Weekly update: 25 October 2024
Kia ora tatou,
Hello to all of us,
Today I am talking about a few gadgets that are simple and may make a big difference in our lives.
Miniature water heating elements
Every now and then discussions arise about safe transfer of hot liquids, for example when pouring a cup of tea / coffee. Twenty years ago in Rotterdam I was offered a mechanism for heating cold water to boiling directly in the mug. It is an element that you put into the cold water and simply switch on at the wall. It’s not deafblind-specific but definitely has application. It means you don’t have to pour water from a kettle or use a Liquid Level Indicator – you simply put the cold water in while it is safe for you and then heat. I was talking to my Dad about this and he googled Miniature Water Heating Element - bingo! They range from a few dollars to more expensive ones at Briscoe. I think you have to look at the voltage each one offers. Even if you can’t hear the water boiling in the mug you could touch the outside of the mug safely to test for temperature without going near the hot water.
Bluetooth hearing aids
Development of hearing aids that Bluetooth to your radio, TV, etc and cost only a few hundred dollars. I envisage this will make a huge difference to how we access our day to day audio experiences and that funding will be a lot easier to get because it is going to offer a much cheaper solution to enhanced hearing.
Bluetooth bone conduction headphones
I thought that all sounded terribly complicated when I first heard about them. In fact they have turned out to be incredibly easy to use. I can Bluetooth to my phone or my laptop. I am a JAWS user so the laptop connection is great when I am in a meeting. No one else can hear but I can still take notes discretely. More importantly, when I make a phone call my hearing impaired friends, (and my Dad), say it is much easier to hear me. I can still get environmental sound in my hearing side and clearer sound direct to my phone. I do not wear hearing aids because I am profoundly deaf on one side and have hearing on the other. The head phones have made a big difference when communicating with friends who are hearing aid users. I pop my phone in my pocket while doing other things and, if I am expecting a call, I can answer directly by pressing a button on the headphone. There is no hygiene issue because they don’t go directly into your ear, so try testing them out with a friend who has some – that’s how I learned from John. He is hearing impaired and uses them so he can also hear important environmental sound because the ear is still open to receiving other sounds. I find it amazing that sound is transmitted through my cheek bone. It is reliant of course on having some receptivity to sound in the first instance.
Hearing aids buying guide (Consumer NZ)
Join the Deafblind Association New Zealand
A reminder that expressions of interest for our DBANZ Board Secretary and Administrator close on November 1 at 5pm. Please send an expression of interest (EoI) with your curriculum vitae and covering letter to info@deafblindassociation.nz.
Role description and EoI details
Email enquiries to the same address or call 0272 450 650 or free phone 0800 450 650.
Te Tāhū Hauora - new expressions of interest advertised
Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission is advertising five new Expressions of Interest (EOIs) .
Consumer opportunities (Te Tāhū Hauroa Health Quality & Safety Commission)
Three are external opportunities and two are for vacancies on both Kōtuinga Kiritaki Consumer network and Ngā Reo Māhuri Young Voices group.
They will also be advertised in the next Consumer health forum Aotearoa newsletter at the end of the month.
New events
Update on the Wellington Disabled Artists' Theatre Festival
From Liv in the Media team at the Disabled Artists' Theatre Festival in Wellington.
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And now we have a phone number!
Come along to the Disabled Artists’ Theatre Festival, also known as DAT Fest, this November. From 2-17 November at Te Auaha Campus, 65 Dixon Street, there will be a range of awesome events such as the opening gala show, workshops for disabled artists, a comedy night, a music night, a cabaret brunch, panel discussions, and SO MUCH MORE!
The Disabled Artists’ Theatre Festival was started in 2022 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington and this is its third year running. Come through to Te Auaha in November to see some cool disabled, d/Deaf and neurodiverse creatives and performers doing their thing.
More information is available:
by phone 022 545 8185
by email media.datfest@gmail.com
at the website fest.nz
on the Facebook page "DAT Fest: Disabled Artists' Theatre Festival".
Other newsletters
Deaf Persons's Assembly (DPA) Information Exchange: 23 October 2024
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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 dream bigger, and also rank airport wheelchairs.
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
Please note, access to our weekly be Seen Be Heard Be Connected emails is also available on our website via our events page, at the following link.
News and events (Deafblind Association New Zealand)
Ngā mihi mahana,
Warm regards,
Amanda
Event reminders
Check our calendar of events for reminders of all the other events coming up, and updated dates for our regional peer-to-peer gatherings.
Feedback requested reminders
National Housing Survey
The Urban Advisory 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: “Is 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 this edition of the show on Wellington Access Radio on Tuesday just after 1:00pm, 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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Living Blindfully
Weekly show hosted by Jonathan Mosen.
Living Blindfully audio episodes (Living Blindfully)
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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, they’re Aotearoa’s 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 week’s update.
Amanda Stevens
Executive Officer
Taringa Turi Kāpō Rōpū
Deafblind Association New Zealand