We work with our member groups to
Read our Objects, which form part of our Constitution
Read Louise Carroll's, NFD's CEO, personal experience of life with APD.
Ministry of Education policy change means functionally deaf children need to have another disability too before they can get hearing aids. Read the media release here
Hearing impairment is invisible and it’s all around us, affecting one in six New Zealanders – that’s over 700,000 people.
Hearing Week is here once again, giving us the opportunity to profile the face of hearing impairment and to acknowledge the challenges that people who live with hearing loss face and overcome each and every day.
This year we are focusing on technology and innovation and how advancements in this area give hope and dramatically change the lives of deaf and hearing impaired people by positively altering their life paths.
We have many activities and initiatives coming up aimed at raising awareness of the fact that hearing loss is an invisible disability and that it impacts across all ages and generations.
The faces of hearing impairment – their stories
Stop Press
We have been advised that the SKY TV March 2012 SKYWATCH magazines features closed captions and how to access them.
Also, from now on when a channel has closed captions you will see (CC) next to the channel name on the listings pages.
SKY TV has introduced closed captioning to the following channels:
Animal Planet, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, TCM, TV1. TV2. TV3, Cartoon Network, Crime & Investigation, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, UKTV and National Geographic.
The NFD Captioning Working Group, with membership from Deaf Aotearoa, the National Hearing Association and NFD congratulate SKY TV on the introduction of this excellent service. We are absolutely delighted with SKY’s decision to provide captioned programmes on 13 channels. This is a huge step in improving access to over 700,000 hearing impaired and deaf people in New Zealand.
The limited number of captioned television programmes and movies, made internationally and in New Zealand, is an on-going access issue for people who are deaf and hearing impaired. We congratulate SKY Television in removing this barrier to access for many Kiwis and we strongly encourage broadcasters to consider the needs of all viewers equally.
SKY will continue to evaluate the viability of providing further captions on additional content and channels as the information becomes accessible.
Closed Captions are available on MY SKY decoders. SKY Digital decoders can display closed captions through Teletext if the television supports Teletext. Please contact SKY TV for advice on how to start captioning on your television if you need assistance Fax number: 0800 759329 or Phone number: 0800 759759 or check out their website at www.sky.co.nz for functionality support.
The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute has recently published a report presenting the final results from online surveys conducted to understand the tourism experiences of people with hearing loss. Download the report here
The first ever World report on Disability, produced jointly by WHO and the World Bank, suggests that more than a billion people in the world today experience disability. The report provides the best available evidence about what works to overcome barriers to health care, rehabilitation, education, employment, and support services, and to create the environments which will enable people with disabilities to flourish. Download here
Disabled people’s organisations have welcomed the first set of indicators developed to track equal employment opportunities for disabled people. The release of the Human Rights Commission report on 1 August 2011 entitled ‘Tracking equality at work for Disabled People’ highlights the need for more leadership to address the fundamental inequalities faced by disabled people in employment. Download here
Click here to find out what services are currently available in Christchurch and how you can access them.
NFD has developed a Safe Sound Indicator (SSI) for use in early childhood centres. The SSI is a visual tool educators can use to monitor and manage noise levels. Read more
Our goal is to ensure that an SSI is available to every early childhood centre in New Zealand - about 3,500 of them. We can only achieve this with your support.
Donate to our SSI appeal and help ensure an SSI is available to every early childhood centre in New Zealand.
Read more about the SSI and Jamie Fenton, whose idea it was
The SSI is now available for purchase. Please contact Sara Huszak on 0800 867 446 or email sara.huszak@nfd.org.nz for further details.
With funding received from the Ministry of Health, NFD has produced an information pack and sign language DVD detailing the services and support options provided by Government agencies and other support organisations in New Zealand. You can access the information online from the Ministry of Health web site via the following links:
Adults: http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/disability-news-factsheets#areyoudeaf
Children: http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/disability-news-factsheets#childhearing
Our new desktop widget checks to see if your headphones are too loud! Download our widget on the right and follow the instructions. If the sound glows green, they are at a good level, if the sound glows red they could be doing irreparable damage!
The RNID (the Royal National Institute for Deaf People) in the UK has developed an on-line hearing check. Click here to start the check. It only takes a few minutes and it's free. Do you know anyone who needs to check their hearing? Please forward this link on.
A new innovative iPhone application that allows people to check their hearing anywhere in the world was also launched by the RNID on 30 March 2010. To access the link and to read more, click here
NFD upholds and applies the principles of the CRPD. Read these here
Brent Macpherson from Stretch Productions recently visited the San Isidro Care Centre in the Solomon Islands, where he produced a brief video clip about their work supporting Deaf Solomon Islanders to learn life skills.
NFD is now working with Brent and Stretch Productions to make a documentary about the San Isidro Care Centre and the wonderful work it does. This documentary will raise awareness about the centre internationally and help it to gain some of the funding it really needs. For more information watch the video clip or read Robyn Carter's blog post about the project.
Donate to this project - Brent needs funds now Select 'Solomon Islands Project' in the drop down menu on the second page of the donation form.
Yellow cards in their plastic holders should be displayed on every public reception/counter throughout the country. Thanks to funding from the ASB Community Trust, we are currently distributing them free of charge to retail and service areas in the Auckland and Northland regions.
The cards help both the person on reception and the hearing impaired person to communicate effectively. For the person with hearing difficulty, there is a reminder that they should explain to the receptionist that they do have trouble hearing. For your staff member there are discrete reminders that they should:
The National Foundation for the Deaf aims to break down barriers and these cards provide clear, concise information on how to communicate with a hearing impaired person - something from which we can all benefit. To order cards, please email your delivery address to enquiries@nfd.org.nz.
NFD has prepared a practical guide to fire safety for the hearing impaired. Download it here
The Autumn 2012 copy of our bi-annual magazine, Hearing Matters, has just been published! You can download a copy here.
Download a copy of this poster here
Hearing protection (ear muffs) can be purchased from (information only - products not endorsed by NFD):
Hearwell, Ear Buddies, Kiwi Plugs, Kiwi Safety, Mitre10
Even with the most modern hearing technology, it can be difficult to hear everything that is being said when speaking directly to another person or in a larger group. Click here to read 13 simple tips to optimise such situations.
A hearing dog could enhance your life. Find out more here
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Information on scholarships for deaf and hearing impaired people offered by the NFD Trust and other organisations. Scholarships & Grants |
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