.g. mind-your-own-business, how-can-you!, gullible, sprung


= tilt head slightly down then quickly back up again, show tip Photo Source: Vicdeaf

Anne Bremner is a lecturer with the National Institute for Deaf Studies and Sign Language Research at La Trobe University.

Photo Source: La Trobe University

Anne Bremner


Melissa Vittorio and Rob Waddell

hearservice received an overwhelming response to the Oricom Jumbo Alarm Clock featured in the previous issue of Communicate – thank you for your queries. This issue will focus on the Bellman Visit System. The Bellman wireless system alerts you to fire, doorbell, telephone, TTY, clock and baby cry monitor. The system alerts you via sound, light and/or vibration.You can choose from several receiving devices to suit your needs:• Portable receiver – features flashing red light, volume adjustment and works with the Bellman vibrating pillow shaker.

This unit is battery operated and is compact in size. With a range of approximately 80 metres, you will be connected to the alarm, no matter where you are in the home.

• Flashing strobe light – features directional light source and individual transmitting device indicators to alert you of the alarm that has been activated. A vibrating pillow shaker can also be attached to the flashing strobe light.

• Portable pager – alerts you no matter where you are in the home. The vibrating pager has individual indicators to alert you which transmitter is activated: doorbell, telephone etc. The pager easily clips onto your clothing and is small enough to fit in your pocket. The pager is rechargeable and the pillow shaker can be easily plugged into the charger when required.

The Bellman alerting system comes with a two and a half year warranty. The complete Bellman System and many other devices are available from the St Kilda Rd and Oakleigh hearservice clinics. Appointments are necessary and can be arranged by contacting hearservice or through your hearservice Audiologist.The hearservice Devices Specialist, Rob Waddell will ensure that you receive the best possible device to suit your individual needs. During your appointment, a range of devices can be viewed, demonstrated and purchased. hearservice can also arrange for an Auslan interpreter. Visit www.hearservice.com.au for more information about devices.For your free one hour devices appointment, contact hearservice:Voice: 1300 30 20 31 TTY: (03) 9567 0422Visit: www.hearservice.com.au Email: [email protected]


Deafness Expo 2006

David Peters

The Deafness Expo was held at Melbourne Town Hall on September 2, 2006 with 47 exhibitors showcasing a wide range of services, employment, education, information, sports, information about Deafblind and hard of hearing. Over 1,000 people attended the Expo throughout the day and many stayed almost all day!This year’s theme was “Families” and several seminars and activities were conducted throughout the Expo with Auslan interpreters provided. Key seminars were impressive, including: “Raising Deaf Children Bilingually in Australia”, “Parents Image”, “Deaf families” and so on.Major sponsors of the Deafness Expo 2006 were: NABS, City of Melbourne, Deaf Children Australia, Vicdeaf, Deafness Foundation and NMIT.The Deafness Expo 2006 committee was established in late 2005 with Ms Cathy Clark as chairperson and representatives from organisations including ASLIA (Vic), Better Hearing Australia (Vic), Deaf Children Australia, DeafBlind Association, Deafness Foundation, NMIT – Centre of Excellence, RecruitNet Career Skills, Vicdeaf and VCOD.David Peters is an Information Officer with the Information team at Vicdeaf. He was the Logistics Coordinator for Deafness Expo 2006.

Lights, sound, action! Alerting devices available now at hearservice


New National Relay Service partner looking for more users

Diana Nobbs

Families of deaf and hard of hearing children have been severely impacted by the State Government’s withdrawal of transport to deaf facilities since October 2001. In each region of Victoria there is a deaf facility, a unit in a mainstream school providing support to deaf students, while allowing them access to the mainstream classroom. These facilities are popular with families, as they provide access to both hearing and deaf peer groups for their children.Last year, “Karen” felt that her only option was to give up her job in order to drive her profoundly deaf son to school, averaging 600 kilometres each week. Enrolling him at a local school was not an option, as there are neither specialist teachers of the deaf nor interpreters available. Profoundly deaf herself, “Karen” is in no doubt of the educational and social needs of her son. At approximately $2 per day, the Government’s Conveyance allowance covers only a fraction of the costs involved.Such families are faced with the choice of removing their children from deaf facilities, giving up work or relocating closer to school, which is an expensive

There have been some changes taking place at the National Relay Service (NRS), the phone service for people who are deaf or who have a hearing or speech impairment. The Commonwealth government has appointed WestWood Spice to run the outreach work of the service while the Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) will continue to run the phone relay service. The outreach service will operate across Australia through a partnership between WestWood Spice and the Australian

and disruptive exercise often involving the loss of a job, the necessity for siblings to move schools and the loss of family and communitysupport.

At the time of printing, information that the government will fund transport for deaf students were circulating. Diana Nobbs states that the government has made no formal announcement as yet.Diana Nobbs is a part-time project worker for the transport campaign at Deaf Children Australia. Any queries relating to this article can be directed to Gene Reardon on TTY: 03 9510 7143 or voice: 03 9539 5300.

Federation of Deaf Societies Inc. Vicdeaf is a member of the Australian Federation of Deaf Societies.The outreach service provides general advice, information, education and training to users and potential users. Importantly, the outreach service also works to help new groups of people become aware of the NRS and start using it.There is an outreach team member in each State. There is also a larger team based in Sydney at WestWood Spice who are guiding the growth of the NRS and working closely with ACE

Deaf Transport Axed

and disruptive exercise often involving the loss of a job, the necessity for siblings to move schools and the loss of family and

that the government will fund transport for deaf students were circulating. Diana Nobbs states that the government has made no formal Above: A protest over the State

Government’s withdrawal of transport to deaf facilities was held at St Peters Eastern Hill Parish Hall, East Melbourne, on 10 September 2006.

Photo Source: Deaf Children Australia

Above: Lance Hately

Lance Hately is the Education and Information Officer in Victoria for NRS and he can be contacted at:Vicdeaf, Level 4, 340 Albert StreetEast Melbourne VIC 3002TTY: 03 9473 1149, Voice: 03 9473 1160, Fax: 03 9473 1122Email/MSN: [email protected] Web: www.relayservice.com.au



Victorian Deaf Society

Level 4, 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne 3002TTY: 03 9473 1199, Voice: 03 9473 1111; Fax: 03 9473 1122; Email: [email protected] for country people, TTY: 1 300 780 235; Voice: 1 300 780 225

Website: www.vicdeaf.com.auVicdeaf office hours: 9:00am to 5:00pmRegional offices: Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Sale & WangarattaPatron: Professor David de Krester, AO and Mrs. Jan de Krester

DonorsVicdeaf would like to acknowledge the following donors for their support:$6052 Estate of Frederick B Shepherd$1000 Magistrates Court of VictoriaOther donors who have generously supported Vicdeaf with donations between $1 - $499 are also acknowledged.

Vicdeaf Xmas Rally 2006On Sunday 10 December at Jells Park. Starts at 11am and will include sausage sizzle, clowns, performers, games and of course Father Christmas! Check Vicdeaf’s website www.vicdeaf.com.aufor more information.

Casey Deaf ClubXmas Rally: Saturday 9 December, 2006 at John Pandazopoulos Hall. Buffet dinner & drinks for sale. Tickets available now: $16 per member, $20 per non-member and $12 for under 12 years old.Information: Carole Wagner, email: [email protected],fax: 03 5996 9945

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Source/Sauce who won The Visionary Award; the Go Full Tilt Award and for the sound artists, the Melbourne International Festival Award. Source/Sauce is an interactive, multi-sensory performance including deaf, deafblind and hearing artists. It was performed as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival in September 2006.

KODA Pen PalsKODA stands for Kids of Deaf Adults and are for people under 18. Alyssa from the United States of America is looking for a pen pal. Please contact Julie Judd at [email protected] if you would like to become Alyssa’s pen pal or if you’d like to get in touch with other KODAs around the world.

My name is Alyssa and I am 15 years old. I live in Maryland, USA. I am in the 10th grade. Both my parents are deaf. I have an older sister who is also deaf. I like to read, listen to music and change my hair color. Some of the bands I really like are The Used, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. I also have two dogs and an albino king snake as pets.

The Auslan Fire Alarm Subsidy Initiative.

The Auslan Fire Alarm Subsidy was launched by the Victorian Government to deliver 600 fire alarms over a two-year period for profoundly deaf Auslan users.Vicdeaf is administering the scheme, which is being delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, Victorian Council of Deaf People (VCOD), the Deaf Blind Association (DBA) and both the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and Country Fire Authority (CFA).The Eligibility Criteria is listed below:Candidates must:1. Be profoundly deaf2. Use Auslan or another Sign Language

as your main method of communication 3. Be over 18 years old or

living independently4. Be able to provide one of the following:

a Two (2) references from a service, deaf club or social group where Auslan is a main form of communication

b One (1) reference from a face-to-face meeting with a member of Vicdeaf, Victorian Council of Deaf people (VCOD) or the DeafBlind Association (DBA)

c Any other information that proves you meet the eligibility criteria

Candidates must not:1. Live in any of the following:

DHS Office of Housing accommodation (Public Housing)DHS Disability Services accommodation (e.g. Community Residential Unit)

2. Be eligible to receive a fire alarm or fire alarm subsidy from any other source of government funding.

There is a limit of one fire alarm per household.

How to ApplyApplication forms are available from the Vicdeaf website at:www.vicdeaf.com.auORContact Meg Aumann at Vicdeaf on the contact details listed below.Email: [email protected]: 9473 1199 or Voice: 9473 1111


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