June News, Able Australia, Disability Services

Deafblind Awareness Week - Family and Friends Day 2009

 
 
     

 

The Able Australia community joined together on Saturday 20 June at their head offices in Camberwell to celebrate Deafblind Awareness Week.

 

Able Australia Patron and long time supporter, Peter Hitchener was present to help launch proceedings. Guests had the opportunity to take Harley motorcycle rides, do some artwork or jewellery making and even learn some sign language.

Over 100 guests including deafblind people we support, volunteers, staff and members of the community were present to take part in the day.

 

Events like this one are another way Able Australia is trying to bring the issue of deafblindness into the public domain and to highlight the extraordinary abilities and attitudes of these people.

Cakes for a cause - Deafblind Awareness Week! 

 

 

These beautiful cakes were prepared by Deafblind Services Team member Esther Perenyi, as part of the 2009 Deafblind Awareness Week celebrations.

 

The cakes, featuring a beautiful saying by the inspirational deafblind woman Helen Keller in both text and braille (left), were made with the correlation between the appreciation of food and the senses that deafblind people use to make sense of their worlds in mind - taste, touch and smell.

 

The Able Australia community will be celebrating Deafblind Awareness Week on 20 June in Camberwell with a family and friends day with Harley motorcycle rides, a mystery box competition, chocolate tastings and more.

 

Deafblind Awareness Week is celebrated internationally every year to coincide with Helen Keller's birthday on 27 June 1880. This year the week runs from 20 -27 June.

 

For more information click here.

School visit highlights issues facing people with deafblindness        

        
 
Able Australia visited the Caroline Springs Campus of Mowbray College on Thursday June 4 for an educational talk to coincide with the recent release of the 'Deafblind Education Pack'.

 

The pack incorporates lesson plans, interesting and educational collateral for the students, and a DVD which answers questions relating to the daily life of a person with deafblindness.

 

Heather, the star of the DVD and a deafblind person Able Australia supports, was all too happy to deliver many of the messages in the DVD face-to-face to students at Mowbray College.

 

Students learnt some more about how a deafblind person knows when to wake up in the morning, how they can tell the difference between money denominations and even learnt a little bit of sign language.

 

If you would like to get a copy of the Education Pack aimed at grade 3/4 students for your school please call and ask for Matt McKeone on 1300 225 369.

Freehills Foundation supports ableart
 
On Friday 29 May staff from the Freehills Foundation came to our head office and participated in a basic Auslan lesson before helping facilitate an ableart therapy session.

      

The Freehills Foundation has been supporting Able Australia for two years and have been directly involved in the ableart program during that time.

 

Past projects they have been involved with include creating a garden at Sydenham House and volunteering their time at Able Day on the Bay in 2008.

 

Able Australia acknowledges the work of the Freehills Foundation in helping us achieve our vision of creating a community where people with deafblindness are seen, heard, respected, valued and connected and looks forward to strengthening this relationship in the future.

 

Able Australia Interpreter wins Deafblind Interpreter of the Year

 

Able Australia is proud to announce that Interpreter Dennis Witcombe was awarded Deafblind Interpreter of the Year 2008 at the Annual ASLIA Awards held at Albert by the Lake on Saturday 30 May.

 

 Dennis Witcombe (right) communicating with Heather Lawson who is deafblind.

 

Significantly, one of the Deafblind people we support, Michelle Stevens presented the award to Dennis.

 

Over 260 people attended the evening which was a highlight in the annual calendar for events for Auslan interpreters in Victoria.

 

Able Australia was well represented with staff and the people we support present as well as Victorian Services Manager John Ballis and Deafblind Services Manager Carla Anderson (Winner of the Deafblind Interpreter of the Year 2007).

 

Dennis Witcombe is a much valued member of staff who adds great value to the lives of the people we support. His professionalism and skills are second-to-none as are his passion and commitment to working with the deafblind community.

 

Congratulations Dennis!