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25.01.2022 AUSLAN Watch our new video in Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and learn more about NSW Ambulance, how to call for help in medical emergencies and what to expect when you call Triple Zero (000) #NSWAmbulance #Auslan

25.01.2022 Enjoy learning some Auslan from Sally Strobridge, AKA Sally from Sally and Possum. For National Week of Deaf People & International Week of the Deaf 2020.

25.01.2022 How a Deaf person came to write a course in music... You might think that because I’m Deaf, I don’t enjoy music. That’s not the case at all. I love music as muc...h as any hearing person. The problem is that most of the time I can’t access it properly. One of the issues is that my hearing aids cannot selectively hear. They flatten sounds, and this means that when there are multiple sounds (or instruments) happening at the same time, then I can’t distinguish between them, and sometimes the end result is more like mud or white noise. Interestingly, my brain seems able to learn to make some sense of this chaos, and with certain tracks that are not too complicated, if someone takes the time to teach me how to hear it say by showing me a visual of the notes with their hands and singing along so I can lipread them then with many repetitions I can sometimes start to hear and enjoy the song myself. The downside of this is that I need someone to provide this visual of the song over and over, many times, before I can memorise it to the extent that I can hear it myself. It’s not easy to come by such a person, as usually they are sick to death of the song long before I have memorised it! I notice that my aural memory is not very good probably from lack of practice as I don’t use it much in daily life. Since I was a child, my favourite music has always been when someone will just sing for me. That’s perfect as there’s only one note happening at a time, and I can watch the singer’s face to pick up the mood and energy, and lipread the words. But getting people to sing for me is remarkably difficult people are so shy, embarrassed about their voice. As if I would judge them! I wouldn’t know a bad voice if it hit me on the head! A few years ago I became even more deaf than I have been for most of my life. Unfortunately this meant that the songs I have painstakingly learned to hear over the years were no longer accessible, much to my intense frustration. It took a while to work out what was happening. It turns out that I have lost total hearing for some pitches, but other pitches I can still hear. So as the notes go up and down, it can sound like the song stops and starts. It’s hideous! For a couple of years, I missed music desperately. Thanks to NDIS funding, I have been able to pay a musician to help me access music. This has been life-changing! I have worked with a few different musicians now, and after discovering which notes I can hear and which I can’t, they have able to make adaptations of songs for me utilising only notes and instruments I can hear comfortably. They ensured there wasn’t too much happening at the same time, and adjusted the volume of the vocal track to make it loud enough for me to still hear when there were backing instruments. In most conventional songs the vocals get lost for me after the first verse or so, as the instrumentation for the song builds and drowns it out. A particularly fun bonus of having someone record a track specifically tailored to my hearing is that I can also tailor the words. I have had a wonderful time changing the words to all my favourite songs, making them more feminist, more lesbian, and more relevant to my own life. The more I do this, the better that part of my brain works. Once it seemed like a miracle that anyone could produce rhyming phrases to tell a story, but now after plenty of practice it seems I can do it too. One of the musicians I have been working with is Sarah Ward, of Yana Alana and Queen Kong fame, and it has been an immensely enjoyable relationship. Her music and politics are so out there that I never feel embarrassed to send her the lyrics for the songs I want to record, and she is so patient when I request change after change to the levels in the song because some instruments are making it hard to hear the vocals. My life changed one day when Sarah said to me, ‘Asphyxia, I think you are ready to begin writing your own songs.’ What? Me? Write a song from scratch? The idea floored me and excited me beyond belief. I realised I had never thought a Deaf person could write their own music. And yet, it seemed the perfect solution to Deaf access to music, because who better than me to pick the perfect combination of instruments and levels and notes? Sarah held my hand (metaphorically, thanks to Covid-19!) and walked me through the basics how to use GarageBand, how to select notes that don’t clash with each other, how to construct a song from scratch, and even how to make a song that fits within a certain genre. I realised that the process can actually be remarkable formulaic, and that any deaf or hard of hearing person could learn to create tailored music for themselves if they took a course in it. The problem is that courses out there are designed for hearing people, telling students to listen to X to hear how it sounds in order to build their knowledge. But you can learn to write a song from scratch with only very nominal hearing, if it is taught the right way. Sarah and I were fumbling around in the dark as we worked together to figure out how to get me the knowledge I needed. After much blood, sweat and tears, I believe I have finally pulled together a simple and crystal clear process by which any deaf person can make music tailored to their own hearing. I want to share it with other deaf and hard of hearing people, so that if the idea of music appeals, you have a pathway in to access it. With that, I would like to launch my music course, GarageBand Songwriting for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I believe this course may also be suitable for other groups such as those on the autism spectrum - I welcome your feedback. This is what I wish I had learnt in music classes at school, instead of being waved off dismissively when I couldn’t keep up with my hearing peers. Every page of this course has been checked by Gemma Horbury, a musician who made numerous suggestions and diagrams and helped me make it so much better and clearer. You can check out level one on my website now: https://helloasphyxia.wordpress.com/garageband-songwriting/ I am also planning to post lessons each week so you can learn one step at a time. If you know anyone who might enjoy this course, please tag them. Image: A painting of a girl with long red dreadlocks and sparkly green eyes. She has a black cross over her left ear, and red lips. She wears a red T-shirt with a black stencil of a face on it. She is holding a guitar. To her right is large text: 'GarageBand Songwriting for Deaf and HOH, www.asphyxia.com.au ' In the background is a blue textured wall with grungy black dots, piano keys and music notes.

19.01.2022 Welcome to the new revamped Facebook page of Auslan Storybooks. Due the popular demand, yes, it’s back! Like or follow this page to get the latest updates.

16.01.2022 Great fun in the office today celebrating the end of National Week of Deaf People...thanks to Maddison and this great handshape game filter! #nwdp2020 #auslan

16.01.2022 In recognition of National Week of Deaf People and International Week of the Deaf , it’s important to be ally to deaf people in Australia and around the world. Work with us and we will work with you too. Help us to bridge deaf and hearing communities #IWDeaf #NWDP

16.01.2022 #NAIDOC week celebrates First Nations peoples 65,000 year culture and connection to this land. Always was, always will be. We acknowledge the First Peoples of ...this land and the many First Nations sign languages; the oldest in the world. Happy NAIDOC week to all! @naidocweek @scopeaust Find out more about Key Word Sign: www.kwsa.com.au #alwayswasalwayswillbe #naidocweek #naidoc2020 #naidocweek2020 #aboriginal #torresstraitislander #community #australia #australians

15.01.2022 It's official! Today's the day Future Girl hits the bookstores - after eight years in the making. I can't tell you the satisfaction it gives me to finally relea...se it into the world. If you’d like to read it, you can get it here: https://tinyurl.com/yd27a39k You might like to watch this video of me talking about the book - what's in it, how I wrote it and why you really should read it. The video shows me talking about my new book, Future Girl, with subtitles. I hold up the book and show pages inside, as well as pages from my own journal.

14.01.2022 Our copy arrived today! Thank you and congrats to Asphyxia on her new book. For more info click on my previous post and order yours today

14.01.2022 DEAFHOOD workshop with Ramas We’re super excited to make this an ongoing workshop every 3rd Saturday of each month (except for school holidays) for 2021! First... one begins 20th February from 10:30am - 2pm at PepperGreen Farm The workshop is really for you- you may be Deaf yourselves, hearing parents of deaf children, people with Deaf siblings or people with Deaf friends. Everyone is welcome to attend and share their own stories. We aim to delve into the notion of identity and learn more about what it means to be Deaf. This should empower and strengthen us. It’s a time to put aside negativity and focus on what is positive. Sometimes, things we perceive to be negative can actually turn into a positive experience. We will look within ourselves, share our personal stories and exchange histories. Remember that the workshop is a safe space where all attendees can express themselves openly. Please contact [email protected] for your interest HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! - Deaf Hub team

13.01.2022 Important survey about your experiences in hospitals.

12.01.2022 Ready Set Drive! Our Driver Program is returning on 7 April 2021. This is a one-day holistic, driver training program for deaf and hard of hearing people wantin...g to build and further develop their knowledge on driving a vehicle, understanding basic car maintenance, road rules and more. Registrations are now open! http://www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au/event

12.01.2022 https://youtu.be/6pVvXSRpZa0

12.01.2022 Our Auslan4Everyone holiday and festive signs workshop is happening next week, on the 24th of November. It's a great way for the whole family to learn lots of k...ey Auslan signs for the festive season, birthdays, and other celebrations. With the holidays just around the corner, there's no better time to engage in Auslan to create more inclusive communities. So join Jennie, our fabulous Auslan tutor, to have fun and learn. Book your spot today: https://www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au/event

08.01.2022 Around the grounds meets some AFL familiar faces and supporters.

07.01.2022 Deaf Services was proud to work with Queensland Police Service to make a video featuring Constable Latisha Whalan from Queensland Police’s Youth Mentoring Progr...am ‘Project Booyah’. Constable Whalan has three Deaf cousins who taught her sign language. She shows us some signs police can use when communicating with the Deaf community. She tells us that is important for Deaf people to feel safe and comfortable with Police.

05.01.2022 Auslan Tutor is FREE! In addition to National Week of Deaf People (NWDP) this Wednesday is International Day of Sign Languages. With school holidays around the corner how about learning Auslan using our Auslan Tutor app?

03.01.2022 Joanna from DAS provides a professional and responsive service. Great work

02.01.2022 Happy AAC Awareness Month! This is the month where people from around the world raise awareness about alternative and augmentative forms of communication (which... means all the different ways we communicate other than speech, including Key Word Sign and gesture). Communication is a basic human right and we would love to see all kinds of communication accepted and embraced in communities not only here in Australia but across the planet. This year’s theme is ‘Bridging the Silence through Solidarity’. Use the hashtag #AACaware20 so that we can raise our voices together for AAC Awareness! #keywordsign #keywordsignaustralia