News

Ballarat Deaf Community, this one's for you!

The future: what’s ahead for Deaf advocacy? What issues will Deaf Victoria be advocating for in the years to come? And what does that mean for your future?

Join us for an important discussion about advocacy for deaf and hard of ...hearing people. We want to hear what matters most to you and gather your feedback to share directly with the Victorian Government. We’ll also be talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI), how it might affect our community, and whether this is something Deaf Victoria should be advocating on. Your experiences, ideas, and feedback are important and will help shape Deaf Victoria’s future advocacy work.

Where and when?
Thursday 21 May 2026, 7-9pm
Sebastopol Community Centre,
254 Vickers Street, Sebastopol

Tea, coffee, and food will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP/Questions: email manager@deafvictoria.org.au

Video transcript:
Ballarat deaf community, how are you? I'll be coming to visit. You've probably had enough of seeing Gary Kerridge by now, so I'll be there - a fresh face! Gary and I will be visiting together to hold a consultation about Deaf Victoria's advocacy. We want to know what issues and topics around advocacy are important to you and have a discussion to understand your perspectives. A consultation will be held at Sapastopol Community Centre. Have a look at the description below for the address, date and time. We look forward to seeing you there, and food will be provided. Bye!

Celebrating a proud achievement in our Melbourne Deaf community — Ramas McRae @deafrunningbeard has completed his PhD, earning doctor status, with a focus on mental health research. Well done, Ramas!

Transcript: Wow! Over the weekend I saw some fantastic news announced. Someone from our ...Melbourne Deaf community has achieved their PhD, meaning they have earned doctor status. That person is Ramas McRae. Incredible. His research focuses on mental health and related areas, and he completed his PhD at Deakin University. I’m sure you’ll share my feelings as I congratulate him for his recent acheivement. Not many Deaf people have a PhD — Gab Hodge has one, and a few others — but it is still quite rare. That’s why this achievement is something we should truly celebrate, along with Ramas’s determination and hard work. Congratulations again on completing your PhD!

Are you a deaf migrant?
Or are you deaf and unemployed?

Want to learn information and skills, such as:
- How to drive and get a diver's licence,
- The NDIS
- School and employment support services
- Wayfinding help

Come to our fortnightly workshops!
...
🗓️ Thursdays, 10:00am – 11:30am
7 May
21 May
4 June
18 June

📍 Ross House
Level 4 – Christine McAuslan Room
247–251 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Questions?
SMS: 0431 476 721
Email: info@deafvictoria.org.au

...................

We are proudly delivering projects for the Peer Support and Capacity Building (PSCB) grant for the NDIS.

REMINDER - Community Consultation at Endeavour Hills Deaf Hub this week!

The future: what’s ahead for Deaf advocacy?
What issues will Deaf Victoria be advocating for in the years to come?
And what does that mean for your future?

Join us for an important discussion about ...advocacy for deaf and hard of hearing people. We want to hear what matters most to you and gather your feedback to share directly with the Victorian Government.

We’ll also be talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI), how it might affect our community, and whether this is something Deaf Victoria should be advocating on.
Your experiences, ideas, and feedback are important and will help shape Deaf Victoria’s future advocacy work.

Come to: Endeavour Hills Deaf Hub
Endeavour Hills Neighbourhood Centre,
10 Raymond McMahon Boulevard, Endeavour Hills
Thursday 7 May 2026, 1-4pm

Tea, coffee, and food will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!
RSVP or questions: email manager@deafvictoria.org.au

For our Auslan video you can see the link in our Instagram bio, or watch here: https://youtube.com/shorts/-JFPCFR0abE?feature=share

Can't make it? See our other options for times and locations below:
Wodonga - Saturday 16 May 2026, 6-8pm
Ballarat - Thursday 21 May 2026, 7-9pm
Mildura - Tuesday 26 May 2026 5-7pm
Online (Zoom) - Wednesday 27 May 2026, 6-8pm
Geelong - Thursday 18 June 2026, 10:30am-12:30pm

Are you a deaf migrant?
Or are you deaf and unemployed?

Want to learn information and skills, such as:
- How to drive and get a diver's licence,
- The NDIS
- School and employment support services
- Wayfinding help

Come to our fortnightly workshops!
...
🗓️ Thursdays, 10:00am – 11:30am
7 May
21 May
4 June
18 June

📍 Ross House
Level 4 – Christine McAuslan Room
247–251 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Questions?
SMS: 0431 476 721
Email: info@deafvictoria.org.au

...................

We are proudly delivering projects for the Peer Support and Capacity Building (PSCB) grant for the NDIS.

Transcript:
Hello! Just a video on our Deaf Life Skills Workshop. It's for those who are deaf migrants or deaf people who are unemployed and and want to improve their skills. So I want to invite you along to next week's session. On 7 May, we'll have a another workshop in Melbourne City at Ross House where the Deaf Victoria office is located. It will be at 10:00 - 11:30am, the same as previous sessions. We'll cover topics such as: learning to drive and how to obtain a licence, understanding the NDIS in more depth, how to access school and employment services, and naviagting or wayfinding aorund Melbourne. Some really exciting topics there! So come along - I'm keen to see you there, and new faces are welcome, too. See you there, next week. Bye!

A petition is one way you can have a say to parliament on an issue that matters to you. Watch this short Auslan video to find out more about petitions, how they work and how you can get involved.

Produced in partnership with @victorianparliament

Transcript: Another way to be ...involved in the parliamentary process is through petitions. Do you know what that is? You might have concerns about services that need to be improved. A petition is a set of written recommendations about an issue that can be submitted to parliament. You will need to collect many signatures from people who share similar concerns. Once you have gathered the signatures, you need to find an MP to support your petition and submit it to parliament. The petition then becomes a public record, meaning other members of the public can view it. For example, there is a petition for deafConnectEd, an organisation that provides access to support for deaf and hard of hearing students. Digital petitions can be easier to manage than hard‑copy petitions. You can visit https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/petitions to see what petitions are available if you want to learn more.

The future: what’s ahead for Deaf advocacy?
What issues will Deaf Victoria be advocating for in the years to come?
And what does that mean for your future?

Join us for an important discussion about advocacy for deaf and hard of hearing people. We want to hear what matters most to... you and gather your feedback to share directly with the Victorian Government.

We’ll also be talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI), how it might affect our community, and whether this is something Deaf Victoria should be advocating on.
Your experiences, ideas, and feedback are important and will help shape Deaf Victoria’s future advocacy work.

Where and when?
Endeavour Hills Deaf Hub - Thursday 7 May 2026, 1-4pm
Wodonga - Saturday 16 May 2026, 6-8pm
Ballarat - Thursday 21 May 2026, 7-9pm
Mildura - Tuesday 26 May 2026 5-7pm
Online (Zoom) - Wednesday 27 May 2026, 6-8pm
Geelong - Thursday 18 June 2026, 10:30am-12:30pm

Tea, coffee, and food will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!

For location addresses and RSVP: email manager@deafvictoria.org.au

Video transcript:
All across Victoria, Deaf Victoria will be visiting and meeting the community in various places across the state. Come along - I'll be there! So, where and when? You’ll find all the details in the post description, including a list of locations, so you can choose the session closest to you. For example, Mildura, Ballarat, Geelong, Wodonga, and in various areas across Melbourne, including the south-east, metropolitan area, and surrounds. I’ll be inviting different Deaf community groups, so you can look through the options and decide which session suits you best. So, what will we be talking about? Obviously, my role is in advocacy - for example, cinema captions, public transport, Victoria Police, hospitals, and more. I want your input to help shape our future plan for the next five years. Should we continue advocating in the same way, or do we need to adjust our approach? We’ll also talk about what AI might mean for us in the future - for example, signing avatars, and other innovations - what are your thoughts? I would really love your input. See you there!

Your voice is important. This short Auslan video explains how easy it can be to participate in a parliamentary committee inquiry.

Produced in partnership with @victorianparliament

Transcript: You can decide which method works best for you. You can use Auslan to submit, or you can ...bring an Auslan interpreter to voice for you. You might be thinking, why should I do this? There are plenty of reasons not to, but it is very important for you to be involved. You are a valuable member of the Victorian community and we want you to take part. Your contribution really matters and it helps to shape recommendations. You need determination to keep going. I know it can feel exhausting to submit again and again, but we have to keep going.

How can you contribute to an inquiry being conducted by a parliamentary committee? It’s much simpler than you think. This short Auslan video explains what an inquiry is and how you can contribute.

Produced in partnership with @victorianparliament

Transcript: Did you know there ...are two ways you can be involved in a parliamentary inquiry? When an inquiry happens, it might focus on an issue you feel is really important, such as how to improve early childhood education centres or how to better communicate with Deaf people in the community. Inquiries have a very clear goal and scope that you cannot move away from. You can visit the Parliament of Victoria website to find out more. They offer written submissions, online submissions, and face‑to‑face opportunities to take part.

Have your say about the future of Deaf Australia!

Parliament’s committee inquiries - what are they and why do we have them? Why are they important to you? This short Auslan video answers these questions.

Produced in partnership with @victorianparliament

Transcript: A parliamentary committee is set up to do an inquiry into ...issues relating to community concerns. These can include things like the economy, the environment, and other important issues. For example, there will be an inquiry into early childhood education because we see many concerns in the news about the safety of children in childcare centres. Parliament understands there is a problem, so a range of groups will provide evidence and recommendations to explain what should be done next, and this will then be proposed to parliament.

Want to know more about committees? This short Auslan video explains what a committee is, what they do and how they do it.

Produced in partnership with @victorianparliament

Transcript: So what is a committee? Do you know what they do? A committee is a group of people with a ...particular goal. They collect different perspectives, people’s expertise, and they can do research on how to solve a problem. They write reports on what should be done next. There are committees in the community, for example DSRV (Deaf Sports Recreation Victoria), Flow Festival, and the Deaf Sports Day committee.

We were very proud to teach 40+ young deaf people about advocacy at the Crossing Borders Youth Camp led by Deaf Youth Australia and Deaf Connect. We explained different levels of government in Australia and we did some fun practical group activities. Those 40 campers were all amazing and the future... is bright with those next generation leaders!

Come & Try - Deaf Lawn Bowls

Interested in trying lawn bowls? Join us for a relaxed and social afternoon where you can learn how to play, meet Victoria’s Deaf lawn bowlers, and enjoy some fun competitions.

When: Friday 1 May 2026
Time: 2:00–4:00 pm
Where: Ocean ...Grove Bowling Club, 18 The Terrace, Ocean Grove
🗓️ RSVP by Thursday 30 April - email Amanda at secretary.dbv@gmail.com

Proudly brought to you in partnership with Deaf Lawn Bowls Victoria.
Made possible through the Sport and Recreation Victoria Regional All Abilities Participation Grant.

We are so excited to have Drisana make her presentation soon in Melbourne! Her story is not to be missed.

🚨 REMINDER

The future: what’s ahead for deaf advocacy?
What issues will Deaf Victoria be advocating for in the years to come? And what does that mean for your future?

Join us on 27 April for an important discussion on advocacy for deaf and hard of hearing people. We want... to hear what matters most to you and gather your feedback to share directly with the Victorian Government.
We’ll also be talking about AI and how it might affect us, and whether this is something we should be advocating on.

☕ Tea, coffee, and food will be provided.
📅 27 April, 10:30am - 2:30pm
📍 John Pierce Centre, 25/35 High St, Prahran VIC 3181
✉️ RSVP: Email manager@deafvictoria.org.au

We hope to see you there!

............................

We are proudly delivering projects for the Peer Support and Capacity Building (PSCB) grant for the NDIS.

Are you a deaf woman? want to go on a trip to Bendigo with other deaf women? Then check this out!