5November2014

TV captions standards under threat

The Federal Government is considering a proposal to remove
captioning requirements for television broadcasters. The
Government wants to take away the requirement that all freeto-air broadcasters must complete an annual compliance
report.

Winners at the 2014 Captioning Awards

Congratulations to Regent Cinemas Ballarat, Kate Kennedy,
The Nine Network, Victorian Deaf Education Institute, Foxtel,
e-Works.

Ai-media teams with Discovery Networks

Ai-Media has partnered with Australias only television
channel dedicated solely to the education of primary school
children.

From the diary of a Mad Hearing Aid User

Today was D-Day, or maybe I should say it was HA-Day, the
day I got my first Hearing Aids.

New board members for Deafness Forum

Meet Michelle Courts and Tom McCaul.

We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their

continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them
and their cultures, and to elders both past and present. We acknowledge the
challenge that faces Indigenous leaders and families to overcome the unacceptably
high levels of ear health issues among first Australians.

Deaf community concerned over proposed

changes to television captioning requirements
From ABC News
Australia's deaf community is alarmed the Federal Government is considering a proposal to
remove captioning requirements for television broadcasters.
The Government wants to take away the requirement that all free-to-air broadcasters must
complete an annual compliance report.
Currently free-to-air television broadcasters have to provide 100 per cent captioning from
6:00am until midnight.
Former disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes said there was concern that
could change under the new proposal.
"What they do is make it easier for the industry not to comply with these captions
requirements, and people who are deaf are already concerned that sometimes quality of
captions is not maintained," he said.
"This will put their captions at further risk."
A spokesman for the federal Department of Communications said the change would
provide greater flexibility, and a complaints-based approach was more appropriate as part
of the Government's deregulation agenda.
'Going backwards' with captioning requirement changes
But Deaf Services Queensland chief executive Brett Casey said reducing reporting
requirements eroded the responsibilities of broadcasters, and would inevitably lead to less
accurate captioning.
"As a business person myself, I'm all for reducing red tape, but within reason," he said.
"What I see here is that the Government wants to move to reduce that compliance reporting
and also to change it to a complaints-based system, which relies on the viewer to ensure
that the level of captioning is appropriate or not.
"In one way, I believe it shows that we're going backwards.
"The onus is on the deaf or hard-of-hearing person to make the complaint when something
occurs, and in this day and age, with the technology available to record and capture data
and be able to provide that data annually to the compliance body, I don't think it's a very
onerous task to have to do that."

Victorian teacher Marnie Kerridge has been deaf since she was two. She said high-quality
captioning is crucial for deaf people to be part of society.
"I can watch TV with my family and I can know what's happening in politics, government,"
she said.
"If that's taken away, then I'm even more disconnected and disengaged with the
community."
Deafness Forum Australia chief executive Steve Williamson said many feared the changes
would lead to a decline in standards.
"It's taken decades for Australian governments to lift the standard of captioning, so any
dilution of these standards will put us even further behind the US and the United Kingdom,
and this is at a time when we need to be trying to catch up," he said.
"We recognise that, of course, it's important to minimise bureaucracy and unnecessary
legislation.
"But that must be balanced against the needs of the people it serves, and in this case the
consumers simply weren't consulted."

Comments on our Facebook page

Elena - Well if they captioned everything, reporting would be pretty easy and
straightforward wouldn't it?
Aimee - Captioning is the only way my sister is able to watch any tv programs. Even now,
the live captioning is lagging some what! Some words during live captioning are not even
what they are meant to be or even make any sense. A person with a disability in Australia
should NOT be disadvantaged even by the simplest of means throughly the medium of
television!
Katy - Captions are about access and welbeing! Why should the world knowledge of the
deaf and hard of hearing be diminished. Come on legislators have some respect!
Maria - PFFFT! I wouldn't watch any TV without captions if that was the case. In
emergencies, such as the floods in 2011, or some other emergencies, how are the deaf and
hard of hearing supposed to know of emergencies or what to do in emergencies. Typical
government - hit where it's needed most!
Lynda - Shocking, they have missed a niche consumer market here for 3.8 millon people,
there needs to 100 percent captioning, we need laws the same as the United States, we
need to do something about this, and cry foul about this.

Welcome to the Conexu Foundation

A connected and inclusive community

OpenMi Tours

We strive to build our understanding of the needs of our

communities through partnerships and research.
Through this, we identify opportunities to broaden
access options, and help bridge the communication
divide.
With a vision of a connected and inclusive community,
Conexu Foundation was established to facilitate and
provide services or solutions for people who are
communication impaired, Deaf or hard of hearing.

Inclusive access to
cultural events

OpenMi Silent Tweets

Public information for
our communities

We invite you to find out more about our assistive

technology and information avenues.
Technology updates
Building information on
accessible communication
technology

We proudly support the widespread availability of

captions for Australians who have hearing loss, at

2014

Deafness Forum of Australias

2014 Captioning Awards.

The 9th annual Captioning Awards winners were announced on Friday in Sydney.
The awards encourage better quality, frequency and wider use of captions on television, in
cinemas, DVDs, theatres, museums, live events, in schools and in public places.

THE WINNERS

View and download photos from the 2014 Captioning Awards on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.461939757168152.116191.455765654452229
&type=1 or the Events section on the Deafness Forum website

THE WINNERS
Entertainment, Cinema & the Arts Award
Awarded to an organisation in the entertainment, cinema and the arts space that has made
consistent efforts to provide and/or promote captioned performances, screenings or events.
The winner is Regent Cinemas Ballarat.
The Regent Ballarat is an independent cinema in regional Australia offering open caption
sessions on a regular basis. This is good effort that shows its in tune with its community.
Special mention to The Wiggles for captioning trailers, extras, and all parts of their DVDs.

Roma Wood OAM Community Award

Presented by Printacall
An award named in honour of a pioneer in campaigning for captioning who was
instrumental in establishing programs to assist people with acquired hearing loss. It
recognises an individual who has made significant contributions towards the advancement
of captioning in Australia.
The winner is Kate Kennedy.
Kate Kennedy is a long-standing advocate for captioning for kids, with a never give up
attitude - hallmarks of a typical Roma Wood champion.

TV Captioning Award
Presented by Ai-Media
An award that recognises a significant achievement in the captioning of a TV program,
series or event.
The winner is Foxtel pay-per-view
Foxtels achievement is outside the legal requirements, has immediately high levels of
product and is a genuine alternative to DVD releases. Clearly a planned, well-executed
approach to dealing with the captioned audience.
Special mention to SBS for the FIFA World Cup coverage.

He doesnt defy limitations.

them.

He destroys

The guest speaker was one of Australia's

most successful athletes.
Michael Milton competed in his first
Paralympic Games at 14 and won
Australia's first ever winter gold medal at just
19.
He is Australia's fastest ever skier and the world's fastest skier with a disability with a
personal best speed of 213.65 kilometres per hour.

Captions for Kids Award

Presented by Captioning & Subtitling International
Awarded to an individual, school or organisation that has made a significant commitment to
provide or promote captions for educational benefits for school-age students.
The winner is Victorian Deaf Education Institute.
The Victorian Deaf Education Institute not only runs a systemic captioning program that is
well-funded and supported, but there are other important elements, such as independent
feedback on the quality and impact of the service.
Special mention to Shenton College from Perth, for having everything from materials in the
classroom to teacher training videos captioned.

Online Captioning and Digital Innovation Award

Presented by Media Access Australia
Awarded to an organisation which has taken the initiative to consistently provide captions
on a website or mobile app or which has used technology in an innovative way.
The winner is e-Works.
The E-works video player is an open-source product and a good innovation, so it can be
used by any developer on their website and it supports AD as well.
Special mention to Yahoo Seven, the first commercial catch up TV service to offer captions.

Organisational Commitment to Captions

Presented by Conexu
This award is for a significant commitment to providing captions.
The winner is The Nine Network
Nine really focussed on prepared captioning as much as possible in its live programming
across the network.
Special mention to St Stephens school in Perth for going the extra distance and making
sure that all of its online content is captioned, including general school information.

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Specialists

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Diary of a Mad Hearing Aid User

Today was D-Day, or maybe I should say it was HA-Day, the day I got my first Hearing
Aids. Or maybe even HA-HA-Day, because I have one for each ear and because it still
feels like a big joke, me wearing hearing aids at 53 years old. Yeah, very funny. Who knew
I was missing so much? My husband says he knew. OK, Doc, Im doing what you
suggested. (I know youre not a doctor, but its easier to say Doc than Aud.) Im writing
down notes and questions for our next visit. I kept a diary all through my teens, so you
might get more than you expected.
Day 1
11 am: Just got home. Dont know if I should admit this, but after leaving your office and
driving 2 miles, I pulled over. It was all too much these ear intruders, the cost, the noise.
I didnt want to drive while I was sobbing, so I took the hearing aids out, to start again when
I got home.
1 pm: Still havent put them in. Sitting at my kitchen table, staring at them. With a
magnifying glass. Sheesh, theyre small. How could something so small cost so much?
2 pm: OK, I put them in again. Actually, I put the left one in twice, because it dropped out
the first time. I was nervous. But now Im committed to wearing these babies until I go to
bed!!
7 pm: Bedtime. Its been quite the day and these last five hours have been loud. LOUD!
Have to clean them now, like Im supposed to. First I had to decide where to keep the
cleaning kit, a place where Im sure to see it every night. Decided on the wine rack.
7:20 pm: Boy, am I tired, but this cleaning procedure took some time. Couldnt figure out
all the teensy black instruments. I mean, why a little brush? Its not like the hearing aid has
fur. And the long thing, the eeny-weeny riding whip? Do I stick it inside the hearing aid?!
Hang on, Ill check the instruction book.
Read about the rest of the week at http://hearinghealthmatters.org/betterhearingconsumer/

The Better Hearing Consumer addresses the personal experience of living with hearing
loss. Editor Gael Hannan, and her occasional guest bloggers, explore every corner of the
hearing loss life with humour and poignancy.

Freefall Experience
As part of the celebration of Canberras Centenary, Engineers Australia Canberra Division
hosted a national design ideas competition to design a feature installation at the National
Arboretum Canberra.
The winning entry
A transparent flowing sculpture of stainless steel, corten steel and rock that moves through
the trees, terminating as a spiral above the swales.
Our conceptual framework derives from the form of the cochlear implant, a significant
Australian product. The stable shell structure of corten and stainless steel forms patterns
similar to those found in nature, with the spiral as an inclusive motif across cultures.
The work will have a significant expression of the cochlear ear concept as an interactive
system that senses its surroundings, interprets and stores this incoming data and then
interacts with the participants. This creates a heightened sensory experience pertaining
directly to the work itself, peoples involvement with it and the microclimate of its
surroundings.

Team members
Rod Bligh, Structural Engineer
Susan Milne, Artist
Greg Stonehouse, Artist
Nick Flutter, Architect
More at the Engineers Australia Canberra division website

Eyes Wide Open through

Australian Sign Language
Congratulations, your organisation has great information available.
Thats excellent as long as other people can access it.
Equity for deaf people = Accessible Information in Australian Sign Language (Auslan).
Is your information accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people?
We can work together to make it sure it is.

Reach a new audience: the Australian Deaf Community

Providing information in Auslan will enable to you to access a new market.
Our Auslan Translation Service makes information for deaf people accessible by converting it into
Auslan. If you have a website and you wish to promote yourself as a deaf-friendly organisation, we
can film translations for you to insert. And if you have spoken English video clips on your website,
we can film Auslan translations for you.
We can also translate your information sheets, brochures, lectures and policies.
Equity through understanding: translation and video production in Auslan

translation@deafsociety.com
02 8833 3600
www.deafsocietynsw.org.au/translation

Ai-Media teams with Discovery Networks

Education Technology innovator Ai-Media has partnered with Discovery Kids Australias
only television channel dedicated solely to the education of primary school children aged 5
to 12 to ensure its programming is 100% captioned from launch, to benefit access and
boost family literacy.
Discovery Kids is a new addition to the Discovery Networks portfolio launching on the
Foxtel platform on November 3.
Ai-Medias CEO Tony Abrahams said: We are delighted to be working with the passionate
Discovery Kids team who have shown strong vision and commitment with this initiative.

Board of directors announced for 2015

Two new members of the board were introduced to members
at the Deafness Forum annual general meeting in Sydney at
the weekend.
David Brady continues in his role as chairman.
Read about the executive team in the About Us section of our website

New director representing parents and families

Michelle Courts is a mother of two sons, one of whom
experienced unilateral hearing loss from the age of 7.
A Registered Nurse for 28 years, Michelle holds a Master &
Bachelor of Nursing and a Diploma in Management. She
specialised in Paediatric and Community nursing
experienced in working in Health, Disability and Aged Care
sectors, with sound understanding of the disability sector
and the introduction of the NDIS. She is currently working in
Community Aged Care as a Consultant, specialised in
supporting individuals at home with health and social
engagement using a social view of health and welfare.
Michelle is the South Australian representative on the Australian Hearing Paediatric
Advisory Committee. She is passionate about improving the lived experience of individuals
by identifying and focusing on abilities while minimising limitations.

New director representing service providers

Thomas McCaul Ph.D
Tom was born deaf and was a recipient of bilateral cochlear
implants. He has a scientific background working in the USA,
Australia and UK.
For the past two decades he has worked in organisations that
provide wide ranging services to Deaf people and people with
a hearing impairment.
Tom served on the board of Queensland Deaf Society (now
Deaf Services Queensland) as Executive Director, was a
chairman of Better Hearing Australia (BHA) Victoria and
president of BHA National.
He brings to Deafness Forum strong credentials in supporting strategic policy development
on behalf of many Australians whose interests and views we support and represent.

Great moments in captioning

Items in Deafness Forum communications may incorporate or summarise views, standards or recommendations of third
parties or comprise material contributed by third parties. Such third party material is assembled in good faith, but does not
necessarily reflect the considered views of Deafness Forum, or indicate commitment to a particular course of action.
Deafness Forum makes no representation or warranty about the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any
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