Better Hearing Australia [Sydney branch]

A big "hear, hear" for new theatre app!

2012-02-09T17:44:00.001+11:00

Sue Daw from Canberra branch has been featured in the Canberra Times in an article about theatre captioning via an iDevice (iPhone, iPad or Android) app* "Go Theatrical"
Here's a link to the article

This new technology provides another way to get captions where previously there were none.

The app has been produced by the Captioning Studio, winner of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2011 Human Rights Award for Business - more info here

* an app, short for application, is a program, which runs on devices (idevices) like iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone.

Stay Safe online

2012-02-07T18:07:00.001+11:00

The Federal Government has put together a set of guidelines to help you protect yourself from nasty things on the ineternet.

here's a link to the page

Have a look!

--

Two more captioned cinemas

2011-12-07T08:21:00.002+11:00

[via Media Access - http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/latest_news/cinema/two-new-sydney-cinemas-commence-captioned-movies]

Hoyts has announced that Warringah and Mount Druitt cinemas will be equipped with CaptiView captioning system. This in addition to the five cinemas that became CaptiView enabled on 1 December 2011.

Brazil Film Festival 2011

2011-11-03T04:19:00.000+11:00

The film festival is on from 14 to 21 November 2011 this year.
Locations are Palace Norton Street and Chauvel cinema Paddington.

http://www.brazilfilmfestival.com.au/

15th Japanese Film Festival

2011-10-27T18:11:00.001+11:00

Don't know about you but I don't understand Japanese. So, all Japanese movies in Australia are subtitled, don't need to rely on captions so much because they're already there!! Soundtrack music is another kettle of fish...

Anyway
The 15th Japanese Film Festival is on from 17 - 27 November in Sydney [and Melbourne 29 November to 6 December 2011]
website - http://15th.japanesefilmfestival.net/
location: Event Cinemas George St, in Sydney [map]

Why bother with captions?

2011-10-10T15:18:00.001+11:00

There is a wealth of movies available from the so-called talkies era. The fundamentals of movie production were established well before Al Jolson came along. Names such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Fritz Lang are true pioneers of the entertainment we now take virtually for granted.

The festival is on in Sydney in September, gone for this year but still available in other cities. Keep it in mind for 2012!

http://www.ozsilentfilmfestival.com.au/

^. .^

More captioned cinemas

2011-10-07T19:04:00.001+11:00

More cinemas are coming on board. There's a little list available on the VicDeaf website

Check it out!

^. .^

Two videos

2011-10-03T19:22:00.001+11:00

Here's a couple of videos which you may enjoy.
The first a cochlear switch-on movie

And a quick one for a candidate for the Republican nominee, re-dubbed. I think it shows what deaf people experience every day. What do you think?

Italian Film Festival, Sydney

2011-09-10T14:15:00.001+10:00

It's on again at Verona and Chauvel Paddington, and Palace Norton Street.

15 September to 5 October 2011

http://www.italianfilmfestival.com.au for details

Why wait for captions on English language movies? What about the wealth from other cultures, subtitles already included!

75th Anniversary of Better Hearing Australia. Sydney Branch

2011-08-10T18:10:00.000+10:00

The 75th Anniversary lunch was held at the Burwood RSL on the 22nd of July 2011.
Here's some pictures of the happy attendees.

More Captions at Hoyts

2011-08-02T20:01:00.001+10:00

… and audio description.
Starting August 4 2011 these cinemas will be providing captioned sessions at these cinemas. Check the Your Local Cinema website for session times

Chatswood Westfield, Sydney – 1 screen
Chatswood Mandarin, Sydney – 2 screens
Warrawong on the NSW south coast – 1 screen
Belconnen, ACT - 2 screens
Woden, ACT – 2 screens

^. .^

Review of access to telecommunications by people with disability, older Australians and people experiencing illness

2011-07-28T14:17:00.001+10:00

The Australian Government is undertaking a review of the services available to help people in need of assistance to access and make the most of the telecommunication choices available to them, including the National Relay Service (NRS).

Here's a link, you can make a submission by 19 August 2011
[link]

Captions on iView for iPad

2011-07-12T11:51:00.001+10:00

For some time we've had captions available on TV broadcasts, via digital TV. Then ABC released its iView service for programming over the web. It took some time but captions were eventually added to those broadcasts as well.

Then Apple released the iPad, a tablet device that one can use to browse the web, check email, play games, just about anything you can do on a standard computer, with some limitations.

The ABC released the ABC app, which opened the doors for iPhone and iPad users. It was pretty good, but there were no captions.

Now, captions are available for the iPad version of iView and here's a few observations. Mostly they relate to the quality of the captioning rather than the iView app.

- The captions are a little small for my (JC) liking. It would be good if we could alter the size of the captions. This might not be possible if they are 'burnt-in' to the video file.
- Captions appear in a little grey panel, with white type. I think a darker background might be better.
- Like the captions on TV there is often a synchronization problem - the words a spoken but it might take a little while for the words to appear.
- There are often missed passages. This will occur if the captioned can't keep up with what's being said.

All in all I think the iView app is fantastic. I do hope that the ABC will include it in further developments to accommodate the hearing-impaired community. The developers are to be applauded and encouraged.
Media outlets generally need to improve the quality (and frequency, say to 100%) of the captions. The ABC is showing the way to Internet broadcasting.

Accessible Seinfeld

2011-07-12T10:50:00.001+10:00

Since you went deaf have you missed being able to watch Seinfeld? Yes it's on the secondary digital TV channels, but without captions.

Now you can get Jerry Seinfeld's wisdom via a new website
http://accessibleseinfeld.com/

And Android users can download an app dedicated to the website as well
here

Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment! They will be passed to the developer for improvement and/or encouragement.

Have a look!

Arlene Romoff

2011-06-25T15:54:00.001+10:00

Arlene Romoff is a hearing-impaired woman who has written about her experiences of deafness and cochlear implants. She is president and co-founder of the Hearing Loss Association of New Jersey in the United States.

She has a blog
http://www.arleneromoff.com/

Have a look!

More Accessible Cinemas

2011-06-24T17:43:00.001+10:00

From the Accessible Cinema website

-

Event cinemas have announced that they are upgrading three cinemas to digital facilities, making them more accessible. The new facility should be available from 7 July 2011.

The cinemas will be CaptiView enabled and are located at
Parramatta, Maroochydore and George St, Sydney.

Session times will be available on the Accessible Cinema website
session times

Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG) announcement

2011-06-22T19:35:00.002+10:00

The Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG) met for the third time on 25 May 2011.

During the meeting, the cinema industry confirmed the roll-out of an additional 45 accessible cinema screens (closed captions using CaptivView and/or audio description) by the end of 2011. This will bring the total to 50 screens. Whilst this is less than the 73 screens expected for 2011 in the Cinema Access Implementation Plan (the Plan), ACAG have been assured that delivery of the final 2014 target of 242 accessible cinemas against the Plan is on track. The type of accessibility on offer at each cinema will be advised. For information on when new accessible cinema screens become available, please check Your Local Cinema website at www.yourlocalcinema.com.au.

For your information, you can view ACAG’s second Communiqué at http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/disability/progserv/govtint/Pages/CommuniqueACAGJune2011_attch_A.aspx. The Communiqué identifies the key achievements from the meeting.

^. .^

Inquiry into Hearing Health in Australia

2011-05-31T12:59:00.001+10:00

The report has now been released and is available on the Senate website

The report is available in PDF format and is broken into 8 chapters and 2 appendices.

Belvoir Street Theatre in Surry Hills, Sydney, is the latest venue to provide GoTheatrical!™ theatre captioning service

2011-05-05T10:42:00.001+10:00

A captioned performance of ‘The Business’ is scheduled for Wednesday, 18 May at 8pm.

More info in their newsletter

Go Theatrical - http://www.theatrecaptioning.com.au/

New Captioned Cinema at Top Ryde

2011-04-14T08:30:00.001+10:00

A new cinema has come on to the captiView system.
Events cinema at Top Ryde, located within the new Top Ryde City shopping centre, is the first of the Events chain to adopt the technology.

Media Access article

Events website

When in Melbourne

2011-03-23T16:58:00.001+11:00

Hoyts Forest Hill is the latest to offer the CaptiView service

Hoyts Forest Hill website
Media Access Accessible Cinema site

Keep up the good work!!

Public Transport

2011-03-14T14:42:00.000+11:00

Buses to Concord BHA

439 goes along Gipps St [next street north of BHA Concord office], between the City and Mortlake, via Leichhardt
461 goes along Parramatta Road, between The Domain, City and Burwood
MetroBus M41 travels from Marsfield to Hurstville, cross-country and meets up with various other transport links

Timetables and Maps available at

http://www.sydneybuses.info/routes

View Larger Map

Do you have a easy transport link to your local BHA class? Post a comment or email!

Need help voting

2011-03-09T14:21:00.001+11:00

The Electoral Commission has set up a web page in which is contained links for those who need help when voting.

There's also a system called iVote and you need to meet certain criteria, vision or other physical impairment, and various others, and you'll need to register beforehand.

Have a look, use your vote!

http://www.votensw.info/early_voting/ivote

Handy hints

2011-02-18T10:34:00.001+11:00

I was writing this for a client and thought it might be worth wide-casting...

Deafness is difficult but there are ways around it.

There are some simple things you can do to help yourself.

Did you know that Broadway Hoyts is trialling CaptiView - personal captions, on select movies - It’s great!

http://www.hoyts.com.au/Movies/Closed_Caption.aspx

Thought about lip-reading [you’re probably doing it unofficially anyway]? Better Hearing runs classes at Concord, the City, Northside and various other places. Don’t leave it until you HAVE to. Come along and join the fun!

http://www.betterhearingsydney.org.au/

Do you have a set top box on your TV, or digital TV? Turn the captions ON. Check your manual.

Stand up for yourself and hearing-impaired people. Deafness Forum - http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/

Keep in touch with the latest.

Even just the right phone [volume UP] can keep you in touch, or use Skype with a headset [I do - two listening devices better than one!]

Call other Skype users around the world for $0.00, other than internet cost.

How to Subscribe #2

2011-02-18T10:00:00.000+11:00

Further to my post "How to Subscribe"

Here are the little icons to look out for in your browser[s]

Safari
Firefox Windows
Firefox Macintosh
Internet Explorer [pull down from the pop-down menu for RSS feed selection]

You can also use this address - copy and paste into your browser or RSS reader, save the bookmark
feed://bhasyd.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

CaptiView at Hoyts Broadway

2011-02-06T14:41:00.001+11:00

I went to Hoyts to escape the heat and to see "True Grit" a Coen brothers movie.
There is a system in use there called CaptiView which allows you to see personal subtitles. The device is mounted temporarily in the drink holder in your armrest. During this introductory time they have a technician bring you the device when you take your seat. The screen is on a flexible arm and you position it so you can see the screen and the captions at the same time.
It works very well.

I can recommend this new system most highly. What we need is more session availability and more movies. I understand that this is underway.

Anyone else used it?
Let us know what you think - leave a comment!

^. .^

CICADA dates for 2011, Sydney

2011-01-28T13:09:00.000+11:00

Morning Teas are held every first Thursday of the month at SCIC Gladesville
[map]

Social Functions are scheduled for
February 13, April 3, June 5, August 14 and October 30
and feature a BBQ, guest speakers and socialising with other implants and their families.

13 February - "How to harness today's technology to improve your hearing"
Get the most from your iPad/iPhone/iPod with Michael Harrison, teacher of the deaf
and Monica Bray [SCIC] give the low-down on AudioBooks

Join!
http://www.cicada.org.au/

Tinnitus is the result of the brain trying, but failing, to repair itself

2011-01-19T14:13:00.000+11:00

An interesting article...

ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2011) — "Tinnitus appears to be produced by an unfortunate confluence of structural and functional changes in the brain, say neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC)."

Tinnitus is the result of the brain trying, but failing, to repair itself

QLD flood funds raising

2011-01-14T16:59:00.001+11:00

By now you'll know there's a disaster underway, way up north.

Here's some links

You may wish to donate some money.

Queensland Govt fund - phone, internet banking, send a cheque or various banks [list on the page]

Lifeline

Givit - Donate goods via this site - Brisbane and SE QLD only so far

Latest QLD government info website

Personal captions at Broadway Hoyts

2011-01-14T11:20:00.001+11:00

Hoyts Broadway has made its personal captions system (CaptiView) available. Each patron leaves a deposit but gets their own individual caption screen.
There is an article on the Media Access website outlining the procedures and reviews the experience.

have a look!

Link to Media Access article

..

Location:Broadway shopping centre broadway NSW AU

Sydney Festival, January 8 - 30 2011

2011-01-10T12:35:00.000+11:00

It's on!
This is our city in summer

Program guide [pdf]
http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/uploads/file/SF2011_Brochure.pdf

YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/sydneyfestival

Access page
http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2011/Plan-Your-Festival/Access/

Start the New Year

2011-01-10T12:25:00.001+11:00

Here's a couple of links to get the ball rolling

Lurnea's Onita Thornton, 95, is oldest surviving deaf student
Liverpool Leader
http://ht.ly/3ANF3
If she can, you can

Driving with the top down could make you deaf
Auto123.com
http://ht.ly/3ANI1
Solution - when in the Maserati [or Porsche, or Ferrari], wear your fluffy ear muffs. Problem Solved!

Music poll

2011-01-07T03:56:00.001+11:00

Hi there
Over at my other blog I've made a little poll about hearing impairment and music. Feel like spending 10 seconds and filling in the poll?

Your email address will be retained for no purpose other than to advise you of results, when there's enough.

Click here
http://ilsordo.blogspot.com/2011/01/loading.html

JC

Captioned Cinema news

2010-12-17T18:23:00.000+11:00

There's movement on the captioned-cinema front.
New cinemas from 30 December, audio description from 6 January 2011 and more sessions too.

Check the Your Local Cinema page for the complete details
[link]

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA)
Cinema Access Implementation Plan

ABC Ramp Up

2010-12-15T11:01:00.001+11:00

Like it or not Hearing Impairment exists. Some consider it a disability.

ABC TV/Radio/Media have a special Disability-oriented webpage located at
http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/

You can subscribe via RSS in your usual newsreaders too, for the latest.

Captioned theatre 2011

2010-12-10T10:49:00.001+11:00

Here's the list from Theatre Captioned for the list of sessions for 2011 [as of 10 December 2010]
click here

Theatres include

Glen Street Theatre, Belrose, NSW
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong
Sydney Opera House - Drama Theatre
Sydney Theatre Company, Walsh Bay

As usual check with the theatre beforehand to work out finer details, where to sit for the optimum benefit and to book tickets.

Access All Areas Film Festival

2010-11-17T21:06:00.002+11:00

In Sydney the festival is on during the week of the 1st December. In Sydney there are sessions at Parramatta and Dendy Opera Quays.
Tickets are free but call to check facilities and to reserve a seat.

Check the website for details.

http://www.accessallareasfilmfestival.com.au/

- -

- -

Members: Content required

2010-09-06T13:44:00.002+10:00

As you may know Better Hearing Australia [Sydney branch] publishes several publications for the members.

The editors are always looking for content which might be of interest.

Have something to say?
An upcoming event which might be of interest - let us know
What about "How I went deaf"?
Write poetry, share it with the members
Jokes and amusing anecdotes
Handy hints you've picked up during your 'deafness journey'

Whispers is the quarterly plain paper magazine published in March, June, September and December
Wojjsay is the email bulletin for upcoming events, published in February, April, May, July, August, October and November, non–Whispers months.

Contact the Sydney office with your articles and get your name in print!
-
Better Hearing National
publishes the official journal 'Better Hearing' quarterly and deadline for copy is the first of the preceding month [1 November for the December issue]

US Senate passes massive improvement in Accessible Communications

2010-09-01T15:09:00.000+10:00

When America sneezes we reach for the tissues!
On August 5 2010 the US Senate passed a bill

"Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010" in which vast improvements regarding provision of captions and accessibility of TV shows are enacted.

Check the item on the

Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology [COAT] site

- http://www.coataccess.org/node/9777

This will of course impact on TV, Video and Internet communications in Australia. The job's been done for channels 7, 9, 10.

Annual General Meeting 2010

2010-09-01T13:15:00.000+10:00

This year's Annual General Meeting for Better Hearing Australia [Sydney Branch] will be held on 30^th October 2010.
Speaker: The Hon. Peter Primrose, MLC, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disablility Services, Minister for Volunteering and Minister for Youth.
Come along and hear what the Minister [NSW State] has to say!

More details as they come to hand

2010 Captioning Awards Announced

2010-08-27T16:02:00.002+10:00

As part of Hearing Awareness Week the 2010 awards have been announced.

Link

Of special interest to me - ABC iView. See it CAN be done!

- -

SCIC Seminar series

2010-08-11T10:55:00.000+10:00

September 14

Populations in Focus: Elderly, ANSD, Otoxicity and Bilaterals

contact SCIC for more details [02] 9844 6800

SCIC Hearing Awareness Week Event

2010-08-11T10:52:00.001+10:00

White Noise
a movie presentation

at SCIC Gladesville
Tuesday August 24 6pm to 8pm

contact SCIC for more details [02] 9844 6800

View Larger Map

Hearing Awareness Week Presentation

2010-08-11T10:35:00.005+10:00

23 August 2010 at 6:30pm for 7:00pm

Professor Paul Mitchell
will present
"Risk factors and Impacts from Hearing Impairment in Older Australians:
Findings and Implications from a Large Population-Based Study"

$25 per person, refreshments served

at
The College of Nursing
14 Railway Parade
Burwood NSW 2134

View Larger Map

The presentation will be captioned live.
More information - contact Roma Wood at Better Hearing Australia, [02] 9744 0167

Some Links

2010-08-10T09:50:00.000+10:00

Australian Tinnitus Association
Got the tinkling, or the buzzing or are those men talking in the next room? Me too!
http://www.tinnitus.asn.au/

Catholic Centre for Deaf and Hearing Impaired people
http://www.ephpheta.org.au

Checked the other sites recently?

2010-08-10T09:24:00.000+10:00

Our website
Make contact, join, get information
http://www.betterhearingsydney.org.au/

The BHA blog
Upcoming events, announcements and campaigns you need to be aware of
http://bhasyd.blogspot.com/

Join us on Facebook!
http://tinyurl.com/bhaface

Wicked AUSLAN interpreted performance

2010-08-06T10:23:00.000+10:00

Wicked will be AUSLAN interpreted at its performance on 18 August at 8PM.
The show closes on 26 September.
Show link

The Capitol theatre is in Campbell St Sydney [Haymarket area]
Location link is here

View Larger Map

Draft National Disability Strategy released

2010-07-29T16:24:00.001+10:00

The federal government has released its draft Disability Strategy
[link]
There isn't terribly much specifically about hearing-impaired people but mention is made regarding communication notably digital services, via the National Broadband Network [NBN] and inclusion generally.

Lets see how the Coalition responds [I'll post it when I see something]

The Other Film Festival

2010-07-20T16:07:00.002+10:00

It's on in Melbourne, starting August 25, a film festival which caters for disabled people, featuring films which are described, captioned, and about hearing and sight impaired people!

http://www.otherfilmfestival.com/

- -

New technology announced for Cinemas

2010-07-19T21:46:00.001+10:00

Thats right and several of the chains have signed on meaning that captions may be available in up to 242 cinemas, a massive increase. The chains Hoyts Corporation, Greater Union Organisation, Village Cinemas and Reading Cinemas agreed and should start the system by 2014

It's called the Doremi captiView
http://www.edgedigitaltechnology.com/

Arts Access Victoria announcement
http://artsaccess.com.au/2010/07/cinemas-open-doors-to-everyone/

The Age article
[link]

YouTube resources

2010-07-10T17:21:00.005+10:00

YouTube is great resource for the world, videos of every flavour and now I've found videos aimed at instructing hearing-impaired people on technology and its application.
There are signed and captioned videos available from the link below.
Click the 'CC' button for the captions [may not show for all videos]

Check out the video on YouTube: DeafTechTV

Link
- -

Ai-Live™ on The New Inventors

2010-06-18T15:26:00.004+10:00

Save the Date: Ai-Live on The New Inventors -- 8pm, Wednesday June 23, 2010

Ai-Live™ will be showcased in an upcoming episode of ABC1's The New Inventors.

The episode which airs at 8pm, Wednesday June 23, 2010, will feature Ai-Media's CEO, Tony Abrahams; Co-founder & Director, Alex Jones; and our Schools Captioning Manager, Victoria Clark in action and answering all the panel's questions.

Make sure you tune in to see the Ai-Live™ solution beamed to a national audience, as host James O'Loghlin leads the way on the full analysis of our world-first "invention". It's set to be a ratings winner!

To learn more about the programme, and how it all works, go to: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/about/

Audioloops on CityRail

2010-05-19T16:22:00.002+10:00

Recently I undertook to contact CityRail regarding the provision of audioloops on some trains. After a pathetic response from CityRail which amounted to "Have a look at the website" I then caught several trains, Burwood - Epping - Hornsby - Central
For more information about RailCorp fleet go to http://www.cityrail.info/about/fleet/
The newer Oscar and Millennium [Waratah coming] trains are the audiolooped trainsets

The Epping - Hornsby train did indeed have the loop and it worked quite well. Announcements on the platform were well, hopeless. And I do understand that manned ticket offices may also be looped.

So further to all that I discovered that there is a booklet called "access, accessing CityRail, Your guide to accessible services", some of the contents of which are available on various webpages starting at
http://www.cityrail.info/travelling_with/accessible_services/
but the booklet has all the info in one little booklet. There will be a few copies available at BHA HQ from Monday May24

JC

Comments anyone?

Article about stem cell research

2010-05-16T13:56:00.003+10:00

Here's a link to an article about stem cell research which might one day help those who have lost the little tiny hairs in the inner ears. The little hairs are naturally part of the hearing mechanism. Losing them affects your ability to hear.

London Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1278160/Deafness-cure-breakthrough-scientists-create-tiny-ear-hairs-stem-cells.html

- iP

Hearing Health in Australia - Report released

2010-05-13T17:43:00.004+10:00

As reported by the Deafness Forum
click here for the full item
"The Senate Community Affairs References Committee has tabled its report on the inquiry into Hearing Health in Australia"

Contact
community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au
for a copy of the report - I couldnt find it on the website, but will report the link if I can locate it

News just in [14 May]
The address of the full report is

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/hearing_health/report/index.htm

Careful - it is 150 pages or so

Decision re provision of captions

2010-04-20T15:26:00.005+10:00

The Australian Human Rights Commission has handed-down its decision on
the application by cinema chains for a moratorium on complaints
regarding captions and audio description.

The Commission has not
released its complete report yet, but will do so "shortly".
HREOC website

Feel like getting involved in the campaign to
encourage cinemas to provide access? In Facebook, search "action cinema
access" and join the group, for the latest updates and campaigns.

Want to read some submissions? Have a look at the Arts Access Victoria website...
http://artsaccess.com.au/2010/02/cinema-access-submissions-to-the-australian-human-rights-commission/

CICADA at SCIC, with Deafness Forum

2010-04-12T09:21:00.003+10:00

Nicole Lawder and Alex Jones from Deafness Forum were introduced.

They gave a presentation about the Deafness Forum and the many issues in which they advocate deaf and hearing-impaired rights.
There are so many issues - captions on TV, in cinemas, accessibility for hearing impaired people in airports and aeroplanes, to name just a very few.

Got a complaint? Lodge a complaint! Tell the deafness forum.

Check the website, Join.
http://www.deafnessforum.org.au

- iP

iView gets Captions

2010-03-29T13:43:00.002+11:00

It's been a long time coming but ABC-TV has announced that all prime-time programs will be captioned from 30 March 2010 (as reported in the Guide, Sydney Morning Herald 29 March 2010)

This is something I have written letters, sent email, basically made myself annoying for. I'll check it out and report back...

Good one ABC!

- iP

FluVax

2010-03-24T20:43:00.002+11:00

Why risk upper respiratory tract infection?
I have heard that the 2010 Flu vaccine is now available and I expect it will include the swine flu component too.

Especially important for elderly and the infirm. And those susceptible to ear infections.

Fact sheet available here

More details as they come to hand.

Seniors Week 21 - 28 March

2010-03-18T22:17:00.002+11:00

The program for the week's events is located on the webpage [link]

Check the entire site at this address

The Ambassadors this year has a long list of interesting personalities too! Have a look

CICADA dates on the Calendar

2010-03-17T15:18:00.002+11:00

CICADA dates

Future picnics in 2010

13 June, 15 August, 4 October

Committee meetings in 2010

31 March, 11 June, 13 August, 24 October

As an adjunct to this blog there is a calendar, accessible via the links to the right, or just remember this link - http://tinyurl.com/bhacal - Easy to look up and see whats happening in the coming weeks and months.

Anything missing?
Is there an event that Better Hearing members and friends need to know about? Leave a comment or email me, and we'll get the event on the blog! I do peruse Whispers magazine and Wojjsay newsletter so the events listed in those are further

And don't forget the call for content - anything interesting to say for our members. Campaigns for access, upcoming events, articles. Go for it!

Ensemble theatre access

2010-03-12T09:33:00.002+11:00

The Ensemble theatre offers a hearing loop covering 90% of the audience and Audio description.
The York theatre at the Seymour Centre provides hearing-impaired access via the Sennheiser Sound Aid system
Contact the Box Office when you make your booking, let them know your requirements.
Main site
Program - you can see which performances provide audio-description

Access links
Ensemble Theatre
York Theatre, Seymour Centre

Have you visited either of these venues? Comment below about the facilities.

2010 French Film Festival

2010-03-09T12:11:00.003+11:00

Tired of not getting movies with English captions?
How about trying movies with a french flavour - they are always captioned in English.

The French Film Festival runs from 2 to 21 March so get in quick.
In Sydney, sessions at Palace Norton Street, Leichhardt and Academy Twin and Palace Verona, Paddington

Visit
http://www.frenchfilmfestival.org/
for the full program and ticket details.

Get there a little early...
Don't forget to mention that you are hearing-impaired [if you are] and ask where to sit for the best audio loop reception.

Maps
Palace Norton Street

View Larger Map

Academy Twin and Verona Paddington

View Larger Map

Website Accessibility Review March 2010

2010-03-08T18:43:00.001+11:00

Got something to say about news websites?
In March 2010 you can review the news sites of
The Australian
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Age

AWARe website

So come on have your say, nothing changes by itself in media.
It's an easy online questionnaire, 2 mins from start to finish. You'll need to register first.

More theatrical caption sessions

2010-03-02T12:40:00.002+11:00

Here's a list of captioned theatre sessions in NSW
This one is GoTheatrical [link] and includes several sessions in Sydney, Canberra, Illawarra and interstate

There's a newsletter you can subscribe to as well on the home page.
They're also on Facebook. Check them out!

Access Action on Wet Saturday

2010-03-01T16:52:00.000+11:00

On Saturday 13 February a group of about fifty from all walks of life gathered to protest the lack of accessible cinema sessions in Australia.
We gathered at the cinema complex in George St 'Events', formerly Hoyts.
Our protest was joined in other cities across the country. There were similar protests in Melbourne Brisbane and Adelaide.

Here are some pics from the Sydney group [clicking the image will take you to the album to see larger versions]

And here's the ABCTV news item from YouTube

Transport in Sydney

2010-02-23T14:02:00.004+11:00

You may know that the Premier has announced a new transport plan for Sydney.

There is a page set up for comments [need to sign up]

Have your say

Here’s the transport page link

http://shapeyourstate.com.au/

I haven't seen anything on there about hearing-impaired facilities but here's hoping

Captioned Cinema Screenings

2010-02-18T20:24:00.001+11:00

OK WE've all sent the postcards and letters, but where are the existing cinema captioned session times?

Right here, on the Media Access website
NSW
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com.au/session-times/nsw

ACT
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com.au/session-times/act

Unfortunately not blogged so you have to check back for changes and updates

More captions action

2010-02-11T15:52:00.002+11:00

Facebook members, check this link

There are a couple of draft letters to The Federal Attorney-General, Robert McLelland and Bill Shorten, MP in which our objection is raised to the suggested exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act for two and a half years. Why should that be?
Who else should the letters be sent to?

Fill in the letter and let your disquiet be heard in Canberra. We want to go to the movies too!!

Send them an email or copy then print the letter so they have to reply on paper. Well one of the minions anyway...

Blogs from deaf people

2010-02-10T21:23:00.002+11:00

You're not alone
The internet is buzzing with people telling their story. It's blogging and it's the information revolution.

Here's a few choice blogs

Deaf Village
A collection from all over the world

Kate Locke [sadly discontinued]
A quite moving blog from a Sydney cochlear implant recipient

deafinitely
Another Sydney cochlear recipient

Curse of Silence
BHA's resident blogmeister tells the story of his implant and beyond

Have any to add to the list - Comment and they will be posted!

Audioloop at the Museum of Sydney

2010-02-06T09:00:00.001+11:00

Last night I visited the Museum of Sydney (for a slideshow on Gardens of Spain)

The telecoil and audioloop setup in the AGL theatre worked perfectly - the best I've ever experienced!
The speaker was easily understandable, and not once did I feel the need for captions.

I wish all entertainment venues (and elsewhere) could follow their example.
Check the upcoming events below

Links

Museum of Sydney

Upcoming Events

Map

View Larger Map

New Personal Hospital Kit

2010-02-05T13:42:00.002+11:00

Better Hearing Australia Canberra Group has developed a new Personal Hospital Kit for use by people with a hearing loss who have to go into hospital. The kit is designed to make you feel safer in hospital by providing signage to identify you as a person with special communication needs. It will also provide you with advice in preparing for a hospital visit, what to expect in hospital and gives you a trouble shooting guide for hearing aids that might be playing up.

The Kit has been designed for people with a hearing loss by people with a hearing loss.

A particularly useful feature is the double sided card that folds into a ‘tepee’ shape and can be displayed on any hard surface in the hospital or at work where a person with a hearing loss may wish to alert colleagues how best to communicate. These items may be purchase separate from the Hospital Kit for $1.00 each if collected or for $2.00 if posted. (Orders of more than 2 posted will be priced to cover the postage and handling)

The best news is that the Kit is only $15 or $20 if postage is required. It would make a suitable gift for a hearing impaired person. The real advantage is having one ready at home in case you are urgently admitted to hospital.

You can obtain the Kit from Sue Daw on [02] 62514713 or by emailing sdaw@bigpond.com

Website Accessibility - Australia Web Access Review

2010-02-02T13:30:00.001+11:00

Got something to say about news websites?
In February 2010 you can review the news sites of ABC, Seven and Nine

AWARe website

Nothing changes unless you say something. So, complain or give positive feedback if it's warranted.
It's an easy online questionnaire, 2 mins from start to finish. You'll need to register first.

Cicada

2010-01-26T09:23:00.002+11:00

You may know that CICADA exists as a support group for Cochlear Implant users. Our very own Roma Wood OAM is on the Committee.

Webpage - http://www.cicada.org.au/
Their up-coming events are available on the Activities - Calendar link
Check the Membership link for those details

They have an event planned for February 14 2010 at SCIC, Gladesville, with guest speakers, and interesting discussion regarding latest cochlear equipment developments. Oh, and a sausage sizzle too!

View Larger Map

Know someone who is hearing impaired?

2010-01-19T22:00:00.003+11:00

Maybe they could benefit from not being isolated.

They could
• learn speech-reading at our classes
• participate in the BHA craft circle
• mix with a fun group of people, who happen to be hearing impaired
• join in our other activities

Support Better Hearing Australia [Sydney branch] - Join today.

Grenfell Lipreading Classes

2010-01-17T17:00:00.001+11:00

The introductory lipreading classes will re-commence in Grenfell on Tuesday 2nd February 2010.
The group meets in the group room at Grenfell Community Health, Camp Street Grenfell.
The classes are for an hour from 11am to 12 noon.
There were six starters when we began in November 2009.

Here's a map of the location

View Larger Map

DBCDE Report - Access to Electronic Media

2010-01-13T20:08:00.000+11:00

via the Deafness Forum

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy [Minister Stephen Conroy] has released the report "Access to Electronic Media for the Hearing and Vision Impaired: Approaches for Consideration".

The report is available for viewing at
<http://www.dbcde.gov.au/mediaaccessdiscussionreport>

Members of the public are encouraged to obtain a copy of this report and submit their comments on the issues raised. Submissions are due by 29 January 2010.

Download the
Guidelines for Submissions

Media Release about DVD accessibility

2010-01-13T20:05:00.003+11:00

The Deafness Forum has circulated a media release from the Australian Visual Software Distributors Association (AVSDA) regarding their commitment to audio description and captioning on DVDs.

Links
AVSDA [Check the DVD Access page]
Deafness Forum
- Media Release

Make sure you show your appreciation to those who have made the commitment and don't forget to ask "Why?" of those who can't bring themselves to support deaf people. The more we ask, the more gets done.

Cochlear Handy hint - microphone

2010-01-01T16:15:00.002+11:00

This may apply to some hearing aids as well - I don't know
With your Cochlear Implant, freedom style you may have received an extension lapel microphone.
Here's a technique I have found to be quite handy, when out in the backyard - against cicadas, birds aeroplanes, wind and background noise.

Connect the lapel microphone to your speech processor - get your audiologist to show you if you don't know how.
Using a piece of velcro or sticky tape attach the microphone body to a chopstick on bamboo skewer, say 30cm long.
Now you can 'interview' your guests - this puts the microphone closer to them by 0.5m. I find the 'noise reduction' setting to be the most effective.
Also - too much wind? In the TV/video industry they use a fluffy microphone called a 'dead cat'. They don't exist in the size we need - 1cm x 2cm.
I have used a spectacle soft drawstring bag to good effect and will try a finger from a children's glove. This will fit better and be less cumbersome.

More tips as they come to hand...

Digital TV

2009-12-16T14:00:00.001+11:00

What you need

TV with a digital tuner, or

Standard TV with a set top box [STB, external TV Tuner]

Some set top boxes are High Definition [HD], some are Standard Definition [SD] Their use is interchangeable but to get the benefit of the HD STB you must have a HD TV. Sorry about the silly acronyms. [Wikipedia link about HD and SD]

Why?

Standard analog TV is going to be turned-off [list] Sydney - second half of 2013
With digital TV you can access captions [subtitles] which are broadcast with most programs, in English
Multiple channels in addition to the standard analog 5 stations [multicasting]
ABC has ABC1, ABC2 and ABC3, all with different programming.

Links
Australian Communications and Media Authority page
Freeview [warning - dizzying website]
Media Access television page

Buying a new TV soon?

Consider a set which imcorporates a digital tuner. In Sydney there's only one station not represented on digital - Channel 31, negotiations underway. Channel 31 may not be available in your area. All other stations have at least one entity in the digital sphere, most have two. Some have three.

So you won't miss anything mainstream by going 100% digital.

Acronyms

TV	Television
STB	Set Top Box
HD	High Definition
SD	Standard Definition
ACMA	Australian Communications and Media Authority

You read it in Whispers

2009-12-09T19:45:00.004+11:00

Thats right - BHA[Syd] has a blog page and you have found it!!

Now, I neglected to add my deafness blog address to the article.

That blog's name is "Curse of Silence" and the address is

http://ilsordo.blogspot.com

I try to keep it up to date with things as they happen to me, and something may be useful to you if you or someone you know is deaf or on the way. I'll also report on items which might be important - submissions due for this or that government working party. Some of these items may also be included in the BHA blog as well.

Feel free to visit Curse of Silence - you can leave me a comment if there's something there which interests or you just want to say "Hi"

And come back here anytime too. Leave a comment.
Also - see "Tell someone, anyone" to the right, you can spread the BHA word to those who need to know, via email, Facebook any number of conduits...

2010 Deafness Forum Educational scholarship now open

2009-12-02T09:00:00.002+11:00

A scholarship is available for post-secondary students who are deaf, deafblind, have a hearing impairment or a chronic disorder of the ear.

Applications - click the link below

2010 Deafness Forum Educational scholarship

Google and automatic captioning

2009-11-23T15:00:00.002+11:00

YouTube, part of Google have introduced a technology which enables automatic speech recognition [ASR] which was developed jointly by the University of New South Wales.

What this means is that captions can be added to existing videos on YouTube, the online video website.

You could even have a script in a text file, to accompany the video footage and the system would synchronise the two.

BlogMeister says...

I can see how this would be a boon for captioners, TV stations [I'm looking in the direction of the commercial TV channels here], anyone who produces video and needs to provide captions for those of us in the deaf world. I'm sure the technology is easily transferable.

Oh yeah, thats the same world as your world.

http://youtubeaublog.blogspot.com/

Also - you'll need a broadband connection to view youTube, captioned or not

BHA is on the 'Net

2009-11-20T20:21:00.001+11:00

And here are all the addresses
Web: http://www.betterhearingsydney.org.au/
Blog: http://bhasyd.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/bhaface
Email: bhasyd-AT-ozemail.com.au - Not activated to reduce spam - replace those four characters with '@'
Calendar: http://tinyurl.com/bhacal

Who is the Blogmeister?

2009-11-20T15:30:00.001+11:00

It's me, John Couani

You may know me from your lip-reading classes. You may never have heard of me before.

I have been completely deaf since 31 July 2008 - I woke up without hearing. It had been going downhill for a year or two but finally fell off the cliff that fateful day. I had used hearing aids for a year or so. Luckily I was able to get into the cochlear implant program and received my first one in October 2008. Switch-on was in November 2008. I'm in the lead-up to implant #2 in January 2010.

I also run a few other blogs - one about my deafness 'journey' called "Curse of Silence" which you may be interested in.

My 'thing' is about helping people who may be isolated because of their hearing deficit. Communication is the name of the game. I heard a story via BHA of a man who is deaf and lives in Dubbo where I expect facilities are light on the ground. How can this fellow communicate? How can he function as a member of society? It falls to organisations such as BHA to support people like this fellow.

My expertise and use of the Internet is the thing that has helped me immeasurably and I intend to try to spread that notion as far and as wide as I can to help those behind the curtain of deafness. Thats why I suggested this blog and Facebook page.

Feel like lending a hand?
I'm always on the lookout for content, be it an article from the news, a new facility which deaf people might find useful [let alone usable]. So if you have something let me have it - send a web address, or type something up. If it's something we can benefit from then it will be posted!

The Links Page

2009-11-19T11:00:00.001+11:00

Here are some webpage links you may find useful
[no particular order]
Cicada - http://www.cicada.org.au/
Cochlear Awareness Network - http://www.c-a-network.com/
Deafness Forum - http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/
Australian Hearing - http://www.hearing.com.au/

Got a link, not here but which may be useful to the members?

Comment now!

Remember - web-links and email addresses do not contain spaces. There is no space on the end and no '.' on the end...

Now we have comments

2009-11-19T08:17:00.001+11:00

Got something to say? Say it!

Need something covered on the blog? - articles, items of interest to members, upcoming events. Almost anything can be posted. Leave a comment and we can work out how to get your content on - you can leave your email address, the moderator is the only one who will see it and it will be removed before posting to maintain your privacy.

Comments are primarily a response to the previous article, but can contain any info.

Articles should have a positive aspect for BHA members. You don't need to be a BHA member, but all comments will be moderated for relevance to members.

Privacy

Your email address will never be divulged to anyone and never sold to mailing lists. Your identity won't be divulged by default - I may just use your initials to give you credit for an article. Or if you want to be contactable, say so.

A couple of provisos

I do expect a certain amount of posting spam - these will be discarded and spammers details reported to Google.
We won't be endorsing this firm or that company, but if you have a product of interest, review it and we can post it.

More ideas

Movie reviews
Where to get cheap hearing aid batteries
What to do about recycling [I'm looking for info, if anyone has any sources...]
Your latest holiday snap masterpiece

How to Subscribe

2009-11-19T08:00:00.002+11:00

You don't need to keep coming back here to check if there's anything new. Let your computer do the walking...

RSS stands for a number of acronyms, but think of it as the headline gatherer. You can use a specialised program to read the headlines, or use your existing web browser [Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox]

Here's how to subscribe
Subscribe to the RSS feed [or Atom]
Mac OSX10.5 and later
Mail [click]
OSX 10.4 users - use Safari

Macs and PCs
Firefox [click]
Safari [click] - see "Using RSS Feeds"

PCs only
Internet Explorer [click]
Outlook pre-2007 [click]
Outlook 2007 [click]

icons - Use these icons to subscribe in your web-browser

Plug-ins
On the Mozilla group you can also install RSS plugins - mini add-ons which enhance the functionality and allow you to subscribe and view the feeds in your browser. Too many to go into here. They all work the same way. Locate the feed address, bookmark it and then the computer checks for updates on a regular basis. I've tried a couple an Sage works pretty well, if you think you need to something other than the built-in options.
Plug-ins for Firefox are available [here]. Follow the instructions to install.

Still Looking?
Search Google for "RSS reader" sites for the lists of RSS aggregators. Take your pick!
Good thing about the Mozilla based ones - they're ranked by popularity and other factors.

Sydney Theatre Company captioned performances for 2010

2009-11-18T17:42:00.010+11:00

[updated and more complete information]

Captioned Performances by the Sydney Theatre Company

Captioning allows those with hearing limitations to follow the on-stage dialogue in real-time. Sydney Theatre Company uses plasma screens for this purpose.

The screens are visible from selected seats in the Sydney Theatre and Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. When booking seats for captioned performances, please contact the box office and ensure that you request ‘Caption Seats’ which is suitable for best viewing of the caption screens.

Bookings (02) 9250 1777 or www.sydneytheatre.com.au

email to: boxoffice@sydneytheatre.com.au

In 2010, Sydney Theatre Company will be offering the following captioned performances:

Sydney Theatre company presents

Optimism

by Tom Wright, after Voltaire

Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Friday 29 January 2010, 8.00pm

Wednesday 3 February 2010, 1.00pm
-
Sydney Theatre company presents

Honour

by Joanna Murray-Smith

Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Friday 7 May 2010, 8.00pm

Wednesday 12 May 2010, 1.00pm
-
Sydney Theatre company presents

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

by Eugene O’Neill

Sydney Theatre

Friday 16 July 2010, 7.30pm

Wednesday 21 July 2010, 1.00pm
-
Sydney Theatre company presents

August: Osage County

By Tracy Letts

Sydney Theatre

Friday 27 August 2010, 7.30pm

Wednesday 8 September 2010, 1.00pm
-
Sydney Theatre company presents

Our Town

by Thornton Wilder

Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Friday 1 October 2010, 8.00pm

Wednesday 6 October 2010, 1.00pm
-
Sydney Theatre company presents

The Grenade

by Tony McNamara

Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Wednesday 17 November 2010, 1.00pm

Friday 19 November 2010, 8.00pm
-

Sydney Theatre company presents

Uncle Vanya

by Anton Chekhov, in a new adaptation by Andrew Upton

Sydney Theatre

Friday 26 November 2010, 7.30pm

Wednesday 8 December 2010, 1.30pm

Bookings (02) 9250 1777 or www.sydneytheatre.com.au

email to: boxoffice@sydneytheatre.com.au

BHA Christmas Parties for members

2009-11-18T09:20:00.001+11:00

Sydney Christmas Party
Come along to our 5th December 2009 Christmas Party. At the Concord Club Rooms, 29 Burwood Road, Concord. Pre-lunch drinks available at 12.00pm, Lunch at 12.30pm. There will be Salads, Nibbles, Drinks, Fruit and Christmas Cake prepared by Friends of BHA and a Tasty BBQ Sizzled by our chef, John. There are 6 Great Raffle Bags to be won! Musical entertainment. Only $15. RSVP to the Office by Mon. 2nd December.

Canberra Christmas Party
This will be held on Tuesday 24th November 2009. In the Aegean Room at the Hellenic Club from 6.30 – 10pm. The after dinner speaker is local audiologist Anne-Marie Crowe who will be talking about her life as an audiologist and her other life “Her love of travel”. Real Time Captioning will be used for all the speeches and there is a loop in the room. There will be lucky door prizes and raffle prizes. You can only buy the tickets at the party. The cost is $35. If you would like to attend contact Carol Taloni on 0410 463 761. It will be a lot of fun.

Sydney Theatre Company captioned performance program for 2009

2009-11-17T16:38:00.004+11:00

From the Sydney Theatre Company website

[correct as at 17 November 2009]

2010 dates here

To book tickets please call the STC box office on 1300 087 348

Sydney Theatre Company website

Let them know you're coming, and need assistance

For patrons with hearing impairments

Hearing enhancement & headsets

Hearing enhancement systems are available in all theatres. Two types of hearing enhancement are available: Infrared (Wharf 2 and Drama Theatre) or Induction loop (Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre and Drama Theatre). The Infrared system caters for those without hearing aids by using a headset available from the theatre’s front of house. The Induction loop system caters for people who don’t use hearing aids (through a headset); for those with newer hearing aids or hearing aids with T switches. As some seats may be ‘out of range’ we ask that you let us know your needs when making your booking.

Captioned Performances

In 2009, we will be offering the following captioned performances:

When The Rain Stops Falling, Wednesday 27 May at 1pm & Friday 29 May at 8pm;

Poor Boy, Wednesday 29 July at 1pm & 31 July at 8pm;

A Streetcar Named Desire, Wednesday 30 September at 1pm & Friday 2 October at 8pm.

Captioning allows those with hearing limitations to follow the on-stage dialogue in real-time. Sydney Theatre Company uses plasma screens for this purpose.

Auslan interpreted Performances

A sign language interpreted performance will be offered for the following performances in 2009:

Poor Boy, Friday 24 July at 8pm;

A Streetcar Named Desire, Thursday 8 October at 8pm.
Auslan will be used, and a block of seats is reserved for deaf and hearing impaired people to ensure a good view of the signer and the stage. If you wish to be seated in this area for these productions, we ask that you let us know at the time of your booking.

Juanita Phillips from ABC-TV presented with the Clear Speech award

2009-11-16T21:19:00.001+11:00

On October 27 2009 the annual Clear Speech Award was presented to Juanita Phillips from ABC-TV Sydney.

In her acceptance speech Ms Phillips, who has won the award twice before [2003 and 2006], recognised the importance of speaking clearly to her audience. She said that with the ageing community, many of whom make up her audience, communication is vital.

One in six Australians have a hearing impairment and the Award helps to illustrate the need that people need to have appropriate facilities available for their everyday communication.

Better Hearing Australia [Sydney Branch] runs courses in Hearing Loss Management, including lip-reading, and provides information for those with hearing impairments. Better Hearing also trains volunteer lip-reading teachers to cater for the growing deaf community.

More information

Welcome from the President

2009-11-16T21:05:00.000+11:00

Hello, all visitors to BHA Sydney's Blog page. Make yourself at home and visit us as often as you like. Maybe we can give you some info which will be useful to you.

Mary Silk President.

-

Our Aims

Purpose
Better Hearing Australia’s purpose is to help people in Australia with hearing impairment to improve their quality of life.

Mission
Better Hearing Australia is the national voice of all people in Australia with hearing impairment, promoting good communication and life solutions by the provision of education, support and advocacy.

Strategy
To equip the person with hearing impairment with necessary information and skills to permit successful management of their social, education and occupational environment.

To raise community awareness concerning issues of importance for people with hearing impairment.

To provide opportunities through advisory and support services for people with hearing impairment to deal with the effects of hearing loss and restore confidence and self-esteem.

To submit briefs and make representations to any private or governmental organisation to ensure the specific needs of people with hearing impairment are met.

To identify any discrimination with regard to hearing impairment and seek to enforce compliance with the requirements of any anti-discrimination legislation.

Core Values
Better Hearing Australia’s core values are Care, Respect, Understanding, Integrity and Commitment.

Where is Better Hearing Sydney?

2009-11-16T17:00:00.001+11:00

This is the Sydney Office.

29 Burwood Rd, Concord NSW 2137
The class listings on the calendar have their own maps.

View Larger Map

Calendar

2009-11-16T16:00:00.001+11:00

Let me know if there's events which should be added
You can also view this on Google Calendar