Weekly update: 7 March 2025
Kia ora tatou,
Hello to all of us,
Well, we are forging forwards with plans for Conference 2025! đ
Some of you have indicated you need support with attendance and some of you havenât. To date we have 25 deafblind attending. Wow! What we need to know now is if you intend to commit and havenât let us know yet, and whether you need support.
This is important because there are only three and a half months left and some funderâs boards only meet every three months. So it is getting close. You can let us know closer to the time if you are funding yourself with flights, accommodation and food.
If you need support we need to know by next Friday, 14 March. We are so hoping that we will get expressions of interest from 40 deafblind, so please get in touch soonest!
Letâs remember âNobody left behindâ or our theme, "Deafblind Association NZ at the Centre of Inclusive Designâ. Commit to Conference 2025 and be part of having your say about what is important to our community with you at the centre!
World Hearing Day Q&A with Professor Grant Searchfield, lead guest editor of JRSNZ special issue on hearing and balance
From the Royal Society Te ApÄrangi.
The Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand recently published a special issue 'Hearing and balance research in Aotearoa New Zealand: sound and stable foundations for the future'.
To mark this year's World Hearing Day, the Royal Society Te ApÄrangi asked the special issueâs lead guest editor, Professor Grant Searchfield, a few questions about the issue and some of its research.
Excerpt
"We identified seven overlapping themes of: Fundamental science, vestibular disorders, tinnitus, cochlear implants, service delivery of paediatric audiology, kaupapa MÄori and Pasifika hearing research, and perspectives of the future. The research illustrates how different hearing disorders can have a huge impact on wellbeing and the innovative ways being tested to manage these problems. Reviews in the issue highlight the impact that New Zealand research has had internationally and areas where we lead the world."
You can read the rest of the interview below.
World Hearing Day Q&A with Professor Grant Searchfield (Royal Society Te ApÄrangi)
What happens when a makeup artist loses his sight
The new documentary series Sight Unseen talks with vision-impaired people around Aotearoa New Zealand. Audio descriptions accompany each of its 5 episodes - there are around 180,000 New Zealanders who are vision impaired.
The show is hosted by Ari Kerssens, who lost most of his sight when he was 19. This week, RNZ talks with Ari - who had planned to become a makeup artist but had to change his plans shortly after he completed his qualification - about his life, what he's doing now, and the new docuseries.
What happens when a makeup artist loses his sight? (RNZ)
Join the Disability Disrupters podcast: inspiring interviews, empowering discussions
From Disability Responsiveness New Zealand.
Are you ready to break barriers and create a rich and fulfilling life despite the challenges we all face as disabled people?
Check out the Disability Disrupters podcast, bringing you news, views and interviews with disabled people from around the world. Full transcripts also available.
The podcast features:
insightful news; stay updated on the latest happenings in the disability community from a disabled persons perspective
diverse voices; hear from inspiring individuals sharing their personal journeys, including struggles and successes
practical advice; learn from others about navigating barriers to community participation
empowering conversations; discover strategies to create a fulfilling life on your own terms.
Whether youâre looking for motivation, support, or to connect with a community that shares similar hopes and dreams to you, join the monthly discussion on the Disability Disrupters podcast, available in audio and as written transcriptions, on the Disability Responsiveness website.
Letâs disrupt the status quo and show the world what we can achieve together.
'Improving the sustainability of Disability Support Services' paper - alternate formats available
From Blind Citizens NZ.
Alternate formats for the Cabinet paper on 'Improving the sustainability of Disability Support Services' are now available on the MSD website.
Improving the sustainability of Disability Support Services (MSD)
This paper contains Cabinet decisions for next steps to improve the sustainability of Disability Support Services. It follows the recommendations from the Independent Review of Disability Support Services.
The paper includes decisions for:
the preferred approach to developing a residential care contract and pricing model (recommendation 2)
approval to announce and consult on this preferred approach with the disability sector
approval to consult on options to update the assessment and allocation settings for disabled individuals and carers (recommendation 5), and
establish criteria for access to flexible funding and accompanying purchasing guidelines (recommendation 6).
You can also access this document soon on TellMe.
Check out option 8 from the main menu on TellMe to hear what has recently been added to TellMe.
2023 Household Disability Survey (HDS) - alternate formats available
From Stats NZ.
Stats NZ has released data from the 2023 Household Disability Survey (HDS). The HDS is one of the most comprehensive sources of disability data in the country and is the first of its kind in a decade.
The HDS release includes information on:
disability prevalence (estimates of how many people are disabled) for people living in NZ households, including prevalence estimates for subgroups within New Zealand
information about what support is needed by disabled people, including unmet need
information about the everyday experiences and outcomes of disabled people, including barriers that limit their participation in society.
Read the HDS release (Stats NZ
The HDS results are spread across 5 different pages. Note, The links with ** in front of the link these pages contain documents produced in alternate formats.
The alternate format documents also are on TellMe, option 55.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 - alternate formats, and have your say
From Blind Citizens NZ.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned was established in December 2022.
The first phase of the COVID-19 Inquiry ran until 28 November 2024, including a public submissions period in early 2024. Phase Two of the Inquiry is now underway. Phase Two is looking at some additional topics that were not covered in Phase One, as well as looking in more detail at some of the topics included in Phase One, such as mandates and lockdowns.
Phase Twoâs primary focus is reviewing key decisions made by the New Zealand Government in response to COVID-19 during 2021 and 2022. Specifically, we are looking at key decisions the Government made in the following areas:
vaccines, including mandates, approvals, and safety
lockdowns, particularly the lockdowns of late 2021 and the extended Auckland / Northland lockdown
testing and tracing technologies, like RAT tests and the COVID-19 Tracer app, and public health materials, like masks.
We will be using our review of these key decisions to give advice to the Government on how Aotearoa New Zealand could prepare for and respond to any future pandemics. Phase Two will only make recommendations to the Government regarding the topics included above.
The audio can also be found on TellMe under option 522.
Event reminders
Check out our calendar of events for reminders of all the other events coming up, and updated dates for our regional peer-to-peer gatherings.
Calendar / events (Deafblind Association NZ)
Other newsletters
The D*List
The D*List website is an online culture magazine that creates space for disabled people to tell their own stories through features, columns and news reporting. This week, they discuss International Women's Day, plus the Wellington Pride access guide, and a haka group whose secret ingredient is their hauÄtanga (perceived inabilities).
Link to weekly update below.
The D*List Delivered (Substack)
Following is a link to have a browse of The D*List website or sign up to receive their weekly newsletter.
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Be Seen be Heard be Connected weekly update, and mailing list
You can find our weekly Seen Be Heard Be Connected updates (ie our newsletter) on our website, at the following link.
Our weekly updates (Deafblind Association New Zealand)
You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter, and / or our mailing list DBANZ Discuss, at the links below. Please feel free to spread the word đ
NgÄ mihi mahana,
Warm regards,
Amanda
Feedback requested reminders
Nominations are still open for the World Blind Union scholarships!
Find out more about the 3 scholarships and 2 funds (World Blind Union)
You can also check out open nominations and available roles in our 21 Feb update.
Open nominations and available roles: 21 February 2025 weekly update
Survey about online safety for young disabled people
All is for All would like to invite you, you whÄnau, and support workers (if applicable) to participate in a survey about your experiences navigating online and social media spaces and to learn about the types of training and learning opportunities you would like to see delivered to support young disabled people and their support networks with learning about online and social media safety.
Find out more in our 21 February 2025 weekly update
The survey is short and should only take 10 minutes to complete. We value your input and perspective, and your participation in the survey would be greatly appreciated.
Online safety and social media survey (All is for All)
If you have any questions or feedback about the survey, please do not hesitate to contact Natalie Robinson by emailing natalie@allisforall.com.
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Submission opportunity to influence more content in audio description and captioning
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has released a discussion document on "modernising regulation and content funding arrangements for New Zealanders". Part of this includes increasing captioning and audio description.
More information, and the full paper (Ministry of Culture and Heritage)
Blind Citizens NZ will be making a submission. Any thoughts you care to share will be very much appreciated.
Find out more in our 21 February 2025 weekly update
Submissions close 11:59pm on 23 March 2025.
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Research about the education and employment of deafblind people in low / middle-resource countries
Deafblind Internationalâs Global Research Initiative coincides with a research project on the education and employment of individuals living with deafblindness around the world.
The Université de Montréal are currently looking for persons living with early-onset deafblindness (while being a child or youth) to participate in interviews about their experience growing up deafblind. The goal of the project is to tell the stories of persons living with deafblindness, and to learn from the experiences, so we can do better.
Find out more in our 21 February 2025 weekly update
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National Housing Survey
The Urban Advisory is running a longitudinal study so there is no foreseeable closing date. The survey asks how people make their housing choices and what they want to see happen with housing in the future, with the intention of helping New Zealand better respond to housing needs and demand.
Completed surveys are eligible for entry into a quarterly prize draw to win a $200 Prezzy Card. It is an online survey through Qualtrics and is expected to take less than 30 minutes to complete.
New Zealand's Housing Survey (The Urban Advisory)
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Public library use and accessibility
Blind Low Vision NZ Client Training and Engagement Senior Advisor Tom Smith asks: âIs there anybody willing to be interviewed about their use of public library services and accessibility?"
Email Tom for details, at tsmith@blindlowvision.org.nz.
Regular / ongoing events
No Labels on Wellington Access Radio
You can listen to the show on Wellington Access Radio on Tuesday just after 1pm, or the following Tuesday at the same time.
If you miss the scheduled show, you can check it out later online at the link below.
No Labels (Wellington Access Radio)
Or you can subscribe to the show via your preferred podcast player to check out this episode or previous episodes of the show.
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Blind Spot, Radio Southland
Monthly show hosted by Carolyn Weston.
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Entertainment with Able
Able is a not-for-profit organisation working towards a more inclusive Aotearoa, believing everyone should be able to access news, entertainment and culture. Funded by NZ On Air, theyâre Aotearoaâs leading provider of media access services, including captioning services, subtitling and audio description.
Listings are available at the following browser links:
A link to Able's website to subscribe to the weekly newsletter with listings and picks of the week follows.
Deafblind Association New Zealand access to TellMe
See TellMe numbers for your area
End of report and this weekâs update.
Amanda Stevens
Executive Officer
Taringa Turi KÄpĆ RĆpĆ«
Deafblind Association New Zealand