One in Six 30 March 2016.pdf

8/18/2019 One in Six 30 March 2016.pdf

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30 March 2016

We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their

continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to them

and their cultures, and to elders both past and present. We acknowledge the

challenge that faces Indigenous leaders and families to overcome the unacceptably

high levels of ear health issues among first Australians.

Uncertainty for National Relay ServiceUse of the NRS is continuing to grow beyond expectations

when the new services were introduced, but the Government

says it is placing pressure on the funding available.

Deafness not-for-profits mergeDeaf Services Queensland has merged with Hearing Impaired

Children’s Therapy. The newly combined organisations aim to

provide a full range of hearing services from birth to death as

the National Disability Insurance Scheme launches on 1 July

2016.

Protecting ears at music festivalsWhile celebrating the season by seeing your favourite band

will leave you with lifelong memories, it may also leave you

with a constant buzzing or ringing in your ears – an early sign

of hearing loss.

Game helps identify children with

hearing problemsSound Scouts is the brainchild of a Sydney mum of three who

has dedicated the last five years to researching and

developing this hearing solution in collaboration with the

National Acoustic Laboratories.


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Featuring the Libby Harricks Memorial Oration. The 2016 Oration will be presented

by The Honourable John Howard OM AC, 25th Prime Minister of Australia.

With funding by the Australian Government as a National Disability Conference initiative.

http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php/events/national-deafness-sector-summit


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Cheers to protecting ears (and hearing) at

music festivals

BY Melissa Heagney

‘Tis the season. No, not that season. The other season. The one where you stand near

giant speakers at one of the many music festivals and rock out.

While celebrating the season by seeing your fave band will leave you with lifelong

memories, it may also leave you with a constant buzzing or ringing in your ears – an early

sign of hearing loss.

That’s why we’ve got some tips to make sure that you not only get a chance to dance like

Leonardo Di Caprio at Coachella, you’ll also be able to protect your hearing at the same

time.

Director and principal audiologist at Ear and Hearing Australia, Doctor Moh Dadafarin says

the single most significant cause of hearing loss in Australia is exposure to loud noise like at

a music festival.

“Eighty five decibels is the breaking point so you don’t want to be at that level for more

than four to eight hours,” Moh says.


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“For every three to five decibels over that, you have to divide your exposure time by half.

“So for instance, at a concert, where the noise level is usually around 105 to 110 decibels,

the ideal exposure time drops to one hour to an hour and a half.”

As well as avoiding over exposure to high decibels, here are some other things you can do

to protect your hearing at music festivals:

Wear ear plugs

This may seem counterintuitive but wearing ear plugs allows you to hear the music as well

as protect your hearing. Even Coldplay’s Chris Martin has been on board a campaign in the

UK asking festival goers to wear earplugs and protect their hearing

Take regular breaks from loud noise where possible

Taking regular breaks in the quieter areas of a festival is a good idea. Not only will you behelping your hearing, you’ll have a chance to critique the band’s performance with friends.

Stay well hydrated

Research shows dehydration can actually affect your hearing. The inner ear is filled with

fluid which can be affected by dehydration. Fluid in the inner ear maintains your equilibrium

(makes sure you keep your balance) and also transmits sound.

Turn down the volume

If you’re one of those who likes to listen to music while the band is setting up for the next

set, make sure the volume of your music isn’t too loud. There’s no point protecting your

hearing at a music fest if you’re going to damage your hearing by having your phone, ipod

or discman (yeah, they’re still around) blasting your ears.

From The Weekly Review, http://www.theweeklyreview.com.au/play/cheers-to-protecting-ears-and-hearing-at-music-festivals/

QLD Deafness NFP’s mergeDeaf Services Queensland (DSQ) has merged with Hearing Impaired Children’s Therapy

Inc. (HICTI), which provides early intervention services to deaf and hard of hearing

children under the age of seven.

The newly combined organisations said they aim to provide a full range of hearing services

from birth to death as the National Disability Insurance Scheme launches on 1 July 2016.

“Having HICTI join the current suite of services provided by DSQ ensures there is an

opportunity to grow and reach more deaf and hard of hearing children who are currently


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unable to access early intervention services across the state,” CEO of Deaf Services

Queensland Brett Casey said.

“Our aim is to also work with the parents and families of deaf children to provide a stronger

voice as we move into a self-directed NDIS environment and with a view to enhancing the

lives of deaf and hard of hearing children. We have been working hard with HICTI over the

last 18 months showcasing an alignment in our vision and values for ongoing early

intervention service delivery for deaf and hard of hearing children without compromising

the existing delivery and outcomes HICTI has been providing for many years.”

DSQ said it had been operating in Queensland for more than one hundred years. One-third

of its funding is from government with the rest made up from fee-for-service and

fundraising.

HICTI said it had a long history of providing deaf and hard of hearing children with access

to speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services over more than six

decades as well as assisting families around support and communication opportunities for

their children.

“Our organisation and our staff have a holistic approach to service provision, always

considering the best interests of the child. The merger with Deaf Services Queensland

ensures that we will continue to provide a service that puts the child first,” Manager of

HICTI, Jen McKee said.

From Pro Bono Australia http://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/03/qld-deafness-nfps-merge/

Uncertainty for National Relay Service

The Government has released a consultation paper to create discussion of the sustainability

of the National Relay Service (NRS) and a range of communications accessibly issues for

people with disability.

Use of the NRS is continuing to grow well beyond expectations when the new services wereintroduced in 2013. However this is now placing significant pressure on the funding

allocation currently available for the Service. According to the discussion paper, at the

same time there are technological changes in place which mean mainstream services and

technologies are now becoming more viable options in a broader range of circumstances

for users of the NRS. The paper presents options for consideration in sustaining delivery of

the NRS and improving communications for people with disability.

Submissions close on 6 May. More information can be found on the department’s website

at https://communications.gov.au/have-your-say/communications-accessibility-2016-and-beyond


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The industry body representing subscription television, ASTRA, has

provided details of reforms it is proposing to the rules for captioning

on subscription TV platforms like Foxtel.

ASTRA argues the current scheme can be improved to reduce confusion about what

programs are captioned. It says changes can improve transparency and consistency for

caption users, without reducing captioning levels and in fact continuing to increase

captioning targets by 5% each year. The changes advocated by ASTRA would also reduce

the complexity of the scheme for television channels.

ASTRA’s proposal includes the following key improvements:

A channel would have the same captioning target on every subscription television

platform, instead of the current system where the same channel can have different

targets on Foxtel and Fetch TV, for instance.

All channels broadcasting the same genre would have the same captioning target,

replacing a confusing approach which applies three different targets within some

genres. The new target would be the average of the existing targets.

Transparent principles would determine whether channels are exempt: channels with

extremely low audiences, overseas-based channels not captioned for any other

international market; and racing channels.

Free-to-air multichannels like Gem and 7Mate would face the same targets and

increases over time as subscription TV.

Although captioning targets are of critical importance, it should be noted that subscription

television generally exceeds its targets and pledges to continue doing so. The proposal will

be considered by the Federal Government as part of a broader review of captioning rules

which is now underway.


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Live captions at the theatreThe Canberra Theatre presented the first live captioned performance of a play in Australia

in 2005. It was ‘Weary’ - the story of Sir Edward Dunlop, an Australian surgeon who was

renowned for his leadership while being held prisoner during World War II.

On the 10th anniversary of introducing live captions to accompany performances, theCanberra Theatre Centre was acknowledged for the access it continues to provide the

citizens of Canberra. In the case of the hearing impaired, this includes both live captions in

partnership with The Captioning Studio and the provision of assistive listening devices.

Chris Bourke MLA, Minister for Disability, ACT Government (at left) was presented with a

plaque to mark the achievement by BHA Canberra chair Haydn Daw and secretary Sue Daw

OAM.

BHA is an Australia-wide not-for-profit that supports the hearing impaired with the aim of

enabling them to manage their own hearing loss.


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U.S. Dancing With the Stars contestant talks

about being deaf Dancing With the Stars contestant Nyle DiMarco is a very unique competitor – he’s

completely deaf.

DiMarco is working with dance pro Peta Murgatroyd who has never trained a deaf person

before. According to Inquisitr, Murgatroyd is learning to be more visual in her instruction.

“If I’m talking about feet sliding across the floor,” she said, “I’m going to touch the floor

and like paint the floor with my hand so he knows exactly how I’m describing things.”

Despite his obvious challenge, the 26-year-old DiMarco believes that he’s a serious

contender on the show and has never seen his deafness as a barrier. He will rely on sight

to observe Murgatroyd’s rhythm, timing and body language in order to achieve success. “You dance with your body. You don’t need language to communicate. For the dance, I

think visual communication is what’s important,” he told Inquisitr.

As he competes on “Dancing With the Stars,” DiMarco hopes to redefine how people view

dancing, according to Inquisitr. He has always been deaf along with his entire family who

are the same and has learned to use other senses and skills in order to succeed. His

teacher told Inquisitr that rehearsals have gone very well so far and that DiMarco has an

“amazing work ethic.” DiMarco agrees that rehearsals are a lot less frustrating than what

he expected.


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In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Nyle DiMarco said that his “dancing feet are

pretty good” despite never having danced before. It is not the first time that he has

competed on television. Last year, he won “America’s Next Top Model” as the show’s first

deaf contestant. He told Daily Mail that there was only one time where he felt

disadvantaged on the show: during the night-time photo shoot that took place in pitch

black. While the other models could hear their cues, DiMarco was at a loss.

From Australia Network, http://www.australianetworknews.com/dancing-with-the-stars-

contestant-nyle-dimarco-talks-about-being-deaf/

Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) is the national

representative organisation for children and young people with disability aged 0to 25 years.

CYDA is again conducting a national survey to gain information about school experiences of

students with disability and to learn more about what support is being provided.

CYDA strongly urges young people with disability and families to participate. The

information obtained provides it with important information about the direct experiences of

students with disability which it then provides to government and other stakeholders to

progress much needed reform.

For further information or assistance with completing the survey please contact CYDA.

Please provide your email address, where indicated if you would like to receive a copy of

the survey results.

The survey is available at http://cydaeducation.questionpro.com

The survey closes Monday 4 April.


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Why I don’t identify with being hearing impaired

by Chelle George-Wyatt

I had to back up and think about my statement on Facebook the other day. I don’t identify

with being hearing impaired and I know several others with hearing loss who don’t identify

with it either. I’m not everyone and I’m not most people because some have said they

don’t mind the label hearing impaired. I didn’t get my first pair of hearing aids until 23

years old and the label I got then was “hard of hearing.” Since that was my first label

maybe that’s what I’m most comfortable with??? I just can’t do the ‘hearing impaired’ for

myself. I looked up the definition of impaired:

1. Diminished, damaged, or weakened

2. Functioning poorly or incompetently

3. Having a physical or mental disability:

Truly, I felt all of the above at one point. Mostly that was before gaining support from

others like myself, learning better coping strategies and educating myself about high

frequency hearing loss. Since then, the only time I’ve felt diminished, damaged or

weakened is when I haven’t been given proper accommodations. When given those

accommodations, I feel included, empowered, fully functional and able to participate.

Before learning better coping strategies, I may have seemed mentally incapacitated when I

bluffed and guessed wrong. Once I gave up bluffing, most situations improved. When Itook control of my hearing loss, more situations improved. When I educated myself and

others about high frequency hearing loss, communication and relationships improved. I had

to learn a different style of communication.

A different communication style plays into my current thinking from my past. When my

middle son was in grade school, he was 2 ½ grade levels behind. When I took him to

school in the morning he dragged his feet and sometimes cried before getting out of the

car. He knew he was the ‘slowest’ child in class. Every day when I picked him up, I could

see his self-esteem falling and it broke my heart. I demanded the school test him and theyfound out he has an auditory processing disorder. Because of all the ear infections as a

baby/toddler, he learned visually instead of through his ears so he has a different learning

style. Schools teach the auditory method. They wanted him to adapt. He didn’t even

qualify for extra help while at school because his average peer was one grade level behind

and since he was only “one” grade level behind, he was fine! I could not stand by and

watch his self-esteem continue to plummet.

Instead, I researched his learning style and found out many kids are visual learners such as

ADD and dyslexic. More and more kids were becoming visual learners but the schoolswon’t change. I took my son out of the public school system and home-schooled him for a


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couple of years teaching to his learning style. He blossomed, he caught on and he started

learning again. I told him all the time he wasn’t the one who failed, it was the school who

failed him.

When we moved to a different state he went back into the public system with an IEP

(individualized education plan) in place this time. A few years later in high school he had it

figured out, we dropped the IEP and he assimilated into the school without distress or low

self-esteem. Success! He wasn’t impaired, he needed a different learning style.

I now apply that to my hearing loss. I haven’t failed, the set mode of communication has

failed. More and more of us are becoming hard of hearing. Are we diminished, damaged or

weakened? No, we have a different mode of communication that doesn’t fit standard

society. Society is the one who makes me feel diminished, damaged and weakened, if we

let it . It is part my fault not getting proper accommodations when I don’t educate others.

Why is everyone expected to be the same? We’re not. We all have different needs.

Is it my fault when others don’t accommodate me? Not necessarily. I now know education

is the key and I educate others almost every chance I get. Unfortunately there’s more

educating to do, a lot more. I’ve learned things through trial and error. What works for

me may not work for everyone. I apologize if I offend people, it was not my intent. I only

know how the word ‘impaired’ affects me.

I can’t identify as deaf either. I’m somewhere between the worlds because I still use

what’s left of my hearing and my eyes too. I have learned some sign language but I’m farfrom Deaf. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to label us, we all have our own ways.

There’s another word in the definition of impairment I don’t agree with; disability. I feel

like I have a lot of ‘ability’ in the right environment. I like what these people have to say:

If everything was accessible, there would be very little ‘dis’ability.

From Say What Club http://ahearingloss.com/2016/02/16/why-i-dont-identify-with-being-hearing-impaired/

How to identify hearing loss in your toddler with

a tablet game

A simple game on a tablet is helping identify children with hearing problems.

Sound Scouts is the brainchild of Castlecrag mum of three Carolyn Mee, who has dedicated

the last five years to researching and developing this hearing solution in collaboration with

the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), the research arm of Australian Hearing.


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“In Australia we have newborn hearing screening tests, which picks up moderate to severe

hearing loss,” she said. “In the ensuing five years they can develop conductive loss or can

be exposed to viruses causing sensory neural loss.

“Parents assume they’d recognise if their child has hearing loss, but children are very

adaptive and hide their disability.”

Often the hearing loss does not become evident until the child is in school, and by the time

it is diagnosed and treated, they have already fallen behind academically and potentially

suffered a knock to their self-esteem.

Kylie Milostic, left, with her daughter Elyse, 5, who was diagnosed with conductive hearing loss

after trying Carolyn Mee’s app Sound Scouts. Picture: Troy Snook.

Ms Mee said the game was a simple narrative featuring the adventures of Patch the bionic-

eared dog.

“Every time they interact with the game, the volume decreases to the point they can nolonger hear it, then it goes up and down through the threshold,” she said.

“What’s unique about it, is it doesn’t require specific headphones or devices. For the

children, they are just listening to a story, interacting when the main character asks them

to listen out for a noise like a bird call and tap on the screen to respond.”

Ms Mee said the collaboration between herself and NAL director Dr Harvey Dillon was

instrumental in the development of the Sound Scouts application.


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Chatswood mum Kylie Milostic is grateful to the program for helping identify a hearing

problem in her daughter Elyse, 5.

“I met Carolyn through a class dinner and she was talking about the app and I thought

‘that’s fantastic, good on her!’,” she said.

“A couple of days later I was thinking about it and Elyse and thinking ‘she’s defiant, I have

to raise my voice at her’ and that’s when I made the connection.

“Elyse failed (Sound Scouts) the first time, then failed a second time.”

Mrs Milostic took Elyse to an audiologist who confirmed she had mild hearing loss and an

ear, nose and throat specialist identified it as conductive hearing loss from glue ear.

“We booked her in to get grommets and as soon as she came home, she had her handover her ears saying ‘Daddy, you’re so loud’.”

Sound Scouts is available in both the App Store and the Google Play Store for both Apple

and Android. It costs $14.99 on each and will give you a free test with each pack you buy.

Sound Scouts is only available for tablet, due to the screen size needed.

By Caryn Metcalfe, North Shore Times

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/north-shore/how-to-identify-hearing-loss-in-your-

toddler-with-a-tablet-game/news-story/be747860ea7d940ae461550ea2245e4d

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One in Six 30 March 2016.pdf

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