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 2004
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2002
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2001
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SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER
03
 Breaking
News - Now you really can call anyone, anywhere! If
you live in Hobart and you wanted to order a pizza from your favourite
pizza outlet, chances
were that your call to their national 13 xxxx number would end up at
the pizza store in Brisbane
or Melbourne! This is because the telephone network sees the call coming
from the NRS, not
from you as the originating caller.
Those days are now over. The number one problem faced by the majority
of people using the
National Relay Service (NRS) is now solved.
ACE is pleased to announce that text callers through the NRS can now
call 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers anywhere in Australia and get the same
service no matter where they live. Download the full article in PDF
Format or RTF Format
Faces
Now Open - An invitation is extended to all interested parties
to submit an application for funding for a project that will commence
in 2004. Dates have changed by one week. Application Forms and Guidelines
are now available to download (Monday, July 14 2003). Closing date
is now 4:45pm Monday, 22 September 2003. Find
out more...
DRA
Spotlight - The Makaton Vocabulary – Auslan
Edition & Supplement By: Aileen Ryan, Ella Keesing
and Judith Cowley. - Makaton is a language program which uses key word
signs and natural gesture to support communication and is a means
of encouraging language development in children and adults
with communication difficulties. The book comprises a core vocabulary of
specially selected concepts/ideas graded in complexity, which are considered
to be most appropriate for the needs of people with communication and language
difficulties. The Supplement is a companion book to The Makaton Vocabulary
- Auslan Edition, which is sold separately. It contains additional vocabulary
to extend the core vocabulary used in the Makaton language program. Read
more...
ACE
Community Service Announcement TVCs - Expect A Call! - As
part of our ongoing commitment to generate awareness about the National
Relay Service (NRS) to the wider community,
two x 30 second Community
Service Announcement (CSA) television advertisements (open and closed
captioned) have just been completed. They will be aired on TV Networks
across Australia starting Sunday 8th June 2003. Communicating the message
about the NRS within a 30 second time frame to an audience who are
not familiar with
the service is no easy task. A number
of concepts were explored (including taking suggestions raised by our consumers,
staff and Board of Directors at ACE) before deciding on what some may consider
a slightly radical way of communicating the message. Of interest, it has
been proven that a television advertisement that includes a mix of humour
and surprise often assists in enhancing the message being delivered. Read
our Special Announcement..
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AUGUST 03
Proposed
Changes to the ACE Constitution - Notice is given that a Special
General Meeting of members of Australian Communication Exchange Limited
will be held at 7.00PM on Friday 15 August 2003 at: The Deaflink
Centre, 295 Logan Road, Stones Corner, Queensland 4120. To
consider and, if thought appropriate, to pass the following resolution
as a special resolution: "That the document tabled at the Special
General Meeting and signed by the Chairman for the purposes of identification,
be adopted as the constitution of the Company, in substitution for
the existing constitution."
DRA
Spotlight - "Please Speak Clearly" Badge - Available
from Deafness Resources
Australia in the Technology Section is this badge with the words, "Please
Speak Clearly. I have a Hearing Loss." The badge measures approximately
70mm x 20 mm and features blue text on a white background. To see a
larger image, or to order this product, visit
the Technology Section.
DRA
Spotlight - The Survival Guide to Auslan - A beginner’s pocket
dictionary of Australian Sign Language By: T. Johnston
and A. Schembri - A pocket dictionary intended for beginner’s
level students of Auslan and for all sign language learners who need
an easy-to-carry reference book. Five hundred basic vocabulary items
are listed alphabetically. All signs are illustrated with new drawings
by a deaf artist and are also accompanied by a written description
of how to form the sign. For Auslan learners, this book is the perfect
accompaniment to Discovering Auslan: A Beginner’s Dictionary
of Australian Sign Language (on CD-ROM) and a natural stepping
stone to Signs of Australia: A New Dictionary of Auslan (on
book and CD-ROM). Read
more...
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JULY 03
DRA
Spotlight: Strong SRT 5200 Digital Set-Top Box
This is an exciting new product that makes use of digital broadcasting,
which was introduced in Australia in January 2001. With this product
you can: Watch TV - It allows you to watch your favourite free-to-air
programme (channel SBS, 2, 7, 9, 10) in digital format on your standard
analogue TV; Receive Captions - It can be connected to any TV and it
will show the captions on TV programmes that are broadcast with captions;
Record Captions - When it is connected to a TV and a standard VCR you
can record TV programmes that are broadcast with captions. Find
out more...
Interface
Magazine - Summer / Autumn - Issue 25 OUT NOW! - In
this Issue:
CEO Notes - NRS Contract Extended! • ACE Submission to Broadband
Enquiry • Communications Hub • Complaint Resolution - "So
you're unhappy with the NRS?" • Life Member Presentation
and Speech - Awarded to Peter Cipollone • 000 or 106 - Which Number
should you Call? Download this issue from our InterfACE
Section
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JUNE 03
DRA
Spotlight - Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece - By Hugo Vickers
Princess Alice, mother of Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, was born
profoundly deaf at Windsor Castle in the presence of her great-grandmother
Queen Victoria. She grew to become one of Europe's loveliest princessess
who spent her early married life, from 1903, in the turbulent political
arena of Greece. Find
out more about this book, or visit
DRA for a full listing of available products.
DSYWC
Competition has now CLOSED for 2003! Thank-you to all the
entrants who wrote stories and entered the competition this year -
We are very pleased with the response! Keep you eyes peeled on our DSYWC
Page for more details. Winning stories will be published on the
ACE Website as well as announced in the ACE E-Newsletter. To subscribe
to the ACE E-Newsletter, visit our Subscriptions Section.
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MAY 03
DRA
Spotlight! Alarm Clock Vibralarm
Available from our Technology
Section, the features of this Vibralarm with Vibes include: Powered
by electricity with battery back-up (for clock memory); Strong Vibrator
included; Selectable wake up features (eg. audible, vibration or both);
Green display (for easy viewing); Night light with selectable flash feature;
Variable tone (high to low frequency); Variable volume (loud to no sound);
Financial
Institutions Refusing Calls via the NRS - OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT: Office
of the Federal Privacy Commissioner
You may have experienced difficulties in obtaining your information
from your financial institution because you placed a call through the
National Relay Service. We are pleased to make available the official
decision received from the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner
regarding disclosure of information to a third party under the Privacy
Act, 1998. If you continue to have difficulties with your financial institution,
please show them this document. To read the letter, download the .PDF
version below. Financial
Institutions Refusing Calls via the NRS (PDF 1.6mb)
DRA
Spotlight! Auslan Bible – The Gospel According
to Luke
The Gospel of Luke contains signed translations of the biblical
text as well as biblical references, glossaries, maps, genealogies, and
coloured background pictures. For more products: visit
Deafness Resources Australia, or Read
the full review.
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APRIL 03
Inquiry
into the Disability Discrimination Act - ACE Submission Paper - Version
1.0 - April 2003
Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) commends the Commonwealth Government
for initiating this important inquiry and strongly urges that compliance
mechanisms within the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) be reviewed.
This paper uses telecommunications access for people with a disability
to exemplify the broader issues associated with the DDA. In the late
1990’s, telecommunications access for people with a disability
made a tremendous leap forward and the future looked positive considering
that there was a reference to the DDA in the Telecommunications (Customer
Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 and previously in the Telecommunications
Act 1997. However, in three short years since 2000, more than half of
the telecommunications network is now not accessible to people who are
deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment despite the existence of
the disability discrimination and telecommunications legislation. Download
the full report: PDF
format (248kb) or RTF
format (332kb).
2002
Recipients Announced!
Australian Communication Exchange is pleased to announce the
recipients of the 2002 Round of FACES. Congratulations to the
following organisations: Tasmanian Deaf Society, Deafness Forum
Australia, Victorian School of Deaf Children Inc, Menieres Support Group
of Victoria Inc, and Motor Neurone Disease Association. Read
more...
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MARCH 03
In
Brief - Includes offsite links to articles as well as short
notices of interest to the Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired
community. April: Catch Me If You Can (Captioned) Village Cinemas,
Parramatta 2150 NSW; Offsite Article - SMS
adds chat to the Silent World - The West Australian; Friends of
ACE Support Recipients
2002 now online; ACE Events e-calendar has
been updated - Check out what's happening near you; and FREE!!! Deaf
Youth Captioned Film - 14 April 2003. Scooby Dogs, Snow Dogs. For more
info, and current events, see our Events
section.
Did
you know that if you travel overseas, you can call home via the National
Relay Service? - All you have to do is call +61 7
3815 7799 which will connect you to the NRS as usual. What's
great about this service is that you don't need an NRS account, or
a PIN. The computer just asks you for the number you wish to call and
then connects you. The only costs to you will be the charge of the
telephone company you used to make the call, or your phone card if
you called from a public phonebox. These rates depend on the country
you are calling from and the company rates if you are using a phone
card. Even better, if your friends, family or a business associate
goes overseas, they can also call you through the NRS - from anywhere
in the world without needing an account or PIN! The National Relay
Service - It makes sense to stay in touch!
PRIVACY
LAW BREAKTHROUGH FOR DEAF COMMUNITY - 17 MARCH 2003 - In a
major breakthrough for Australians who are Deaf or have a hearing or
speech-impairment, the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner (OFPC)
has advised that financial information can be conveyed to customers
over the telephone via a ‘third party’ if the customer
is using the National Relay Service (NRS). The advice was sought from
the OFPC due to the growing incidence of some financial institutions
refusing to take calls from customers, or refusing to provide personal
financial information to customers, who were using the NRS. Mr. Len
Bytheway, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Communication Exchange
Limited (ACE) said some financial institutions were claiming that the
National Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 prevented them
from disclosing customer information to a third party. Read
more...
DRA
Spotlight - Hearing, Vision, Communication and Older People - by Norman
P. Erber - Based on 10 years of research, this comprehensive
book demonstrates how health-care professionals, family, and friends
can help older people with hearing and vision loss communicate more
effectively. Read
more...
SMS
Relay Update - The three month SMS Relay
Trial commenced on 17th February 2003. The SMS Relay Trial will operate
for 24 hours-a-day until the middle of May. Once the trial has been
completed ACE will report back to the community and government on the
outcomes. A permanent SMS Relay Service will depend on the outcomes
of the trial. SMS Relay allows people who are Deaf, or have a hearing
or speech / communication impairment, to use text messages (also known
as Short Message Service or SMS) via mobile phones, to communicate
with others who have a standard telephone or telephone typewriter (TTY). Read
the Full Update.
2002
Recipients Announced! Australian Communication Exchange is
pleased to announce the recipients of the 2002 Round of FACES. Congratulations
to the following organisations: Tasmanian Deaf Society, Deafness Forum
Australia, Victorian School of Deaf Children Inc, Menieres Support
Group of Victoria Inc, and Motor Neurone Disease Association. Read
more...
Voices
of Silence - 7th April 2003, 10am - 2pm - NSW Commission
for Children and Young People - 407 Elizabeth Street, SURRY HILLS 2010,
NSW - This Deaf Youth Forum will be presented by the Deaf
Society of NSW Deaf youth Advocates and aims to raise issues of society
and culture studies in order to: Bring young Deaf/hearing impaired
people together; Discuss ideas and issues that concern Deaf young people;
Deaf Specific Service providers describe their service and talk with
young people.
Become familiar with the Commission for Children and Young people,
creating greater links and understandings of the commission and the role
it plays in young people's lives. The forum runs from 10am to 2pm and
provides an educational excursion for students as well as enable attendees
to become familiar with the Deaf Youth Advocates. The day is also an
opportunity to find out more about Deaf Youth Advocates and to express
an interest in joining the group.
Children
of the Shipwreck Coast by Sandra Feldman - An exciting story
of adventure, friendship, courage and the unselfish love of a dog.The
story is set on Australia's east coast and just when you think it's
ended comes a surprise: there is still more to read...it's really two
books in one! Read
more...
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FEBRUARY 03
National
TTY Training Program - ACE is pleased to invite all Australians
with an interest in TTY's (textphones) to find out more about this
way of communicating. This program is free of charge and anyone may
take part. It is suitable for a range of skill levels. If you wish
to find out more about the program or register, contact
a Customer Relations Officer.
Telecommunication
Technologies Isolate Deaf Community - 24 February,
2003 - Technological advances in Australia's telephone system
are robbing Deaf people and those with a hearing or speech-impairment
of access to suitable telephony services, delegates at a key industry
forum have been told. People using existing TTY textphone technology
have already lost access to more than half of Australia's phone system,
and the situation is getting worse, according to Mr Len Bytheway, Chief
Executive Officer, Australian Communication Exchange Limited. Read
more...
ACE
Tours Australia - Have you heard about the National Relay
Service but you're not sure how it works? Are you living out of the
city and finding it hard to learn more about ACE and the NRS? Would
you like to know more about the tailor-made services we provide to
people with hearing or speech/communication impairment and people who
are Deaf in Australia? If so, visit
our ACE Tours Listings. Just updated, it provides information about
which locations ACE Outreach Consultants will be touring over the
next few months, as well as how to show your interest in attending.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Australian
hotels give six star service with captions! - The Australian
Caption Centre (ACC) recently launched a guide listing 150 hotels Australia-wide
that provide captions. These hotels ensure that 1.9 million Deaf and
hearing impaired Australians have access to television when traveling.
The Hotels with Captions Guide is free and regularly updated. The ACC
relies on members of the community to report any hotel with captions
so that it may be added to the guide. The Guide is also a great resource
for overseas visitors, such as those who will be attending the 2005
Deaf Olympics in Melbourne. To view the Hotels with Captions Guide
visit the ACC
website or call the ACC on 1800 777 801 (voice/tty) or, if you
know of a hotel that has captions, which is not listed, please contact
the ACC.
NRS
Billing - 13 December 2002 - After the success of the six-month
NRS billing trial, ACE is pleased to advise that the changes to the
billing arrangements will continue for at least another six months.
Additionally, from 1 July 2003 the existing contract will be extended.
Any permanent
changes to the billing will form part of the new National Relay Service
contract. Read the
Feature.
DRA
Spotlight - February 2003 - The Cochlear Implant – Parents
tell their Story, by Dorothy O’Brien - All parents want
to do what is best for their child. When faced with a major decision
about what is classified as 'elective surgery', parents take a very
individual approach. To find out more about this book, or to order,
visit our Parent
Information Section.
Auslan
Practice 2, by Education Dept. and Auslan Studies - Duration: 30 minutes
- This video was developed for students studying Certificate
II in Auslan, but has also been found to be of great benefit to Auslan
students attending courses other than Certificate II. It has been specifically
designed to support students out of class by giving them the appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures expected at this level. To find
out more about this book, or to order, visit our Sign
Language & Linguistics Section.
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JANUARY 03
Teacher-Aides
- Working with Students with Disabilities, Jo Minchinton, Grahame Dodd,
Marie Flanders, et al. - This kit comprises seven booklets.
They provide practical information for teacher-aides working with students
with disabilities in all types of educational facilities. Sold only
as a kit - not as individual books. To find out more, visit our Classroom
Materials Section.
Teaching
Students with Disabilities, Brendan Bartlett & Des
Power - 6 Videotapes and Booklets, These booklets and videos
support the provision of quality educational programs for students
with disabilities. It presents teaching strategies, information on
a range of disabilities and support available within and beyond the
individual school. To find out more about this spotlighted product,
visit our NEW Classroom
Materials section!
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