News
Welcome to our news page. Here we try to keep an up-to-date list of the hearing- and deafness-related news across Australia and around the world.
Captioned theatre news for 2010
1 February 2010 - What's on in 2010 in captioned theatre in Australia? Click here to find out. >>More
Bilateral implants - what's it like getting two cochlear implants?
30 January 2010 - Come to an interesting seminar at the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre where you'll hear from bilateral cochlear implantees as they explain what it is like for them, and why they chose to get two implants. >>More
Want to be a speech captioner?
22 September 2009 - Ai-Media are looking for passionate people who want to help give deaf and hearing impaired people access to the hearing world that the rest of us often take for granted. >>More
Cochlear purchases patent rights Otologics
22 September 2009 - TThere has been some recent media activity regarding Cochlear's purchase of patent rights for Otologics technology and the potential production of a
totally implantable device. >>More
Senate calls for Government action on deafness
14 September 2009 - The Senate has called on the Government to improve services and support immediately for those Australian suffering from a hearing impairment. >>More
Do you have trouble hearing on the phone? You can register for the ACE Web captioned telephony trial!
13 September 2009 - Do you, or someone you know, find it difficult to hear on the phone? ACE is looking for participants to try our new web captioned telephony service. The trial is free and the users only need the following: (a) any telephone - (b) any computer with internet access. >>More
SCIC recipient wins second Deaflympic gold in 5,000M
12 September 2009 - SCIC cochlear implant recipient Melinda Vernon last night strode to victory in the 5,000 metres to add a second Gold medal to her collection as she completed her domination of the distance events at the 2009 Taipei Deaflympic Games. >> More
Welcome to Your Local Cinema - your accessible cinema resource
10 September 2009 - On this new site you will find all that you need to know about captioning and audio description in Australian cinemas and the rest of the world. You can check session times for all of the accessible cinemas in Australia, get information about the accessible movies that are playing, link to accessible trailers (both audio described and captioned) and find out the latest in accessible cinema news. >>More
New user initiative puts spotlight on Australian websites’ accessibility
5 September 2009 - A new online forum, Australian Web Access Review (AWARe), launched today, gives you an opportunity to have your say on the accessibility, or lack of it, of prominent Australian websites. Users’ feedback, such as your own, will be used to help drive awareness and improvements to web access in Australia. >>More
Complain about TV captions
4 September 2009 - Media Access Australia would like to know about any captioning problems you have encountered on television. This page will give you the opportunity to let us know what the problem is, then take you to the webpage of the relevant TV station so you can make a formal complaint if necessary. >>More
Join us for our 2009 Hearing Awareness Week launch celebration
3 August 2009 - The Deafness Council of NSW is launching Hearing Awareness Week in Sydney with an event in Parramatta. You will get to hear speakers giving presentations on subjects such as advances in captioning and real time transcription; the role of sport in dealing with depression caused by hearing loss; and the future of Meniere's.
This event will be held at the Jubillee Dining Hall at Parramatta Town Hall, NSW on Monday 24 August 2009 at 6.30pm for 7pm. Cost is $25, and there will be food and drinks served. Come join us, and meet other people who live and work with the experience of hearing loss.
RSVP by contacting Peter Kerley, Treasurer of the Deafness Council
Email: deaftechn@optusnet.com.au
Mobile: 0433 186 532
Fax: 02 9713 9903
TTY: 02 9713 9903
>>More
Blogger keeps a diary of what it's like to get a cochlear implant
3 August 2009 - Deaf Australian, Kate Locke, received her first cochlear implant on 1 July 2009, and has been keeping an online diary about the experience. You can read about the surgery, the switch on, and what it sounds like by visiting her blog.
Access: Arts in Sutherland Shire to have Australian Theatre of the Deaf perform in September
9 July 2009 - Access: Arts is an arts project involving people with a disability and in conjunction with International Day of People with a DisAbility. In 2009, Council is bringing the Australian Theatre of the Deaf to the Sutherland Shire. There will be two performances for school children on Monday 28 September at the Sutherland Entertainment Centre. >>More
Dorothy Shaw Young Writers Competition 2009
9 July 2009 - Deaf Australia is pleased to announce that Dorothy Shaw Young Writers Competition (DSYWC) for young Deaf and hearing impaired people in memory of Dorothy Evelyn Shaw, who inspired so many and contributed to so much to the Deaf Community, will be run again this year.
Interested in attending the Australian Theatre of the Deaf?
8 July 2009 - Click on the title above to open the Australian Theatre of the Deaf’s winter newsletter.
2009 Captioning Awards
3 July 2009 - Entries for the 2009 Captioning Awards are now open, until cob 22 July 2009. To nominate for the captioning awards, see the Deafness Forum website for more details.
Rear Window Captioning trial at the Sydney Film Festival
23 June 2009- Kate Locke reports back that she attended the Sydney Film Festival on a Friday night to trial the new Rear Window Captioning technology, provided by Accessible Arts. >>More
Do you work with hearing impaired children with additional disabilities?
2 May 2009 - If yes, you might be interested in attending the Matilda Rose Early Intervention Centre Workshop. The aim of this workshop is to review the fundamentals of working with very young hearing impaired children with additional disabilities. Ideas and strategies will be explored which will better enable participants to be able to plan and put into practice a flexible and integrated program to meet the needs of these children. >> More
YouTube launches CaptionTube, a web-based captioning editor
17 April 2009 - YouTube have launched a new web-based application CaptionTube, designed to make the process of captioning videos significantly easier. >> More
Keep up-to-date with media accessibility
14 April 2009 - The Media Access website provides information on access to media using technology. It covers a wide range of practical information on access issues involving TV, DVDs, cinema, the arts, new media and education; and access technologies including captioning (primarily used by people who are Deaf and hearing impaired) and audio description (primarily used by people who are blind and vision impaired). You will also find information on rules and regulations affecting access, and levels of access on various types of media in Australia and the rest of the world. The key to our service is keeping people up-to-date with the world of accessible media. >> More
What is Multimedia Response (MMR)?
14 April 2009 - ACE MMR offers a free service that allows deaf and hearing impaired people who use Auslan to make and receive video relay calls to / from any hearing person. Call your workplace, the doctor or local Council, order takeaway food, call your family or the electrician ... call any hearing person using MMR. Its free! >> More
Laptop trial being offered to help hearing impaired people in medical appointments
14 April 2009 - Do you or a loved one ever have trouble hearing in doctors appointments or audiologist appointments? Then maybe you or someone else you know would be interested in taking part in a hearing impaired laptop trial. >> More
Imagine every DVD captioned!
23 March 2009 - Do you get frustrated when you go to rent a DVD, and find its not captioned? Wouldn't you love to have every single DVD in every store captioned and audio described by law? >> More
Human Rights Commission supports Let Us Hear's fight for affordable hearing aids
16 December 2008 - Attached is a letter from Commissioner Innes regarding the submission made by the Let Us Hear committee of the Deafness Council of NSW. A copy of this letter has also been sent to the Hon. Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services. >> More
Want to complain about a DVD that doesn't have captions!?
10 December 2008 - Have you ever been frustrated that a DVD you really wanted to watch turned out to have no subtitles??
Don't get mad, get even!! Click here to read about how to complain formally online about a DVD that's not up to your expectations! >> More
Angry sends out a hearing message: loud and clear
9 December 2008 - Angry Anderson is back on tour again – however, this time he is raising awareness of the dangers of hearing loss. It’s a subject he understands all too well. Mr Anderson, front man for Australian pub rock band Rose Tattoo, has been subjecting himself to a lot of loud noise all his life. >>More
Webcam, video phone to help deaf people
8 December 2008 - Sign language interpreters will be beamed into the homes and offices of deaf Australians via new technology that will enable messages to be relayed to hearing people. The new technology, Multi-Media Response Service, requires deaf people to sign into a computer webcam or video phone so they can access a sign language interpreter. >>More
Light may bring sound to the deaf
7 December 2008 - Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago have made a new discovery that could lead to better cochlear implants for deaf people. They have found that infrared light can stimulate neurons in the inner ear as precisely as sound waves, reports New Scientist. >>More
Human Rights Disability Rights projects: workplan 2008-09
6 December 2008 - This page is all about the Human Rights Commission's workplan for 2008 and 2009 in regards to disabilities and covers things like equal access and social inclusion for deaf and hearing impaired people. >>More
Temporary Exemption: Free to air television captioning
5 December 2008 - Click here to read all about the Temporary Exemption offered by the Human Rights Commission to the Free to air television stations for captioning. It affects your rights as a consumer, so it's important to read. Through this exemption, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission grants a temporary exemption to ABC TV; SBS Television; Network Ten; Channel Nine; and the Seven Network pursuant to section 55(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) in relation to captioning of television programs. >>More
The Human Rights Commission on captioning, audio description and media access
4 December 2008 - This page provides links to HREOC activities and other resources on captioning for people who have a hearing impairment or are Deaf. Also included are links on audio description for blind and vision impaired people; and work on access to DVDs including captioning, audio description and accessible menus. >> More
Science: What to do after your baby's diagnosis of deafness?
3 December 2008 - More than 90 percent of newborns in the United States are routinely tested for hearing problems. But what happens when they fail? >>More
Health: All That Noise Is Damaging Children's Hearing
2 December 2008 - Hearing loss among children and young adults is rising in the United States and one-third of the damage is caused by noise. >>More
You can now make an internet relay call on Hiptops!
12 November 2008 - Telstra's Hiptop range of mobile phones are popular in the Deaf community because they offer access to email, instant messaging and internet at an affordable price. But until this week, technical problems have meant that Hiptops haven't always worked for internet relay calls. >>More
Hearing impairment - a personal story
10 November 2008 - First published on 24 August 2008, this article is a transcript of an interview with nineteen-year-old Sarahjane Thompson. She is a double degree student at the University of New South Wales and has had a hearing impairment for as long as she can remember. She talks about her experiences living with a hearing disability. >> More
Tip of the Week: Limiting the Volume on Your iPod
29 October 2008 - Most recent iPods have a volume-limit control on the settings menu that can be used to lower the maximum volume to a more ear-friendly level. >>More
Let Us Hear calls on supporting organisations to contact Minister
20 October 2008 - If you want to make a difference to the affordability of hearing aids, cochlear implants and hearing services, we urge you to visit the Let Us Hear webpage. There is a letter provided which you can download, sign and send to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Justine Elliot. It is now most important that deaf people - and others interested in their welfare - support this campaign by writing to Minister Elliot, or their own member, telling of their own difficulties to find functional and affordable hearing aids and cochlear implants over the age of 21. Click here to read Let Us Hear's submission, and find out how you can support the cause. >>More
Technology: Study Warns of Hearing Loss From Music Players
12 October 2008 - A scientific study for the European Union found that
listening to personal music players at high volume can
threaten permanent hearing loss.
Assistive Listening Devices
12 October 2008 - Finding the right Assistive Listening Device can be a minefield. It is regularly seen as ‘too hard’. As a result so many people don’t even ask for help and this is a shame because they really can enhance their hearing. Sometimes just knowing there are devices which can help is a giant leap in finding solutions.
Workplace strategies for the deaf
11 October 2008 - Statistics show that people with a hearing loss on average are more likely to be unemployed, under employed or paid less than their hearing counterparts. However with just a little thought and consideration people with a hearing loss are productive employees.
Indigenous Hearing Health
11 October 2008 - Hearing loss for Australian Indigenous peoples is a major health issue. It is a disease of poverty, frequently left untreated, with at least 40% of their children affected. Yet, sadly it’s a treatable condition and if treated would give these children a much greater chance in life.
Noise is Beautiful
8 October 2008 - Hearing people take noise granted and often tell us they find sound annoying. But deafened people, particularly those deafened after they have had hearing, miss noise – even the noise hearing people choose to ignore. For those who have regained hearing - Noise is Beautiful.
Baha to combat deafness - What is it?
1 September 2008 - Baha, or implanted bone conducted hearing aid, was the first implanted hearing device. It helps those who have a working cochlear but sound cannot reach it. This article discusses what Baha is and who it is most likely to help.
What is a Cochlear Implant?
1 September 2008 - A Cochlear Implant is not an alternative to a hearing aid and is only an option for people who cannot be helped with conventional hearing aids. It does not amplify sound but rather changes sound into an electrical impulse sending this to the hearing nerve which the brain interprets as sound.
Hearing Aids
1 September 2008 - Why are hearing aids often not worn, when seemingly they would provide benefit to a deaf person? A hearing aid works best for someone with a mild to moderate hearing loss. A hearing aid is an amplifier and for many amplifying the sound will help them understand speech but there are others it will not help.
Losing hearing aids
1 September 2008 - What do you do if you lose your hearing aid?
Hear the World Photography Exhibition
28 August 2008 - Rockstar and photographer Bryan Adams captures images of musicians and actors that communicate hearing loss.
Hearing Simulation
17 August 2008 - Experience what it sounds like for a person with a hearing loss! Part of an initiative by Phonak.
Online hearing test
17 August 2008 - Test your hearing online. A screening test offered by Phonak.
Mentoring program for deaf adolescents
29 July 2008 - Hear For You (HFY) is a mentoring program, established in 2007, for deaf adolescents. The founder of Hear For You is 28-year-old Olivia Gemmell who has hearing impairment. Her own real-life experience gives her the ability to understand the issues associated with deafness. It adds an extra dimension that makes Hear For You accessible to deaf adolescents. More >>
Join us for the 2008 launch of Hearing Awareness Week in Sydney
28 July 2008 - Would you like to join us at this year's Hearing Awareness Week in Sydney? Highlights of the night include a presentation by Mr. Alex Varley, CEO of Media Access Australia. More >>
Hearing Loss Statistics
28 July 2008 - There are 3.5 million people in Australia with a hearing loss - this works out to be about 16.67% of the population. Hearing loss in Australia is prevelant. Felicity Bleckly takes a look at some Australian research, which reveals some surprising figures. More >>
The stigma of hearing aids
28 July 2008 - Why is there a stigma attached to wearing hearing aids. If you wear glasses there is no stigma - you put them on and say “Wow now I can see!” but hearing aids can’t be that effective and in many cases you still hear poorly even with the aid. More>>
Deafness impact of iPod or MP3 players
27 July 2008 - Sensorineural loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It is age related and caused by excessive noise – often called industrial deafness. However, many younger people are presenting with hearing loss because they are listening to music devices such as iPod or MP3 players for prolonged periods. More >>
The Evolution of Auslan
27 July 2008 - A discussion on the influence of education, schools families and Communities in the evolution of Auslan. More >>
New hearing aid technology passes the restaurant noise test
11 July 2008 - The sound of a noisy Chicago restaurant during the breakfast rush the clang of plates and silverware and the clamor of many voices was the crucial test of new hearing aid technology in a study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Nokia turns hearing aids into headsets
4 July 2008 - It seems massive profits and fast-increasing markets are not enough for some mobile phone makers as reports out of the US show that another handset maker, in this case Nokia, opening up a new and unusual niche market.