Vicdeaf123rdANNUAL REPORT 2007

OUR VISION: Vicdeaf... leading the way in social justice and equity for Deaf and hard of hearing people.

OUR MISSION:

Vicdeaf aims to improve the quality of life for deaf* people. It does this by:

1. Breaking down communication barriers and improving access to services.

2. Increasing the status and participation of deaf people in society.

3. Providing specialist support and community services.

OUR PRINCIPLES:

Vicdeaf’s Principles are: Access, Equity, Communication, Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Accountability.

Thai Chi at Christmas Rally.

SEPTEMBER 2006 > Launch of digital story telling project > Victorian Office of Multicultural Affairs project commences

OCTOBER 2006 > Signs of Change Conference convened at Vicdeaf > 2006 Annual General Meeting approves new Constitution

NOVEMBER 2006 > Presentation to Australian Association of the Deaf Conference > New Human Resources Manager commences

DECEMBER 2006 > Interpreter Task Force completes recommendations > Alcoa Regional Achievers Award presented to Mary Stewart > Christmas Rally

FEBRUARY 2007 > Presentation to Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission panel

MARCh 2007 > Multicultural Day conducted at Vicdeaf

APRIL 2007 > New Chief Executive Officer commences > SensWide completes 20th consecutive month of 100% client capacity

MAY 2007 > Board and Senior Management Team Planning Retreat > Participation in Law Week activities > New hearservice Manager commences

jUNE 2007 > Launch new website > Schools Information Day > $827,772 surplus achieved for 2006/07 > Growth budget approved for 2007/08

2006/07 HIGHlIGHtS

Group discussion at Multicultural day.

contentsPresident’s Report 02

Chief Executive Officer’s Report 04

Reaching Out

Deaf Multicultural Day 06

Report on Deaf Migrants Living in Victoria 07

Signs of Change 08

National Relay Service 09

Client Services 10

Vicdeaf Auslan and Interpreting Services 13

hearservice 14

Rehabilitation and Information Team 15

SensWide Services 16

Human Resources 18

Quality Management 19

Treasurer’s Report 20

Abridged Financial Statements 21

Donations and Bequests 24

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Reaching OutReaching Out

Kirsten Whitehill and Luckie Street clients out on a country trip.

“We start 2007/08 as a stronger, more focused and viable organisation committed to meeting your current and future needs.”

President’s rePort 2006/2007

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We finish this financial year with an operating surplus of $827,772 that enables financial stability and an opportunity for future investment in expanded services for our clients and fairer remuneration for our staff.

We welcomed Graeme Kelly as our new CEO in April and in May the Board and senior management team held a Planning Retreat to review how we are going with the implementation of the Strategic Plan “Towards 2010” and to make any necessary changes. At the Retreat we reaffirmed our commitment to:

> Our vision – Vicdeaf... Leading the way in social justice and equity for Deaf and hard of hearing people;

> Our principles – Access, Equity, Communication, Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Accountability and;

> Our key outcomes – Stakeholder Engagement, Our People, Our Services and Resource Sustainability.

We also highlighted the need to put greater emphasis in 2008 on:

> Better understanding the demand for services across Victoria and to find the best ways of meeting that demand as the community needs change and increase;

> Improving Vicdeaf‘s profile in the community and;

> Fostering better relationships with a number of key stakeholders.

The Board of Directors has had a very busy year with the establishment of two Task Forces to review some key issues in our Interpreting and hear operations. As a result of that work, in conjunction with the management team, we finish the year with stronger positions in both areas. More information regarding these Task Forces is provided in later sections of the Annual Report.

I thank Dr Rodney Abud, Board Director who resigned from the Board after nearly ten years of valued advice and John Paton as Chief Executive Officer who left us in September, after nearly five years of significant service to Vicdeaf.

My sincere appreciation is also extended to the other Board Directors and the senior management team who have made this year so successful. The contribution of the Board Directors, which is made on an honorary basis, has been remarkable in a year of significant challenge. Our thanks also go to Kris Chapman and Gary Hunt who stepped into the CEO role prior to Graeme Kelly’s commencement and ensured that Vicdeaf kept its focus on our clients and the services we provide.

It is important to acknowledge and thank the major contribution this year from our professional and committed staff as well as the unwavering support we receive from many others in the community including our volunteers, donors and funders.

Lastly to our Deaf community and hard of hearing Victorians, be reassured that we start 2007/08 as a stronger, more focused and viable organisation committed to meeting your current and future needs.

Mac AdamPresident

01 01 Craig Rattray – Vice President02 Karen Olesnicky – Treasurer 03 Dr Therese Pierce04 Adam Brooks05 Rebecca Adam 06 Sandra McLaren07 Felicity Pantelidis

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02 03 04 05 06 07

Last year I commented that “2005/06 has been one of our best years for nearly 15 years” and I am very pleased to report that Vicdeaf enters 2007/08 in an even stronger overall position despite a number of changes during the year.

“I am confident that together we can all

achieve much more in the years ahead.”

CHIEF EXECUTIVEOFFICER’S REPORT 2006/2007

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The Planning Retreat in May 2007 involving the Board and senior management team was instrumental in focusing our effort for the future. Following the Retreat, the Board approved the 2007/2008 budget which sees Vicdeaf investing in significant “new” expenditure to achieve real outcomes for our people and community. As a result we will see:

> Investment in remuneration increases for the Vicdeaf team to support recruitment and retention of staff;

> A three year Strategic Fundraising Strategy to realise additional funding so we can deliver more projects and services to our communities;

> The great work of the Interpreter Task Force will continue with an investment aimed at providing Victoria with more interpreters and the opportunity to take advantage of the technologies now available;

> A new “Community Grants Fund” will provide opportunities and support for community activities for Deaf and hard of hearing Victorians;

> Four of our team members will present papers in Spain for the World Deaf Federation Congress in July and specialised training for other staff is planned throughout 2007/08;

> Research and understanding what the future will bring is integral to the work that we do. Vicdeaf has allocated additional staff to participate in a Hearing Co-operative Research Centre Project in 2008;

> We are boosting funds for interpreting for Case Management to bring much needed support to our service delivery for staff and clients.

This is a substantial investment to support the Vicdeaf team and more importantly, Deaf and hard of hearing Victorians. The investment has been made possible by a number of important decisions taken in recent years by Vicdeaf.

The Society has accumulated a significant level of investment funds. These funds are to be retained as an investment portfolio for the long term. They will provide a source of income that will allow Vicdeaf to deliver more services in the years to come.

My thanks to Kris Chapman and Gary Hunt for ensuring that Vicdeaf remained on track during a transition period and thank you also to the rest of the senior management team and the staff for maintaining the focus on delivering services to our community.

In closing I thank the broader Deaf community and hard of hearing Victorians for your genuine warmth and patience as I settle into my new role and learn to communicate better with you and understand your needs.

Graeme KellyChief Executive Officer

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Since commencing as Chief Executive Officer in April 2007 I have been greatly impressed by the professionalism and enthusiasm of the Board, senior management team and staff. The Vicdeaf team has been very welcoming, as has the broader Deaf community and hard of hearing Victorians, and I am confident that together we can all achieve much more in the years ahead.

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Reaching Out – A highlight this year has been “reaching out” to new communities that may find access to services difficult. Some examples are included in the next four pages

DEAF MULTICULTURAL DAY

Vicdeaf recognises that the number of Deaf and hard of hearing

people from overseas countries coming to live in Victoria is

increasing and we need to try to increase our understanding

about their needs. This is why Vicdeaf decided to host the

Deaf Multicultural Day to bring together Deaf and hard of

hearing people with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)

backgrounds and faith-based groups to promote multicultural

and multifaith harmony as well as sharing their experiences.

This successful and truly inspiring event attracted people of all

faiths, languages and cultures. A large number of people who

attended were immigrants or children of immigrants – from Iraq

to Africa and from Egypt to New Zealand.

The Deaf Multicultural Day was sponsored by the Victorian

Multicultural Commission and we were honoured to have the

presence of the Commissioner Yasser Soliman and his wife

Manar. The event was opened by our Acting CEO Kris Chapman.

We were all inspired by the stories of Bruno Broglio and Muna

Abdelkerim as immigrants. Bruno and Muna immigrated to

Australia at age of 10 and 20 respectively. It was not always

smooth sailing for them immigrating to Australia; however,

they have found peace and happiness in Australia. Jing Zhing

of Chinese heritage, Medina Sumovic of Yugoslavian heritage

and Craig Doyle-Bates, a New Zealand immigrant shared their

experiences growing up in Australia with the influence of the

cultures of their parents’ home countries.

All the inspiring stories empowered and educated many people

including volunteers and staff members of Vicdeaf who attended

the event. It was an unforgettable experience for everyone and

Vicdeaf will continue to explore the needs of Deaf and hard of

hearing people from multicultural backgrounds.

Vicdeaf is proud to have hosted the historic first Deaf Multicultural Day on Saturday 17th March as part of Victoria’s annual “Celebrate our Cultural Diversity Week” at Vicdeaf’s Albert Street premises.

Staff and participants at the Deaf Multicultural Day.Kris Chapman (Acting CEO) and Meg Aumann (event organiser).

rePort on deaf Migrants living in viCtoria

Work on the project commenced in September 2006 under

the stewardship of Dr Louisa Willoughby, a linguist specialising

in language issues in migrant communities. The project has

collected both qualitative and quantitative data on the size and

needs of the deaf migrant community, with an interim report

handed down in June 2007. Through a survey of deaf facilities

in Victorian schools the project has identified that 28% of their

students come from migrant backgrounds and 19% come

from homes where a migrant language is the main language

of communication. Students come from a large variety of

backgrounds, with over 40 different languages recorded and

only one language (Arabic) spoken by more than 10 families.

This diversity has important implications for service provision

as it makes it difficult to provide bilingual workers or translated

materials targeting certain language groups. Rather it is clear

that Vicdeaf and other service agencies need to develop generic

skills in cross-cultural communication and utilise interpreters as

needed when working with this client group.

Key issues to emerge from the project include the difficulties

faced by newly arrived families in finding out about and

accessing deaf services, and the limited opportunities currently

available for adult deaf migrants to learn Auslan and English

in Australia.

As many deaf refugees arrive with limited skills in any language

it is particularly important that they receive specialist support to

acquire Auslan and English skills and to access information about

life in Australia. The report makes a number of recommendations

about how services for this group could be improved, and

Vicdeaf has already begun applying for funding to bring these

improvements to fruition.

The final report “Catering to a diverse community: The situation

and needs of deaf people from migrant backgrounds living

in Victoria” is currently being prepared and will be launched

towards the end of 2007.

In recent years Vicdeaf has become aware of a number of deaf migrants settling in Victoria, and the difficulties this group typically face accessing deaf services, learning Auslan and English and generally finding a place for themselves in Australian society. This year we were fortunate to receive funding of $28,000 from the Victorian Office of Multicultural Affairs (now part of the Victorian Multicultural Commission) to conduct a study on the numbers, backgrounds and communication and service needs of deaf people from migrant backgrounds living in Victoria.

Two participants from the Deaf Multicultural Day.

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signs of Change

The Workshop was supported by the Department of Families,

Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Victorian Mental

Health Branch, Australian Sign Language Interpreters Association

(ASLIA) and Vicdeaf.

The theme for the Workshop was “Signs of Change” and the

program examined many of the current issues and initiatives

in the area of deaf mental health. Dr Ruth Vine, Director,

Mental Health, Department of Human Services, delivered

the first opening keynote address and outlined key directions

and influences in mental health policy and service delivery

including key aspects of the Victorian Mental Health Strategy

2002 – 2007. This helped to provide a broad overview of mental

health policy and influences.

Participants then heard from a variety of service providers and

professionals working in deaf mental health including staff

from the Statewide Consultation Service for Deaf and Hearing

Impaired People at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane,

the Deaf Mental Health Service in Auckland, New Zealand, and

several other practitioners from around Australia.

Ms Leonie Young, CEO of beyondblue gave the second keynote

address “Opening our eyes to depression across Australia”

and outlined some of the key initiatives being undertaken by

beyondblue in combating depression in Australia.

Leonie also highlighted some of the key issues confronting Deaf

and hard of hearing people, particularly access to information

and care, communication needs and appropriate diagnosis and

effective treatment.

In closing her keynote address Leonie said she looked forward

to working more closely with Vicdeaf and the deaf community

to ensure that information about depression was more easily

available to all deaf people.

In all more than 80 participants took part in the Workshop which

concluded with an action planning session outlining several key

strategies for raising awareness and creating better links and

service outcomes for Deaf and hard of hearing people.

The third Mental Health & Deaf Community Workshop “Signs of Change” was held at Vicdeaf on 12 and 13 October, 2006. This two day Workshop targeted a broad range of deaf and hearing professionals working in the area of mental health, deaf services, government and non-government agencies, social policy, interpreting, criminal justice and education.

Dr Ruth Vine.

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NATIONAL RELAY SERVICE

There are two components to the National Relay Service. The

first is the Outreach Service which is the training face of the

NRS. The second is the Relay Service which, in summary, is a call

centre providing a relay service and includes the provision of a

Text Emergency Call Service.

The Outreach Service is designed to increase awareness and

acceptance of the NRS, offer information, and provide support

and training to users and potential users of the NRS. This is

done through activities such as the provision of information and

training sessions, support to individual people and working with

community networks to ensure that the general community is

aware of and knows how to use the NRS.

The Australian Federation of Deaf Societies of which Vicdeaf

is a member, is the subcontractor for Victoria to provide the

Outreach service from July 2006 until 31 December 2008. Lance

Hately is our Education and Information Officer and he has

settled into East Melbourne quickly with the support of the CEO

and Acting CEOs during 2006/07 and his national NRS manager

based in Sydney. There are six Education and Information Officers

(EIOs) nationally. Each EIO is hosted by their state Deaf Society.

During 2006/07 Lance has delivered training covering the

Barwon South Western, Grampians, Loddon Mallee, Hume

and Gippsland regions. He has participated in events including

Hearing Awareness Week, Deafness Expo at Melbourne Town

Hall, National Australian Group On Severe Communication

Impairment (AGOSCI) Conference and the Gippsland Deafness

Expo at Sale.

We look forward to our continued partnership with the NRS

and the benefits it brings to both Vicdeaf and the community.

“Reaching Out” can also be achieved by providing new technology to improve communications. The National Relay Service (NRS) is a telephone access service available to all Australians. People who are Deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairment and/or use a Telephone Typewriter (TTY), can access anyone in the wider telephone network through the NRS. Similarly, the NRS can be used by anyone in the community to communicate with those who are Deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairment. Funding for the NRS is managed through the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA).

Lance Hately at Vicdeaf Schools Information Day.

CLIENT SERVICES

HIGHLIGHTS > Increased focus on working with deaf people from

multicultural backgrounds

> Research into the language needs of deaf migrants

and refugees

> Participation in Law Week 2007

> Mary Stewart (Family Support worker, Geelong) wins the

ALCOA Australia Rolled Products Access Award

> Staff present and participate in a number of conferences

including the Signs of Change Workshop (Melbourne), the

Australian Association of the Deaf Conference (Adelaide)

and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Conference (Melbourne)

> Commenced preparations for new Disability Services Legislation

The Client Services team has once again worked hard to achieve

terrific outcomes for our clients and service users across the state,

providing support to more than 350 clients. Case Managers were

involved in a range of activities with clients including individual

one on one support, small group work and parenting education

workshops.

In regional Victoria, staff worked with local community groups

to establish a coffee night (Bendigo), a web site (Mildura), a

computer course (Geelong) and continuing support for the

Ménière’s group (Ballarat).

Our Independent Living Skills Team has supported more than 45

deaf people with disabilities undertake skills training to improve

community access and participation. We are delighted to have

broadened the program during 2006/07 to include people living

in the Geelong region and have plans in place to expand into the

Grampians region for 2007/08.

Mary Stewart, our Family Support Worker, won the 2006 ALCOA Australia Rolled Products Access Award for her years of work throughout the Geelong region, ensuring communication access for deaf children and their families and for the establishment of a fathers Auslan group.

The Clubs and Groups program had a very active year – the Victorian Usher & Deafblind Club (VUDBC) enjoyed a magnificent day on the bay with the Beaumaris Motor Yacht Club. It was so successful the Yacht Club has organised a committee to run the event again in December 2007! The Vision and Hearing Support Club held a Christmas in July event at Rowville which was very well attended. Club 101 took part in one of the fantastic dance events organised by Club Wild and Club 30 attended the Werribee Deaf Club Dinner Dance in May 2007.

Some of the major highlights for our Shared Supported Accommodation program include:

> Participation in the annual Awakenings Festival and debutante ball

> Resident holidays to various places including Fiji, Adelaide, Dubbo, New Zealand, the Gold Coast and Perth

> Participation in a range of Special Olympics events

> Introduction of on-line grocery shopping which has freed up time on the weekends to pursue other activities including visits to Puffing Billy, Scienceworks, football at the MCG and drives to the Dandenong Ranges

In November we appointed Kirsten Whitehill to the House Supervisor role and established an Assistant House Supervisor position which has been very capably filled by Jacqueline Franischelli. The Luckie St team also welcomed a number of new casuals to the team who have made great contributions to resident care and well being.

Kris ChapmanManager

“In all, Client Services has had a very exciting and positive year. I particularly wish to acknowledge the commitment and dedication of all staff across the department and in particular the support of my three Team Leaders – Meryle Trentini, Vanessa Black and Kirsten Whitehill.”

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This successful and truly inspiring event attracted people of all faiths, languages and cultures. A large number of people attended were immigrants or children of immigrants– from Iraq to Africa and from Egypt to New Zealand.

Clients preparing dinner at Luckie Street Shared Supported Accommodation.

VUDBC outing at Beaumaris Yacht Club.

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Karina Quinn – Booking officer at VAIS.

“Highlights include a focus on programs for

interpreters to boost the number of Auslan

interpreters available.”

viCdeaf auslan and interPreting serviCe (vais)

highlights The VAIS department continued to excel throughout 2006/07.

Key highlights include a focus on programs for Interpreters to

boost the number of Auslan interpreters available:

> National Accreditation Authority for Translators and

Interpreters (NAATI) Revalidation Program

> Interpreter Graduate Program

> Interpreter Sponsorship Program

> Interpreter Mentorship Program

These highlights and the others below are set to place VAIS in

an even stronger position for 2007/08 and demonstrate the

accomplishments of the VAIS team this year.

auslan interPretingResponding to the chronic shortage of Auslan interpreters, the

Vicdeaf Board of Directors established the Interpreter’s Task

Force to investigate the status of interpreting and to make

recommendations regarding strategies to increase the number of

Auslan interpreters available.

Meeting between April and December 2006, the Task Force

produced an extensive list of recommendations that were

endorsed and financially supported by the Board. Initiatives

included:

Auslan Interpreter Graduate Program

In February 2007, Vicdeaf employed two recent graduates from

the RMIT Diploma of Interpreting (Auslan) who were engaged

on a part-time basis for a twelve month period. It is hoped that

Vicdeaf will be able to sustain this program, employing two new

graduates each year.

Vicdeaf Interpreter Sponsorship Program – January 2007

To address the undersupply of interpreters accredited at National

Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)

Interpreter level, a training program for five successful applicants

with Para-professional accreditation was implemented to prepare

them for the Interpreter level examination.

Auslan Mentorship Program – February 2007

This program provides a professional avenue for inexperienced

and/or recently graduated interpreters to receive coaching,

direction and guidance. This long awaited program was

established as a result of the tremendous efforts of Sandra Leane

– Professional Interpreter and current Acting President of Australian

Sign Language Interpreters Association (ASLIA) Vic.

National Research into the Shortage of Auslan Interpreters – 2006/2007/2008

Funding grants by FaCSIA and the Deafness Foundation,

allowed the engagement of Access Economics to undertake a

national review of the current workforce and working conditions

of Auslan interpreters to better understand the underlying

issues causing the chronic shortage. Recommendations will be

reviewed and implemented in the 2007/2008 financial year.

NAATI Revalidation Program – June 2007

Vicdeaf now requires all interpreters to revalidate their

qualifications through the NAATI Revalidation Program.

auslan teaChingThe Auslan department has had another successful year with

public interest continuing to grow, particularly in the corporate

sector. Auslan courses have been successfully marketed in both

metropolitan and regional areas. Two new initiatives are being

undertaken.

Curricula on DVD

This initiative began in late 2006. Many students had requested

that it would be easier to practice Auslan if the curriculum was

on a DVD/CD-rom. We hope that by the end of 2007 the entire

Auslan curricula will be available on DVD/CD-rom.

Auslan Intensive Courses

This initiative, which sees the standard six-week Auslan course

delivered over a two-day period, was implemented in February

2007 and has been a tremendous success.

Marc Curtis Manager

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hearservice

highlights> a year of major changes

> emerged as a consolidated, dynamic team

> educational and promotional videos produced

In an ever changing market place, staff and management, including members of the Vicdeaf Board, reviewed hearservice’s operations and vision to re-define its direction: striving to improve the communication for hard of hearing people through the provision of independent and holistic hearing services. hearservice will continue to offer a broad choice of hearing aids and products to match client’s needs to help them achieve maximum hearing potential.

hearservice continues to provide both the Reduced Price Scheme (for Health care card holders and Pensioners) and Standard Price Scheme services to clients as we always have, focusing on our strong community roots. The withdrawal from the Office of Hearing Services contract will allow us to focus on enhancing our services.

I joined as the new hearservice manager in May 2007 and we are successfully recruiting new audiologists. As a result of our operational reviews we have consolidated the sites we operate from. Vicdeaf now provides services from:

Oakleigh (full clinic and administration office of hearservice) Box Hill (full clinic)

Boronia (sessional clinic supported from Box Hill)

We are continuing to provide high quality, client-focused private Audiology, Rehabilitation and Devices appointments through these three key sites.

November 2006 saw the introduction of a client management and booking system which when fully implemented will replace many paper based processes. This software is still being refined to meet the needs of hearservice.

There was an emphasis on marketing throughout the year with a new initiative of producing videos for educational and promotional purposes. hearservice staff continued their involvement in Hearing Awareness Week by educating the community and conducting hearing screening tests at shopping centres, universities and state parliament.

hearservice supports its staff with professional development and encourages involvement in research. As part of Vicdeaf’s membership of the Hearing Co-operative Research Centre (CRC), hearservice will participate in some of their projects from 2008 aimed at preventing hearing loss and improving communication through technology. We will be involved in a specific project aimed at overcoming barriers to the use of hearing aids.

A large vote of thanks goes to the hearservice staff who have been present and involved in the major changes and turbulence of the past year. The forth-coming year will be one of consolidation and further evolution as we fulfill the Vicdeaf vision of social justice and equity for Deaf and hard of hearing Victorians in the community.

Julie Andrews Manager

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Client having a hearing check.

“A large vote of thanks goes to the

hearservice staff who have been involved in the major changes of

the past year.”

Devices.

REHABILITATION AND INFORMATION TEAM

HIGHLIGHTS> The Rehabilitation team has managed changes in staffing

by recruiting new Speech Pathologists to work with hard of

hearing Victorians.

> The Rehabilitation team worked on the Hearing Awareness

Week Committee to provide 388 hearing checks at shopping

centres and Universities in August 2006.

> Vicdeaf has a new website to provide clear, accessible

information to the community with events and services.

> Vicdeaf is actively supporting the Deaf Clubs and Groups of

Victoria including hosting the Executives in December 2006 at

East Melbourne for a planning day.

2006/07 was another year of change for the Rehabilitation and

Information team. Staff have left the team to pursue personal

dreams to learn Auslan full time at Kangan Batman, take up full

time interpreting, travel and take maternity leave. However, we

have benefited from their energy, their commitment and their

hard work that have turned visions into realities and I thank each

and every one of them for the time that they worked with us.

I also thank those in the team who have stayed! The

Rehabilitation team has gone through a great deal of change.

I would like to thank Rob Waddell, our Screening and Devices

Officer who has been instrumental in supporting the team

through this time of change, continuing to provide hearing

checks across Melbourne whilst helping to relocate offices.

Our challenge remains to increase awareness about the needs of

hard of hearing people in the community, as well as supporting

individuals and their families / colleagues with hearing loss

management and tinnitus.

The Information team continues to engage with our Deaf and

hard of hearing readers through Communicate, e~NEWS and

the website and we value your feedback immensely for ideas,

to match our services to your needs. Vicdeaf’s support of the

Deaf Clubs and Groups throughout Victoria is an ongoing

commitment to our key stakeholder group and we are delighted

to be supporting Bendigo, Shepparton, Swan Hill and Gippsland

to develop groups in more local areas.

The Christmas Rally was again a great success despite the

extreme heat of a 42˚C day! We are enormously grateful to our

volunteers, sponsors and the community for continuing to make

this such an enthusiastically celebrated event!

Manager

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“It has been a pleasure working with the team and the community in the past year;we look forward

to hearing more of your feedback in the year ahead!”

A child watching the puppet show performed by Asphyxia.Staff and volunteers at the Christmas rally.

sensWide serviCes

highlights > Achieving employment outcomes well above the national and

Melbourne labour market region averages

> Assisting over half of our clients to achieve their career goals

by placing them into meaningful employment or helping

them move in to other jobs/gain promotions

> Commencing two new employment contracts in

the Uncapped programme

> Maintaining 100% of our capacity for the entire year for

the Capped programme

> Forging strong partnerships with Workplace Connect

and Disability Works Australia, as well as other Disability

Employment Network (DEN) providers, which strengthened

our ability to place our job seekers in to work

The SensWide team remains focussed on transforming the lives

of our clients by securing job placements. Our Employment

Consultants achieved employment outcomes at a rate that was

up to double the national and Labour Market Region averages.

They also helped many workers to gain promotions and improve

employment conditions, or to move on to new jobs which is

something that Department of Employment and Workplace

Relations (DEWR) does not recognise when assessing SensWide’s

performance, but something that we believe is very important in

terms of social justice and equity.

The 2006/07 financial year saw many changes within the

Disability Employment Network (DEN). Most significant was the

introduction of the Australian Government’s Welfare to Work

initiative, which saw compulsory job seeking imposed upon a

wider scope of Centrelink customers, and created an atmosphere

of uncertainty for those clients on the Disability Support Pension.

It also saw SensWide commence two new contracts with the

Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).

SensWide now has a specialist Capped contract which works

specifically with clients who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind

or vision impaired, and two generalist Uncapped contracts to

work with clients with a range of disabilities, although our focus

remains a sensory one.

SensWide has maintained 100% capacity under its Capped

programme throughout the year, which is a rare achievement

within the DEN industry (90% or above is the target set by

DEWR, and many services are struggling to achieve this).

Our market share for the two Employment Service Areas under

our Uncapped programme is still underutilised, and we are

working hard to increase referrals to this programme.

SensWide maintained its approved provider status through

re-accreditation under the Disability Employment Standards

Quality Assurance framework in August 2006 – receiving

very positive feedback from our auditors, a client focus-group

and from our annual client survey. The service also received

a very positive response from our first DEWR monitoring visit

in February 2007, so we have done well under DEWR’s Key

Performance Indicator for Quality and Compliance.

Andrew Lyall Manager

“I would like to thank my team for the excellent work they have done. They have

ensured that Vicdeaf’s employment division returned a very healthy surplus during

the second consecutive “funding gap” year.”

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Andrew Lyall, Karli Vulling and Maree Hadden in team discussion.

Maree Hadden.

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huMan resourCes (hr)

highlights > Approval and implementation of an organisational

remuneration strategy;

> Development of a comprehensive Human Resources (HR) business plan which will better support Vicdeaf’s strategic goals and outcomes;

> Positive HR strategies implemented in Vicdeaf’s hearservice division.

The past year has brought with it many challenges and changes to Vicdeaf, two of which have been the recruitment of a new CEO and myself as the new HR Manager. These appointments have resulted in the generation of fresh ideas that will enhance the capability and performance of Vicdeaf and staff in the future.

Several strategies have been developed to assist future performance, one of which has been the purchase and subsequent installation of a HR Information System. This purchase will assist Vicdeaf in being able to report on key performance indicators like turnover, sick leave rates and staff satisfaction whilst giving the organisation reporting capabilities not previously provided. In addition to the more formal strategies on the agenda, Vicdeaf continues to actively promote and encourage staff participation in defining the organisation’s direction i.e. the staff forum which is organised and chaired by staff. It’s very refreshing joining an organisation with such a passionate staffing group who are proud of their organisation.

As much of the year has been spent establishing the HR function and reviewing existing arrangements, the forthcoming year will be where most of HR’s results are yielded. Looking towards the future, HR faces many exciting challenges.

At the forefront of these challenges HR will be actively working towards achieving Vicdeaf’s strategic outcome two, ‘Our People’, by promoting a culture that encourages accountability and respect, acknowledges the differences of staff, and supports creative, resilient people. HR will also be developing and implementing many new strategies to help promote a united culture which develops and sustains a professional, positive team.

Generally, Vicdeaf has a stable workforce with committed staff all working together to achieve common goals. However, what has become apparent is that in some areas of Vicdeaf, for example hearservice, a shortage in skilled professionals has made it difficult to fill key support positions. Workforce planning will be undertaken to ensure that Vicdeaf is actively managing this issue. To date, hurdles in recruiting to specialised roles have been overcome by our dedicated staff verbally promoting the organisation as a great place to work and I believe we will continue to go from strength to strength.

Vicdeaf aims to position itself as an employer of choice for 2007/08. An ambitious but achievable HR business plan has been agreed to, which is well integrated into the Vicdeaf strategic plan to do just this.

Jade Smaniotto Manager

18

Vicdeaf Staff Forum.

“Vicdeaf continues to actively promote and encourage staff participation in defining the organisation’s direction.”

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

We have been certified through Benchmark BSI Certification

against ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) since

December 2003. Vicdeaf continues to have well documented

processes, with a strong focus on continuous service

improvement via our Service Improvement Request system. This

system not only allows staff to make suggestions about Vicdeaf’s

documentation, but also encourages feedback from the

community for ideas and suggestions to improve our services.

We encourage your suggestions and please contact us to find

out the feedback options that best suit you.

In March 2007, we underwent an external re-certification review

conducted by Benchmark BSI Certification to re-evaluate our

processes against ISO 9001:2000. This review process confirmed

that we are compliant with all relevant elements of the

ISO 9001:2000 standards and recommended that Vicdeaf should

have continued certification for the next 3 years.

We are proud of this formal recognition of the quality of

the services we provide and we acknowledge the important

contribution made by Janet Gordon who stepped into the

Quality Coordinator role in November 2006 at short notice.

Consumers of our services will reasonably want to know that the services they receive will be of a high quality. Vicdeaf shares that view and to test whether it is true we require that our services and the systems that support them are assessed by independent quality auditors.

19

“We are proud of this formal recognition

of the quality of the services we provide.”

viCtorian deaf soCietyTreasurer’s reporT for The year ended 30 June 2007

Our government funded Client Services returned a small surplus

prior to the allocation of administrative overheads as did our

Interpreting business. SensWide, our employment service

achieved excellent results in 2007.

hearservice, our audiology business, did not perform to our

expectations. The service is now in the process of restructure

so that it can provide an improved service to the community

in the future.

The premises at 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne, continues to

be fully tenanted and provides an ongoing source of funding to

the organisation.

The abridged financial statements of the Society are included on

pages 21 to 23 of this Annual Report, and copies of the audited

Financial Statements have been sent to all members, and are

available on the website or upon request from the Society.

I would like to acknowledge members of the Finance and Audit

Committee over the year for their support. These include the

Chairman Mac Adam and fellow Directors Adam Brooks and

Rebecca Adam. I would also like to thank the management team

for their full support over the past twelve months.

Karen Olensnicky

Treasurer

I have pleasure in presenting my Treasurer’s Report for the financial year ended 30 June 2007. The Society has consolidated on its excellent year in 2006 with a surplus of $827,772 in 2007. The result is due primarily to an excellent result in the investment portfolio and a sizeable bequest received during the year. Along with good results in various business units, this will allow the Society to continue to invest significantly back into the community through its support of various activities and services.

Karen Olesnicky – Treasurer

Vicdeaf Melbourne office

20

abridged financial statements

This information has been extracted from the Financial Statements of the Victorian Deaf Society for the year ended June 2007.

Abridged Income Statement for the year ended 30 June 2007

2007 2006

$ $

Revenue:

Government Grants 3,193,582 3,067,390 Accommodation fees 42,240 41,096 Income from sale of goods and services 2,183,908 2,516,459 Property and Investment Income 1,196,191 1,012,206 Donations, bequests and fundraising 660,808 290,691 Other Income 99,099 72,449 Profits from sale of investments 316,831 79,634 Discount on acquisition of business - 140,106

Total income from continuing activities 7,692,659 7,220,031

Expense:

Community Support (1,398,343) (1,330,262) Information and Training (621,637) (464,958) Interpreting and Notetaking (797,755) (743,217) Auslan Training (127,731) (147,715) Employment Services (585,875) (534,853) Audiology (1,491,357) (1,840,020) Fundraising & Marketing (110,539) (197,720) Central Administration (783,127) (732,889) Special Projects (274,719) (91,600) Property (639,544) (586,684) Investments (34,260) (28,374)

Total expenses from continuing activities (6,864,887) (6,698,292)

Profit from continuing operations 827,772 521,739

Profit for the year 827,772 521,739

21

Abridged Balance Sheet as at 30 June 2007

2007 2006 $ $

Current Assets:

Cash and cash equivalents 213,541 339,447 Trade and other receivables 674,431 527,231 Inventories 46,906 44,599 Available for sale financial assets - general 7,084,824 5,452,552 Financial assets held in trust 273,361 247,169 Other 39,560 74,455

Total Current Assets 8,332,623 6,685,453

Non-Current Assets Property, plant and equipment 9,096,977 9,405,128

Total Non-Current Assets 9,096,977 9,405,128

Total Assets 17,429,600 16,090,581

Current Liabilities Payables – general 411,194 460,203 Payables – trust 273,361 247,169 Short-term provisions 344,225 380,841

Total Current Liabilities 1,028,780 1,088,213

Non-Current Liabilities

Other long-term provisions 917,197 990,836

Total Non-Current Liabilities 917,197 990,836

Total Liabilities 1,945,977 2,079,049

Net Assets 15,483,623 14,011,532

Equity Reserves 1,130,289 485,970 Retained Earnings 14,353,334 13,525,562

Total Equity 15,483,623 14,011,532

Abridged Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended 30 June 2007

2007 2006 $ $

Total equity at the beginning of the year 14,011,532 13,171,748

Gain on Available for sale investments 644,319 318,045

Net income recognised directly to equity 644,319 318,045

Profit/loss for the year 827,772 521,739

Total recognised income and expense for the year 1,472,091 839,784

Total equity at the end of the year 15,483,623 14,011,532

22

Abridged Cash Flows from Operating Activities for the year ended 30 June 2007

2007 2006 $ $

Net cash provided by operating activities

Receipts from government, residents and customers 6,717,959 7,079,525 Payments to suppliers and employees (7,000,168) (6,852,475) Interest and dividends received 387,749 306,589 Donations, bequests and fundraising 660,808 204,909

Net cash provided/(used in) by operating activities 766,348 738,548

Net cash used in investing activities

Proceeds from sale of property, plant & equipment - 27,000 Payment for property, plant & equipment (194,941) (316,934) Proceeds from sale of investments 2,637,363 1,272,903 Purchase of investments (3,334,676) (1,491,810)

Net cash provided/(used in) by investing activities (892,254) (508,841)

Cash flows from financing activities

Net cash provided/(used in) by financing activities - -

Net increase in cash held 339,447 229,707

Cash at the beginning of the financial year (127,906) 109,740

Cash at the end of the financial year 213,541 339,447

Results by activity – 2006/2007

2,500

$000

’s

Community services

Community activities

Employment services

Audiology

Interpreting

Auslan classes

Fundraising/marketing

Property investment

Investments

Governance/adminOther

Income

Expenses2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

23

We sincerely thank the following donors for their generous support to Vicdeaf

in Kind serviCes:Herbert, Geer and Rundle Turbonet / JGB Computers P/L

beQuests:E and L Wears Memorial Trust Estate Avis Miatke Estate of Avis Lillian Miatke Estate of Charlotte E Moffatt Estate of Cornelius Healy Estate of Frederick B Shepherd Estate of Howard Wesley Berry Estate of Irene Funston Estate of J R G & E Mc Kenzie Estate of Late Charles K Edwards Estate of Leslie Francis Gill Estate of Mary A Edwards Estate of the late Dorothy Exton Frank & Sybil Richardson Charitable Trust Grace & Herbert Foulkes Charitable Trust Grace Horton Charitable Trust Joe White Bequest Marrich Charitable Foundation Mary Eliza Randall Estate N J Horton Charitable Fund The Parker Foundation Ltd

donations $1,000 and over:Medtronic Xomed Australia Berwick Opportunity Shop Inc. Construction Engineering Mr. Randal Leung Masters and the Independent Line Dancers Ritchie’s Stores Pty Ltd (C.B.C.P.) The William Angliss (Vic) Charitable Fund United Way Geelong Urquhart Charitable Fund

donations betWeen $100 and $999:Mr. Daniel Aghion Allbeau Pty Ltd Ms Kelly Ashlin Australian Nursing Federation (Victoria) Mr. J D Balmford Miss Nancy Bidstrup Mr. Len Bradford Mrs. Marianne Bridge Commonwealth Bank (Social Club) Mr. & Mrs. D Cummins Mr. & Mrs. R W Cunnington Mr. Geoffrey Davey Mrs. Jean Douglas Mr. & Mrs. G C Gaze George Fethers & Co Mr. & Mrs. G & K Gibbs Miss Roma Glover Dr P U A Grossman Mrs. Marjory Hall Mr. & Mrs. W & V Higgins Mrs. C Hurst International Skin & Hides Pty Ltd Mr. Michael Krizos Mr. J M Plunkett Ramon Falls Pty Ltd Mr. Frederick Renouf Miss Grace Rowland Mrs. D Wallach Mrs. Jean Wooton

24

Victorian Deaf Society

ABN 56 004 058 084

Level 4, 340 Albert Street East Melbourne, Victoria 3002

phone 03 9473 1111 tty 03 9473 1199 fax 03 9473 1122 email info@vicdeaf.com.au

Toll free for country callers

phone 1300 780 225 tty 1300 780 235

www.vicdeaf.com.au

Regional offices:

Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Sale and Wangaratta

hearservice offices

Oakleigh, Box Hill, Boronia

phone 1300 302 031

Patrons:

Professor David de Kretser, AO and Mrs. Jan de Kretser