one in six 4 november 2015

7/24/2019 One in Six 4 November 2015

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4November2015

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.

Australian HearingThe transition of services from the Australian Government

Hearing Services Program to the NDIS is scheduled to occur in

2019 - 2020. If a decision is taken to privatise Australian

Hearing before crucial issues are decided, then it removes the

opportunity to provide a safety net for highly vulnerable

community groups.

My responsibility here is to assess in a corporate way the best

possible future arrangement for Australian Hearing in a

changing market for services for this demographic.

Deaflympians achievements on show

A new exhibit reflects the accomplishments of Australian deafathletes at the Deaflympic Games and demonstrates that you

dont need to hear to be a world-class athlete. Deaf sport in

Australia stretches right back to the 1880s, and its developed

into a strong community with significant success on the

international stage.

Improve your hearing and quality of lifeHearing impairment is associated with reduced levels of well-

being and quality of life, e.g. a reduced response inconversations leads to isolation, difficulty responding to

doorbells, smoke alarms, etc.


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Achievements of Australias Deaflympians on

display at National Sports Museum

The achievements of Australias Deaf and Hard of Hearing athletes have been recognised at

the National Sports Museum (NSM) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The new exhibit reflects the accomplishments of Australian deaf athletes at the Deaflympic

Games and demonstrates that you dont need to hear to be a world-class athlete. The

Australia at the Deaflympics showcase brings together an unmatched collection of awards,

uniforms and equipment which reflect Australias success at the highest level of

international completion.

Some of Australias most decorated Deaflympians, including Dean Barton-Smith AM, a four-

time Deaflympian as well as the first deaf competitor to represent Australia at the OlympicGames, were on hand to help officially open the showcase.

Were delighted to give our visitors a deeper understanding of the unique sporting

challenges that Australias deaf athletes meet and overcome on their pathway to

Deaflympic success, said National Sports Museum Curator, Helen Walpole.

Deaf sport in Australia stretches right back to the 1880s, and its developed into a strong

community with significant success on the international stage.


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Future of hearing services in AustraliaExcerpts from the SENATE FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

LEGISLATION COMMITTEE Estimates hearing, 20 October 2015Uncorrected proof of evidence taken before the committee.

Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann: Obviously we are currently

involved in the process leading up to the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook which is

due to be released in the middle of December. I cannot pre-empt when exactly the final

decision is likely to be made. I am happy to confirm that a final decision has not beenmade and that we are still mulling over what the best way forward is, given that we are

wanting to ensure the best possible future and a sustainable future for Australian Hearing

in the context of a changed environment.

Senator Cormann:All that we are interested in is to ensure that, in the context of the

continuous rollout of the NDIS, in the context of a contestable market for hearing services

that has been put in place by the previous government and in the context of the NDIS, as it

has for broader service provision in the disability services sector, Australian Hearing has the

opportunity to be the most successful as it possibly can be and continues to provide valuedservices to its client base. We are currently working our way through on how best to

ensure that. We have not reached a final landing point. Obviously, the consultations that

took place earlier this year will help inform the government's final decision.

Senator Cormann: We received the scoping study, which was initiated in the 2014-15

budget. We considered it as part of the 2015-16 budget and decided at that point in time

to conduct further consultations before making any further decisions on the best way

forward. That consultation was conducted by my department and has fundamentally now

been concluded. We are now having conversations and considerations within government


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on the most appropriate next steps. At some point we will reach a decision on the right

way forward but we have not reached that point just yet.

Senator Cormann: I am not responsible for the community service obligation of the

benefits provided to Australians with hearing impairment. These are matters that are the

responsibility of either the Minister for Health or the Minister for Social Services. My

responsibility here is to assess in a corporate way the best possible future arrangement for

Australian Hearing in a changing market for services for this demographic.

Senator Cormann: The final decision will be a cabinet decision because it is a decision

that will be made in the context of either a budget or a budget update.

Senator Cormann: I am not going to lock myself into an arbitrary timetable. Our

commitment is to get the decision right, and we feel that we need to do some more

thinking and potentially have some further conversations before making the best possibledecision.

OUR RESPONSE

Deafness Forum wrote to the Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann.

Dear Minister Cormann,

Deafness Forum of Australia, the peak consumer organisation representing the needs of

people with hearing loss, was consulted during the scoping study into the future ownershipoptions for Australian Hearing. You announced in May 2015 that the decision on the future

of the organisation would be deferred until later in 2015 while further consultation took

place. Those consultations have now been completed however there is other work that is

occurring in the hearing sector that needs to be finalised before the full impact on

Australian Hearing is known. Therefore Deafness Forum of Australia asks that you

reconsider the timing of the decision on the future of Australian Hearing until it is clear

whether the need for the safety net of a government hearing services provider is required.

The implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) impacts on existingprograms including the Australian Government Hearing Services Program. Some of the

client groups who receive services under this Program will transfer to the NDIS including

some highly vulnerable client groups that are currently the sole responsibility of Australian

Hearing. These groups are identified as Community Service Obligations (CSO) due to the

cost, complexity and access issues associated with the delivery of services to these clients,

and the lack of service options in the private sector. The CSO client groups include Deaf

and hard of hearing infants, children and young adults, pensioners and veterans with

complex hearing needs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged over 50

years. The CSO Program also funds a culturally sensitive outreach service for Aboriginal


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and Torres Strait Islander peoples in urban, rural and remote areas of Australia. Under the

NDIS, services to these client groups will become contestable.

The introduction of contestability introduces significant risk to access and service quality

and could have a detrimental effect on client outcomes for the following reasons:

Audiology is a self-regulating profession so there are few safeguards to protect

clients. There is also no certification system for clients to know whether the person

has appropriate knowledge and expertise to deliver services in highly specialised

fields such as paediatric audiology. This is currently managed by Australian Hearing

through an in house training and mentoring program.

There is currently a very streamlined approach to putting rehabilitation programs in

place for infants and children diagnosed with hearing loss which ensures less than

2% loss to follow up that will be lost with multiple providers

There will be a loss of independent, unbiased advice regarding clinical programs,

devices and educational program options for children with hearing loss as potentialproviders in a contestable environment are likely to be aligned with particular

educational programs or hearing aid manufacturers

There is a high risk that people in rural and remote areas will experience reduced

access to services

There is a high risk that people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

will find it difficult to access services

There is a high risk that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in urban, rural

and remote areas will lose access to a culturally sensitive service delivery model

The private sector has not been required to deliver hearing rehabilitation services toinfants and children in the past, so the ability and interest of the private sector to

provide these services is unknown. The move to contestability in the delivery of

services to children could result in market failure leaving children with hearing loss

and their families without the critical services they need

The client groups are very small so the fragmentation of these groups that will occur

with contestability will make it difficult for audiologists to maintain their skill levels

There is going to be a significant increase in the cost of delivering hearing services in

the commercial market as opposed to service provision in a Community Service

Obligations Program where the government provider achieves cost efficienciesthrough its economies of scale and bulk purchasing arrangements

Deafness Forum of Australia has surveyed members and there was a very strong message

from the families of children with hearing loss that they would rather forego the choice of

provider in order to retain the high quality and trusted service they receive from Australian

Hearing.

Many of the issues outlined above could be resolved if Australian Hearing was nominated

as the sole provider of services to infants and children with hearing loss under the NDIS,which we understand is possible under existing legislation governing the NDIS. This has


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been suggested to the National Disability Insurance Agency during the transition planning

consultations but it is not yet clear whether they are considering this as an option. Also,

the future of other CSO client groups and activities that are currently the sole responsibility

of Australian Hearing but will not transfer to the NDIS, such as hearing assessment services

for children, is not yet known.

It is critical to resolve these matters before a decision is taken on the future of Australian

Hearing. The transition of services from the Australian Government Hearing Services

Program to the NDIS is scheduled to occur in 2019 - 2020 to allow sufficient time to

address the number and complexity of the issues involved in the transfer of services. If a

decision is taken to privatise Australian Hearing before these issues are decided, then it

removes the opportunity to provide a safety net for highly vulnerable client groups. For

these reasons we ask that you defer the decision on the future of Australian Hearing until

these matters have been resolved.

Thank you for considering this request.

Deafness Forum of Australia, a member of the Disability Australia Consortium.

Live captioning: we talked and listened

More than 80 people, including a representative of Deafness Forum attended a recent

Australian Communications and Media Authority Citizen Conversation event, Live

captioning: lets talk.

A transcript of the event and copies of presentations are available athttp://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/About/Events/Citizen-Conversations-Series/live-captioning-lets-talk-

register?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Live+captioning+we+talked+and+listened&utm_content=Live

+captioning+we+talked+and+listened+CID_c2349af785ce4b6a968a754f2c1e0104&utm_source=SendEmailC

ampaigns&utm_term=transcript%20of%20the%20event%20and%20copies%20of%20presentations%20are

%20available

There is also a highlights video, which includes interviews with some attendees.

If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to contact [email protected].


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Conexus OpenAccess Tours app supports cultural venues with translation of

their tours in Auslan and captions.

The National Gallery of Victorias current major

exhibition on the Masterpieces from the Hermitage:

The Legacy of Catherine the Great is accessible to

deaf and hearing people via both the OpenAccess

Tours app as well as NGVs iPod touch devices that

can be hired at their Audio Guide shop.

You will have to hurry as the marvelous exhibition

closes this month.

Conexus OpenAccess Tours app we assist the

National Gallery of Victorias with the summerblockbuster Andy Warhol and Ai Wei Wei exhibition

in December.

Coming soon to Canberra and Brisbane:

National Gallery of Australia Tom Robertsexhibition starting in early December.

Queensland Gallery of Modern Art 8thAsian Pacific Triennialexhibition in December.

Better Hearing Australia conference in Perth

At left: Peter Moore, David Brady and Haydn Daw. At right, with Peter Cianchi.

Peter Moore from BHA Central Coast NSW and Peter Cianchi from BHA Canberra were the

joint winners of the BHA Illingworth Award for the most outstanding volunteer throughout

Australia.


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The Better Hearing Consumer addresses the personal experience of living with hearing loss.

Editor Gael Hannan, and her occasional guest bloggers, explore every corner of the hearing

loss life with humor and poignancy at

http://hearinghealthmatters.org/betterhearingconsumer/

Gael wrote to One in Six: One of your members forwarded me the newsletter in which

you included one of my recent blogs (Ed: Articles on what NOT to say to deaf people have

been floating on Facebook, One in Six 14 October 2015). Thank you for the honour.

Several Australians have bought my recent book, The Way I Hear It, which is available

through Amazon or my publisher

http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000015376639/Gael-Hannan-The-

Way-I-Hear-It

Heres a review of the book in HuffingtonPost

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen-hansen-brakeman/humor-and-hearing-loss-a-

_b_8211434.html?fb_action_ids=10156287108175107&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_sourc

e=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B1117653081579892%5D&action_type_map=%

5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

Improve your hearing and quality of life

A recent study from The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that the

greater your level of hearing loss, the greater your risk of death. Hearing impairment

doubles with every decade of life and affects more than two-thirds of people over the age

of 70. Hearing impairment is associated with reduced levels of well-being and quality of

life, e.g. a reduced response in conversations leads to isolation, difficulty responding to

doorbells, smoke alarms, etc. Another concern is, of course, hearing cars and car horns.


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There are 360 million people worldwide who suffer disabling hearing loss. This is defined as

hearing loss of greater than 40 decibels in the better hearing ear.

When they divided the hearing impairment into mild, moderate and severe, they found that

those with moderate to severe hearing impairment had a 54% increased risk of death

whereas those with a mild hearing impairment had a 27% increased risk of death.

When they adjusted for demography and cardiovascular disease, there was still a 39%

increased risk of death in those with moderate to severe hearing impairment and a 21%

increased risk of death in those with mild hearing impairment.

There are now some important causal connections between hearing impairment and

cognitive, mental and physical function. There is already a known association with hearing

impairment and dementia, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

If you feel that your hearing is being affected in any way you should be having audiometry

testing and consideration for hearing aids, which leads to much greater stimulation and

potentially therefore reduced levels of all of the aforementioned diseases. Once you are

more socially connected there is also more motivation to maintain good cardiovascular risk

modification, which does affect all the diseases that I have mentioned.

In summary, anyone with hearing impairment should have much earlier and regular

screening and much more vigorous management of their risk factors. More from Ross

Walker at Switzer Daily, http://m.switzer.com.au/the-experts/ross-walker/improve-your-hearing-and-improve-your-quality-of-life/

Changes to Rehabilitation Appliances Program

The Rehabilitation Appliances Program assists entitled veterans, war widows and widowers

and dependants to be as independent and self-reliant as possible in their own home.

Appropriate health care assessment and subsequent provision of aids and appliances may

minimise the impact of disabilities, enhance quality of life and maximise independence

when undertaking daily living activities.

Holders of the Repatriation Health Care Card For all conditions (Gold Card) may be able to

obtain aids and appliances subject to assessed clinical need. Holders of the Repatriation

Health Card For Specific Conditions (White Card) may be eligible to obtain aids and

appliances subject to assessed clinical need resulting from a condition accepted as being

related to the entitled persons service.


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A change to the entitlement for smoke alarms is of concern to Deafness Forum. For an

individual to obtain a package, an audiologist must first confirm a profound or severe

hearing loss in the better ear.

This is significant change from the previous criteria and could mean that people who are

unable to hear a conventional smoke alarm are no longer able to obtain a specialised

smoke alarm package.

Smoke alarms usually emit a tone around 3kHz whether a person hears this will depend

upon their degree of hearing loss at the pitch of the alarm, how far they are from the

smoke alarm and even things like whether they sleep with a breathing assistance unit etc.

Are you the mum of a child with hearing

impairment aged between 4 and 6?

Curtin University is conducting a study that will review the relationship between mums and

their children with any form of hearing impairment.

The study aims to review the way that mums and their children interact together in their

everyday life.

The Department of Psychology from Curtin University would like to invite you to participatein this study.

The study will require you to participate in two main activities. In one activity, yourself and

your child will together tell four separate stories about a time when your child has

experienced four separate emotions. The emotions that will be spoken about are: happy,

sad, mad, and scared. This part of the study is expected to take no longer than ten

minutes. If your child is shy and doesnt like to talk much, it is quiet ok for you to tell the

story and for your child to simply respond with a yes or no if they agree or disagree with

the story.

The second task is an interview, which takes no more than an hour and half. The length of

the interview is based on how much you would like to share and is to be completed without

your child. The interviewer will ask questions about your experience of raising a child with

a hearing impairment.

Both of these activities can take place in a setting that is most convenient for you. It

should be noted that these two activities will be audio recorded so that your response can

be transcribed. In regards to these recordings, your confidentiality will always be kept withyour names not being transcribed.


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The study welcomes all English speaking participants with any type of hearing impairment.

As this study is based in WA, video link/skype/audio recording can be done for individuals

living in other states other than WA. For more information or to partake in the study

please do not hesitate to contact Jon Marginis ([email protected])

Hearing loss is a sure thing with these sounds

Sound can be a beautiful thing the melody of an orchestra, the rustle of leaves, thesoothing consistency of rain. It can also be, well, not so beautiful. Clanking pots and pans,nails on a chalkboard, and the screeching of an upset infant come to mind as examples.

Though the tone and purpose of a sound definitely have an impact on if we perceive it aspleasurable or not, one thing everyone can agree on is that super loud noises are no good.

While some can cause hearing loss over extended exposure or a single blast, the loudestnoises even have the power to kill you by rupturing your brain.


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Infographic by The Airconditioning Company, UK. Article from Medical Daily,

http://www.medicaldaily.com/pulse/hearing-loss-sure-thing-these-sounds-worlds-loudest-

noises-can-even-cause-death-357052


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Deafness Forum Australia visits Brisbane

Representative of the hearing health & well-being sector gathered at Brisbanes Donald

Simpson Community Centre to promote the installation of communication access systems

within the Centre. These will assist people with hearing loss when they attend meetings

and activities at the Centre.

Audio induction loops have been

installed, and FM systems are

available. A counter loop is also

available at reception. The

installation of communication

systems in Redland City Council

facilities was also acknowledged.

Tony Christinson Chairman of the

Donald Simpson Community Centre

noted Peter and Jill Lindleys

persistence in explaining the need

for people with hearing loss to

have assistance was catalyst for

the new augmentation systems.

Paul Barnes, Convenor of the

Redlands Hearing Impaired Support

Group said the Donald Simpson

Community Centre and the Redland

City Council had set a benchmark

in communication access provision,

ensuring social inclusion for those

who have a hearing loss.

Hopefully, other organisations will follow, knowing that the outcome is more than positive.

While this remarkable achievement is an overwhelming success, it is the tip of the iceberg

in relation to other matters that effect people with a hearing loss he said.

During his comments to the group, Deafness Forum chairman David Brady spoke of the

importance of Hearing Loss becoming a national health priority - given the high incidence

of hearing loss, its predicted increase across all ages, the implications for health & well-

being and the importance of addressing the isolation and social exclusion that is often

currently the lot of those with hearing loss.

Pictured from left to right:

Tony Christinson, Chairman of the Donald SimpsonCommunity Centre (DSCC)

Paul Barnes, Convenor of the Redlands HearingImpaired Support Group and Treasurer of the DSCC;Jill and Peter Lindley;David Brady Chairman of the Board of DeafnessForum Australia;Alan Beard, deputy Mayor of RedlandsShirley Edwards, Secretary CICADA QueenslandThomas JithinManager of the Centre


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Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Deafness Forum of Australia Annual General Meeting will be held in Sydney on

Saturday 28 November.

University of NSW, Kensington campusAGSM BuildingGate 11, Botany St, Kensington

Free off-street car parkingFrequent buses depart Central Railway Station for a journey of approximately 25 minutes

Light luncheon from 12.30pm

Meeting commences 1.30pm and is expected to run for 90 minutes

Principal business

Minutes of the previous annual general meeting

Receipt of the annual report and audited financial statements

Appointment of auditor

Declaration of election of directors

Proxies

A member unable to attend the Annual General Meeting may appoint a person as their

representative. By giving your proxy to a representative, your vote will be counted the

same as if you were voting in person. S/he need not be a member of Deafness Forum, but

must be present at the Annual General Meeting. Alternatively, a member may appoint the

chairperson of the meeting as their representative.

Some members will be entitled to two proxies they may be both a member of Deafness

Forum and an authorised representative of an organisation that is a member of Deafness

Forum.

If you wish to obtain a proxy form, drop us a line [email protected]

Items in Deafness Forum communications incorporate or summarise views, standards or

recommendations of third parties or comprise material contributed by third parties or sourced from

items published in the public domain. Our intention is to attain balance and be representative of all

views within the sector we represent, however this may not be attainable in particular

communications. Subjective censoring of materials and or external influence on editorial policy will

not occur. Third party material is assembled in good faith, but does not necessarily reflect the

considered views of Deafness Forum, or indicate commitment to a particular course of action.

Deafness Forum makes no representation or warranty about the accuracy, reliability, currency orcompleteness of any third party information.

one in six 4 november 2015

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