16September2015

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.

From the isolation of deafness to a new sonic world What does being deaf sound like? And how does a cochlear implant change the nature of sound? Recently, Catherine's condition became so severe she could no longer bear the noise of her grandchildren playing or enjoy a dinner party with friends.

People with hearing loss are good drivers People living with hearing loss are not the worst drivers on the planet. A study found that the opposite is the case.

Inclusion in education All children in Australia have the right to an inclusive education. However, there are many barriers to the realisation of this right in the lived experience of children and families.

Inflammation boosts drug-induced hearing loss A class of readily available and low-cost antibiotics called aminoglycosides are commonly used to treat certain types of life-threatening infections, but these medicines damage the ear, causing hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), or balance disorders.

MEDIA RELEASE

Watershed moment for people with disability as Federal/State NDIS Agreements get signed in Victoria and New South Wales

Today, Victoria and New South Wales signed the NDIS bi-lateral agreements with the Federal Government guaranteeing the full role-out of the NDIS for over 50% of Australians.

This is a watershed moment for people with disability and their families in Australia, and for the NDIS said Australian Federation of Disability Organisations CEO Matthew Wright, speaking on behalf of 12 disability and family national organisations.

It sets in stone the full roll out of the NDIS in Victoria and New South Wales. People with disability can finally feel confident that full scheme roll out will happen.

I would like to congratulate Minister Fifield, Minister Foley and Minister Ajaka for their historical work on this agreement. We can now get on with the work of fundamentally changing the lives of people with disability and their families for the better.

Whilst this is a great step forward, its critical now that other states sign on as soon as possible.

I urge the other state and territory ministers to complete their bi-lateral agreements as soon as possible said Mr Wright.

We cannot abide a situation where a person with disability in Victoria can obtain support and 100 meters away in South Australia there is no support. You cannot just set up an NDIS overnight, setting up a state office takes time to do the important things like train high quality staff. The NDIS was set up as a national scheme for good reason, which is why the remaining states and territories must move quickly to finalise their agreements.

Please direct all enquiries to AFDO CEO, Mr Matthew Wright on 0428 608 861.

From the isolation of deafness to a new sonic world Catherine and granddaughter Abbie (Photo courtesy of Dominique Pile) What does being deaf sound like? And how does a cochlear implant change the nature of sound? ABC reporter Kerry Stewart followed one woman's surprising and emotional journey from hearing lost to hearing found. 'I once had a girlfriend with a bladder infection. She said, "It's like peeing razor blades." Straight away you can imagine the feeling. But I can't find words anywhere near as good as that to describe what its like to be deaf.' Catherine Pile is an artist who lives in the peaceful Huon Valley south of Hobart with her husband Stephen. Her world as a deaf person is anything but silent, as she suffers from a painful condition called recruitment, which amplifies and distorts sound. 'Recruitment involves the cilia in your hearing system trying to deliver the sounds that you've lost and it comes across then as loudness but its not just loudness, it's scrambled,' she says. 'The background noise dominates, it's overridingly loud.' An extrovert by nature, her gradual hearing loss has changed the way she can interact with people and the wider world. Over the past 20 years, she's learned to lip read and tried hearing aid after hearing aid, but as her deafness has become more profound, her sense of isolation has grown. 'My social life connecting with other people is really just a coffee after yoga and a coffee after a Pilates class,' she says.

'I've decided not to go anymore if it's indoors because it can just make you depressed that you can see them all, they're happily exchanging stories and you can't get it.' Recently, Catherine's condition became so severe she could no longer bear the noise of her grandchildren playing or enjoy a dinner party with friends. 'Even talking one to one over the dinner table now, it's hard. Everything has to be repeated. You can't have any music playing in the house, no background noise at all.' In a bid to get her old self back, Catherine has finally opted for surgery at the Cochlear Implant Clinic at the Royal Ear and Eye Hospital in Melbourne. Read more of Catherines story on ABC Radio National: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/from-the-isolation-of-deafness-to-a-new-sonic-world/6712234

Bogong Moth painting unveiled An original artwork merging traditional Aboriginal art and symbolism with a contemporary message on hearing health was unveiled by the ACT Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs at a gathering in Canberra. The painting, Bogong Moth was created by Aboriginal artist and advocate Norma Chidanpee Benger. The artist said the paintings subjects, the bogong moth and the dragonfly cannot hear - an analogy for the everyday experience of the one in six people in the community who live with hearing loss.

Hearing is very important to Australias first peoples because they learn and pass on their cultures by the spoken word. Each of our lifetimes is a message stick to the future, Norma Chidanpee Benger said. Bogong Moth was commissioned by ACT Deafness Resource Centre, a community organisation and member of Deafness Forum that provides supports for people with hearing loss in the Canberra and neighbouring regions. CEO Pete Halsey said his organisation wanted to pay respect to the Ngunnawal people who are the first inhabitants of the region and to acknowledge the challenges facing Indigenous leaders and families to overcome high levels of ear health issues in their communities. This is a uniquely Australian symbol for all people in the ACT region living with hearing loss or ear disorders, and their families Pete said. We wanted a symbol to use in our office and on letterheads, emails and our website that would send a very clear message to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples that there really was a welcome at DRC if they came along to talk about hearing support. Ngunnawal Elders and other prominent people from the community attended the launch. Aunty Agnes Shea gave an inspiring Welcome to Country.

Photo: ACT Deafness Resource Centre CEO Pete Halsey and the artist Norma Chidanpee Benger and her work Bogong Moth, with the ACT Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Yvette Berry MLA.

People with hearing loss are good drivers People living with hearing loss are not the worst drivers on the planet. A study found that the opposite is the case. A Swedish study found that motorists with hearing loss are in no way a greater risk in traffic than other motorists. There is therefore no need for greater requirements for hearing impaired motorists. The study showed that people with hearing loss generally drive more cautiously, says Birgitta Thorslund from Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, VTI. The study showed, among other things, that motorists with hearing loss lower their speed more than those with normal hearing when the traffic situation becomes difficult and the requirements for the motorist become more challenging. The study in a real traffic context showed that motorists with hearing loss look in their rear-view mirror and to each side more often than motorists with normal hearing. http://www.hear-it.org/hearing-loss-doesnt-affect-driving Heres what happened in 1967 on the day Sweden switched to driving on the right side of the road.

Did someone mention, bl**dy Volvo drivers!?

Inclusion in education All children in Australia have the right to an inclusive education. However, there are many barriers to the realisation of this right in the lived experience of children and families. Current efforts towards upholding the rights of all children are impeded by a lack of understanding of inclusive education and misappropriation of the term. Teaching and acquiring literacy is vital for children with reduced hearing acuity and those whose native language is Australian Sign Language. Literacy is the ability to read, write and to apply critical thinking skills to the written word. Children With Disability Australia (CDA) is a national not for profit organisation that advocates on key issues common to children and families across the disability spectrum. Deafness Forum of Australia has contributed the views of its members and constituents to CDA's work. In its submission to Government - Hear Our Voices: current levels of access and attainment for students with disability in the school system, and the impact on students and families associated with inadequate levels of support - CDA notes that the current education system in Australia is failing to adequately meet the needs of students with disability. The breadth of disadvantage students with disability must contend with in the current education system is profound. CDA says it is inundated with reports of poor and shameful education experiences. Failings have become entrenched in the education system and the urgency of delivering system wide solutions is now acute. Despite the high value and strong evidence base linking educational attainment and improved life outcomes, students with disability are frequently denied educational opportunities. The full submission by Children With Disability Australia is available on its website, http://www.cda.org.au/cdasubmissions Select Senate Inquiry into the Education of Students with Disability - August 2015 in the section, 2015 Submissions.

Inflammation boosts drug-induced hearing loss A class of readily available and low-cost antibiotics called aminoglycosides are commonly used to treat certain types of life-threatening infections, but these medicines damage the ear, causing hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), or balance disorders. Results from a new mouse study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) show that the widespread, or systemic, inflammation that accompanies severe infections worsens the drugs toxic effects on hearing, leading to permanent hearing loss. The findings are published online as the cover article in the July 29 issue of Science Translational Medicine. The results suggest that patients treated with aminoglycosides are more likely to develop permanent hearing loss than previously believed. At particular risk for the debilitating impact of hearing loss are newborns and premature babies treated with aminoglycosides. According to the authors, about 80 percent of 600,000 admissions into neonatal intensive care units in the United States are treated with aminoglycosides each year. Although the toxic effects of aminoglycosides on hearing are well known, how the drugs reach and impact the inner ear is only beginning to be understood. A team of researchers led by Peter S. Steyger, Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), set out to study the role of systemic inflammation. The scientists used a mouse model of systemic infection and inflammation and gave both sick mice and a group of healthy mice an aminoglycoside. They found that, compared to healthy mice, the sick mice take up more of the drug into the cochlea, a key structure in the inner ear that houses the delicate sensory hair cells critical for hearing. In addition, the mice with widespread inflammation had greater hearing loss across a wider range of frequencies than the healthy mice. Much of the loss was permanent, especially at higher frequencies. By providing a better understanding of the role and mechanism that inflammation plays on the drugs ototoxicity, the study opens doors for scientists to develop new aminoglycosides that wont permanently hurt hair cells, which are important for balance as well as hearing. Protecting hair cells during aminoglycoside therapy, limiting treatment with aminoglycoside antibiotics, or substituting other non-ototoxic antibiotic or anti-infective therapies when possible could help hundreds of thousands of patients preserve their hearing. The research team and others are exploring several ways to protect hair cells from damage caused by aminoglycosides and other drugs.

National practice standards for audiology The Office of Hearing Services, within the Commonwealth Health Department, is developing national practice standards in Audiology. The process is supported by an Audiology Expert Reference Group, of which Deafness Forum of Australia is a member. The voluntary standards will reflect nationally agreed practice expectations for those working in the hearing services sector. The standards, it is hoped will:

Be applicable to all professions involved in hearing services in Australia Encompass all client populations and practitioner types Be up to date, evidence based and relevant to the needs of all key stakeholders in

the hearing services sector including clients, practitioners, families, carers and funders

Be endorsed and owned by the hearing sector Be measurable by third parties if required

While the Office of Hearing Services has instigated their development, the standards will reflect agreed standards of practice beyond the Australian Government Hearing Services Program. Consequently the standards will not be owned by the Office of Hearing Services or any professional body, but are intended for the hearing services industry as a whole. Would voluntary standards be adopted as normal practice by all service providers? Like perfect parenting, it is a lofty goal.

WA youth forum Fremantle Dockers star Tendai Mzungu shared tips on gaining resilience and listened to stories from deaf and hard of hearing youth at an event in Perth. Deafness Forum of Australia Chair David Brady was in the audience listening to the challenges and dreams of students at Shelton College. The special event was arranged by the West Australia Foundation of Deaf Children.

Tendai, pictured with David Brady, played for Fremantle in the 2013 AFL Grand Final against Hawthorn. It was Fremantle's first ever Grand Final appearance. In the second quarter Tendai scored Fremantle's first goal of the game, Fremantle's first ever goal in a Grand Final.

Join the board of Deafness Forum of Australia Nominations are invited from Deafness Forums member associations to fill positions on the board of directors that will become vacant at the Annual General Meeting, 28 November 2015. Consumer Association Members and Service Provider Association Members of Deafness Forum may nominate candidates. Individuals may not make nominations. The following consumer representative positions and a service provider nominee position are now open for nominations: 1. Hearing Impaired Consumer Nominee

A hearing impaired person who is not an Auslan user and is either a member or nominee of a Consumer Association member.

2. Deafblind Consumer Nominee

A person who is deafblind and is either a member or nominee of a Consumer Association member.

3. Deaf Consumer Nominee

An Auslan-using Deaf person who is either a member or nominee of a Consumer Association member.

4. Service Provider Nominee

A person who is a current Service Provider who is either a member or nominee of a Service Provider Association member.

If Association Members have not already received the nomination forms and supporting notes, please contact Deafness Forum at the earliest opportunity. Nominations close at the end of business on Wednesday 7 October 2015. Contact Deafness Forum national office for further information: info@deafnessforum.org.au

Four Freedoms In his 1941 address to the US Congress, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt articulated his vision for a post-war world founded on four basic human freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Artist, Norman Rockwell decided he would illustrate Roosevelts four freedoms. It was so darned high-blown, Rockwell said, Somehow I just couldnt get my mind around it. While mulling it over, Rockwell, by chance, attended a small town meeting where one man rose among his neighbours and voiced an unpopular view. That night Rockwell awoke with the realisation that he could paint the freedoms best from the perspective of his own hometown experiences using everyday, simple scenes such as his own town meeting.

Freedom of speech Freedom of religion

Traveling to sixteen cities in the US, the exhibition was visited by more than a million people who purchased 133 million dollars in war bonds and stamps. Bonds were sold in denominations of $25, $100, and $1,000, and each person who purchased one received a set of prints of the four paintings. The Four Freedoms are now part of the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum and reside in their own specially designed gallery space.

Freedom from fear Freedom from want Norman Rockwell Museum Collections. SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN http://www.nrm.org/2013/08/norman-rockwells-four-freedoms/

Know someone who might like to receive One in Six? To subscribe, drop us a line to info@deafnessforum.org.au

Have something to contribute? Lets hear from you.

Find us on Facebook

Deafness Forum encourages organisations to be deafness friendly. In planning meetings and events, choose venues with a reliable hearing loop, and have real time captions and interpreters to meet the communication access needs of many Australians. 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 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 or completeness of any third party information.