Dr Christina Clarke

31/10/2025

28/10/2025

The internet is full of opportunities but also risks.
That’s why Deaf Children Australia’s new Cyber Safety Program helps deaf and hard of hearing students learn to:

✅Recognise online risks
✅Protect their privacy
✅Respond safely to cyberbullying
✅Build digital confidence

Delivered in Auslan, this interactive workshop ensures every student can learn in a way that’s clear and meaningful.
📍Open to schools in QLD, SA, TAS, and VIC.
💬 Empower your students to Act Now and Stay Secure.
🔗 Learn more or register your interest:

https://www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au/cyber-safety-awareness-program/
👉 Expressions of Interest close 30th November 2025.

11/10/2025

Are you interested in a more inclusive school for deaf and hard of hearing students? Start here with this free program: Building Bridges.

It is a self-paced online course that gives all school staff the tools to confidently support deaf and hard of hearing students.

Learn at your own pace and make a difference within your school community.

👉 Enrol now: www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au/building-bridges/

01/10/2025

For Immediate Release 1 October 2025 3.6 Million Australians at Risk: Free Webinar Explores Link Between Hearing Loss and Mental Health [Canberra, ACT] Over 3.6 million Australians live with hearing loss, many facing higher rates of stress, anxiety, and depression as a result. To spotlight these cri...

30/09/2025

🎶 Love music? This one's for you! 🎶

Join Hear For You and Synth School for an epic Music & Sound Workshop, perfect for children and teens who are deaf or have hearing loss and love getting creative with sound!

🔊 Get hands-on with synths and drum machines, bring your own electronic track to life with expert guidance, and even take home a recording of what you create. No experience needed and all equipment is provided!

📅 Date: Saturday 25 October 2025
🕙 Time: 10am – 12pm
📍 Venue: Griffith University, Nathan Campus, 170 Kessels Rd, Nathan QLD

Register today: https://pulse.ly/gmjs0zg4qz

Whether you're from Brisbane or beyond, come explore the world of sound and get a taste of our QLD mentoring programs and legendary mentors!

30/09/2025

🎯 NDIS Game Plan: Secure Funding & Navigate Reforms

Feeling overwhelmed by the NDIS? You’re not alone. Join Parents of Deaf Children (PODC) for a practical and supportive session that builds on our popular NDIS 101 Workshop and gives you the tools to feel confident about your child’s plan.

In this session we’ll unpack:
✅ The NDIS “In and Out” list – what’s definitely funded, what’s not, and how to argue the grey areas
✅ The latest reform changes (including Yes/No lists, replacement supports, and foundational supports)
✅ Funding periods explained and what longer plans mean for families
✅ The “Impairment List” and how it affects eligibility and evidence
✅ Requesting Assistive Technology – from low-cost consumables to high-cost assessments, including hidden extras (cords, adaptors, installation, trials, training)
✅ The evidence you need for a Plan Review and how to present it effectively

📅 Date: Wednesday,1 October 2025
🕖 Time: 7:30 – 9:00 pm (AEST)
📍 Where: Online via Zoom

✨ Accessibility included: Auslan interpreters + Captioning
🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/NDISGamePlan

👨‍👩‍👧 Who should attend? Parents, carers, and professionals supporting Deaf or hard of hearing children.

💡 This workshop is the perfect companion to our “NDIS 101” session – taking the next step with practical strategies to secure funding, navigate reforms, and advocate for your child’s needs.

30/09/2025

Once you start to understand fluctuating capacity in neurodivergence you don't stop noticing it.

Sometimes I'll notice one of my kids struggling with a thing. And then a bit later on, after food, water play, down time- they're able to do that thing. Sometimes it's the same day, sometimes it's the next day. Sometimes it's much later.

It used to be a really tricky thing for me to manage, emotionally-speaking. Because I didn't know how to not get annoyed. I didn't know that my kids were doing their best but that their best was going to fluctuate. I took it very extra personally because I felt like I was working *so* hard to accommodate everyone and yet it still wasn't enough. Carrying those heavy emotions is so draining.

When we can see those lower capacity times for what they are, it's easier to move away from anger and resentment. It's easier to respond with empathy and kindness. It absolutely does not make it easy. But it makes it easier. And we get better at it.

The next thing I have to learn is how to give myself that same understanding when my capacity is low. Someone let us know if you've managed to figure it out, yeah?

Em 🌈

30/09/2025

Dr Emma Watkins, a former Yellow Wiggle and UTS graduate is passionate about three things: dance, film and Auslan.

Through her work with Emma Memma, she's creating a kids' show that's fully accessible to the Deaf Community by weaving Auslan into every performance, showing how accessibility and creativity can coexist 🙌

At SXSW Sydney, Dr Emma Watkins will join Dr Joshua Pate to share how storytelling and movement can shape the way we connect and grow.

Learn more 🔗 https://ow.ly/KFpw50X441n

24/09/2025

18/09/2025

No parent should feel excluded. Our Parent Mentor Program supports parents with deaf or hard of hearing child in ways that truly work for them.

If your child has just been diagnosed, or you’re already on the journey our Mentors are here to help by:
🔸Sharing lived experience: guidance from trained Parent Mentors who’ve walked the same path
🔸Providing reassurance: unbiased support from birth and beyond
🔸Connecting families: opportunities to learn, share information, explore events happening in the Deaf community through the POD Support Network
🔸Building friendships: meeting other deaf and hard children and their families at Family Camps

You don’t have to do this alone. We’re here, every step of the way. Find support here: https://www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au/parent-mentor-program/