In this issue

• From the online groups -
• Federal Election - what are the parties offering our kids?
• Child abuse and neglect
• New on our website
• Helping your teenager get a job
• What's on in August?
• Microtia & Atresia Parent Conference
• Telstra's Disability Equipment Program
• Join our online parent forums
• Make a donation

August will be dominated by the Federal Election campaign. Both major parties have now released initiatives which will make a difference to the services offered to our children. You can read more about these in this newsletter.

I was lucky enough to attend the Hands & Voices Parent Leadership Conference in Minneapolis in July. Hands & Voices is an amazing parent-driven, parent/professional collaborative organisation that supports families of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) children and the professionals who serve them. Imagine - a conference organised by parents for parents and attended by some of the leading professionals in the sector - everyone working together to improve services and outcomes for D/HH kids and their families.

One program deserves particular mention - the O.U.R. Children's Safety Network - a collaborative project between H&V and Prof Harold Johnson at Michigan State University looking at the problem of abuse and neglect of D/HH children and how parents and professionals can observe, understand and respond to the issue. This is not a topic many of us are comfortable talking about but children with disabilities are at greater risk of abuse and neglect and, as a community, we can make a difference. There is more about this issue in this newsletter.

Thanks to H&V for giving me the opportunity to attend their conference. And thanks for the opportunity to canoe on the 'Mighty Mississippi'!

info@aussiedeafkids.org.au

We had our first ear loss (CI) yesterday :(

We were at the Fun Factory in the afternoon. After being home for about an hour, my son came over to me and handed me his left processor and I asked him where the other one was (because he is so good with them and tells you straight away if something is wrong) but he just shrugged his shoulders.

I searched the house and car. I then rang the Fun Factory who had a look and couldn't find it so I searched the house again (my house is quite organised so not too hard to search).

Then I had a brilliant idea to get out the remote (as it's the nucleus 5 processor) and walked around the house with that but it wasn't detecting the processor.

So I drove up to the Fun Factory with the remote. As soon as I got in there it could pick up the processor so we started the search. And there it was - in the bottom of the ball pit.

Lucky for us we knew it was switched on and had plenty of battery life, otherwise the remote wouldn't have picked it up. Not a foolproof plan but we got lucky!
Mum of 2.5 year old with bilateral implants
(Reproduced with permission)

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We go to the polls on August 21 and the political parties have now made campaign announcements regarding some of their disability strategies, if elected.

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This is not a topic parents feel comfortable talking or even thinking about but it is something we should consider. By being more aware, we can help protect our own children and the children in our community.

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Thank you to audiologist Jason Fenton (BA (Linguistics), MClinAud, MAudSA) for allowing us to reproduce information on hearing aid care and troubleshooting, batteries and managing ear wax!

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As parents, we believe our deaf children will one day have paid employment. According to Annette Reichmann and Susan Jacoby in their article, A Lifetime of Learning and Earning: A Family Guide to Work Preparation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School Students, "Meaningful employment in high school is one of the most important factors in long-term employment success."

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CICADA Technology Day - August 15th

School readiness parent information session - August 18

Unilateral Hearing Loss - Transition to preschool or school - 23rd August

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This year's Microtia & Atresia Parent conference being held in Brisbane in October. 



Registration information and forms are now available. The aim of this conference is to provide patients and families with information on options for treatment and management of Microtia & Atresia.

Presentations include ear reconstruction, Atresia Repair, Baha, Vibrant Soundbridge, Auditory Development and Optimising Speech & Language for Hearing Impaired Children.



This is a two day conference. The first day of the conference, Saturday 2nd October, will be a full day of presentations on topics relevant to Microtia & Atresia.



The second day, Sunday 3rd October, will be reserved for short individual consultations for patients and their families offered by a range of professionals in the Microtia & Atresia field, including the guest speakers. These are 10 minute consultations with the professionals of your choice and are included in the cost of registration.



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Telstra's Disability Equipment Program has been designed to provide eligible customers with specialised equipment to access the standard telephone service.

If your child has a hearing loss and finds it difficult to use the standard telephone, Telstra's Disability Equipment Program may have a product to make it easier for your child to use the phone.

Products include TTYs, phones with adjustable ring volume and volume control and various accessories such as visual alerts and a cochlear implant telephone adapter.

Products provided under Telstra's Disability Equipment Program can be rented for the same annual rental charge as a standard telephone handset.

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You can help Aussie Deaf Kids by donating online. We use the Our Community secure online donations facility. Your donation will go directly into the research and development of content for the website which will assist parents to make informed choices about raising their deaf child.

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