Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard would be a most interesting man with whom to sit down for a good chat over a cup of tea. But he is a very poor choice as patron of the Deafness Forum. MICHAEL UNIACKE comments. DEAFNESS IS DIVERSE, complex, subtle and paradoxical. Those who become patrons of a […]

Is there a case to redefine disability to include the capacity to disclose? This may be a better way to acknowledge the massive gulf between those for whom disability is obvious, and those for whom disability is subtle, obscure and hidden. As an example, deafness reveals such a gulf.  DEAFNESS IS THE JOKER in the […]

The late Ben Souter stood at the intersection of the Deaf community and Auslan interpreters I knew Ben, not well, but well enough. I would sometimes encounter him on the train between Melbourne and Castlemaine. He had a place out in Drummond, near Kyneton in central Victoria. His eyes would light up when he saw […]

The online insults anonymous keyboard warriors hurl at Deaf people are not really about deafness. If you are reading this now, hands up if you think there is nothing particularly wrong with being Deaf. Or if you think a lack of interest in a cure for deafness is perfectly reasonable. Or if you think attitudes […]

UNIACKE, Mike: Visited him yesterday. Appeared confused, and smelt of the drink. Could not explain his absence from Divine Service for the past month, but promised to start attending. Said I would be keeping an eye on him.  I made that up of course. In the welfare records of the old Adult Deaf Society of […]