HEARING AWARENESS WEEK 2010

Hearing Awareness Week is an annual event held in the last week of August. It provides an opportunity to raise community awareness of hearing impairment and ways to protect your hearing. The week is a key event for Deafness Forum which is the national coordinating body.

The Challenge - For Hearing Awareness Week (22nd to the 28th of August)

Raising awareness for Hearing Awareness Week, a number of local identities volunteered to undertake “the challenge” of having their hearing reduced.

3BA radio presenter Paul Taylor, City of Ballarat Councillor John Phillips and Youth Officer Shaun Adams, along with members of local band 'Howl' took part in a hearing loss simulation.

The simulation saw them use custom made ear moulds, fitted by Australian Hearing, and provided by GNI Resound,

For a 48 hour period, during Hearing Awareness Week each volunteerundertook everyday activities, recording their experiences and emotions, and how the simulated hearing impairment affected them in certain situations. 

Click on the name of the volunteer below, to read their account:

• Shaun Adams - Youth Project Officer
• Howl - TripleJ Unearthed Winners
• John Philips - City of Ballarat Councillor
• Paul Taylor - 3BA Ballarat Breakfast Announcer/MD

To view video testimonial of the Howl, please click here.

The Challenge - For Hearing Awareness Week, is proudly supported by Australian Hearing, deafaccess Grampians and the City of Ballarat.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss

With one in six people suffering from a hearing loss; it is not uncommon, in fact having a hearing loss is the second most common medical condition reported by Australian war veterans and war widows, with 55% reporting hearing loss as a current medical condition.

By 2050 the prevalence of hearing loss is expected to be a staggering one in four people.

Hearing loss causes feelings of frustration, isolation and embarrassment.
It can seriously affect a person’s quality of life impacting on social and emotional wellbeing as well as causing stress on relationships.

Living with a hearing loss makes it difficult to follow conversations when there’s
background noise, which may lead to people avoiding social situations, like going to restaurants or parties. Therefore hearing well is the key to healthy relationships while also being connected with family and friends.

About Australian Hearing

With 60 years' experience, Australian Hearing is Australia's leading provider of high quality hearing care. Australian Hearing is one of the largest hearing service providers in the world with a reputation for innovation and world-leading practices.
An Australian Government agency, Australian Hearing is dedicated to helping people manage their hearing impairment so they have a better quality of life.

Australian hearing fits over 100, 000 hearing aids each year, our latest hearing devices are small, discrete and use high-level technology.

Hearing aid use is associated with improvement in general health, enhanced interpersonal relationships and participation in social activities.

It is proven that the effects of a hearing loss can be significantly reduced through the expert fitting of a digital hearing aid; hearing aids make sounds and voices much easier to hear, which assists in improving overall participation in life.

Hearing services at Australia Hearing, are free to most aged pensioners, for more
information please call 5333 3925 to be connected with the Ballarat office or visit
www.hearing.com.au

What is deafaccess?

• Deafaccess supports rural and regional communities to develop new ways of including deaf and hard of hearing people in local communities.
• There are five deafaccess workers situated across Victoria.
• These workers plan and develop strategies across the full range of community infrastructure including education, transport, health, accommodation and housing, communication and information, sport and recreation, and the arts.
• Deafaccess is part of the Disability Services Community Building Program, funded by the Department of Human Services. This program is a core feature of the Victorian State Disability Plan 2002 -2012 which has as it’s vision a more inclusive Victoria where disability is not a barrier to participation in community life

How does deafaccess work?

Deafaccess assists the community to include people who are deaf or hard of hearing by:

• Helping people and organisations work together more effectively.
• Improving community understanding of the needs and aspirations of people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Ensuring that the needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing are the focus of community planning.
• Supporting service providers to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing to live the life they choose.
• Developing easy ways for people to access the information they need about services and issues.

Deafaccess beings together the strengths, resources and creativity of individuals,
communities and government to work in partnership to build long-term, sustainable change in local communities.

The aspirations and opportunities that exist within each local community provide the driver for the work of deafaccess.

For further information please contact Ashley Heenan on 03 5320 5606, Fax 03 5333 4061, Mobile 0427 327 811 (sms available) or call the National Relay Service on 133 677 and quote 03 5320 5606. Alternatively you can email ashleyheenan@ballarat.vic.gov.au