Have you ever gone to a medical appointment and thought you did not
catch everything your doctor or specialist said? Perhaps your doctor
does not look directly at you, or mumbles, or has a beard or one of
the many things that makes communication a challenge for some of us.

Perhaps you need a flu injection. Or maybe it is time for your annual
check-up (blood pressure, blood sugar, pap smear, mammogram, diabetes
etc
etc) Perhaps you have a bad back? Time for a visit to the physio then.
Or an appointment about your cochlear implant operation coming up.

We are seeking consumers with hearing impairment to participate in a
trial to assist them at medical appointments. This trial is similar to
the program of using Auslan interpreters for Deaf people but in this
case, it is using a different approach (not Auslan) for people with
hearing impairment. It uses a laptop operator who types everything the
Doctor says for you to read, like real time captioning.

This trial ends at end of June and we are very keen to get some more
people to participate in the trial at medical appointments.

For a short time only (June 2009 only) the trial can cover PRIVATE AND
PUBLIC (eg hospital) appointments.

This is not for Auslan-using Deaf people, as they can use NABS
(National Auslan Booking and Payment System). Perhaps you know someone
eg one of your parents who might benefit from this assistance. It will
not cost you anything extra to get this assistance. Privacy is
assured. There are very strict privacy and confidentiality provisions,
just as when someone uses an interpreter.

Further details can be provided if you are interested.

If this trial is successful for medical appointments, this may open
the way for further application eg workplace real-time captioning. But
this trial is an essential first step.

We would really like to get some good feedback from the trial to make
evaluation possible, The trial must end by end of June

Please spread the word to get as many people as possible for this
trial.
Current locations where the trial is operating are Melbourne and
Brisbane but we can possibly consider other locations.

PLEASDE,PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.

Once you tell me you are interested, I can provide details of how to
book the laptop operator etc.

Regards

Nicole Lawder
Chief Executive Officer
Deafness Forum of Australia

218 Northbourne Avenue
Braddon ACT 2612

phone 02 6262 7808
TTY   02 6262 7809
Fax    02 6262 7810
Mob  0404 037 177

email mailto:nicole.law...@deafnessforum.org.au