SOUNDS & SIGNS

Christmas is fast approaching, so hopefully, everyone is organised for the festive season. We hope that your little ones are able to see and hug their grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins. No matter what level of hearing your child has, this is a good time to remind your extended family about the importance of talking, singing and reading to your child.

In this month’s newsletter, we talk about making Christmas deaf-friendly,  and with a new school year fast approaching, the transition from kindy or prep to big school. We also have some updates from the Disability Royal Commission and Deafness Forum.

And don't forget to register for the webinar on December 6 when Alison King, Principal Audiologist for Paediatric Services at Hearing Australia will discuss the ins and outs of Hearing Australia's program for children. This is a must for all parents.

Aussie Deaf Kids would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Enjoy reading!

Jane Colys

 

Making Christmas deaf-friendly

Christmas is an exciting time for children, but for DHH kids, it can also be very stressful and tiring due to being surrounded by more people and more noise.

Here are just some of the adjustments you can do to make Christmas more deaf friendly:

• Use tablecloths to minimise sound of cutlery etc. banging on the table
• When eating at a restaurant or café, ask for a table in a quiet and well-lit area
• Round tables are better for deaf people to be able to see everyone’s faces
• Encourage family members to learn or practice some signs that they can use with your child
• Remind family members of deaf awareness tips such as speaking one at a time and not covering their mouth or eating when talking
• Keep background noise, like music, to a minimum
• Allow your child to have some quiet downtime, if needed
• Organise for captions to be turned on if your family is watching TV.

To see the full list of adjustments that can help, go to:
https://www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/parenting-and-family-life/celebrations/making-christmas-deaf-friendly/

There are even some tips for dealing with visits to Santa as beards are not very deaf-friendly!

Understanding the ins and outs of Hearing Australia's program for children - ADK webinar

Join us for the final webinar of the year with Alison King - Principal Audiologist for Paediatric Services at Hearing Australia

Most of Aussie Deaf Kids’ members will have had some experience receiving services that are funded by the Hearing Services Program, whether you’re the parent or carer of a child with newly-diagnosed hearing loss, or someone who has a long-standing relationship with Hearing Australia. Have you ever wondered what lies behind the services and technology you receive from your local Hearing Australia centre?

This webinar will give you some insights into the program as a whole, including:

• When did the Australian Government’s children’s hearing services program start, and why?
• Who decides what services can and can’t be provided to Australian children? How is the program funded?
• How does Hearing Australia use the funding to help children in all parts of Australia?
• What is the difference between the Hearing Services Program and the NDIS?
• How does Hearing Australia make sure that children and families receive a quality service?

Register for the webinar

Transitioning your child to kinder or school

The early intervention graduations have taken place, new uniforms tried on, and now it is time to make that change to BIG SCHOOL.

We have some helpful resources on our website to help you prepare your child for the changes ahead. 

• Preparing your child for school
• Preparing your child for lessons
• Parents and school

Disability Royal Commission report on inclusive education

The Royal Commission has released its report following Public hearing 7, which looked at the barriers young people with disability face in accessing safe, quality and inclusive education in mainstream schools. The focus of the evidence at Public hearing 7 was the government school systems in New South Wales and Queensland.

The Report states that educators do not always understand disability or know how to support students with disability. Witnesses who gave evidence at Public hearing 7 said that when students show ‘behaviours of concern’, such as perceived aggression, teachers think they are misbehaving and punish them - rather than try to understand and address the cause of their behaviour.

The Report notes with concern the evidence given at the hearing about funding models linked to diagnoses and the ‘support gaps’ such models can create for students with disability whose diagnoses do not fit within approved categories for funding.

The right to inclusive education has been a core part of the work of the Royal Commission. The Report highlights the critical importance of education to the inclusion and independence of children and adults with disability over their life course. Access to education is a fundamental human right. It is determinant of future outcomes and the full development of an individual’s potential.

Read the Report


 

Deafness Forum calls for mandatory vaccinations for hearing service providers

In an Open letter to major audiology chains and their representatives, the Deafness Forum of Australia called for a mandatory vaccination policy for providers of hearing services.

Deafness Forum thanked hearing services providers, clinicians and customer care staff for continuing to meet the hearing and communication needs of Australians of all ages throughout the COVID pandemic. It is recognised that this required staff to put themselves at risk at times, particularly in the early stages of the pandemic. Staff also needed to adapt to delivering services in more innovative ways, as well as applying more rigorous infection control protocols in order to keep everyone safe. Consumers are extremely grateful that they were able to continue to receive hearing services during this challenging time.

But now that we are moving from very strict protocols for face-to-face contact to more reliance on vaccinations, there does not appear to be a clear approach for protecting people who are accessing hearing services in the future...

Read in full


 

Aussie Deaf Kids 2021 Annual Report

Our latest Annual Report is now available on our website.
Some interesting statistics...

Website
265,000 pageviews

Facebook groups 
1,260 average daily active members
1,370 posts
13,840 comments
19,270 reactions

For a small organisation, we think we punch well above our weight. 

Download the 2021 Annual Report

Upcoming events

If you have any upcoming events that you would like us to share, please contact us at support@aussiedeafkids.org.au

Parent to parent support

Aussie Deaf Kids Plus
Supporting families whose children have a bilateral hearing loss
https://www.facebook.com/groups/aussiedeafkidsplus/

Aussie Deaf Kids Unilateral Hearing Loss
Supporting families whose child has a unilateral hearing loss
https://www.facebook.com/groups/231375366897635/

Make a donation
https://www.givenow.com.au/aussiedeafkids