NEWSLETTER deafaccess Gippsland

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1 NEWSLETTER deafaccess Gippsland Edition: 127 April 2015 Hello everyone, I hope you had a good Easter long weekend and eating these delicious chocolate eggs. Wellington Shire Council is providing 3 information sessions about internet, website and social media. The first one was on 23rd March, I attended and it was a very worthwhile session. The second session will be on 13th April and 3rd session will be on 20th April. I will be attending 13th April session it will be good if you could be attending as Auslan Interpreters are provided. You may remember that we had an interesting information session about Emergency safety through bushfires and/or flooding or extreme weather condition last December at CFA Morwell we will have another workshop on Saturday 09 May 2015 at same place CFA Morwell. Gabrielle will show you resource kits and there will have guest speakers from deaf people who experienced their loss at fires/flooding. Lunch will be provided and I would encourage you to come to that workshop. We now have deafaccess Gippsland Facebook and Instagram you are welcome to join there online and receive information/photos. Incase you may wonder about this newsletter, it will continue normally. We now have different options of social media for you. You may notice there was a big fuss about Netflix within deaf/hard of hearing community with TV programs via internet. Netflix has officially launched in Australia and there have lot of captioning for different program. Media Access Australia provided information about this and it can be found at page 3. You may remember from previous newsletter edition that Melbourne Polytechnics (former NMIT) that they would provide accredited course Certificate II in Auslan for Gippsland region. This has been postponed due to low number of enrolments. They are still offering this course but will happen later in More information will come soon. However, there will have community Auslan course in Traralgon soon. If you are interested to start learning Auslan more information is on page 4. Do you love cooking??? There have Auslan Class on 19 April and it will focus Italian cooking more information is on page 5. Before you start reading this newsletter, I would like to let you know that my manager, Meryle Trentini is retiring on 31 July Meryle is always interested with deafaccess workers regions (both in Gippsland and Hume) and I am eternally grateful for Meryle s supportive with our work here. Thank you, Meryle. Warm regards, Stephen Nicholson deafaccess Gippsland Coordinator

2 deafaccess Gippsland now have Facebook page and Instagram page. You can find us there and you are more than welcome to join us at Facebook for latest information and/or Instagram for latest photos. Monthly newsletters will continue normally. Any questions, let deafaccess Gippsland Coordinator know address is

3 NETFLIX LAUNCHES IN AUSTRALIA WITH CAPTIONS Edited by Media Access Australia on 24/03/2015. The US-based video-on-demand (VOD) service Netflix launched in Australia today. The good news for Deaf and hearing impaired viewers is that virtually all the content is captioned. The high level of captioning on Netflix follows two developments in the US. In 2010, legislation was passed which stipulated that TV programs broadcast with captions must also be captioned when distributed over the internet. Shortly after this, in 2011, Netflix was sued by the National Association of the Deaf for failing to provide captions on most of the titles on its Watch Instantly service. An agreement was eventually reached, with Netflix committing to caption 100% of the content on its American site by the end of While the local version of Netflix currently offers fewer titles (link is external) than the American version, the company has continued its commitment to captioning, as it has in other countries where Netflix has been launched. Media Access Australia understands that some of the content on the local site may lack captions, but a survey of 50 TV series and 50 movies we carried out today found that all of them had closed captions (which can be turned on once the video has started to play). Netflix is offering a basic subscription for $8.99 per month, which allows access to standard definition versions of all its TV and movie content. with recommendations about how it can be improved. An earlier report released in 2013, Captioning on Video on Demand: It's Time for Australia to Catch Up, can be downloaded from our Video in demand page. Website link is latest_news/tv-video/netflix-launches-in-australia-withcaptions Students with disabilities lobby Government ahead of May Budget Edited ABC website on 24/03/2015 More than 100,000 students with disabilities across Australia are being denied access to education because of a lack of government funding. On top of that, many other students are receiving inadequate support. At the last election, the Abbott Government promised to redress the problem - but students and their families are still waiting. In terms of captioning, Netflix is in stark contrast to other subscription VOD services launched here recently, such as Presto and Stan, which offer no captions at all, said Chris Mikul, Media Access Australia s project manager for television. And of the five free-to-air catch-up TV services, only three of them ABC iview, SBS On Demand and Plus7 offer captions. We clearly need something similar to the American legislation, which ensures that a captioned program retains its captions, no matter what service you re watching it on. Media Access Australia will shortly be releasing a major report on the accessibility of VOD services in Australia, Today they're holding a national day of action at Parliament House to lobby the Government ahead of the May Budget. Website link is programs/breakfast/students-with-disabilities-lobbygovernment/

4 New White House receptionist is a West Wing pioneer: 'Deaf people can do anything' By Eun Kyung Kim at Today (USA), 27 March Anyone wanting to speak to the president must stop by her desk first. Leah Katz-Hernandez, 27, is the new White House receptionist. She is also deaf. It s a fantastic opportunity and also to show that deaf people can do anything, she said through an interpreter, who is provided for her at work. With a desk just steps away from the Oval Office, Katz- Hernandez is usually the first to greet anyone from world leaders to White House staff members who has an appointment with the president or his top-level aides. She also oversees the White House guest book and the Roosevelt Room, the West Wing meeting room, and is responsible for collecting cell phones before meetings with the president. Katz-Hernandez is defined by her accomplishments, not her disability, said Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary. "She represents us very well," he told NBC's Peter Alexander. The Connecticut native was born deaf to two deaf parents a Jewish, social worker mother and a Mexican-American father who put himself through college and earned a PhD. V/LINE Gippsland line upgrade works V/LINE is improving their rail network with a $10.5 million upgrade of the Gippsland line. The works include replacing rail bridges, sleepers and level crossings. The work is now processing until Sunday 17 May It would be good if you could check V/LINE website or call (via NRS if you need to) to find out before your travelling. The following level crossings on the Gippsland line are being upgraded and will be closed from 6.30am to 7.00pm during the dates listed below: Local traffic diversions will be in place for the period of these works. Friday 10 April Marriage Lane, Hillside. Saturday 11 April Minniedale Road, Traralgon East Tuesday 21 April Farrells Lane, Stratford. Wednesday 22 April Reeves Road, Munro. Friday 24 April Power Station Road, Hillside. A former White House intern, Katz-Hernandez worked for President Obama's re-election campaign before being hired onto the staff of First Lady Michelle Obama, who used sign language the first time they met to introduce herself. "It is a great responsibility to be here as a deaf person and I feel very proud of the opportunities that have been given to me," she said. Website link is house-receptionist-west-wing-pioneer-deaf-people-can- 2D Community Course Auslan To learn AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language). Auslan Class at Traralgon Neighbourhood Learning House Breed Street, Traralgon. Teaching by qualified tutor, Peter Adams. Start on Wednesday 22 April. Classes start at 6pm till 7.30pm. 1 1/2 hours X 10 Sessions. $170 per person. Concession $150 with proof card. Contact Co-ordinator Jenny Poon, tnh@wideband.net.au. Phone : (03)

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7 CFA MORWELL You may remember we had great Emergency workshop by Gabrielle at CFA Morwell on 13 December Gabrielle is coming back on 09 May 2015 to show you resources and would like your feedback before it s being officially launched. See information below and let me know if you are coming so we will organise lunch for you. Any questions, let me know, please don't worry about RSVP on 10 April you are still welcome. Thanks Stephen

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12 DEADLINES FOR INCLUSION IN NEWSLETTER 2015 If you would like to include notices about events please send them to deafaccess before: 24th April for inclusion in May newsletter. 25th May for inclusion in June newsletter. The deafaccess Gippsland newsletter is available online at If you don t have computer and want to see the internet links or files in this newsletter: Please contact deafaccess Gippsland for a copy. gippsland@vicdeaf.com.au SMS deafaccess Gippsland Office: MacArthur Street, SALE, Victoria 3853 Postal: P.O. Box 9314, SALE, Victoria 3853 Mobile/SMS: gippsland@vicdeaf.com.au deafaccess Building Inclusive Communities