Annual Report 2012

Head office:Suite 46/5 Aberdeen Street EAST PERTH 6004

P: (08) 9441 2677 TTY: (08) 9441 2655 F: (08) 99441 2616PO Box 8558, PERTH BC WA 6849

Regional office:2 Eliot Street BUNBURY WA 6230

P: (08) 9791 8032 TTY: (08) 9791 8034 F: (08) 9791 8032PO BOX 1917 BUNBURY WA 6231

www.facebook.com/wadeafwww.wadeaf.org.au

The WA Deaf Society would l ike to acknowledge a l l our major sponsors and the support of a l l the members, donors, corporate bus inesses and ‘ In K ind’ supporters. Your cont r ibut ions have he lped us great ly , ensur ing the cont inuat ion of serv ices.

We extend our thanks to a l l the vo lunteers who donate the i r t ime and sk i l ls . As a resu l t o f your commitment, expenses are reduced a l lowing us to put the funds ra ised in to our v i ta l programs and serv ices.

Specia l thanks a lso goes to Local , State and Federa l Governments, Estates, Trusts and Foundat ions for the i r generous support throughout the year .

On behal f o f the Board of D i rectors, members and staf f , we acknowledge your cont r ibut ions and t ru ly va lue your cont inued support .

Thank You

History

Prior to 1921 informal gatherings took place at the Levitzke family bakery. On July 12, 1921 a group of 12 Deaf people met in the home of Roy Jeffery’s in Mount Lawley. A committee was officially formed and called “The Western Australian Adult Deaf Society”. The committee liaised with other state Societies for advice and guidance and rules were drawn up, fundraising commenced, church services and gatherings were held.

The first edition of the “Deaf Note” newsletter was issued in 1927 and the subscription was two shillings. This newsletter continues to be distributed today to all members of the Society and is now known as “The Deaf Magazine”

In 1929, land was purchased at West Leederville for two hundred and sixty pounds, this was later sold, and the Society moved to “Stanmore House” Hay Street, East Perth. In 1934 Lotterywest gave the Society six hundred pounds to assist with the purchase of the building. At the Annual General Meeting in 1968 the Society voted to change the name to “The Western Australian Deaf Society Incorporated”.

In 1983 the Society moved to new premises in Leederville, which were occupied until the move to our current site in Aberdeen Street East Perth in 2006.

Honorary Life Members

Honorary Life Members are reserved for individuals who selflessly give to others their time and energy without any expectation of reward. Only 27 Honorary Life Memberships have been awarded since the Society was founded in 1921.

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CEO’s Report

WA DEAF Society Inc

Director's Meeting Attendance

7

7

6

3

7

2

7

6

5

7

7

7

7

7

3

7

7

7

Board MemberMeetingsAttended

MeetingsHeld

Tony Simpson - Director

John Barbera - Director

Evelyn O’Meara - Director

Shannon Scarvaci - Director

Richard Gray - Director (President from 5-12-11)

Darren Beath - Director

Bruce Wiltshire - Director

Mark Gummer - Director

Graham O’Neil - Director Darren Beath resigned 27-10-11

*Mr Neville Aitken

*Mr James Douglas

*Mr Richie Levitzke

*Ms Carole Noonan

*Mr Horace Blackmore

*Mr Charles Harper

*Mrs Anne Holt

*Mrs F Jeffrey

*His Hon Arthur Kay

*Mrs Mary Levitzke

*Mrs G Love

*Mr A Magrath

*Miss Jessie Ransom

*Miss May Wallace BEM

*Dr Harry Blackmore AM

*Mr John Levitzke

*Mr Geoffrey Maley OAM

*Mrs Leanne Potter

*Mr Wyndham Cooper OAM

*Mrs F Harper

*Mr Robert Jackson

*Mr Roy Jeffrey

*Mr Aubrey Levitzke

*Mr Jack Levitzke

*Mr John Love

*Mrs E Ransom

*Mrs R Waldie

* Denotes that theLife Member is deceased

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Overview

Chairman’s Report....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Chief Executive Officer’s Report......................................................................................................................... 5

Services and programs

Community Services................................................................................................................................................... 6

Deafinite Employment Services........................................................................................................................... 7

Sign Language Communications....................................................................................................................... 8

Fundraising and Marketing..................................................................................................................................... 9

Financials

Financial Information................................................................................................................................................10

Acknowledgements

Congratulations...........................................................................................................................................................11

WA DEAF Society Inc

Contents

WA Deaf Society Results Policies

Key Result Areas

Purpose

The Western Australian Deaf Society assists those who are deaf and hard of hearing to strive for equality, participate fully in the community and achieve their potential in life

Values

Collaboration Through partnerships, we will embrace diverse opinions

Accountability We will listen, reflect and respond to our stakeholders

Respect We value our history and the culture of the Deaf Community

Courage We stand up for the rights of individuals and our diverse community

Direct Service Provision

Anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing can receive support through direct service provision including access to state-wide:

i. Interpreting services

ii. Information, referral and advocacy services

iii. Employment support for eligible clients

iv. Community Housing support for eligible clients

Community Capacity Building

We will support the Western Australian community in order to enable them to better serve people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Priority areas will be:

i. Government service providers

ii. Community health and welfare services

iii. Advocacy services

iv. Local community organisations

Sustainability

We will manage business affairs in a way that ensures a balance between present day needs and long term viability within the community, including:

i. Attracting and retaining skilled staff and volunteers

ii Ensuring financial growth and security

Deaf Community Support

We will provide support to Deaf community groups and organisations in the spirit of partnership and ensuring participation and quality of life for individuals. This will include the provision of:

i) Community meeting facilities

ii) Financial and practical support within available resources

iii) Support and promotion of Deaf culture and heritage

am very pleased to present this, my first report as Chair of the Western Australia Deaf Society Board. On behalf of the members I would like to thank Tony Simpson, MLA, for his excellent work as Chair during the last four years, which has been a period of significant change and development for the Society.

I am pleased to advise that during the year we renegotiated an extension of the Management Agreement Contract with Mr Lacey for a further three years, during which time we anticipate returning the Society to a position whereby it will operate under its own executive management.

The financial result for the year was a surplus of $203,385. This is an excellent result as it was achieved solely from the performance of our operations. No significant extraordinary income was received during the year.

Work undertaken during the year and still in progress includes a review of our Constitution in light of the proposed implementation of the National Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Legislation, and in order to address some of the shortcomings found in our current Constitution. We plan that this work will be completed in the coming year. We have also undertaken and agreed to new Results Policies which are published elsewhere in this document. The review and development of these policies was assisted greatly by a revitalisation of our community forum meetings and due to the contribution of all staff as well as the Board. I would like to thank all members and stakeholders who have contributed to our work during the year and in particular my fellow Board members.

At the December Board meeting following the Annual General Meeting we received the resignation of Darren Beath due to an interstate move. Darren made a great contribution as a member of the Deaf community to our work and he is missed on our Board. The Board has so far been unsuccessful in recruiting an additional community representative to join our work. At the December Board meeting, Graham O’Neil was elected as Treasurer to replace Darren who had occupied that role previously.

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Chairman’s Report

Richard GrayChair

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Damian LaceyCEO

ur continuing success in business management has again resulted in a very healthy financial result for the year as reported by the Chair. This result follows previous positive cash flows and has been important in shoring up the financials as we enter what will be a challenging next few years.

The biggest challenges we face will be to finance essential services for the community. The proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme, as well as the substantial pay increases that will be introduced from December 2012, will have significant impact on our operations.

Already we have faced the reality of the competitive tendering environment on our work. We were unsuccessful in a tender for a State-wide consultancy service that was offered by the Disability Services Commission. We have however been successful in a tender for the provision of Auslan interpreting and translation services to the State Government.

Unfortunately due to overall performance, despite our excellent service provision and reputation in the field, we were required to tender for our Deafinite Employment Service. In order to strengthen our chances in this highly competitive area we decided to tender in partnership with Deaf Children Australia, whose performance in employment services was such that they received a roll-over contract without the need to tender. By linking in this partnership we believe we have the strongest chance of gaining ongoing contracts beyond June 2013.

The National Relay Service-Outreach, that we have provided for the past seven years in a partnership with the Australian Federation of Deaf Societies is also up for tender from July 2013.

While there is uncertainty as to the results of these two important tenders, we remain confident that the systems and processes we have in place will stand us in good stead in the future.

During the year, following discussion with members of the Community Stakeholders Forums, the importance of retention of the “house on the hill”, the old Deaf school property in Cottesloe, for the use of the Deaf community was made clear to the Society. As a result, we have sought and held meetings with related organisations and with the Premier, Colin Barnett. We will continue to work with the Government to ensure the ongoing retention and utilisation of the site by the Deaf community.

In conclusion I wish to thank the members of the Management team, Kevin Campbell, Michaela Sloan and Peter Meredith, and staff for what has been an excellent year. I also thank the members of the Board for their ongoing governance of the organisation.

CEO’s Report

O

he WA Deaf Society Community Services team provides a range of services and aims to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing people receive the same opportunities and have equal access to service and activities as do other members of the community.

Funding is received from the Disability Services Commission for the provision of community housing support and professional services such as individual advocacy, information and referral to generic service providers. The Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing , Community Support and Indigenous Affairs provides funding to the Language Early Access Program (LEAP) which supports deaf and hard of hearing families with children from 0-6 years through the provision of bi-lingual, bi-cultural group activities.

The department also hosts the National Relay Service (NRS) Education and Information Officer who provides training and support to members of the deaf community as well as to other people who have a hearing or speech impairment, and to businesses and organisations who need to know more about the NRS.

The team continued to support the Bunbury Regional office and SW community, co-ordinated community and adult education opportunities, produced the Quarterly Deaf Magazine, upgraded the website and introduced the better use of social media to keep the community informed. In addition the Community Services team participated in interagency meetings, conferences and rallies in support of improved funding for Deaf people, and advocated for families to gain access to new funding such as the Better Start program.

Highlights:

• 11 community events that enable the 135 members of the Seniors 50+ group to remain socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually active

• 5257 hours of support to clients with information, personal advocacy and referrals

• 1040 hours of community housing support for 6 clients

• 27 families and children supported through the Language Early Access Program

• Supported 15 clients to successfully apply for Independent Living Centre’s Disability Equipment Grants

• Provision of Tax Help to 21 Auslan users who earn less than $50,000

• Established basic Auslan Community Classes, delivered each term

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Community Services Report

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Chairman’s Report

EAFinite Employment Service provides employment assistance to Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons as well as people with a disability. The program is funded on a fee-for-service basis by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations ( DEEWR ).

DEAFinite has over 15 years experience in the field of open employment assistance and operates across 3 sites including our long established East Perth location as well as out-reach sites in Joondalup and Gosnells. Employment staff work hard to provide clients with tailor made solutions and support for their employment needs. Staff promote their clients with the upmost respect and take the time to listen to their needs to ensure the best employment outcomes.

Promoting and advocating the benefits of employing our clients to potential employers is an integral part of our service. We also provide Deafness Awareness Training to the general public.

The past year has been a year of industry change with DEEWR opening the industry to its first competitive tender process to establish contracts for 2013 – 2018. In partnership with DCA DEAFinite has submitted a strong Tender to continue providing specialized employment services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community across Perth.

Highlights:

• Supported over 60 previously unemployed clients into open employment

• Accepted over 65 new clients into our service

• Provided regular support to over 150 clients with various workplace and employment related needs

• Participated in the Abilities Careers Expo at Burswood

• Assisted clients with up skilling by providing workshops, educational referrals and training opportunities to enhance their employment opportunities

• Re-accreditation with Disability Service Standards Achieved

• 2013-2018 DES Employment Services Tender Submitted

Deafinite Employment Report

D

ign Language Communications WA (SLC WA) is a member of the Australian Federation of Deaf Societies (AFDS) national interpreting service alliance, Australia’s most experienced provider of Auslan / English interpreting services. SLC WA invest all profits back into services for the deaf community. SLC WA Manager Michaela Sloan, is the National Co-ordinator of the alliance.

Committed to providing high quality, professional, culturally sensitive interpreting services to facilitate effective communication between deaf and hearing people, SLC WA provides the most appropriate interpreting match and ensures the right of deaf people to have equal access to communication. Despite there being federal and state legislation in place to support these rights, there is still a lot of work to be done daily to raise awareness amongst the wider community.

SLC WA continues to provide the only After Hours Emergency Interpreting service that operates 365 days of the year. As a social enterprise all profits are returned to the community in various ways including the provision of free interpreters for funerals and weddings.

Developments this year have included the successful advocacy for the provision of Auslan interpreters for international productions and performances at Burswood Theatre; the establishment of a media room to provide Auslan / English translations of written or spoken text; a partnership with the Blue Room theatre to provide at least 4 Auslan interpreted performances each season; and a successful application to the Department of Finance for the “Common Use Agreement” Translating and Interpreting tender for all Government departments.

SLC WA has 6 Professional level, 21 Paraprofessional level and 6 Deaf Relay Interpreters on it’s registry.

Highlights:

• 5789 hours of interpreting provided

• 471 hours of Deaf Relay Interpreting have been provided

• 297.5 hours of unfunded interpreting provided

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Sign Language Communications Report

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he Fundraising and Marketing Department is responsible to ensure a sustainable income stream through fundraising activities and raise awareness of the Society’s programs and services. Only a small percentage of income is sourced from recurrent Government funding, so the WA Deaf Society relies heavily on fundraising activities to contribute to essential service provision. Building and maintaining relationships with supporters of the Society is essential as we have to compete with over 700 not-for-profit registered organisations in WA.

Funds and Public awareness was raised through:

• Raffles conducted throughout the year

• SignOn Direct Debit Program

• Donor Appeals

• Telemarketing

• Money Boxes for Businesses

• Sales of Merchandise

• Bequests

The partnership with “5c for 5 senses” continued as a collaborative fundraising and awareness campaign. This was once again very successful and gave us much media exposure.

This year a very successful fundraising campaign was launched with Bartercard with many thousands of dollars raised through a “Donate for a Tax Deduction” initiative. We were also winners of the local “Grill’d” hamburger campaign and received a significant cheque from the “Grill’d” hamburger organisation. Another initiative to increase donations was the Society’s inclusion in the “West Australian Newspaper” website “Donate to a Charity” campaign.

The Society really appreciates the dedication of our volunteers who contributed many hours of their time throughout the year assisting with administrative work, mail outs, raffles, money boxes and research. They are an important element in both our community engagement and in reducing administrative costs.

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Fundraising & Marketing Report

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11%

15%

10

Sources of Income

Application of Funds

Sign Language Communications

$572,4086

Marketing

$406,538

Community Services

$428,138

Employment Services

$888,689

Sign Language Communications

$520,143

Corporate Services

$94,718

Corporate Services .......................$94,718.......................4%Marketing ...........................................$406,538....................18%Employment Services................$888,689....................38%Community Services...................$428,138....................18%Sign Language ................................$520,143....................22%

...................................$$ $2,338,226

4%

38%

18%

18%

22%

Employment Services

$529,148

Marketing

$33,718

Corporate Services

$236,313

Deaf Community Centre

$44,642

Financial Information

Corporate Services ....................$236,313....................11%Marketing ...........................................$313,718....................15%Employment Services................$529,148....................25%Community Services...................$438,582....................21%Sign Language ................................$572,408....................26%Deaf Community Centre.............$44,642.......................2%

......................................$$2,134,841

26%

25%

21%

Community Services

$438,582

This information is from the company accounts for the year ended 30 June 2012.This information should be read in conjuction with the company accounts, which are available by request or on our website www.wadeaf.org.au

2%

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Drisana Levitzke-Gray is from Perth who was successfully selected to participate in Frontrunners - An International Deaf Youth Leadership Training Program. This is based in Denmark Europe and runs from September 2012 until May 2013. Only twenty youths are selected from around the world to participate in this prestigious program

Acknowledgements

Kevin Campbell was appointed as Operations Manager of the WA Deaf Society in November 2011

Kevin has many years of corporate experience and is responsible for the day to day management of the Society.

Tony Simpson MLA, was appointed to the Board in October 2006. In December 2007 he was elected President. Tony’s Presidency spanned a period of significant development and important change for the Society. Tony stepped down from his position as President in December 2011.

Karen Bontempo recently completed her PhD (Linguistics) at Macquarie University, after 6 years of juggling her doctoral research with her interpreting and teaching work. Her thesis explored and investigated factors that predict interpreter performance, including psychological factors, such as personality.

Peter Blockey,is the first Deaf Western Australian to be accepted into the Leaders of Tomorrow Program. WA Deaf Society would like to congratulate Peter and wish him every success in this leadership program and for the future.

Stewart Carter resigned from DEAFinite Employment after 12 years of service. Stewart has become a qualified Teacher and is now working as a visiting teacher for Deaf children. WADS would like to say a big thank you to Stewart for all his wonderful work over the years and his commitment to the Deaf community.

Annual Report 2012

Head office:Suite 46/5 Aberdeen Street EAST PERTH 6004

P: (08) 9441 2677 TTY: (08) 9441 2655 F: (08) 99441 2616PO Box 8558, PERTH BC WA 6849

Regional office:2 Eliot Street BUNBURY WA 6230

P: (08) 9791 8032 TTY: (08) 9791 8034 F: (08) 9791 8032PO BOX 1917 BUNBURY WA 6231

www.facebook.com/wadeafwww.wadeaf.org.au

The WA Deaf Society would l ike to acknowledge a l l our major sponsors and the support of a l l the members, donors, corporate bus inesses and ‘ In K ind’ supporters. Your cont r ibut ions have he lped us great ly , ensur ing the cont inuat ion of serv ices.

We extend our thanks to a l l the vo lunteers who donate the i r t ime and sk i l ls . As a resu l t o f your commitment, expenses are reduced a l lowing us to put the funds ra ised in to our v i ta l programs and serv ices.

Specia l thanks a lso goes to Local , State and Federa l Governments, Estates, Trusts and Foundat ions for the i r generous support throughout the year .

On behal f o f the Board of D i rectors, members and staf f , we acknowledge your cont r ibut ions and t ru ly va lue your cont inued support .

Thank You