January 2017
Committee Secretary
Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance
Scheme
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Submitted online: www.aph.gov.au
Deaf Children Australia (DCA) was established formally in 1862 by FJ Rose, a Deaf man himself, who was instrumental in the introduction of education for Deaf children using sign language. In 1866 FJ Rose and William Moss gained the support of the Victorian Governor that led to the construction of our Bluestone building in St Kilda Road Melbourne. The Bluestone precinct is an iconic much revered symbol of Deaf people’s civic rights, its construction having heralded a new era of education and emancipation for deaf people. As such is it recognised internationally as the Australian home of Deaf culture.
DCA’s primary purpose has changed very little in 150 years and we are still driven by the intent of our original constitution, to support the needs of families raising children and youth who are deaf. DCA is one of Australia’s longest serving charities and our organisation continues to build upon our reputation for quality services and innovation.
Our Mission: To inspire and empower deaf and hard of hearing children and young people to reach their full potential
Our Vision: To create a world where children and young people who are deaf or hard of hearing have every opportunity to achieve positive life outcomes
We achieve this through direct service delivery, advocacy, and partnerships across the Deaf sector, supporting research and piloting new initiatives. We offer ongoing care ranging from newborn hearing screening support, advocacy, parent support groups, parent and deaf youth mentoring programs, employment services, a national telephone helpline, resources and recreational programs. Our difference is that we respond to individual needs of children and their families regardless of their degree of hearing loss, communication methods, educational setting, personal circumstances or additional disabilities.
View DCA’s full Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020.
DCA is pleased to provide input into the provision of hearing services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This submission seeks to represent the needs and issues of children and young people who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families, in accessing necessary supports under the NDIS. Has been developed from our experience in supporting them to do so and from feedback DCA has received from these groups as the NDIS has rolled out.
Knowledge of available services eligible under NDIS
The NDIS provides opportunity for children. Young people and families to access a new variety of services and supports which traditionally have been under resourced, prioritised to the needs of the most vulnerable and therefore not widely available. Families have little experience using services and limited knowledge of what they may be able to access through NDIS.
Deaf and hard of hearing children, young people and their families should have choice to receive supports from professionals who understand Deaf culture and the community, their needs and language (Auslan), where appropriate.
It is anticipated that few Local Area Coordinators and NDIS Planners posses in depth knowledge of hearing loss, the needs of children and young people, and how families can be supported. It is important that information about what is possible for these groups under the NDIS is promoted as they are unused to accessing many, if any services, which will support and promote their community belonging and individual development.
An example is the provision of communication support to participate in sporting clubs, attend training and develop the capacity of the club to include the person with hearing loss. Formerly, such support has not been available but now the NDIS creates the opportunity. In designing their plans, families, LACs and Planners need to be aware that such supports are now possible.
Accessibility and choice of services
Hearing loss occurs in all regions of Australia. The choices under the NDIS, or lack thereof, with regard to qualified and experienced staff to provide services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing are of concern. The use of technology to provide video outreach for family support, psycho-social support and language (Auslan) development is a critical strategy, which requires active promotion. Development of Deafness Awareness and Auslan skills in mainstream services in similarly important.
Access to appropriate case management and advocacy services will ensure that individuals receive a range of supports that meet their needs. An example is that with the support of an advocate, a young deaf female was able to access Auslan tuition, under the NDIS which had formerly been rejected by the NDIS Planner as she can speak well, but wanted to improve her Auslan, which she now uses more
Recommendations
That children and young people with a hearing loss and their families are empowered with information, support and advocacy to understand what services and supports are now available under the NDIS.
Information should be available in formats which are accessible to deaf and hard of hearing young people including simple English, Auslan and other languages which meet their communication needs. In this regard, the use of case examples and stories of what supports others have accessed would be useful.
Build capacity of LACs and NDIS Planner to understand the needs of these groups, and actively provide information to them about what is possible under the scheme. This would
include increasing awareness of the need for interpreters, captioning or other
communication supports for the child / young person.
Invest in the capacity of mainstream services to increase awareness of the needs of these
groups, and build an understanding of the variety of modalities which support
communication, including Auslan.